Samsung smartwatches to come with ECG, BP-measuring features in Korea. What does it mean for Indian users?

The functionality and use will be similar to the Apple Watch when getting an ECG reading.

By Rohan Abraham, ET Bureau | Updated: May 26, 2020, 12.24 PM IST

Samsung is expected to release the Health Monitor app for the Active 2 smartwatch sometime in second half of 2020.

The electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is close to fulfilling its purpose, after going almost a year without approval for use – but only in South Korea. The company has received approval to use the feature to measure heart rhythms from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

It is similar in functionality and use to the Apple Watch, which require you to launch an app – Samsung Health Monitor in this case – and place your finger on a button for long enough to get an ECG reading. The Galaxy Watch uses a single lead for reading.

Whereas an ECG taken at a hospital will involve the use of 12 leads, the sensors on the Samsung and Apple products will take a single lead reading. The wrist-ECG does not compare with the test conducted at a diagnostic lab, but it does help in warning of atrial fibrillation or an irregular heartbeat, thus spotting chances of heart disease early.

Samsung has also received permission in South Korea to conduct blood pressure measurements through the Health Monitor app, which could augment the data from the ECG sensor. The company is expected to release the Health Monitor app for the Active 2 smartwatch sometime in Q3 2020.

Moreover, it will have to wait for permission from relevant government agencies to enable this feature in other countries. Apple got approval from the Indian government to enable the ECG feature on the Apple Watch Series 4 and 5 in September 2019, meaning that it is only a matter of time before Galaxy Watch owners in India will be able to track their heart rate and blood pressure in real time.

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