FitBit Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, and Blood Oxygen Monitor Review & Comparison to Other Trusted Brands

In this guide, we will tell you about wearable blood pressure monitors, Fitbit smartwatches, and the features they have to monitor your heart health. You will learn about a future Apple smartwatch with a blood pressure monitoring feature that will work by adjusting this metric with correction factors. We will also tell you about the Samsung app for measuring blood pressure using its smartwatches and HeartGuide wearable blood pressure monitor from the trusted Japanese brand Omron.

• FitBit Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, and Blood Oxygen Monitoring Capabilities
• What Trusted Blood Pressure Watches are There? Omron HeartGuide, Samsung Galaxy
• If you suffer from heart blood pressure or heart rate problems: a professional-grade heart blood monitor with ECG

FitBit Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, and Blood Oxygen Monitoring Capabilities

FitBit is an excellent choice for heart health monitoring. Equipped with long-lasting batteries, FitBit smartwatches can track your heart rate throughout the day and blood oxygen levels but cannot measure your blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood flowing through your arteries, whereas heart rate is the speed of the heartbeat. Blood oxygen level shows the amount of oxygen carried by your red blood cells. As you can see these are different health indicators, though often interconnected.

But if you have a heart problem, you should have a dedicated medical device measuring blood pressure. You may come across reliable portable professional-grade heart blood monitors like Withings BPM Wi-Fi Smart Blood Pressure Monitor. Still, they lack the features of a fitness tracker.

Another trusted device is the Withings BPM Core | Electric Arm Blood Pressure Monitor with ECG and Digital Stethoscope. It is more technologically advanced and, simultaneously, more user-friendly than traditional blood pressure monitors. When compared to smartwatches that can measure blood pressure, the Withings BPM Core is medically accurate and much more reliable. The unit is cleared by FDA and meets European medical device standards. The BPM Core measures systolic and diastolic pressures and records electrocardiogram (ECG) data to detect arrhythmia. This device detects atrial fibrillation (fast and irregular atrial contractions). 

So you must ask yourself whether you need a reliable professional-grade heart blood monitor or a blood pressure monitor on your wrist 24/7.

If your goal is just to improve overall health, a versatile Fitbit smartwatch is a good option.

Regarding heart health monitoring, we recommend the Fitbit Versa 3 Health & Fitness Smartwatch. It uses the new PurePulse 2.0 technology to continuously track heart rate day and night, providing possible accurate readings. The smartwatch can also alert you when your heart rate is low or high. The FitBit Versa is particularly useful for workouts because of the Active Zone Minutes feature. Based on your resting heart rate, the device assesses your exercise effort and helps you improve the results.

Additionally, the smartwatch checks your blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) but only while you are sleeping. With the help of the Fitbit app, you can see whether there has been a negative trend in a long time. For quick checks, the gadget uses various color LEDs showing different levels of blood oxygen saturation. This allows you to see whether you have been active enough during the day as well as indicate the probability of a health condition.

Actually, the FitBit Versa 3 is loaded with features, and heart health monitoring capabilities are just some of them. Made with a durable 6-day battery, the smartwatch can track your stress, sleep, and activities. It features GPS, Alexa, and Google Assistant, built-in speakers, and a microphone to take calls and send voicemails.

Another model, the Fitbit Sense Advanced Smartwatch has even more beneficial features. In addition to heart rate, sleep, and stress level monitoring, it has a body temperature sensor. That sensor will track your temperature at night and can determine your normal range. When the relevant clock face is installed, the device can track blood oxygen, too. The FDA-cleared FitBit ECG app will help you reveal any irregularities. When compared to blood pressure measuring, an electrocardiogram (ECG) is a quick way to test your heart health. Not only does ECG tell you about abnormal heart rhythms, but it can also indicate a probability of heart enlargement or poor blood supply to your heart.

For budget buyers, three is the Fitbit Inspire 2 Health & Fitness Tracker, which will monitor your daily activities, including steps, distance, and calories burnt, as well as all sleep stages. It tracks your heart rate 24/7 and shows your resting heart rate trends. Like the Fitbit Versa 3, it has the Active Zone Minutes feature that helps you to stay active enough during the day. Yes, the device is less sophisticated than the above-mentioned models but offers a longer battery life — up to 10 days. All in all, this is a great tool that will assist you in achieving your active lifestyle goals.

Blood Pressure Monitor Feature in Watches: What's a Problem?

You may be wondering why there is a broad choice of heart-tracking smartwatches, and only a few models can measure blood pressure. Well, the answer is simple: blood pressure monitoring is a much more sophisticated technology and is hard to get right. Some cheap smartwatches on the market are claimed to be able to measure blood pressure. But are they accurate? Won’t they mislead you about your heart health, something that may have adverse consequences?

Let’s take the popular budget Smart Watch for under £50. It focuses on measuring blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen level. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the company produces a variety of fitness trackers and says it complies with international standards. But it is not that simple. Although the device has received almost 1,600 customer reviews, many buyers question its precision. “I compared the oximeter and the reading is wrong. Also, the blood pressure is not accurate,” one of the customers wrote in his review.

What Trusted Blood Pressure Watches Are There?

Well, if blood pressure is your concern, we recommend buying a dedicated gadget from a trustworthy brand, such as the Omron HeartGuide Blood Pressure Watch. Omron is a Japanese electronics company established as far back as 1933. Today, the company is well known for its high-quality medical equipment, primarily blood pressure monitors and thermometers.

