Samsung certifies their Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 as cuff-less BP monitor

2 min. read

Published on April 21, 2020

published on April 21, 2020

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Samsung has beaten Apple to the punch by certifying their Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 and Samsung Health Monitor app as a Medical Device (SaMD), making it a government-cleared, over-the-counter and cuffless blood pressure monitoring application.

Globally, high blood pressure is known to significantly increase your risk of brain, kidney and heart diseases, including stroke and coronary heart disease when not managed properly. By helping users measure and track their blood pressure, the Samsung Health Monitor app gives people greater insight into their health and allows them to make more informed decisions, to lead healthier lives.

The feature works by calibrating the watch’s sensors against two readings taken with a traditional BP monitor.

Once your Galaxy Watch Active2 device has been calibrated with a traditional cuff, you can simply tap to “Measure” your blood pressure anytime, anywhere. The device measures blood pressure through pulse wave analysis, which is tracked with the Heart Rate Monitoring sensors. The program then analyzes the relationship between the calibration value and the blood pressure change to determine the blood pressure. To ensure accuracy, users are required to calibrate their device at least every four weeks.

“The Samsung Health Monitor app has the potential to help millions of people around the world who are affected by high blood pressure,” says Taejong Jay Yang, Corporate SVP and Head of Health Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “This is one of many examples of how Samsung is integrating its best-in-class hardware with the latest software innovations to innovate mobile experiences.”

Samsung says the Samsung Health Monitor app will be available on the Galaxy Watch Active2 within the third quarter and will progressively expand to upcoming Galaxy Watch devices. It is notable however that the company has still not been able to roll out support for the ECG feature in the watch, suggesting it would be premature to buy the watch based on this news.

See Samsung’s video demo below: