Gerry Palmers Tech 05.18.2021 03:May AM EDT

Apple Watch vs. Huawei Smartwatch: Blood Pressure, Hypertension Management Teased, Glucose Sensor Possible

Good news for those with hypertension! New smartwatches are soon to hit stores with helpful blood pressure monitoring features .

Apple and Huawei are set to offer watches that will have abilities to measure key health indicators related to the medical condition, such as blood pressure and blood glucose levels.

A disclosure from an Apple partner and an announcement from a top executive at Huawei revealed that these timepieces are currently in development, with availability expected next year.

Apple Watch vs. Huawei Smartwatch: Comparisons

Apple Watch to Carry Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, Blood Oxygen Level Tracking

British electronics start-up Rockley Photonics reportedly disclosed to The Telegraph that it is developing for Apple non-invasive optical sensors to check hypertension-related metrics, such as blood pressure and blood glucose levels, that is set to be part of an upcoming model of the Apple Watch. These sensors, which beam infrared light through a wearer's skin, will be placed at the back of the Apple Watch to detect the important blood indicators.

Currently, the Apple Watch features a sensor that measures heart rate and blood oxygen levels.

Apple Watch Series 8 With New Blood Tracking Features?

In a public filing, Rockley noted that Apple had been a major customer under a "supply and development agreement," contributing most of its revenue in the last couple of years. It had indicated the sensors would available in smartwatches next year, which is about the same time the Apple Watch Series 8 is unveiled, MacRumors reported.

This year's Apple Watch Series 7 may include part of the whole line of hypertension monitoring tools, including blood glucose tracking.

Huawei to Include Blood Monitoring With ECG in Watch GT Models

Huawei, on the other hand, is also looking at including blood pressure and non-invasive blood sugar monitoring with electrocardiogram (ECG) capabilities for its next generation Watch GT smartwatches.

Xu WenWei, Huawei Director and President of the Institute of Strategic Research, announced in a NotebookCheck.net report that the company is developing the health diagnostic features on its upcoming smartwatches, including blood sugar and continuous blood pressure monitoring, along with ECG tracking in the background, something that is not seen in current smartwatches.

Huawei Veturing Into Blood Sugar Monitoring

Huawei also aims to include the non-invasive blood glucose management tracking in its watches. There are reports that the sensor could also track blood sugar continuously in the background, which would be the first-ever smartwatch to do so.

A new Watch GT is set for release this year, but it's not clear if any of these features would go with this particular upgrade, or for other models in the next years.

Huawei has not indicated a timeline on when these sensors would go into mass production and eventually be included in their Watch GT models.

Smartwatches are indeed going the next level in usability from being a productivity tool to a health diagnostic device.