Designed as a watch, this ultraportable blood pressure monitor provides the user with clinically accurate readings. It will take you just 30 seconds to measure your blood measure, no matter whether you are on the go or in the office. Additionally, the device can track your physical activities and analyze sleep patterns.

If you think that such a £500 gadget will hit your pocket, it is not a reason to give up.

There are other brand-name manufacturers developing smartwatches with reliable blood pressure monitoring features. Recently, Apple was granted a major patent concerning a new function in its future smartwatch that will allow the user to efficiently measure blood pressure. This means that the Apple Watch may offer blood pressure monitoring that will incorporate correction factors for improved accuracy.

That said, Samsung already has a smartwatch with this feature, but such a device still requires calibration on a monthly basis. In April 2020, Samsung introduced an app that South Korean authorities have approved for blood pressure measuring. This app is available on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active and needs to be downloaded to activate this feature. Besides, a Samsung Galaxy phone is required for the app to work.

How does the Samsung blood pressure tool work? First, you need to calibrate the device with a traditional blood pressure monitor and then tap to measure your blood pressure. The device analyzes the pulse waves detected with the help of heart rate sensors. The app then examines the relationship between the changes in blood pressure and the calibration value to provide accurate readings. The Galaxy Watch 3 has a blood pressure sensor, too. However, it is unclear how Samsung's feature will work in the UK.

Another well-established smartwatch brand, Garmin, does not seem to be developing its wearable blood pressure monitor. And yet, Garmin products are worth considering because they are excellent fitness trackers.

For example, the Garmin Vivoactive 3 has over 15 preloaded workout apps, including swimming and running. It tracks your heart rate, daily fitness, and stress level, and allows you to share your activity data with the Garmin Connect online community. You can even use your smartwatch to pay for purchases.

Another model, the Garmin vivoactive 4S, has a smaller size and offers a greater number of sports apps, including animated workouts. It is available in different band colors — black, white, gray, and a nice light pink model designed for women. This smartwatch tracks heart rate, respiration, hydration, sleep, stress, and even the menstrual cycle. Quite a lot for a small accessory on your wrist!

Arm Blood Pressure Monitor and Watch with ECG

If you suffer from heart blood pressure or heart rate problems, you will be better off with the Withings BPM Core - Electric Arm Blood Pressure Monitor with ECG and Digital Stethoscope. The most wonderful thing about this gadget is that it is more technologically advanced and, at the same time, more user-friendly than traditional blood pressure monitors. When compared to smartwatches that have the ability to measure blood pressure, the Withings BPM Core is medically accurate and much more reliable. The unit is cleared by FDA and meets European medical device standards. Now, let’s move to the BPM Core’s beneficial features — and there are lots of them!

To begin with, the BPM Core measures both systolic and diastolic pressures, which are equally important. The systolic number shows the maximum pressure your heart exerts while beating, whereas the diastolic pressure tells you how hard the blood pushes between beats. The top number minus the bottom number gives you your pulse pressure. According to specialists at Mayo Clinic, a pulse pressure greater than 60 may be a cardiovascular disease risk factor.

Secondly, the BPM Core records electrocardiogram (ECG) data to detect arrhythmia, which is particularly common in elderly and nervous people. Some types of arrhythmia can cause sudden cardiac arrest and even death. What this device detects is atrial fibrillation — the most common type of arrhythmia that involves fast and irregular atrial contractions. Experts from the Department of Surgery at the University of California San Francisco say that atrial fibrillation has two major complications — heart failure and stroke.

The key strengths of the BPM Core include efficiency and convenience. It works fast and will give you a complete assessment in just 90 seconds. The device features a LED screen, a built-in digital stethoscope, and a rechargeable 6-month battery with a USB cable. The gadget is wireless and synchronizes via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to the Health Mate app on your smartphone. Through the app, you can see all the data, track your heart pressure history, and even share it with your doctor.

For those who need to check their heart health anytime and anywhere, we suggest buying wearables such as the Withings Move ECG or Withings ScanWatch. Both are manufactured by the same trusted brand — the French consumer electronics company Withings which has been operating in the market for more than 13 years. The company focuses on smartwatches, fitness trackers, health monitors, scales, and B2B products for health professionals.

Comparing the two models, Withings Move ECG and Withings ScanWatch, we will see that the former is a more basic, budget-friendly option, while the latter is richer in features and pricier. Both smartwatches record a medical-grade ECG and sync with the Health Mate app to provide you with valuable data. They automatically detect more than 30 activities, tracks walk, run, and swim. A sleep monitor function tracks both light and deep sleep stages, delivers a sleep score, as well as offers a silent alarm and smart wake-up features. Both models have the connected GPS feature and an altimeter.

The advantage of the Withings ScanWatch is that it offers an array of extra features, such as smartphone notifications, a medical-grade oximeter, a breathing disturbances detection function, and a proactive atrial fibrillation detection function. Additionally, this model automatically and continuously monitors heart rate, whereas the Withings Move ECG measures your heart rate for just 30 seconds of recording.

With the Withings ScanWatch, you will also receive notifications when your heart rate is low or high and when the device detects irregular heart rhythms. On the other hand, due to such an abundance of features, the gadget eats up battery power much more quicker.

Fitbit Blood Pressure Vs. Medical-Grade Blood Pressure Monitors: What Do Doctors Say?