UPDATE: 08/25/2023 09:00 EST BY ROLAND UDVARLAKI

We included the latest Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic smartwatches.

Fitness trackers are excellent affordable devices, and some even come with added smartwatch functionalities that let you sync your notifications, make calls, receive reminders, make contactless payments, and some even go as far as offering voice calls. Many fitness trackers come with some smartwatch functionalities, but most only offer basic measurements such as heart rate, sleep tracking, and blood oxygen. Many smartwatches also work with both iPhones and Android smartphones, although some may have limited functionality based on the device you pick up.

More advanced and specialized smartwatches are too few and far between, and they’re often hard to filter out and find among the myriad of great general smartwatches on the market. In this post, we collected some of the best specialized smartwatches and fitness trackers that come with the ability to do blood pressure monitoring.

Related: Here are all the smartwatches that can take an ECG

Best smartwatches for blood pressure monitoring

The Omron HeartGuideis is an excellent FDA-cleared medical smartwatch. It has an inflatable cuff inside the watchband that lets you monitor blood pressure. Like most devices, it takes around 30 seconds to take a measurement. The results are readily available on both the watch’s screen and inside the app, which is available for both Android and iOS smartphones.

The watch also lets you track fitness and other activities and monitor your sleeping patterns and habits. Alongside the fitness-oriented features, the watch can also provide you notifications from your smartphones, display the time, and help you stay or get in shape.

The FitVII smartwatch is an excellent, inexpensive smartwatch that can take blood measurement readings. The watch can be set up to take readings automatically, and it has great fitness features to track activities. The device is IP6X rated, meaning that sweat and water shouldn’t be an issue, and it has a great set of functionality to help you stay healthy.

Keep in mind that the fitness-centric features might not be the most accurate readings from this device, although that doesn’t seem to affect the accuracy of the blood pressure readings. That said, the watch can track your sleep, heart rate, and sports activities. It’s a great affordable alternative if you’re on a budget, and it looks great on the wrist.

The HUAWEI Watch D smartwatch is a medical-grade (not approved by FDA) blood measure monitoring device with ECG. It can track blood oxygen, various sports activities, heart rate, and even sleep. It’s precise and accurate and can last up to seven days on a single charge.

Despite its excellent features, it’s not available in all regions, and it’s unavailable in North America. The Watch D can be connected with iPhones and Android smartphones, and it has smartwatch features that enable users to sync notifications, change the watch face, and track sports activities. Regarding workouts, the smartwatch supports more than 70 modes, allowing you to track anything from running to hiking and swimming.

The HONOR Band 6 comes with a 1.47-inch AMOLED display, and it offers five levels of brightness levels, and various fitness tracking features. It comes with Sp02 and 24-hour heart rate monitoring features. The wearable comes with a blood pressure monitoring functionality, enabling you to see and track the information directly on the watch, and within the app.

Like many other devices on the list, the HONOR Band 6 lets you connect and sync with any Android and iOS smartphone, although the GPS functionality appears to be limited to a select few devices, and iPhones aren't supported. It has 10 workout modes, the ability to track sleep, and the battery life that lasts up to 10 days with heavy use, or 14 days with regular use. HONOR claims the Band 6 can charge up in just 65 minutes, meaning the battery shouldn’t ever be an issue.

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  Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

  Best Galaxy Smartwatch in 2023

  The Galaxy Watch 6 is the latest smartwatch from Samsung, and it's available in 40mm and 44mm sizes. Depending on the size, you get a 1.3-inch or a 1.5-inch display, respectively, a new and more powerful Exynos W930 chip, an up to 40-hour battery life, fast wireless charging, and many new features in One UI 5 Watch based on Wear OS 4.

  $300 at Amazon $330 at Best Buy $300 at Samsung

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  Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic

  Best Galaxy Smartwatch in 2023

  $340 $400 Save $60

  The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic returns the beloved physical rotating bezel, and is the latest smartwatch from Samsung. It's available in 43mm and 47mm sizes. Depending on the size, you get a 1.3-inch or a 1.5-inch display, respectively, a new and more powerful Exynos W930 chip, an up to 40-hour battery life, fast wireless charging, and many new features in One UI 5 Watch based on Wear OS 4.

  $340 at Amazon $400 at Best Buy $400 at Samsung

The new Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic support blood pressure monitoring thanks to the Samsung BioActive Sensor. The smartwatch duo also support heart rate and sleep tracking, and many more advanced features. The new smartwatches, like their predecessors, can automatically recognize sports activities, blood oxygen levels, and provide accurate and quick measurements. The smartwatches also support ECG tracking, and they're some of the best smartwatches for Samsung Galaxy smartphone users.

Before you go ahead with measuring your blood pressure, you must know that while the Galaxy Watch 6 series provides a convenient way to do this measurement, it's not as accurate as a dedicated and medically tested device. We don't recommend you rely on the results, and to ensure you get accurate information, we'll continue recommending the use of professional tools. Having said that, to start measuring your blood pressure, you’ll need to download the Samsung Health Monitor app, and calibrate the watch using a blood pressure cuff – which means you’ll have to spend extra money on this accessory. Additionally, the watch will need to be calibrated every four weeks to ensure it continues providing reliable information.

