Garmin Vivomove HR Review

The announcement of Garmin’s latest smartwatch offerings proved to be pretty exciting this time around. One of the two new Garmin activity tracker/smartwatches is the Vivomove HR—a newly updated version of Garmin’s hybrid smartwatch. It has a big emphasis on design, but its functionality and specs make it a serious contender in the war for your wrist space.

Quick Take

The Vivomove HR is a great option for someone looking for a daily-wear smartwatch that has reasonable fitness tracking capability without having the aesthetics of a conventional fitness tracker. Its screen quality and lack of GPS are its weakest points overall.

Design

Design is really key with the Vivomove HR. It boasts a gorgeous minimalist design, and the looks of a conventional analog watch. Additionally, there are plenty of options to customize its aesthetics. The Vivomove HR’s screen is touchscreen and the display is virtually hidden, showing the info you want when you want it, but otherwise capable as passing off as a standard wristwatch. The Sport and Premium design options are especially sharp.

Vivomove HR comes in two models. Garmin has targeted women with the Vivomove Premium Rose Gold design, making it one of the few smartwatch options that looks distinctly feminine. That said, it’s still quite large, thus not really catering to anyone with petite wrists. The hidden display screen is a gorgeous feature of this watch, with a slight drawback; it can be difficult to read in bright sunlight. Overall this isn’t a huge flaw, and its watch hands even move up and out of the way as not to interfere with the display. For a more masculine look, the Premium stainless steel is another option.

Where the Premium model features a stainless steel case and leather band, Garmin also offers the Vivomove Sport model. It comes with a polymer case and silicone band. Where many stand by the traditional look of the leather band, silicone is a great alternative for those with active lifestyles not well-aligned with the porous quality and easy wear-and-tear of leather. Furthermore, at 40.8 grams, it’s less cumbersome during exercise than the Premium model, which weighs in at 56.5 grams.

Tracking

As the name implies, the Vivomove HR tracks your heart rate 24/7. It tracks more than just that; it functions as an activity tracker and wellness monitor. Here are some of the tracking features it includes:

• Stress: Measures heart rate variability and stress levels
• Fitness: Measures VO2 max and fitness age, as well as intensity minutes
• Inactivity and Steps: Keeps track of movement – including steps and distance – and lets you know when you’ve been inactive
• Heart Rate: Comprehensive data related to zones, alerts, and calories via optical HR sensor
• Sleep: Keep track of patterns and amounts

All in all, the tracking features of the Vivomove HR are quite comprehensive. It provides a comprehensive look at your health and wellness through its fitness tracking and wellness monitoring functions, and provides activity reminders to help you stick with your fitness goals.

The data from all that tracking goes to the Garmin app where you can review and share information.

Features

The features of the Vivomove HR beyond the fitness tracking are also very thoughtful. It is water resistant—Garmin rates it “Swim”, which means it is suitable for showering, swimming, and diving. Another cool feature is “Four-Fold Breath”, which helps you relax and breathe. This is a great addition that pairs well with the stress tracking and long-term data related to your overall wellness. The Move IQ feature makes tracking more efficient as Vivomove HR automatically starts and stops tracking a run or other cardio with no need to press start/end.

The battery life on the Vivomove HR is in line with other smartwatches. Garmin says it will last up to five days in smart mode and an additional two weeks in watch mode. Unfortunately, the Vivomove HR uses a proprietary charger instead of a universal one, so there’s no crossing it over to chargers from your other devices. Finally, the device does include smart notifications and music controls, making it a well-rounded hybrid watch. It has a ton of notification options, and the music control is intuitive and responsive.

Verdict

There are a few things we don’t love about the Vivomove HR: it doesn’t have built in GPS, the display can be hard to read in bright light, and the Premium model is a bit expensive. Having said that, there is a lot to be excited about in the Vivomove HR as well. The tracking capabilities and data are comprehensive and useful. The design is gorgeous and there are several options that should make shoppers happy. It’s really the design itself that we think will appeal to most; the fact that it has so many neat additional features and an inclusive focus on overall wellness makes it an easy sell.

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