In this era of technology, many wearables are now discovered with new innovations being constantly made. But when we talk about the health and wellness of one individual, the transformation is vivid.
Having said that, EKG Monitoring has never been easier and convenient. With products like KardiaMobile and Kardia 6L, AliveCor is on the mission to create quality EKG Monitors, making in-house medical maintenance for human beings convenient and seamless, especially for Cardiac Patients.
The KardiaMobile, AliveCor’s flagship Single-lead EKG Monitor hit the market by a storm, and the EKG Monitor’s usage was adopted by a significant number of population, given how accurate and easy-to-use, the device was. Even the skeptical Cardiologist or the highly critique Subject Matter Expert, raised their advocacy towards the AliveCor’s single-lead EKG Monitor, known as the KardiaMobile. Its ability to track cardiac rhythms, based on personal usage, is impeccable. Not only that, when used in conjunction with the KardiaPro Dashboard, you’re bound to get exceptional, convenient, and long-term, data-driven EKG Monitoring, without having to pay expensive visits to Hospitals and Laboratories.
However, we talked about innovation and change in the start and how the landscape of Medical Instruments is transforming. Well, with AliveCor’s successful Single-lead EKG Monitor, the KardiaMobile, the company has now introduced the Six-lead EKG Monitor, Kardia 6L, which is turning out to be quite the notable upgrade, over the previous iteration.
Today, we’ll be comparing both EKG Monitors for you, to determine, which one you should opt for, and what would be the reasons for choosing one over the other.
Introduction and Brief History
Before we jump into the comparison brief, it is equally important for our readers to know about the company, offering these two EKG Monitors. This will help users to get to know more about the company, and develop an understanding about the brand’s philosophy and their product offerings.
As mentioned in the start, AliveCor is the company behind the two heavily acclaimed EKG Monitors, the KardiaMobile and the Kardia 6L, respectively. The company is a pioneer in delivering exceptional ‘Pocketable’ or ‘Portable’ EKG/ ECG Monitors in the market.
The company itself was founded in 2010, by David Alberts, who was a Cardiologist by Profession, graduating from Duke University. Unlike traditional Cardiologists, David Alberts was bent on Transfer of Technology, and hence, AliveCor came into being. AliveCor is David Alberts 3rd Company, and in a span of a decade, the company has produced two, exceptional EKG Monitors, the KardiaMobile and now, the Kardia 6L. These products may be considered as revolutionary, when it comes to diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation and varying types of Cardiac Arrhythmia, that too, at the luxury of your homes.
The KardiaMobile has been dominating the portable EKG Monitors market, and now the Kardia 6L is here to take it up a notch.
Let’s see how the products pair, side by side.
1. KardiaMobile (Single-Lead)
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
- Price: $79.00
- Clinically approved device for the detection of atrial fibrillations
- Compatible with Android and iOS for records measurement
- FDA certified
2. Kardia 6L (Six-Lead)
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
- Price: $129.00
- Wireless 6 Lead provides EKG readings under 30 seconds
- The most clinically validated portable EKG
- Ability to save and store all readings on mobile phone
- FDA certified
KardiaMobile vs Kardia 6L
In order to get an idea about the technical specifications of both KardiaMobile and Kardia 6L, we are providing a spec-brief for those who like to fancy themselves with every possible detail. Here’s a brief technical snapshot of both products:
Specifications
| Features |
KardiaMobile (Single-Lead) |
Kardia 6L (Six-Lead) |
| Dimensions | 8.2 cm x 3.2 cm x 0.35 cm Two 3 cm x 3 cm stainless steel electrodes |
9.0 cm x 3.0 cm x 0.72 cm Three 3 cm x 3 cm stainless steel electrodes |
| Recording Duration | 30 seconds to 5 minutes | 30 seconds to 5 minutes |
| Sampling Rate | 300 samples per second | 300 samples per second |
| Resolution | 16 bit | 16 bit |
| Battery Type | 3V CR2016 coin cell battery | 3V CR2016 coin cell battery |
| Operational Time | 200 hours | 200 hours |
| Battery Life | 12 months (Typical Use) | 12 months (Typical Use) |
| Connectivity | Sound (Through Smartphone Microphone) | Sound (Through Smartphone Microphone) |
| Weight | 18 grams | 24 grams |
| Platform Compatibility | Apple/ Android Devices | Apple/ Android Devices |
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Now, that we’ve put aside both products, in terms of their technical specifications, let’s jump on the detailed comparison between both.
Since both products serve the main purpose of monitoring EKG, we’ll be going through both product’s Pros and Cons, and tell you the exact upgrades that the Kardia 6L offers, over the KardiaMobile.
KardiaMobile (Single-Lead) EKG Monitor
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
The KardiaMobile was a revolutionary product, given its capability to provide long-term and consistent EKG Monitoring to the patients. The Pros of KardiaMobile include:
- Extremely Accurate in the diagnosis of AFIB, Tachycardia Detection of up to 300BPM, Bradycardia, and indicating your current Heart Rate patterns.
- Have ‘Advanced Determinations’ option taking into account your Sinus Rhythm with Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs), Sinus Rhythm with wide QRS, and Sinus Rhythm with Supraventricular Ectopy (SVE).
- You can retain a Print of the EKG Monitor for future use or consultation with your Cardiologist.
- EKG Readings are directly stored onto your smartphones with minimal storage along with storage on AliveCore’s Cloud.
- The on-board Smartphone-compatible Application is cost-free.
- Is Lightweight weighing in at only 18 grams.
The KardiaMobile is an overall responsive and accurate EKG Monitor, and is still the most preferred choice by most Cardiac Patients.
Kardia 6L (Six-Lead) Pros over the KardiaMobile (Single-Lead)
Quick view on Amazon
Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
The Kardia 6L, AliveCor’s Six-Lead EKG Monitor is considered to be a major upgrade by the company, however, the device itself is essentially a more technologically advanced version of the previous version, while retaining the same original features of the previous version, with the addition of Six-Lead EKG Tracking. The pros of Kardia 6L over the KardiaMobile include:
- The Kardia 6L has the ability to communicate with smartphones via Bluetooth Technology with simple, isolated device pairing, as opposed to the Sound-based Technology deployed by KardiaMobile using the smartphone’s microphone. Using Bluetooth technology, allows for better connectivity, making the Kardia 6L able to cover greater distance while connected with the smartphone.
- The Kardia 6L, given its advanced algorithm, is designed to be less prone to Electrical Interferences, as commonly faced with KardiaMobile.
- For patients who have impaired hearing, using Hearing Aids, don’t have to disconnect their hearing aids, while using the Kardia 6L because of its Bluetooth Technology, while you don’t have this luxury with the KardiaMobile (Single-Lead).
AliveCore claims that the Kardia 6L is FDA-cleared and doctor-recommended, while being the most clinically validated Six-lead personal EKG Monitor.
Final Weigh-In
After comparing both products, it must be clear to you that the KardiaMobile and Kardia 6L are essentially the same products, with the same features, with added enhancements and connectivity features for the Kardia 6L.
It is also important to mention that the AliveCore does not specifically mentions the benefits of the Kardia 6L’s Six-lead EKG Technology, over the Single-lead on the KardiaMobile, both for the patient, and the doctor. Hence, we cannot rule out one device’s efficacy over the other.
While the addition of Bluetooth Connectivity is a major advantage, but the end-user is focused more towards the accuracy of reading, which the KardiaMobile and the Kardia 6L, both offers, without any technical change in result or reading capacity.
What’s more important in this comparison is the price point for both, as the Kardia 6L costs between $80 to $149 more, as opposed to its predecessor, which is quite a notable jump in pricing, if we compare both products, and in our opinion, is not justified, given that the KardiaMobile offers the same performance, with the omission of Bluetooth and Six-lead (Whose efficacy over the Single-lead is still in question).
If we were to sum up the entire discussion, and declare a winner, we would still opt for the KardiaMobile, as it is more value for money. However, if you don’t have an EKG Monitor, and you’re looking to invest in one, then you should consider the Kardia 6L. Needless to say, as an existing user, you don’t need to upgrade to the Kardia 6L, if you already own the KardiaMobile.
