Best Garmin Watch Under $300
The latest model in Garmin’s Vivomove line is the Vivomove Trend, but is it a better purchase when compared to the similarly-priced Vivomove Style?
Garmin’s Vivomove Trend is the latest model in the Vivomove family of hybrid smartwatches, but how does it compare to the similarly priced Vivomove Style? Aside from the aforementioned models, the Vivomove series includes the Vivomove Sport, the Vivomove 3/3s, and the Vivomove Luxe. The latter is the most expensive model.
The Vivomove Trend and Vivomove Style have a round dial like the other models of the series, but there are significant differences in how they are designed. The Trend has a stainless steel bezel, a fiber-reinforced polymer case, chemically strengthened glass, and silicone straps. On the other hand, the Vivomove Style has an aluminum case and bezel, Gorilla Glass 3, and silicone or woven nylon straps. Both smartwatches have a 5 ATM water resistance rating.
The Vivomove Trend Has A Monochrome Display
The Vivomove series is known for its hidden touchscreen display which becomes visible upon tapping or swiping on the dial. For the Vivomove Trend, the screen is a 1.01″ x 0.74″ monochromatic LCD panel with a 254 x 346 resolution while the Vivomove Style has a 0.95″ x 0.74″ color AMOLED display with a 240 x 240 resolution. Despite the differences in the type of display and size, the battery life is the same across the board. Both watches will last up to 5 days in smartwatch mode and up to 1 additional week in watch mode.
However, there is a difference in how they charge. The Vivomove Trend is the first Garmin smartwatch with support for Qi wireless charging. It also has a proprietary clip charger for wired charging. In contrast, the Vivomove Style lacks support for wireless charging but has a proprietary plug charger. When it comes to health-tracking features, both smartwatches offer similar features. They both have all-day heart rate tracking with notifications for low and high heart rates; all-day respiration rate monitoring; all-day stress monitoring; and a blood oxygen saturation sensor. They also have sleep tracking, women’s health tracking, hydration tracking, and a body battery energy monitor.
The Vivomove Trend and Style can track a handful of physical activities such as running, cycling, swimming, Pilates, yoga, and elliptical training. Unfortunately, they lack integrated GPS and have to rely on the connected device’s GPS. Their smart features are also similar. Garmin has equipped both wearables with support for app notifications, incident detection, and Garmin Pay contactless payments. The two hybrid watches are also compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
The Vivomove Trend starts at $269 and goes up to $299. On the other hand, the Vivomove Style starts at $249 for the variants with silicone bands and goes up to $299 for those with a woven nylon band. The Trend’s support for wireless charging gives it an edge over the Style, but its monochrome display is disappointing considering the price. The Vivomove Style’s main feature is its color display, and for those who do not mind the silicone strap, they get to save $20 if they choose it over the Vivomove Trend. Nevertheless, users should get a similar user experience across smart and health-tracking features regardless of which of the two smartwatches they choose.
