Most smartwatches nowadays measure heart rate on the wrist; some can even track blood oxygen levels, stress and respiration rate. A select few go as far as being able to perform ECG readings right on the wrist without any additional electrodes.
Now, the bar has been raised once again by the Huawei Watch D, a unique smartwatch which can measure blood pressure on the wrist thanks to its inflatable cuff design. We went to Milan, Italy, to be among the first people to give the new watch a try, along with other new releases such as the Huawei Watch 3 GT Pro Ceramic Edition and the Huawei Mate Xs 2 folding smartphone.
The Huawei Watch D has a dual-layer airbag system that inflates around your wrist to measure blood pressure levels between 40-230 mmHg. The mini pump pushing the air into the bags has a maximum pressure of 40 kPa. Huawei claims the Watch D is the culmination of seven years of R&D.
The Huawei Watch D measures more than just blood pressure, though. Indeed, this smartwatch can also provide ECG readings, track heart rate, and monitor blood oxygen and sleep. More advanced medical features include atherosclerosis, arrhythmia, and sleep apnea risk detection.
As for tech specs, the Watch D has a 1.64" AMOLED screen with a pixel density of 326 PPI (display resolution is 456 x 280 pixels) and the aluminium alloy case has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. Needless to say, the strap is not interchangeable as it has a dual-layer airbag system attached to it.
You have to hold your arms in a specific way to make sure blood pressure measurements are accurate
Blood pressure measurements can be taken by holding your arms in a specific way (shown above), sitting and relaxing. Once the test has been completed, readings can be viewed in the Huawei Health app.
It's not clear whether blood pressure monitoring is going to be part of the new Huawei Health+ subscription system – similar to Fitbit Premium – or will it be available to all Huawei wearable owners.
Currently, there is no information about the European availability of the Huawei Watch D as Huawei is still waiting for the features to be approved by the EU. Once done, the company will announce the price and availability in all relevant markets.
Visit Huawei (opens in new tab) today for more information about the new releases.
