The Garmin Vivomove HR is quite unique in the smartwatch space because, unlike other smartwatches with full touch screen display and that act like a smaller screen for your smartphone, it actually uses an analog watch face and then adds a touchscreen for its smart features. The result is a beautiful watch that looks classic and futuristic at the same time.
The Garmin Vivomove HR has an additional touch display right on top of the analog watch and you can get a variety of information right on your wrist.
Design
There are two versions for the Garmin Vivomove HR: the sport and the premium. There’s not much difference between these two versions, except for the sports version having a silicone band and the premium making use of a leather band. You can choose between a small/medium-sized watch or a large-sized one.
The small/medium size is 8.7” long with a circumference of up to 7.4”, while the large is 9.9” long with a circumference of up to 8.5”. Regardless of the version and size you prefer, you can choose from four colors: black, white, dark brown, and light brown.
These are very light smartwatches, with the sports version weighing only 40.8 grams and the premium version weighing 56.5 grams.
Features
Wellness tracker
Garmin Vivomove HR has fitness monitoring tools. It can monitor your stress levels and help you relax. It can also count your steps and keep track of the calories you burn. Apart from these, the Garmin Vivomove HR will also remind you to move after you have been idle or inactive for some time.
A move bar will appear on your smartwatch and you would have to walk or move around for a few minutes in order to get rid of it. Furthermore, the Vivomove HR can track your sleep quality. It will show you how restful your sleep was.
Training assistance
With the Garmin Vivomove HR, you will be able to view your activity history on the watch itself. You can easily customize the data that you see as well as the alerts you receive. Not only that, it will advise you on your VO2 max number, which tells you just how much oxygen your body can consume. The VO2 max is very useful for runners.
Auto goal
The smartwatch can keep track of your current activity levels and set goals for you automatically so that you get more active as time goes by.
Round-the-clock heart rate monitoring
Using Garmin’s Elevate wrist heart rate technology, the Vivomove HR can constantly monitor your heart rate. The proprietary technology is an optical wrist heart rate monitor that accurately estimates your heart rate.
You can get information on heart rate zones and get alerts as well. The smartwatch can also estimate the number of calories you burn using your heart rate.
OLED display
The Garmin Vivomove HR uses an OLED display with a display size of 0.38” x 0.76”. The bright screen allows you to see the things on display even under bright sunlight and it has a resolution of 64 pixels by 128 pixels.
Clock features
Garmin Vivomove HR helps you keep track of the date and time and gives you a timer, alarm clock, and stopwatch. It also automatically adjusts to daylight saving time.
Smartwatch features
You can keep your phone in your pocket and rely on the Garmin Vivomove HR for smart notifications. You can also check the weather, control your music, and find your phone or your watch. It is compatible with Windows, Android, and iOS devices.
Take it swimming
You do not have to worry about taking off your Garmin Vivomove HR when you go for a swim. The watch is rated to withstand splashes, snow, rain, and diving. You can even take it in the shower or when you go snorkeling. However, do not wear the Garmin Vivomove HR if you are going scuba diving or engaging in high-speed water sports.
Long battery life
One full charge can give you up to five days of use as a smartwatch, and up to two weeks in watch mode.
Complete specifications
| Smartwatch Features | |
| Water rating | Swim |
| Display type | OLED |
| Display size (inches) | 0.38 x 0.76 |
| Display resolution (pixels) | 64 x 128 |
| Clock Features | |
| Alarm clock | Yes |
| Analog hands | Yes |
| Automatic daylight saving time | Yes |
| Stopwatch | Yes |
| Time/date | Yes |
| Timer | Yes |
| Sensors | |
| Accelerometer | Yes |
| Barometric altimeter | Yes |
| Heart rate monitor | Yes |
| Daily Smart Features | |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth® Smart and ANT+® |
| Find My Phone | Yes |
| Find My Watch | Yes |
| Music controls | Yes |
| Smart notifications | Yes |
| Weather | Yes |
| Smartphone compatibility | iPhone®, Android™, Windows® |
| Mobile app | Garmin Connect™ Mobile App |
| Activity Tracking | |
| Auto goal | Yes |
| Calories burned | Yes |
| Distance traveled | Yes |
| Fitness Age | Using the app |
| Floors climbed | Yes |
| Intensity minutes | Yes |
| Move bar | Yes |
| Move IQ™ | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes |
| Step counter | Yes |
| TrueUp™ | Yes |
| Training, Planning and Analysis Features | |
| Activity history on watch | Yes |
| Auto Lap® | Yes |
| Customizable alerts | Yes |
| Customizable data pages | Yes |
| V02 max | Yes |
| Heart Rate Features | |
| HR zones | Yes |
| HR alerts | Yes |
| HR calories | Yes |
What you would like about the Garmin Vivomove HR
The Garmin Vivomove HR is truly a hybrid smartwatch in every sense of the word. If you like the looks of traditional watches but would love to keep track of your fitness and get notified without having to take out your smartphone, then this one is the ideal smartwatch for you.
