Why You Can Trust CNET Naked Labs Body Scanner review: Naked Labs' all-seeing smart mirror lays your insecurities bare
This combo smart mirror and smart scale scans your nearly naked body, then shows you the goods on your phone. The tech is impressive -- and some of us hate it.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
Want to know what it's like to use the $1,395 Naked Labs Body Scanner ? Start by taking your clothes off. Yep, all of 'em -- or most of them, at least. Now, go stand in front of a mirror and take a good, long look at yourself. If you're anything like me, it might make you feel at least a little bit self-conscious.
Naked Labs Body Scanner
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Well, hold onto your love handles, because we're just getting started.
To use the Naked Labs Body Scanner, you'll stand on a motorized scale as it spins your form in front of the mirror's depth-sensing cameras.
Next, imagine that the mirror is packed with 3D cameras capable of mapping every square inch of your physique. That includes the front, the sides, the back -- all of it. After all, you're standing on a sophisticated smart scale that slowly spins you around for the cameras while also measuring your weight and body fat percentage. The mirror and its built-in Intel x86 processor captures every angle -- your best, your worst and everything in between.
Four gigabytes' worth of data about your bod gets transmitted to a private set of servers. There, the encrypted, anonymized data is compressed into something much smaller and sent back to your phone within a few minutes.
The result: A stunningly detailed 3D model of your naked form from head to toe that you can spin around, zoom in on or compare to last week's scan.
Mirror, mirror on the wall... how am I supposed to feel about this all?
The five of us all spent weeks testing the Naked Labs Body Scanner -- and we came away with some very mixed reactions.
Insecurities laid bare
The answer to that question is a complicated one. We all see different things in our reflections -- and what you see will have an unquestioned impact on your experience with the Naked Labs Body Scanner, something the five of us who tested it out at the CNET Smart Home quickly came to realize.
Ashlee Clark Thompson: Hard pass
I thought I was having a good self-esteem day when I took off my shoes and stepped on the scale. Then I let this device spin me around, look at my body from angles that God never intended for me to see and spit those visuals back at me in renderings that made me look like a extra from The Secret World of Alex Mack.
The Naked Labs mirror is an amazing step forward when it comes to bringing biometrics home, but for me, it was a huge leap backward for my self image. I look at myself in regular mirrors every day, including the full-length one that hangs on my closet door. I see the lumps, bumps and rolls that have settled onto my frame over the years. But it's an image that I don't have to store on my phone and critique in 3D.
I wasn't ready for the Naked mirror. This is a product for folks who can look at their body with a clinical perspective that's not clouded by emotions and decades of self-esteem issues. These 3D renderings and precise measurements could be dangerous in the hands of people who battle with accepting their body for whatever reason. I will stick with my static mirrors.
Megan Wollerton: Too much for me, thanks
The scanner was consistent over time, with no weird, seemingly-inaccurate fluctuations in the day-to-day readings like some scales, and its unique ability to show slight, detailed changes sets it apart. If you have a particular medical condition or if you're a professional/serious athlete, I can see the potential value. Otherwise, it's a too-expensive novelty.
The app's error messages were annoying, and I also want it to have predictive capabilities. Would a device like this ever have the ability to "diagnose" a thyroid condition, diabetes -- or even suggest that you take a pregnancy test?
Steve Conaway: Hate the scans, love the scanner
I really dig this tech. The scans themselves are borderline horrifying, but it's probably a good thing to occasionally take a look at yourself without those rose-colored glasses.
I own mirrors, which I use. So I've seen myself both with and without clothing. I know what I look like. I'm a bigger guy - a little overweight. But generally speaking, I'm okay with the way I look. Or at least, was.
Once you see yourself as an actual 3D model in fairly fine detail, good or bad, you'll likely change what you think about yourself. My first thought was, "Oh my god, I'm Shrek." Discouraging initially, but it also rallied me to do more to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Andrew Gebhart: I wouldn't spend big on this thing, but...
...I do find it useful, and would use it regularly if I had one of my own.
I've been trying to get in shape since last February, and when I first started, just exercising a little and eating a reasonable diet was enough to cause pounds to come flying off. Since then, my weight has plateaued and been stuck in roughly the same place for about a year.
A scale like this would help me see if I need to make more changes, or if my current diet and exercise plan is indeed still helping, just in more subtle ways than at first. For instance, I would love to have a full body scan from when I first started working out to compare with my current plateau. I'd be curious to use this scale over a longer period of time to see what else it could show me.
Some naked insight
Aside from the color of your underwear, the scanner doesn't leave much to the imagination once your clothes are off.
Andrew didn't notice any changes during his month or so of tests, but I definitely noticed a bit of a difference in August, when I spent eight days in Europe covering the IFA 2018 tech showcase, complete with a follow-up weekend in Amsterdam. I lived large on my trip, feasting on everything from currywurst and pork knuckle to ham and gouda pancakes and Dutch gelato. On the other hand, I was also logging upward of 30,000 steps each day, often with a heavy backpack in tow.
