Garmin is launching three new wearables with fitness-tracking features at the IFA show in Berlin this week. The most basic is the Vivosport, a $200 wristband-style device with a touchscreen display.
The Vivomove HR is a more stylish device that the company describes as a touchscreen hybrid smartwatch thanks to a combination of a digital display and physical watch hands. Prices start at $200 for this model.
The $300 Vivoactive 3, meanwhile, is a full-fledged smartwatch, complete with contactless payment capabilities thanks to a new feature called Garmin Pay (enabled by FitPay).
Vivomove HR
This is actually the model I find the most intriguing. Stuffing fitness tracking features into a device that looks like a traditional watch is nothing new. But this model has both physical watch hands and a touchscreen display that can show messages and fitness stats.
The smart display only shows up when you turn your wrist, so most of the time the Vivomove HR just looks like a watch.
Garmin says the device should get up to 5 days of battery life when used in smartwatch mode, or up to 2 weeks of run time in watch mode.
It’s water resistant and should survive a visit to the shower or a trip to the swimming pool. And you can use it to view alerts from your phone, track heart rate and VO2 levels, and more.
There’s a Sport version that’s priced at $200 and a Premium model that sells for $300.
Vivoactive 3
This model will probably get mroe attention, since it’s a full-fledged smartwatch with activity tracking featurs. It’s swim and shower-safe, offers up to 7 days of battery life or 13 hours when the GPS is active, and supports third-party apps you can download from the Garmin Connect IQ store.
It’s also Garmin’s first watch to support wireless payments, allowing you to leave your wallet at home when you’re out for a run.
Vivosport
The company’s latest straight-up fitness tracker has a 72 x 144 pixel sunlight visible display, up to 7 days of battery life (or 8 hours with GPS enabled), swim-proof design, and a silicone strap and fiber-reinforced polymer case.