Huawei Watch D Revealed With Elusive Blood Pressure Feature
With smartwatches becoming mini health clinics, it was really only a matter of time before the most elusive feature finally got implemented. While detecting irregular heart rhythm is definitely a lifesaver, high blood pressure is usually a greater concern for more people. That, unfortunately, has proven to be more difficult to measure with smartwatches, but Huawei's latest smartwatch is now officially claiming to have that problem solved where its bigger rivals have so far failed.
As mentioned before, implementing an accurate and convenient way to measure blood pressure hasn't been easy. The requirement to temporarily stop blood flow using cuffs has been one of the biggest design problems for smartwatch makers and even medical equipment manufacturers like Omron and Citizen. Huawei has been rumored to have found a way around that, but it is unsurprisingly being coy on the technical details.
Huawei calls its new technology "TruBP" and is described as a "hybrid blood pressure measurement technology." It utilizes micro-pumps and airbags in the strap to take the place of regular cuffs, while a high-precision pressure sensor and a pressure feedback control circuit do the reading. Although there will naturally be some inaccuracies, Huawei claims that the error margin is a shockingly small 3mmHg.
Huawei's blood pressure monitor is admittedly interesting, though there are tradeoffs in this portable convenience. As described by Huawei's own manual, measuring BP using the smartwatch requires some patient and a very specific position. It might be worth the slight inconvenience if it means not having to carry a blood pressure monitor around, especially if you're willing to overlook the slight margin of error.
Aside from this headlining feature, the Huawei Watch D is also equipped with the company's "TruSeen" tech, this time at version 5.0+, to power its ECG function. The rest of the watch's sensors include the typical optical heart rate sensor, a SpO2 blood oxygen level monitor, and the like. All of that information is displayed on the watch's 1.64-inch 456x280 AMOLED display that takes a rectangular form, unlike most smartwatches today.
While the Huawei Watch D is compatible with devices running HarmonyOS, Android, and even iOS, the smartwatch itself won't be as widely available. It is currently selling in China for 2,988 RMB (around $470), but there is no word yet on any rollout in international markets.