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The best blood pressure watches you can buy, according to medical research
High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects an estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide and results in 10 million deaths per year, according to the World Heart Federation. Affecting a person's whole body and slowly damaging blood cells, hypertension is the number one risk factor for death on a global scale. There are effective means to treat high blood pressure, but it's not always easy to detect and monitor.
Dr. Kazuomi Kario, professor and chairman of cardiovascular medicine at Jichi Medical University, addressed the potential to manage high blood pressure with wearable technology in an article featured in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Recent studies showed that wearables are "validated and reliable" and "have been shown to perform well against current out-of-office BP measurement approaches." However, the responsibility is on the user to determine the best wearable and to use it properly. Wearables are useful for providing some indications and trends, but an approved blood pressure cuff provides more accurate data and should be used to validate your selected wearable.
Also: The best smartwatches you can buy
What is the best blood pressure watch you can buy right now?
To help you find a smartwatch you can use as a blood pressure monitoring tool, we pulled studies from doctors to evaluate the best commercially-available blood pressure watches, keeping in mind accuracy, data privacy, and price. ZDNET's current pick for the best blood pressure watch overall is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro due to its long battery life, affordable price, wide availability, and reliable reading. Unfortunately, blood pressure monitoring has not yet been authorized by the FDA for use in the US so customers outside of the US are the only ones that can benefit from this functionality.
The best blood pressure that you can purchase for the US market is the YHE BP Doctor Pro, one of the few wearables available to capture your blood pressure from the wrist. Read on to see how all of the available blood pressure watch options compare.
The best blood pressure watches of 2024
- Lightweight titanium casing
- Sapphire glass AMOLED display
- Long battery life
- Google Wear OS support
- Bit chunky form factor
- Blood pressure remains elusive in the US
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro features: BP measurement: Pulse wave analysis | Size: 45mm | Weight: 1.64 oz (46.6 g) | Power source: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery | Battery life: Three days on a single charge | App: Galaxy Wearable
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is an internationally popular wearable that can also measure your blood pressure. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic also supports this functionality, but has a shorter battery life and slightly smaller size than the Watch 5 Pro.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro measures blood pressure and, using the watch's built-in health monitor app, takes ECG readings as well. However, Samsung does caution that the blood pressure function "cannot diagnose hypertension, other conditions, or check for signs of a heart attack. It is not meant to replace traditional methods of diagnosis or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional."
Review: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro review: Not the latest but still the greatest
It's monitoring existing conditions where the watch shows particular promise. A study conducted with the Galaxy Watch 5 showed that taking blood pressure measurements with the watch resulted in reliable and accurate readings. The watch was used to help monitor BP in patients with Parkinson's Disease.
The blood pressure function has not received FDA approval in the US yet, but it is available in at least 50 other countries, including Canada, Vietnam, and South Africa. (If you are in the US and still want to use the feature without FDA clearance, there are unofficial workarounds you can find online to do so.) To ensure accurate readings, users have to calibrate their watches every month with a traditional blood pressure cuff. The watch itself is packed with other features, including sleep tracking and music streaming, and it also made ZDNET's list of the best smartwatches.
- Medical-grade wearable
- SpO2 measurements
- Tracks calories
- Does not take blood pressure automatically
- Military time
- Large interface
YHE BP Doctor Pro features: BP measurement: Inflatable cuff | Size: 5.31-8.66 inches | Weight: 2.12 oz (60.1 g) | Power source: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery | Battery Life: N/A | App: For both iPhone and Android
The YHE BP Doctor Pro measures your blood pressure with the promise of medical-grade accuracy. The key is the watch's patented inflatable air cuff, which detects blood pressure fluctuations. You can measure your blood pressure at any time, and the watch has a host of other features, including HRV or heart rate variability. HRV measures the time difference between each heartbeat to give you insights into how well you recover from stress.
The heart rate monitor in the watch monitors your heart continuously for 24 hours a day. Blood oxygen levels (SpO2) are easily detectable on the spot with the press of a button on the watch. Continuous SpO2 monitoring means that the watch can detect apneas and send you an alert about it. It can even suggest that you switch your sleeping pattern as a result of changes in breathing that indicate snoring or respiratory problems.
