Huawei Watch D: BP and ECG on the go!

Last year, I had my first encounter with hypertension (high blood pressure) and my good neighbor handed me one of his usual pills for managing HBP and lent me a BP monitor for a week. Soon after, I bought my own device just to have something nearby should the situation recur.

At that time, I was already using the Huawei Band 6 to monitor my steps, heart rate and sleep pattern. I was telling my neighbor that sooner or later, one of the big brands (Huawei, Samsung or Apple) might come up with a smartwatch or smart band that will include blood pressure, blood sugar and/or ECG on top of the heart rate and blood oxygen levels. The need for such monitors to be integrated into a fitness band or smartwatch has become more important due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, imagine my excitement when Huawei handed us the Watch D. This is the very first smartphone we’ve tested that comes with an integrated differential pressure sensor and ECG analysis.

The way they executed the blood pressure monitor is somewhat similar to the typical BP monitors from the likes of Omron where a band inflates around your arms or wrist. With the Huawei Watch D, the strip is placed just under the watch strap and you will not notice it until you run the BP measurements.

Of course, you need to stay still, lift your left to chest levels and wait for the watch to do its job. It’s quite a neat trick, actually.

Next question — is it accurate? Well, we tried it multiple times and compared it with the traditional BP monitor we have at home.

The Huawei Watch D uses Huawei TruBP, which employs micro air pumps and airbags for wrist-based blood pressure measurement. According to Huawei, it has integrated a high-precision pressure sensor, a pressure feedback control circuit, and a low flow resistance gas path to get measurements with an error margin of ± 3mmHg.

Most of the time, we notice that the Watch D is giving out a bit higher numbers than the traditional BP monitor. Sometimes, it’s way higher than normal and causes a bit of alarm on my part so I had to double or triple check it. You need to really try it out several times, adjust the straps and your arms whenever you take measurements to get the most accurate results.

The Huawei Watch D is already in stores and has a suggested retail price of Php19,999. It might not be for everyone, especially those who are looking for a fashionable smartwatch, but folks who are more at risk and health conscious might see this as something very useful. I know I do!