Recently, the American brand Garmin launched its new smartwatch, the vivosmart HR. The new model features Garmin’s independently developed optical heart rate monitoring technology and offers brand-new functions such as answering, ending, and redialing phone calls from your mobile. But when it comes to the satisfying upgrades of this smartwatch, it’s the further improvement in industrial design—especially the flexible touch feel in operation that rivals that of an Apple device, delivering an exceptionally smooth user experience.
Although many bands on the market currently use touch-based operation, it has to be said that some products deliver a rather disappointing touch experience. However, the vivosmart HR’s excellent performance in touch control is enough to give users confidence in this band. During actual use, I also felt how responsive this smartwatch is—whether tapping or swiping, actions are easily and effectively executed, which is very important for users.
The Vivosmart HR comes in three colors: black, purple, and blue. It uses a combination of touch and button controls, supports high-definition display and high visibility in bright light (display remains clear even under strong sunlight), and adopts a traditional watch-style clasp design. This not only makes it more convenient to wear but also prevents it from falling off. Its lightweight body fits snugly around the wrist, almost becoming a part of the body, ensuring no sense of burden during wear—meeting people's expectations for wearable devices. In terms of water resistance, its 50-meter rating is sufficient for all kinds of rainy weather, and you don’t even need to take it off for washing up or taking a shower.
The biggest highlight of the Vivosmart HR is the integration of Garmin’s independently developed optical heart rate technology, which allows real-time monitoring of heart rate changes without the need for a separate heart rate chest strap. In other words, the Vivosmart HR is no longer just for walking—it can also monitor heart rate changes during intense exercise, helping you better understand your cardiopulmonary function.
Through the ANT+ transmission protocol, the heart rate data recorded by the Vivosmart HR can also be transferred to other Garmin devices, such as cycling computers, running watches, and sports cameras. Users can understand their heart rate zones without wearing a separate heart rate chest strap.
The Vivosmart HR can not only record data such as exercise time, steps, distance, and calories burned, but also includes sleep monitoring and fitness tracking functions. One particularly noteworthy feature of the new Vivosmart HR is the “floors climbed” function, which calculates how many floors you’ve climbed using a built-in barometric altimeter. Meanwhile, spikes in your heart rate index during this process will also give you a clear picture of your exercise status.
By connecting to your phone, the Vivosmart HR takes on the role of an extension device, directly displaying incoming calls, text messages, and notifications from mobile apps such as Weibo and WeChat. Users don’t need to take out their phones—they can read messages directly from the band. The Vivosmart HR will also promptly notify you with vibrations, ensuring you never miss any important messages. Additionally, the Vivosmart HR provides several highly practical mini-functions, such as an alarm clock, weather updates, and music control, eliminating the need to rely on your phone.
