Among other announcements at this year’s Computex in Taipei, Asus announced the VivoWatch BP.

Our quick take

Asus VivoWatch BP initial

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Asus VivoWatch BP

Amazon

It is the world’s first wearable, blood pressure-reading smartwatch and Pocket-lint was on hand to give it a whirl.

The VivoWatch BP has a medical grade silicon strap and was easy to pop on and comfortable to wear. The device is compact and light. It doesn't feel cumbersome, even with a larger display than many other smartwatches, and won't look out of place in everyday wear.

The blood pressure is read by the rear of the watch, with sensors making contact with your wrist using ECG tech. To get a full reading, the user must also place a fingertip on an optical PPG sensor on the front, slightly to the left of the screen.

Asus VivoWatch BP initial review Read your blood pressure on the go image 5

It takes about 15 seconds for an accurate pressure reading to be taken. Once you have the results they may be shared through the Asus HealthAI app with connected users (for example, carers, family or medical staff).

We found that the blood pressure reading was easy to implement, although we did need to balance the watch by putting a finger on either side of the display (with only one having an active reader under it). Of course, with a bit of practice perhaps a single finger reading will be possible. Even if not it certainly isn’t a deal breaker.

Other readings that can be taken are heart rate, sleep quality, de-stress index and activity data (such as steps taken and calories burned). Asus claims the watch comes with a 28-day battery life under a normal usage scenarios.

For those of us with hypertension, or with family members that suffer from it, the VivoWatch BP is a welcome addition to the selfcare arsenal, especially as the results can be stored and shown to doctors and shared with family members to make sure that problems are spotted early.

Release date and prices will be become available once the necessary approvals for medical equipment have been obtained in the UK.