- Samsung Galaxy Watches now benefit from real blood pressure monitoring
- Starting tomorrow, users of Galaxy Watch 4 and later models will be able to access this feature
- A cuff remains necessary for calibration every 28 days
The best Samsung watches will finally be able to measure blood pressure, one of the most sought-after health features on connected watches today.
Available from April 1 via a software update for Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and subsequent models, this new feature will allow affected owners to monitor their blood pressure directly on the wrist thanks to the watch’s optical heart rate sensor.
Obtaining true blood pressure measurements using LEDs represents a considerable technical challenge, one that smartwatch manufacturers have been working on for a long time. An inflatable cuff remains the only medically accurate method for measuring blood pressure – and that remains the case here, since Samsung’s feature requires calibration with a cuff every 28 days.
To use this option, you will need to have or purchase an inflatable cuff, update the Samsung software and download the Samsung Health Monitor application. After entering the measurements into Samsung Health, the watch will record biomarkers like heart rate and make blood pressure estimates based on their variations. Too many outliers will indicate that the user’s blood pressure is higher than normal.
The real measurement without a cuff remains difficult to achieve
Measuring blood pressure without a cuff remains a technology that is still difficult to master. Huawei’s specialist medical watch, the Huawei Watch D2 series, integrates an inflatable cuff directly into its bracelet and performs its measurements this way. It may be surprising that this type of accessory has not become more popular on connected watches.
Apart from Huawei’s innovative approach, Apple seems to have come closer with its Hypertension feature, which uses heart rate and other biomarkers to detect probable hypertension after 30 days of wearing the watch. In case of notification, it is recommended to confirm the result by conventional measurements using an inflatable cuff, as usual.
Samsung’s blood pressure measurement feature is a nice addition. For people who already monitor their blood pressure with a cuff, the fact of only having to take a measurement once a month represents an advantage, the watch then theoretically taking care of the monitoring.
It is estimated that when Samsung and others start analyzing calibrated data, true cuff-free blood pressure measurement may not be far away.