The YHE BP Doctor Pro is a full-range smartwatch with sleep, activity, and health tracking in addition to alarms, messages, and weather. You can sync your data to the Android or iOS app and create a health management plan that includes your whole family.
- Full tracking suite
- 7+ days of typical use
- 2-year warranty
- Sleep tracking doesn't measure REM sleep
- Vibration alerts for phone notifications can be distracting
- Not compatible with PC or tablet
FitVII Smartwatch features: BP measurement: Sensors | Size: 1.7 inches | Weight: 1.2 oz (34.02 g) | Power source: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery | Battery life: 7+ days | App: FitCloudPro App
Emerging tech can be expensive, and given the blood pressure wearable market is still an emerging initiative, it's rare to find sub-$100 models, which is why we had to share this option from FitVII. At the time of writing, this watch is only $45 on Amazon and a 4.1 star rating from over 2,000 reviewers around the world who are impressed with the reading consistency and app's user-friendly interface.
The watch also includes sleep tracking, analyzing time you've spent in deep sleep or light sleep. It tracks your activity and gives you the weather in real-time, as well as heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen tracking on its 1.7-inch HD screen. Additionally, it has a 7 to 10 day battery life.
The FitVII website also sells the GT5 watch with 24/7 heart rate and blood pressure monitoring for around $100 ($95 with the current discount).
- Don't need a smartphone to use it
- Other helpful health tracking features
- Takes only 30 seconds to get a blood pressure reading
- Problems with charger/charging
- Not as high-tech or as accurate as other options
Med-Watch Pro tech specs: BP measurement: Optical sensors | Size: Adjustable strap (5.5-8.5 inches) | Weight: N/A | Power source: Rechargeable battery | Battery life: Up to a week | App: DaFit app
For those that want a blood pressure watch without having to connect your data to a smartphone or an app, the Med-Watch Pro is a great option that houses all your health data in the device itself. If you do want to connect it to your smartphone, the DaFit app does provide more helpful insights and personal recommendations based on your data.
The Med-Watch Pro measures your blood pressure by using an optical sensor to detect blood flow beneath the skin. More specifically, a technique called photoplethysmography (PPG) allows the watch to emit light into the skin and measure changes in light absorption to calculate blood pressure. It takes only 30 seconds or less to get a blood pressure reading.
Aside from blood pressure, the Med-Watch Pro also measures your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, sleep patterns, daily steps, and more for overall health tracking.
What is the best blood pressure watch?
The best blood pressure watch is the Omron HeartGuide. In 30 seconds, you can take a clinically accurate blood pressure reading with just the watch. You can also track trends in your blood pressure over time and better understand your readings through the app.
Blood pressure watch | Price | How does it work? | Weight | Power source |
Omron HeartGuide | $500 | Inflatable cuff | 4.1 oz | Rechargeable lithium-ion battery |
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 | $320 | Pulse wave analysis, monthly calibration with traditional blood pressure cuff | 1.01 oz | Rechargeable lithium-ion battery |
YHE BP Doctor Pro | $200 | Inflatable cuff | 2.12 oz | Rechargeable lithium-ion battery |
FitVII Smartwatch | $45 | Sensors | 1.2 oz | Rechargeable lithium-ion battery |
Med-Watch Pro | $150 | Optical sensors | N/A | Rechargeable battery |
Which is the right blood pressure watch for you?
Each blood pressure watch has its unique use case. The Omron HeartGuide, for example, has FDA approval, while the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is more commercially available.
Choose this blood pressure watch… | If you want… |
Omron HeartGuide | The best blood pressure watch overall. It has the FDA stamp of approval to give you blood pressure readings in as little as 30 seconds. |
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 | A popular smartwatch that can measure blood pressure and take ECGs on the go. These features are only available in select countries at the moment. |
YHE BP Doctor Pro | To measure your blood pressure with medical-grade accuracy. It also measures HRV, or heart rate variability, and blood oxygen. |
FitVII Smartwatch | A budget-friendly blood pressure monitor with plenty of reviews that speak to its accuracy and reliability. It also comes with additional smartwatch features, like step and calorie counting. |
Med-Watch Pro | A blood pressure watch that doesn't require your smartphone. It also tracks other health metrics like heart rate, blood oxygen levels, daily steps, and more. |
Factors to consider when choosing a blood pressure watch
There are not as many options today for blood pressure watches as there are for smartwatches, but rumors indicate that the technology and functionality will likely expand to more popular smartwatches in the near future. Here are a few factors to consider, based on our years of experience testing wearables:
- Capability: The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, and other supported Galaxy Watch models, require that you measure and baseline your blood pressure readings with a certified external monitor and enter that data into the app. The watch then measures the incremental changes from that baseline and provides your blood pressure reading. Other watches in this list use an inflatable cuff to measure your blood pressure directly.
