For many of us, heart health can be confusing with big words like Electrocardiogram (ECG) or Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). But now you don’t need to be an expert. You just need to put on a smartwatch that can listen to your heartbeat. If your heart rhythm looks irregular or if something feels wrong, the watch can alert you. It can even create a report that you can show your doctor.
When it comes to your heart, not all watches are the same. You need a device you can trust, as accuracy is more important than looks.
I have put together a list of the best smartwatches for heart monitoring available in the market. These aren’t just fitness trackers; they prioritize your safety. I chose these smartwatches because they use trusted technology and have an effective notification system.
Apple Watch Series 10
Features
- ECG (FDA cleared)
- Irregular rhythm / FDA-approved AFib Alerts
- HRV (Heart Rate Variability)
- Sleep stage
- Temperature sensing
- Emergency SOS
- Fall Detection
- Crash Detection
- Up to 18-hour battery life
- Water resistant up to 50 m
If you are in the Apple ecosystem, then using this watch is going to be the best option for you. Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 USD. This watch also comes with an FDA-approved ECG function and is capable of detecting Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) or even irregular heart rhythm with high clinical validation.
The Apple Health app also allows you to export your medical reports, like ECG and heart rhythm history, to share instantly with your doctor.
I prefer this watch as it has a sleep tracking feature and also a fast charging option, which I can say is a critical feature. All I have to do is connect it to the charger while taking a shower and it will charge enough to get me through the whole day and the night.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
Features
- ECG (FDA cleared)
- Irregular heart rhythm alerts
- HRV
- VO2 Max
- Up to 100-hour battery life (with power saving mode)
- BioActive Sensor
I personally think that for Android users, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is one of the best wearable health monitor smartwatches. This watch is priced at $649 USD and has important medical features like an FDA-approved ECG, FDA-approved Sleep Apnea detection and even HRV.
This watch also gives you background monitoring alerts for irregular heart rhythms.
It also comes with a Samsung Health Monitor app, through which we can generate our reports.
NOTE: Blood-pressure monitoring is available on the hardware, but it is not currently FDA-cleared in the US, so it’s not currently available there.
Fitbit Sense 2
Features
- ECG (FDA cleared)
- Irregular rhythm alerts
- HRV
- Daily Readiness Score
- AMOLED Display
- 6+ days battery life
- cEDA Sensor (continuous electrodermal activity) for stress
- SpO2
If you are the one who finds smartwatches complicated or stressful, I recommend you to go with this watch, as this watch purely focuses on health. This watch is priced at $249 USD and is the most affordable smartwatch with FDA-cleared ECG, which also gives reliable AFib alerts.
It uses PurePulse technology for 24/7 heart rate tracking. It also has a dedicated cEDA sensor to detect stress events in real time. Even Fitbit’s sleep algorithms are often considered the gold standard for non-medical wearables, which provide a detailed sleep profile analysis.
Note: The Fitbit app’s free membership provides basic health and fitness data. To unlock more detailed analysis and personalized guidance, which will help you understand your health information better, you need to get a paid Fitbit Premium membership.
Garmin Fenix 8
Features
- ECG (FDA cleared)
- Irregular rhythm alerts (Region dependent)
- HRV Status
- Training Readiness
- VO2 Max
- Up to 16-29 days of battery life, depending on mode
- 40 m dive-rated with built-in flashlight
If you are someone who is into fitness and likes to track their heart health, then this watch is truly made for you. It is priced at $999 USD, which is expensive, but the battery life is truly insane as it can go up to weeks without needing a charge.
Garmin Fenix 8 also offers an FDA-cleared ECG app to detect AFib. It has continuous heart rate tracking. It also comes up with a Pulse Ox sensor, which helps to check SpO2 continuously, even during sleep.
Garmin comes with its app, known as Garmin Connect, which gives us extremely detailed data.
Withings ScanWatch 2
Features
- ECG (FDA cleared)
- Irregular rhythm alerts
- HRV
- Sleep readiness (Vitality Indicator)
- VO2 Max
- 30-day battery life
This Withings ScanWatch 2 Watch is for the person who wants heart monitoring but does not like the look of a smartwatch on their wrist. It is priced at $349 USD and has an FDA-cleared ECG detection for AFib. It scans heart rate regularly every 10 minutes, not every second to save battery, but switches to continuous mode during workouts.
It also supports FDA-approved Blood Oxygen Monitoring. This watch comes with proactive scans for irregular rhythms and it prompts you to take an ECG if something feels wrong.
It comes with the Withings App that is designed specifically for health sharing. This app is also capable of generating easy-to-read health reports that can be read by doctors.
Wrap Up
Honestly, if I have to choose between them, then I would prefer the Apple Watch Series 10 for its accuracy and the Garmin Fenix 8 for the best battery life, as it also comes with a solar charging option.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is also a great option for Android users, as it measures things like vascular load and even antioxidant index to see if you are eating enough veggies. It is also a comfortable watch, which is great for sleep tracking.
What I personally feel is that Withings ScanWatch 2 is made for people who like a classic analog watch with real mechanical hands, but it hides a tiny screen inside, which can take a medical-grade ECG and also helps to track your temperature 24/7 to spot if you are getting sick or not.
Ultimately, there is no single perfect watch for everyone. It really depends on what matters most to you. So, which one would you pick? Let me know in the comments.
