Whoop (5.0 / MG)

Whoop (the 5.0 and the 'Medical Grade' MG, both launched May 8, 2025, from Whoop, founded 2012 in Boston by Will Ahmed) is a screen-free biometric wrist band and the subscription-only archetype of the biometric cohort: there is no standalone hardware sale. Access is a membership, Whoop One at $199/year, Peak at $239/year, and Life at $359/year (which includes the MG hardware), with the band provided inside the subscription. Its PPG, skin-temperature, SpO2, and respiratory sensors feed Strain, Recovery, and Sleep Coach analytics and an LLM 'Whoop Coach'; the MG adds ECG, Blood Pressure Insights, and a Healthspan / 'Whoop Age' feature. DEPLOY records commercial maturity and a reported $10.1 billion valuation (March 2026). Whoop is the strongest verified-vs-claimed cautionary exemplar in the cohort: its ECG is FDA-cleared (2025), but it marketed Blood Pressure Insights without clearance, drew an FDA Warning Letter on July 14, 2025, refused to remove the feature, and as of May 2026 the matter is unresolved with a class action filed, the market-first contrast to Oura's study-first posture.

Readiness

Whoop (5.0 / MG) is shipping now, no capability claims are on file, the model has no verified field deployments in the registry, and no incidents are on record.

Availability

shipping-now

Shipping now.

see evidence →

Price honesty

no-price

No price points on file for Whoop (5.0 / MG).

see evidence →

Capability honesty

no-claims

No reviewed capability claims on file for Whoop (5.0 / MG).

see evidence →

Real-world use

commercial

Maturity: commercial. No verified deployments in the registry.

see evidence →

Safety record

no-incidents

No incidents on record. No verified deployments either.

What it claims to do

No reviewed capability claims on file.

Price

No reviewed price points on file.

Real-world use

No verified deployments on file for Whoop (5.0 / MG).

Safety record

No incidents on record. No verified deployments either, so the absence is uninformative.

Privacy

No privacy practices disclosed or on file for Whoop (5.0 / MG).

Specs

notes

[{"label":"THE verified-vs-claimed exemplar (the ECG-vs-BP split)","value":"ECG IS FDA-cleared: 510(k) K243236, cleared Apr 4 2025 (OTC ECG on Whoop MG; classifies AFib/sinus/low-HR/high-HR; 22+). Blood Pressure Insights is NOT cleared and is the load-bearing marketing-beyond-clearance case: FDA WARNING LETTER to WHOOP Inc dated Jul 14 2025 (CMS #709755) - FDA held that daily systolic/diastolic estimates are 'inherently associated with the diagnosis of' hypertension/hypotension, meeting the device definition + requiring premarket clearance Whoop never obtained ('An erroneously low or high blood pressure reading can have significant consequences')."},{"label":"Status + Whoop's contested defense","value":"Whoop argues BPI is a 'general wellness' feature under the 21st Century Cures Act and REFUSED to remove it; the FDA compliance deadline passed. As of May 21 2026 the dispute is UNRESOLVED (Whoop + FDA in discussions; BPI remains LIVE on the MG); the warning letter now anchors a class-action lawsuit. 'Medical-grade' branding applies defensibly only to the cleared ECG, not to BP."},{"label":"CORRECTION (valuation)","value":"Valuation is $10.1B (Series G $575M, Mar 2026; QIA/Mubadala) - NOT the stale ~$3.6B (that was the Aug 2021 Series F)."},{"label":"Verification posture","value":"Boundary: biometric-primary + AI-augmented (subscription model bundles the device). Clinical posture: MIXED/CONTESTED - ECG has a real 510(k) + study, but the BP warning letter is a public regulatory finding of marketing a diagnostic-grade metric without validation. NOT verified / disputed: BPI accuracy + its 'general wellness' classification (FDA rejects); 'Healthspan/Whoop Age' (proprietary longevity construct, no clinical validation); Strain/Recovery (proprietary, uncleared)."}]

specs

Whoop 5.0 + Whoop MG ('Medical Grade'), both May 8 2025 (replaced 4.0); ~14-day battery. Sensors: PPG optical HR/HRV, skin temp, SpO2, respiratory rate. Analytics: Strain, Recovery, Sleep Coach; MG adds ECG + Blood Pressure Insights + Healthspan/'Whoop Age'. AI 'Whoop Coach' (LLM). Founded 2012, Boston (Will Ahmed). SUBSCRIPTION-ONLY: Whoop One $199/yr, Peak $239/yr, Life $359/yr (MG) - no standalone hardware sale.

formFactor

biometric (biometric-primary screen-free wrist band; subscription-only; strain/recovery AI)

What's under the hood

No brain on file for Whoop (5.0 / MG).

Frequently asked questions

Is the Whoop (5.0 / MG) actually available for purchase?

Yes, shipping now.Source: FDA Warning Letter to WHOOP Inc (Jul 14 2025): Blood Pressure Insights marketed without clearance

What does the Whoop (5.0 / MG) cost?

Not announced.

Where is the Whoop (5.0 / MG) being used?

No verified field deployments on record.

Is the Whoop (5.0 / MG) safe?

No incidents on record, but with no verified field deployments either, the absence is uninformative.

How does the Whoop (5.0 / MG) handle privacy?

No privacy practices disclosed or on file for Whoop (5.0 / MG).

Who makes the Whoop (5.0 / MG)?

Whoop (5.0 / MG) is made by Whoop, based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.Source: FDA Warning Letter to WHOOP Inc (Jul 14 2025): Blood Pressure Insights marketed without clearance

Compared to

• Withings ScanWatchby Withings · biometric
• Fitbit (Charge / Sense / Versa)by Fitbit · biometric
• Apple Watchby Apple · biometric

Sources

1. FDA Warning Letter to WHOOP Inc (Jul 14 2025): Blood Pressure Insights marketed without clearance · https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/whoop-inc-709755-07142025 ↗
2. Whoop MG ECG FDA 510(k) K243236 (cleared Apr 4 2025; OTC ECG, AFib/sinus/low-HR/high-HR) · https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfPMN/pmn.cfm?ID=K243236 ↗
3. Whoop-FDA blood-pressure dispute unresolved (May 2026); BPI remains live; class action · https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/21/whoop-fda-blood-pressure-dispute-unresolved/ ↗
4. Whoop raises $575M Series G at $10.1B valuation (Mar 2026) · https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/31/whoop-raises-575m-series-g-10-billion-valuation/ ↗