Sure enough, I packed on 2 pounds during my trip -- but the scanner also suggested that my body fat percentage had dropped by about a point. Curious, I pulled up my scans from before and after the trip for a side-by-side comparison. After some scrutiny, I concluded that my legs did indeed look a little bit slimmer post-trip, and perhaps even my midsection, too. In other words, the scanner showed me both the good and the bad, which is a lot more than I'd have gotten just by stepping on a scale.
Oh, and I've chosen to share an unedited screenshot of that side-by-side comparison so you can judge for yourself, and also to offer a sense of how detailed the scans are once your clothes are off. Please be nice.
The tech is impressive
As that screenshot suggests, the Naked Labs Body Scanner gets frighteningly accurate once your clothes come off. None of us felt like our scans were misrepresenting us in any way, shape or form, and the measurements all checked out, too. For better or for worse, the scanner delivers on its promise of giving you a stunningly detailed look at yourself.
Getting started was simple, too, thanks to very helpful in-app instructions that walk you through setup, installation and your first scan. You can read all about that process by clicking here.
With a sturdy, weighted base and slim, freestanding build, the mirror itself looks and feels classy enough -- though the asymmetrical bezel along the left edge for the cameras and LEDs keeps it from blending in with more traditional decor. One other point of note: You can't use the Naked Labs Body Scanner in your bathroom, because humidity can damage the tech inside.
The mirror shoots a red laser onto the floor to help you put the scale in the perfect spot when it's time to scan.
The design is functional, though. The scale nestles into the mirror's base when not in use, and you'll recharge its battery by connecting it to the mirror with a USB-C cable (the mirror itself needs to stay plugged into a wall socket). When the battery is full, that USB-C cable stows neatly on the underside of the scale -- a thoughtful, convenient touch.
Another nice touch: A red laser in the mirror that shoots down onto the floor to help you put the scale in the perfect spot when you're taking a scan. And don't worry if your bedroom is carpeted -- the scale comes with optional screw-in feet that'll help it sit steady, provided the carpet isn't more than an inch thick.
All of it makes the process of taking a scan less intimidating than you'd imagine. The app walks you through the process, with plenty of tips and reminders for things like optimal lighting conditions for the cameras, where to stand on the scale and what to do with your hair. Once you're ready and the scale is in place, you'll put your phone down, step on the scale, and hold still while it spins.
Two or three minutes later, your scan will be ready to view on your phone. Along with spinning your model around and zooming in, you can tag each scan with labels like "Good Day" and "Bad Day," or pull up a multi-angle view that shows you from the front, sides and back all at once. You can track measurements for your waist, chest, hips, arms and legs, too -- Naked Labs calls these measurements accurate to within a quarter inch, and as we tested, the five of us agreed that our numbers all looked to be spot on.
The Naked Labs app uses clear language to walk you through their privacy standards during setup.
Beyond providing self-monitoring, Naked Labs also plans to aggregate user scans to track health trends in the overall population. To that end, Naked Labs lets users opt in to anonymized data sharing if they like, noting in the privacy policy that, "this data would be immensely helpful to various obesity and health-related research programs."
To Megan's point from before, I wonder about the diagnostic potential for this sort of tech. For instance, I live with a curvy spine as a result of scoliosis, and my poor posture showed up clear as day in my scans. I could also see the appeal for transgender people in transition, or for anyone else going through dramatic body changes.
The company insists that no one at the company can view your scans, and says it "will never sell your personal information or contact info," but adds that it "may commercialize this anonymized, aggregated data in the future."
Is this the future?
As a deeply data-driven device, the Naked Labs Body Scanner fits right in with the modern smart home , and the idea of putting that data to work by connecting with personal trainers, clothing manufacturers and medical professionals is absolutely intriguing. It's very early -- and, at $1,395, very expensive -- but the product works as advertised and offers clear appeal for anyone interested in tracking changes to their body. With some refinements (and a lower price point), this scanner could be a breakout hit. Other competitors with similarly data-driven fitness pitches are lurking in the wings, as well. Silicon Valley sees some clear potential here.
That potential might be just as intimidating as the thought of cringing at a little model of your naked form on your phone. Breakout tech tends to transform our attitudes and our behavior, and modern culture is already plenty obsessed with physical appearances. What kind of cultural transformation should we expect to see once people have regular access to this much data about themselves and their bodies? Many might rightly prefer a willing suspension of disbelief when it comes to their back fat, or to any other thus-unseen insecurities.
For now, the Naked Labs Body Scanner won't appeal to anyone except the most enthusiastic of early adopters. Still, if you're willing to trust this company with your private data (and willing to splurge), preorders are open now, with delivery expected by the end of the year.
Ashlee Clark Thompson, Steve Conaway, Andrew Gebhart and Megan Wollerton contributed to this review.