Apple Watch Declared Most Accurate Heart Rate-monitoring Wearable, New Study Reveals

One of the truly attractive selling points when it comes to the Apple Watch is that in addition to being a genuinely snazzy, good-looking timepiece; Silicon Valley’s hottest wrist-hugging super computer also does many other things and it does them really, really well. Take heart rate monitoring, for instance: years and years ago, independently monitoring one’s heart rate outside the doctor’s office was a much more complicated affair than it is today.

I remember, once upon a time, my parents owning an equally colorful and cumbersome, outpatient clinic-style heart monitoring kit. Big old thing it was, to be sure — not to mention, an equally challenging ordeal to set up, use, and tear down every single time. Anyway, as I mentioned, that was many years ago. And besides — technology has evolved quite substantially between then and now, has it not?

I mean, just think about it: we now have access to gadgets known as “wearables” — these wrist-watch style, miniature computers, capable of doing everything from telling us the time, responding to a call or text, or even giving us up to the minute vital signs when at the gym, in the height of our workouts.

And while there are many kinds and styles of wearables to choose from today — many of which claim to do the same things — by far the most immersive yet easy-to-use, feature-rich, and technologically advanced option would be Apple’s Watch. Available in a myriad of colors, styles, and sizes, Apple’s Watch is, dollar-for-dollar, a truly amazing extension of the iOS software platform — incorporating a multitude of elements, from time keeping, helping you stay on top of notifications and tasks, monitoring and managing your health, and more, all from the comfort and convenience of your wrist!

And the Apple Watch has made quite the name for itself out there so far, we’d say.. As you may recall if you read our previous write-up on Steve Jobs’ original vision for the Apple Watch, Apple’s late co-founder actually wanted to incorporate various health monitoring utilities — such as the heart rate monitor, for example — that would help users keep track of and stay on top of their health more autonomously.

Well, Jobs’ original vision for the Apple Watch was a bold one, suffice it to say, though that didn’t stop Cupertino’s wearable from being determined the most consistently accurate, out of several, comparable alternatives — such as health tracking wearables from FitBit, and a litany of Android-wear capable smartwatches.

Now, fast forward almost an entire year, and feast your eyes on the results of this brand new study, which all but seeks to confirm that Steve Jobs was definitely on the right track.. Originally published in JAMA Cardiology, a research journal based out of the Cleveland Clinic, research shows that Apple Watch — in comparison to other contenders, including the FitBit HR, and Basis Peek, for instance — still remains supreme.

Of the 50, healthy adult participants, all had their heart rates measured at three stages — at rest, while walking, and while jogging on a treadmill — using both a standard EKG machine, as well as with each of the aforementioned wearables. As one might imagine, results fluctuated from one device to the other, however the EKG, unsurprisingly, provided the most accurate — 99% — heart rate readings.

The Apple Watch, however, was a very close distant second, clocking in at a still impressive 90% accuracy. As a matter of fact, no other wearable device tested for this study was able to break the low-80’s threshold — proving, once again, that Apple Watch is truly in a league of its own.

Do these positive results change any of your previous perceptions of the Apple Watch?
Let us know in the comments!