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The Apple Watch missed my hypertension - but this blood pressure wearable caught it instantly
The Hilo is a new monitor that takes blood pressure readings throughout the day and alerts you when something is amiss, but it has downsides.
Tech
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Tech
Wearables
The Apple Watch missed my hypertension - but this blood pressure wearable caught it immediately
The Hilo is a new monitor that takes blood pressure readings throughout the day and alerts you when something is amiss, but it's not perfect.
[adrian-kingsley-hughes]
Written by
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Senior Contributing Editor
Senior Contributing Editor
March 1, 2026 at 10:29 a.m. PT
### Hilo wearable blood pressure monitor
ZDNET's key takeaways
- Just attach it to your wrist and it collects blood pressure data throughout the day
- This still requires regular calibration using a blood pressure cuff
- The app costs $80 a year after the first year, and without this, it limits your access to your data.
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When I was a kid, I was totally convinced that my demise would come as a result of either nuclear war, the Bermuda Triangle (after all, it was only about 4,000 miles away), quicksand -- or, if I was really unlucky, some strange and unfortunate combination of the three.
Now, while none of these things have got me yet (fingers crossed, the day is young), it turns out the real silent killer lurking in the shadows was... high blood pressure. Ah, the joys of getting older. Close to half of adults in the US suffer from high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, and it is a contributory factor in over 1,000 deaths every day.
Last year, Apple rolled out a new health feature for Apple Watch users in the form of hypertension notifications. This joined features such as AFib (atrial fibrillation) detection and low and high heart rate notifications. Apple Watch Series 9 or later and Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later use the data collected by the optical heart sensor to scan for patterns that might indicate hypertension over a 30-day period. If such patterns are identified, it sends a notification suggesting the user get a blood pressure cuff to measure and track blood pressure for seven days.
Also: Best blood pressure watches: I tested the top models that actually work
I wore my Apple Watch daily and never got any such notification. I'd always hated the cuff-style blood pressure monitors, so it wasn't something I kept an eye on much. Then, a while back, I was talking to a friend, and they mentioned that they had picked up a wearable that supposedly measured blood pressure for their father. However, he refused to wear it, and they wondered if I wanted to try it.
It told me almost immediately that I had hypertension. Great.
[Hilo wearable blood pressure monitor]
[#### ZDNET RECOMMENDS
Hilo wearable blood pressure monitor
A wearable blood pressure monitor that collects data day and night, logging over 800 measurements per month.](https://cc.zdnet.com/v1/otc/00hQi47eqnEWQ6T9d4QLBUc?merchant=01y2tiQcEun5g2FhiAwO0kx&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hilo.com)
details
A legitimate piece of equipment
OK, before I go any further, I need to be clear that Apple makes it clear that the hypertension notifications feature "is not intended to diagnose, treat, or aid in the management of hypertension," and that "not all people with hypertension will receive a notification."
Also: This smartwatch can monitor your blood pressure, but it's not for everyone - here's why
The wearable in question is called Hilo, and it's yet another device competing for space on our bodies. This one fits on the wrist and looks like a Fitbit without a display. It is a Class IIa medical device that's gone through the testing needed to be FDA cleared, and it's also ISO 81060-2 certified, a standard that covers the accuracy of sphygmomanometers (blood pressure monitors).
So, it's definitely a legitimate piece of equipment and not snake oil. It takes blood pressure readings throughout the day and charts them on graphs in an app.
[Hilo is a neat, if somewhat thick band.]
Hilo is a neat, if somewhat thick band.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET *
It's built using tough polycarbonate with stainless steel fittings and attaches to the wrist using a hypoallergenic silicone band. It's IP68 rated, so it's 100% dustproof and has no problem handling showering, bathing, and swimming. Akita, the maker, also claims that the battery is good for 15 days on a single charge.
[The Hilo is thicker than my Apple Watch Ultra 3.]
The Hilo is thicker than my Apple Watch Ultra 3.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET *
And it does all this without that cuff squeezing your arm like a starving boa constrictor and without the racket of that air pump, both of which can trigger an alarm reaction in some people and cause their blood pressure to spike (a phenomenon called white coat hypertension).
I hate cuffs (and proprietary cables)
Imagine my surprise when I found out the first thing I had to do was take a standard blood pressure reading using the included cuff.
[Yup, the kit comes with a standard blood pressure cuff that's used for calibration.]
Yup, the kit comes with a standard blood pressure cuff that's used for calibration.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET *
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