- Other functions: The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is a full blown smartwatch that runs Google's Wear OS, but other watches in this list focus primarily on capturing your blood pressure and providing you with the time and data. Make sure you check out the functions available in the watch and evaluate whether or not you need more from your blood pressure watch.
- Fit and comfort: Anyone that has captured their blood pressure reading knows that placement of the blood pressure monitor is important in capturing accurate readings. Thus, the watch you use for your blood pressure should also fit well and be comfortable as you capture your readings. A blood pressure watch is used primarily for convenience and the ability to easily capture your readings throughout the day so comfort and fit are vital to success.
How we choose these blood pressure watches
One obstacle we ran into when choosing the best blood pressure watches was the lack of options. The concept of a blood pressure watch itself seems to be embraced by many, but we found the execution to be less robust.
With few options on the market, it is easy to weed out the fake or unreliable wearables from the legit ones. We took into consideration a few major factors:
- Commercial availability: For example, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro still does not have FDA approval in the United States for blood pressure readings, so that feature isn't an option for the US market.
- Accuracy: We looked at evidence of accuracy from studies and medical research when choosing what blood pressure watches to consider.
- Data privacy: Health information is extremely important to keep secure with wearables, so we looked into each brand and device's privacy protocols to ensure consumers' health data is safe.
- Price: We kept price in mind when making our final picks, while also knowing there aren't many options on the market. However, more economical wearables don't seem as reliable or as focused on data privacy.
Do blood pressure watches really work?
We know, a watch that measures blood pressure sounds like something out of a science fiction novel. Recent advances mean that futuristic wearables are becoming more realistic than ever before. Blood pressure watches that are vetted and tested really do work, but I recommend talking to your doctor before use.
In an article featured in IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine, Dr. Paolo Bonato, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, identified four areas of focus that are especially important when understanding recent advances in wearables: 1) wearable sensors; 2) wearable systems; 3) signal processing and analysis procedures; and 4) closed-loop systems for adaptive orthoses and prostheses.
The first three areas are important in blood pressure monitoring, as sensors and systems feed into analysis and recommendations by doctors. Here's a comprehensive paper on wearable tech in healthcare that Dr. Bonato contributed to for those who want to learn more.
What is stroke level blood pressure?
According to Healthline, the blood pressure range for a hypertension crisis is a systolic number above 180 mm Hg and a diastolic number above 120 mm Hg. Immediate medical attention is required at that level.
Healthy blood pressure is a reading of less than 120/80 mmHg, while elevated blood pressure ranges from a systolic number of 120-129 mm Hg and a diastolic number of less than 80 mmHg.
Hypertension occurs starting at 130-139/80-89 mmHg. It's good to have an idea of where your blood pressure should fall. Hypertension doesn't result in visible symptoms right away, so it's important to detect and manage it early on.
Does the Apple Watch measure blood pressure?
You cannot measure blood pressure with an Apple Watch alone. You can link it to a compatible blood pressure monitor and synchronize your blood pressure data to your Apple Watch. The Omron Evolv wireless blood pressure monitor is a compatible device, and the iHealth Feel wireless blood pressure monitor works, too.
What's a high blood pressure reading?
High blood pressure is equal to or greater than 140 over 90 mmHg, where the top number is a measure of the force in your arteries as your heart beats and pumps blood, and the bottom number is a measure of the force in your arteries as your heart is resting between beats.
Are there alternative smartwatches worth considering?
At this time, there are no other reliable blood pressure watches available to the wider market. However, the alternatives below have plenty of other health-tracking features that are worth considering.