Verdict of the Hilo Band
The Hilo Band is a discreet companion throughout the day, reliably measuring your blood pressure around the clock. Although it is not as accurate as a traditional cuff, it provides a better overview and a broader database over time. This can also be exported in a report so that it can be made available to a doctor if necessary.
It is a pity that some additional functions are only available behind a paywall and that the data is processed exclusively in the cloud. Furthermore, no data is recorded during exercise. Nevertheless, the Hilo Band is a useful product for anyone who already has high blood pressure or wants to keep an eye on it.
If you want even more accurate measurements or are put off by the optional subscription, you should definitely take a look at the Huawei Watch D2 smartwatch.
Pros
Cons
Price and availability
The Hilo blood pressure wristband can be purchased directly from the manufacturer.
The Hilo Band is a blood pressure monitoring wristband that uses optical sensors to continuously monitor blood pressure. Apart from pulse and blood pressure, it does not measure anything else, but it is much more compact than a smartwatch and, with a nominal battery life of 15 days, lasts much longer, allowing health values to be monitored even at night.
The Hilo Band is a product from the Swiss company Aktiia and is expected to cost around CAD $335 / AUS $385 / £210. Find out how well it performs and who it is recommended for in our review.
Body and features – Hilo Band focuses on the essentials
The Hilo Band's casing is made of plastic and is complemented by two stainless steel elements through which the wristband is threaded. The wristband is made of hypoallergenic silicone and is therefore very skin-friendly. The combination is functional and unobtrusive, yet robust. Replacement wristbands are available in various colours.
The wristband is IP68 certified, making it both dustproof and waterproof. The cuff, on the other hand, is only IP22 certified, but this is absolutely sufficient.
The Hilo Band also comes with a charging station for the band, a blood pressure cuff (including charging cable) and a multilingual user manual.
Sustainability
Aktiia does not provide specific information on sustainability. However, the Hilo Band comes in a cardboard box and does not use any plastic for packaging purposes.
Setup and operation - Works with iOS and Android
The Hilo blood pressure monitor wristband connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth 5.0 LE. The necessary Hilo app is available for both iOS and Android. Once the wristband is connected to your mobile phone, the app guides you through the setup and calibration process.
The supplied cuff (Bluetooth 4.2) is used for this purpose and can be easily paired within the app. Once the app recognises that both devices are connected, the calibration process can be started, which is guided step by step. Optionally, videos can also be played to explain the individual steps again. Calibration is performed by taking three consecutive measurements, with the Hilo band worn on the weaker hand and the cuff on the opposite side. This works without any problems in the review and we find the setup very clear and easy to perform, even for people who are less technically inclined.
The Hilo Band is then ready for use and measures the wearer's blood pressure about 25 times a day. One calibration is sufficient for one month, but it is recommended to calibrate more often.
Health – Hilo Band measures blood pressure 24/7
The Hilo Band exclusively measures blood pressure and determines the average resting heart rate over the course of a day. To do this, it must be calibrated at least once a month and then determines blood pressure with an accuracy of +/- 5 mmHG. Two optical LEDs are used to collect the data. After synchronisation with a smartphone, the data is sent to a Hilo data centre, where algorithms use pulse wave analysis (PWA) to analyse the data and determine blood pressure. It is a pity, however, that the app does not start without an internet connection and that the data cannot be processed on the device itself. Use is intended for persons between the ages of 21 and 85.
The full range of functions is only available to Hilo Band users if they take out a subscription (EUR5.99 / CAD $6.99 / AUS $9.99 / £4.99 per month), which extends the standard range to include a detailed time axis comparison, times in the target range, notes and medication tracking. The measurement itself works well, a blood pressure report can be exported as a PDF, and the measurements from the last 7 days can be viewed in detail. The data can be synchronised monthly with Apple Health and Health Connect if desired, or daily with a subscription.
The app is clearly laid out and also provides background information on blood pressure. It is also possible to set up a reminder for data synchronisation, but apart from that, the app has never notified us during the test period and has not given any recommendations for action. We also miss an alarm for high or low blood pressure.
Blood pressure measurements
Experience has shown that the Hilo Band measures blood pressure two to three times per hour and then displays an average value for two-hour blocks as well as the entire measured range. All individual measurements can also be viewed. The measurements are categorised directly into Optimal, Normal, Elevated and Too High. An additional colour coding system makes this very clear. Physical activity usually means that no values are recorded for this period.
The values can be considered quite reliable, not least because of the Hilo Band's medical certification, but the slightly wider measurement accuracy of +/- 5 mmHG should also be taken into account, which is on a par with a Galaxy Watch8. Traditional blood pressure cuffs are generally more accurate here, with a margin of error of +/- 2 or 3 mmHG, and the Huawei Watch D2 (+/- 3 mmHG) also provides more accurate readings.
We compared the values with a Braun ExacFit 5 Connect (+/- 2 mmHg), which was not so easy as individual measurements cannot be triggered manually. We therefore used the calibration function for this and then used our reference device. The values from our reference device (125 SYS / 79 DIA mmHG) were slightly lower than those from Hilo (130 SYS / 87 DIA mmHG). However, it would be going too far to derive a trend from this; in general, measurements of health data should be treated with caution.
In summary, although the Hilo Band is not the most accurate tool for measuring blood pressure, it offers the advantage of continuously recording many measurements over a longer period of time. If any abnormalities are detected, they should always be checked with a cuff or a doctor should be consulted. For patients with high blood pressure or at risk, the Hilo Band is at best a supplement to traditional blood pressure monitoring.
The studies cited by Aktiia as references (Blood Pressure Monitoring / PMC (Vybornova et al., 2021; Hypertension Research (Almeida et al., 2023) should also be treated with caution, as in both cases only a small group of test subjects was available (91 and 52 people, respectively). Certification according to ISO 81006-2 should also be viewed with similar scepticism, as it only refers to ‘non-continuous’ blood pressure measurements; the extension ISO 81060-3 (for continuous non-invasive blood pressure monitors) is missing.
Battery life - More than 2 weeks of runtime with the Hilo Band
According to the manufacturer, the Hilo blood pressure wristband's 55 mAh battery allows for 15 days of continuous use.
This is consistent with our experience. In our test, we still had 21% battery life remaining after two weeks. When the battery level falls below 25%, a notification appears in the app indicating that the wristband needs to be charged soon. This is done using the charging station included in the delivery.
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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