The Garmin Vivomove HR also has a rose gold variant that looks like it was designed with the female market in mind.
Further, we are pretty sure that the display will wow your socks off. On top of the unique analog watch and touchscreen, you will like the minimalist icons paired with text. This makes it easy for you to understand your information, even when the display area is rather small. You can access different statistics just by swiping on the display.
When not in use, the touchscreen display turns off but you will still be able to tell time even without waking it up – just like a traditional watch.
Another plus factor for the Vivomove HR is that it tracks your fitness. It can count steps, estimate the number of calories you burn, monitor your sleep, count the floors you climbed, assess the intensity of your exercise, and remind you to move when you have been sedentary.
It can also monitor your heart rate and guide you to relax when you become too stressed. If you have the Virb camera, you can also control it using your Vivomove HR.
You will also love how you can sync your Vivomove HR with the Garmin Connect app. You can get patterns and trends on your numbers, giving way to great insights on your health and wellness. It can also tell you how to become healthier and point out areas where you can still do better.
What would be better
While there are a lot of watch straps and colors to choose from, as well as different colors for the faces, your personalization options for the Garmin Vivomove HR are pretty limited. You can opt to buy quick-release bands, and that will help you get more variety as far as the straps go. Sport silicone bands sell for $30 each while leather bands sell for $60 each.
You also need to take very good care of the charger that comes with your Vivomove HR. The charging clip costs $25 (For the latest prices check here). The smaller display means that the Garmin Vivomove HRc an only deliver short notifications. If you get a text message, you might as well just read it on your phone because it will take a long time to scroll through it all, especially if it’s a lengthy message.
Lastly, Garmin is a known company when it comes to built-in GPS technology, but the Vivomove HR does not have onboard GPS. This means that you will still have to bring your phone if you are going on a run.
Final recommendations on the Garmin Vivomove HR
The Garmin Vivomove HR is a beautiful smartwatch that is both classic and modern in looks. The invisible touchscreen definitely puts it above similar smartwatches that are now available that relies on a digital screen and virtual watch faces. You get a smartwatch that is not only functional but also serves its purpose as a wrist candy.
If you want a smartwatch that can help you keep track of your fitness, stress levels, and heart rate, then the Vivomove HR is a worthy contender. Its fitness tracking is something that could really help everyone, from beginners who are just starting on their fitness journey to serious athletes.
However, if you are looking for a smartwatch that would allow you to keep your smartphone safely tucked away in your bag or pocket, then you might want to look for another smartwatch. The Garmin Vivomove HR is rather limited with its smart features and it does not have an onboard GPS sensor.
You might want to look at standalone smartwatches instead such as the Omate Rise, Neptune Pine, or Samsung Gear S4 3G/4G version. Meanwhile, the Tomtom Spark 3, Garmin Vivoactive HR, or the Garmin Forerunner 15 might be a good choice for runners who want to leave their smartphones when they go for a run and still track their running accurately.
With that out of the way, you still cannot go wrong buying a Garmin Vivomove HR. With prices ranging from $200 to $300, you get a highly capable watch that has both the looks and the features that most people are looking for in a watch.
Further read
- Best Smartwatch Deals and Activity Tracker Deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday – October 7, 2020
- Best Prime Day Fitness Tracker Deals – Fitbit Deals, Garmin Deals, Moov Deals, and More! – October 6, 2020
- The Full Bellabeat Leaf Review – December 30, 2019