These are the major change factors from the previous iteration, but I’ll include full, and the difference only specs sheets for those interested in every little detail.
- Touch screen
- Battery Life (Smartwatch: 5 days, Watch Mode: 2 weeks)
- Smartwatch Clock features (alarm, timer, stopwatch)
- Sensors (Optical HR Sensor, Barometric Altimeter, Ambient light sensor)
- Daily Smart Features (Smart notifications
- Activity Tracking Features
- Gym Profiles (Strength training, Cardio Training)
- Automatic Rep Counting
- V02 Max
- HR features (including stress tracking)
The biggest change here is the departure from Analogue watch first, Smartwatch second to more of a balance between the two. The vivomove still appears to be a classically designed analogue watch, but it hides a secret, a small touchscreen display. You can tap the screen as shown below or you can turn your wrist, and the watch will come alive.
The touchscreen appears very crisp and seems to be quite responsive offering a lot of fitness tracking information. This new feature is a huge step up from the very basic functionality of the original vivomove. I’ll go into more detail for the in-depth review later in the year but the screen can display: a reminder to move, activity tracking functionality (calories burned, floors climbed, distance travelled, fitness age and more). It will also show you a range of HR features including stress tracking via HRV (Heart rate variability). Like any good smart watch, it will also link with your phone (by using Garmin Connect App) to deliver you smart notifications with vibrations for emails, texts, calls, app alerts and social media. The vivomove also has profiles for running, walking and strength training.
The vivomove has Garmin's Swim water rating (Garmin’s water ratings) which means it safe in most situations you can even shower with it. The vivomove will also let you control music via the watch touchscreen. You can even send an alert from your watch to your phone if you misplace your phone. Something I haven’t mentioned yet is the significantly smaller battery life WHEN compared to the original vivomove. I’m mentioning this because I’ve had a couple question me about this, the comparison between the units in this regard is apples to oranges. The vivomove HR simply has much more going ‘under the hood’ so to speak. There are a lot more programs and features always chugging away eating up battery power that wasn't present in the original vivomove. Five days for a smartwatch of any kind is an impressive battery life.
Summary
The vivomove is one stylish watch; I can’t wait to get my hands on it later this year. Garmin has done a great job balancing a classic design with modern tech. That said, the vivomove lacks in a couple of areas especially comparing it to the new vivoactive 3. I don’t know about you, but a couple of my colleagues keenly noted the absence of cycle features. In addition, there have been articles detailing that the display touchscreen does not display well in sunlight, I have not personally used this device outside so we haven't been able to confirm this. There also is no mention of Garmin’s latest and greatest feature ‘Garmin Pay’ which is quickly becoming a staple for ‘Smartwatches’. Personally, I think this is a great watch, but I’ll reserve final judgement until we get our hands on one this summer.
