Several major smartwatch brands now offer built-in ECG recording, including Apple, Samsung, Garmin, Google, and Withings. The feature first appeared in consumer watches in 2018 when Apple launched the Series 4, and the list has grown significantly since then. Here’s a full breakdown of which watches have ECG capability and what you should know about using it.
Apple Watch
Apple was the first major brand to bring ECG to a consumer wristwatch. The ECG app is available on Apple Watch Series 4 and every numbered series released after it. All models of Apple Watch Ultra also support it. The two notable exceptions: Apple Watch SE does not have the electrical heart sensor, and watches set up through Apple Watch For Your Kids can’t use the ECG app.
To take a reading, you open the ECG app, rest your arm on a flat surface, and hold your fingertip on the watch’s digital crown for 30 seconds. The watch records a single-lead ECG similar to what doctors call “lead I” on a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram.
Samsung Galaxy Watch
Samsung’s ECG feature is available on the Galaxy Watch Active2, Galaxy Watch3, and all later Galaxy Watch models. There’s an important catch: ECG only works if the watch is paired with a Samsung Galaxy phone running Android 9.0 or later. If you’re using a non-Samsung Android phone or an iPhone, you won’t be able to access the ECG function through the Samsung Health Monitor app.
Garmin
Garmin has rolled out ECG support across a wide range of its watches, though availability depends on your specific model having the latest software installed. The ECG app also requires a Garmin Connect account and the Garmin Connect smartphone app. It is not available in all regions.
Here are the Garmin product lines that support ECG:
- Venu series: Venu 2 Plus, Venu 3, Venu 3S, and Venu 4
- Fenix series: fēnix 7 Pro (Wi-Fi version only), fēnix 8, and fēnix 8 Pro
- Forerunner series: Forerunner 970
- Epix series: epix Pro (Gen 2), including the Porsche Edition
- Enduro series: Enduro 3
- D2 aviation series: D2 Air X15, D2 Mach 1 Pro, D2 Mach 2
- Quatix marine series: quatix 7 Pro, quatix 8, quatix 8 Pro
- Tactix series: tactix 7 AMOLED Edition, tactix 8 (not the Cerakote version)
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus was one of the first Garmin models to receive FDA clearance for detecting arrhythmias, and it remains one of the more affordable options in Garmin’s ECG-capable lineup.
Google Pixel Watch
All generations of Google Pixel Watch support ECG through the Fitbit ECG app. The process works similarly to other watches: you open the app, hold still, and place your finger on the crown or side button to complete the circuit. One quirk worth knowing is that certain metal watch bands (the Metal Mesh Band and Metal Slim Band) interfere with ECG readings on the original Pixel Watch.
Withings ScanWatch
Withings takes a different approach with a hybrid design that looks like a traditional analog watch. The original ScanWatch received FDA clearance, and the newer ScanWatch 2 (listed with the FDA as the “Withings Scan Monitor 2.0”) received its own clearance in July 2023. The ScanWatch 2 is more advanced than most consumer watches in one respect: it records two channels of ECG data, capturing the equivalent of leads I, II, III, aVR, aVF, and aVL. Most smartwatches capture only a single lead.
What a Watch ECG Can and Cannot Detect
Every smartwatch ECG on the market is designed primarily to detect one thing: atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heart rhythm. AFib affects millions of people and often comes and goes unpredictably, making it hard to catch during a short doctor’s visit. A watch on your wrist can capture a reading the moment you feel symptoms, which is its biggest advantage.
Research confirms that both smartwatch-based sensors and dedicated ECG patches are highly effective at detecting atrial fibrillation, with strong sensitivity and specificity. That said, a watch ECG has real limitations. It captures a single-lead recording (or in the case of the Withings ScanWatch 2, two channels), while a clinical ECG uses 12 leads placed across your chest and limbs. This means a watch cannot reliably detect heart attacks, blocked arteries, or many other heart conditions that require multiple viewing angles of the heart’s electrical activity.
There’s also a timing limitation. Smartwatch ECGs are “on-demand,” meaning you have to open the app and hold still for 30 seconds to take a reading. If you have a brief flutter of abnormal rhythm that lasts only a few seconds, it may be over before you can capture it. A traditional Holter monitor, by contrast, records continuously for 24 to 48 hours and catches everything, including episodes you don’t feel. Many watches do run passive heart rhythm checks in the background using an optical sensor, which can alert you to check with the ECG app, but that background monitoring is less precise than an actual ECG recording.
How to Get the Best Reading
The process is similar across all brands. Sit down, rest your arm on a table or your lap, and stay still. Open the ECG app on the watch and place your finger on the designated sensor (usually the crown or a side button). This closes an electrical circuit between two points on your body, allowing the watch to measure tiny voltage changes from your heartbeat. The recording typically takes 30 seconds.
Movement, loose watch bands, sweaty or very dry skin, and certain metal accessories can all interfere with the reading. If the watch returns an “inconclusive” result, try wiping your wrist, tightening the band slightly, and taking another reading while sitting completely still. Most watches store your ECG recordings in a companion phone app, and many let you export them as PDF files to share with your doctor.