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  Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

  Best for Galaxy users

  $220 $280 Save $60

  Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 features iterative changes that improve the package sold previously. If you're looking for an affordable WearOS-based smartwatch, this is the best option to consider. It comes with improved battery life and faster-charging capabilities.

  Pros

  • Affordable
  • Great fitness features
  • Premium and lightweight design

  Cons

  • Some features are limited to Galaxy smartphones
  • One-day battery life

  $280 at Amazon $280 at Best Buy $220 at Samsung

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  Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro

  Best for Galaxy users

  The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro comes with a host of new features and a design that's geared to the rugged lifestyle and is worth considering for your outdoor activities.

  Pros

  • Large display and premium feeling
  • Water-resistant
  • Excellent fitness-tracking features

  Cons

  • Some features are limited to Galaxy smartphones
  • Price

  $449.99 at Amazon $449.99 at Best Buy $449.99 at Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy smartwatches were always known for their high-quality feeling, accurate tracking, and excellent compatibility with Android and Galaxy smartphones. The Galaxy Watch 5 series are the best Samsung has to offer. The smartwatches are some of the best when it comes to fitness features, and they pack a blood pressure functionality too.

To start measuring your blood pressure, you’ll need to download the Samsung Health Monitor app, and calibrate the watch using a blood pressure cuff – which means you’ll have to spend extra money on this accessory. Additionally, the watch will need to be calibrated every four weeks.

That said, if you already have the watch, it could mean that you don’t have to spend additional money on an extra device, which you’d likely only use occasionally or daily. The Galaxy Watch also tracks sports activities, heart rate, blood oxygen, and sleep.

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  Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

  Great alternative for Galaxy users

  $169.99 $199.99 Save $30

  The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is the device to pick if you're looking for a fitness-centric smartwatch that doesn't hurt your wallet. It's lightweight, lasts a full day, and it has all the features you need to track your health and focus on activities. 

  Pros

  • Accurate tracking
  • Water resistant
  • Excellent fitness features

  Cons

  • One-day battery life
  • Requires a bit of tweaking

  $217.99 at Amazon $169.99 at Best Buy

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  Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic

  Great alternative for Galaxy users

  $279.99 $399.99 Save $120

  Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is the device for those looking to own a traditional-looking timepiece that does more than meets the eye. It's one of the best smartwatches for Android users.

  Pros

  • Better battery life than Watch 4
  • Accurate tracking
  • Water-resistant
  • Excellent fitness features

  Cons

  • Requires a bit of tweaking

  $288.95 at Amazon $329.99 at Best Buy $279.99 at Samsung

Like the Galaxy Watch 5 series, the previous generation of Galaxy Watch 4 smartwatches also support the blood pressure functionality. It’s worth noting that the feature is region-limited, and it might require a bit of tweaking to get it work, since it’s not available out of the box. XDA has an excellent guide to help you set it up, assuming you’re happy to spend some extra time doing this.

The Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic are excellent premium smartwatches, offering accurate tracking, lots of sports activities, and sleep tracking. The watch also comes with thousands of available watch faces, allowing you to customize your experience, and of course, they pack all the smart features you’ve come to expect from Samsung’s wearables.

The Amazfit GTR 3 series were announced back in 2021, and I even reviewed the non-pro version, the Amazfit GTR 3. The Pro model offers even more features out of the box, making it an excellent smartwatch, even in 2023. Amazfit also added the functionality to measure blood pressure, making it an excellent alternative. The watch can track blood oxygen, heart rate, and offer detailed information on the watch and in the application to help you improve your workouts.

The GTR 3 Pro comes with plenty of smartwatch functionalities, and it even supports Amazon Alexa, enabling you to ask questions directly from your wrist. The watch is waterproof up to 50 meters, and allows you to change the straps with other 22mm bands. If you’re looking for a smartwatch with plenty of workout modes, the GTR 3 Pro is a great option.

Alternatives for Apple Watch users

Apple Watch smartwatches do not have blood pressure monitoring available and are built-in by default. However, most Apple Watches, including the Apple Watch Ultra, and the Apple Watch Series 8, can connect to supported third-party devices to capture data. This data can then be transferred to the Apple Health app and Samsung Health on Android to show information on the smartphone and the smartwatch itself.

The best third-party devices that support the Apple Watch are the following:

• QardioArm
• Withings BPM Connect
• Omron Evolv
• iHealth Clear

Our Recommendation

The main reason why we selected the Omron HeartGuide is for a few simple reasons. First, it’s already cleared by the FDA, meaning that it’s gone through the testing processes, which deemed it accurate enough to be recommended and used by professionals, and for medical purposes. While the HeartGuide has a few drawbacks and might be bulkier than a standard smartwatch, it has a lot of functionality that makes it stand out from the crowd.

It can take readings in just 30 seconds, and the battery can last for about two days. It’s excellent for tracking sports activities, and it’s primarily aimed at those who are looking for a sleek-looking smartwatch that can take accurate readings. If that’s what you’re after, the Omron HeartGuide might be your best option, even if it’s more expensive than most of the other devices on this list.