The smartwatch universe is expanding the scope of what wearables can do. Step counting and heart rate tracking have become quite common now; some companies like Apple have also added things like ECG. But the Chinese tech firm Huawei is doing something completely out of the box and has introduced a blood pressure cuff in its smartwatch itself, called D3.
The blood pressure monitoring system is built into the watch strap itself. When a reading is taken, the cuff inflates around the wrist, much like a conventional blood pressure monitor, before providing the systolic and diastolic readings. A video showcasing the same is currently going viral on the internet.
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Huawei has made its latest blood pressure monitoring smartwatch noticeably slimmer, while trying to make sure it still looks and feels like a normal wearable. The Huawei Watch D3 is the follow-up to the Watch D2, which came out in September 2024 and still retains the ability to take blood pressure measurements, but the company has reduced the size of the hardware inside the watch.
"Watch D3 supports ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), with blood pressure readings taken over 24 hours at regular intervals as you go about your daily activities, resulting in a professional ABPM report that you can share with your GP. The approach gives users a fuller picture of blood pressure trends and allows for greater accuracy," the company said in a release.
Despite the hardware packed inside, the Watch D3 keeps things fairly compact. It is 11.3mm thick and weighs around 40 grams, while the front houses a 1.92-inch AMOLED panel that can reach a claimed peak brightness of 3,000 nits.
For blood pressure readings, Huawei uses an oscillometric system. The watch has a mechanical cuff along with a pressure sensor, which work together to measure systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The company has also obtained CE-MDR medical certification for the Watch D3 in Europe.
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Huawei announced the smartwatch this month, and it is now listed at £399.99 in the UK. It is not tied to a particular smartphone ecosystem either, as the Watch D3 supports both Android and iOS devices.
The main change over the previous Watch D2, therefore, is not the addition of blood pressure monitoring itself. That capability was already present. Huawei has instead worked on making the technology smaller and packaging it in a smartwatch that is easier to wear and less reminiscent of a medical device.