7 reviews for Smartwatch Touchscreen Display, Graphite

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   KGMe – June 6, 2022

   I was a Fitbit user for years. Not a daily runner or athlete, so have been satisfied with the Fitbit app and tracking. Have not been happy with the quality or appearance of their devices. Add in the data slurping Google buy-out and the arrival of the next vivomove meant it was time to move on (well, and my ugly Ionic breaking, again). My review is based on my priorities for the device which are watch first, tracker second, and smart device last.

   As a watch I love it. I love the clean and simple style. I love that’s it not a chunky/heavy slab on my wrist. It’s surprisingly small actually. The face and body are almost perfect for my tastes, and being made of aluminum makes it half the weight of the stainless steel models. The minute hand silently ticks every 10 seconds. Now for the bad. The strap itself is ugly, stiff, and just all around crap. I expected that though, and planned to order some watch straps. I wasn’t expecting just how bad it is though. It has zero give, so it either cuts in to your skin since it so thin and stiff, or it just dangles and slips. I have smaller wrists and only have 2 holes left in the strap, so it seems short. If buying this model (nylon strap) I would highly recommend buying some 20mm straps at the same time. The only real (unexpected) disappointment for me is the white tipped hands. I assumed they would be visible in the dark, but they are not. It’s difficult to read in minimal darkness without activating the display. Since I’m not interested in wasting space by having a digital watch on top of an analog watch, I’ve set it so that my 2nd widget displayed when swiping is the clock/battery level. Not something I am happy about, but it seems a compromise for easiest way to check the time in the dark.

   As a tracker I am still getting used to it. I have only had it a few days. It definitely seems to be either less sensitive or more accurate than the Fitbit. It logs less steps in a day, but right now I’m assuming that is just because the Fitbit tended to log some hand movements. I like the app, but it will definitely take some getting used to coming from the Fitbit. I would like to see more customizable goal tracking included (weight management, calorie intake, distance, etc.), but I may just not have found those features yet. I love the calendar piece. I wish that could be exported/synced to a private xcal though. The HR monitor seems equivalent to the Fitbit. I have not yet used the website.

   As a smart watch it works fine. I don’t want interactive features (such as replying to texts/emails or answering phone calls). For me, I mainly want to see notifications. Half the alerts I get I need to know about but don’t need to respond to immediately so my phone can stay in my pocket or I don’t have to exit media/game apps. My only current issue is that it won’t let me setup Garmin Pay. The app says it is connected, but then when I try to setup Garmin Pay it says not connected. I’ll have to contact support to see what’s going on.

   Other than a few minor details, so far I am pleased with the device. Again, I haven’t had it long so my opinion may change based on things like customer support or durability. The daily “please write a review” emails from Garmin are a bit annoying though.

   UPDATE:
   OK, after rebooting my phone the Garmin app setup Garmin Pay no problems.

   One of the things I was concerned about was the glass. The more expensive models have the Sapphire glass and I wasn’t sure if I was going to regret not paying for it. So far I have bumped into enough things to think I’ll be OK. My Fitbit Ionic was scratched on day 1, and seemed to acquire a new scratch weekly. So far my Garmin glass looks brand new.

   I have noticed that the auto activity detect is not nearly as accurate as the Ionic. I’ve had it start and stop anywhere from 30 seconds to 12 minutes after the schedule (detect after 10 minutes). Was testing this for a week on a treadmill, so it was very regular movement which should have increased it’s detection accuracy. At this point I don’t rely on auto activities at all. Minor annoyance, but probably should be starting/stopping manually anyway.

   The biggest complaint I’ve had so far is that it was VERY insensitive to double-taps on the watch face to wake it. I usually have to double-tap two or three times. SUPER annoying. I dealt with it for a month before finally contacting support (who were fantastic BTW). A reset seemed to resolve the insensitivity, and I was happy. Until after I customized the appearance and the issue returned. Anyway, got it narrowed down to the weather complication. I had that set on the top. When I switched to the day/date complication on the top the double-tap began to work on the first try again. Submitted the issue to support, so hopefully resolved in the future. At this point I’m just glad to have found the problem and gotten it working better using a different complication.

   I really liked the appearance when I first got the watch and it has only grown on me since. Definitely satisfied with the purchase. Upping from 4 to 5 stars. Now I just hope it lasts longer than the 1 to 2 year average of my previous Fitbit devices.

2. 

   Rated 2 out of 5

   Alex R. – June 17, 2022

   Vivomove Style: I really wanted to like it, naively thinking, that the new HR sensor would perform better than the prev. gen. one in Vivomove HR. Reasonable expectation at double the old price, don’t you think? No such luck. The HR monitor is as inaccurate, as ever, on top of serious glitches reported by others. A real shame – how one mediocre internal software module can ruin a brilliant and passionate product design. All advanced metrics work off that HR sensor. It’s a deal breaker.

   Pros:
   – Elegant and light.
   – Sharp design and passionate engineering e.g. hands moving out of the way and two hands forming an analogue needle.
   – Step counting is accurate and on par with Fitbit.
   – Straightforward setup and more or less intuitive menu.
   Cons:
   – HR monitor is not accurate at all: 20 points higher than fitbit’s
   – Stairs/floor counting improved over the prev. gen., yet not as accurate, as Fitbit’s.
   – Sleep duration is off one hour compared to Fitbit.
   – Pseudo-advanced features like stress level and body battery are gimmicks, especially pathetic, since they work off the inaccurate HR monitor.
   – Plasticky look of black models (the Style I bought), $550 to get the decent looking model (Luxe) w/ overkill features like Sapphire glass and clearly overpriced “Milanese” band.
   – The mobile app could have been simpler and slicker (again, compared to Fitbit’s).

   Conclusion: wait until Garmin fixes its software glitches: the HR monitor module, and the touchscreen sensitivity. I suspect there’s more to it, as it shouldn’t be too sensitive. The other commonly reported issue: screen image glow is probably related to Sapphire glass in Luxe models (not noticeable in Style w/ Gorilla glass). Which further proves that dual-display Style should have been more stylish and practical (bright hands on black face, etc.), instead of Garmin reserving those looks for the top model at additional $200. Gorilla glass is enough for a watch that’s expected to last for 5 years anyway – like any other mobile device due to the battery charge cycle issues.

   IMO both serious issues are fixable via a firmware update – the main reason I am writing this review. It only depends on Garmin’s willingness to listen and fix them. Unfortunately, according to their official support Web pages, they like to blame the user, and even the skin tone and tattoos for the poor HR detection. I don’t have tattoos, but I have moderately hairy arms and live in Cali, meaning tan. Somehow, it’s never been an issue for Fitbit.

   If you want more details, here’s the full story. I never cared about smartwatches due to the tiny screen, I stopped wearing an old-school watch 10 years ago in favor of a smartphone. Upon returning to the corporate world with its boring meetings I felt the need for a watch I can discreetly glance at instead of my phone.

   I’ve also been a big fan of fitness trackers, though unfortunately lost my first Fitbit 5 years ago. So, I bought another one: Charge 3 recently and have been very happy with it feature-wise. It functions as a watch, counts steps, measures HR, tracks sleep, has connected GPS, automatically recognizes common activities like running and biking, and acts as a phone companion showing notifications: texts, calendar reminders, etc. I’d love music control, though it’s a nice to have. I am not comfortable with electronic wallets (not even in my phone). As for SpO2, “body battery”, stress level, and other gimmicks, an average diet-conscious fitness-minded individual, who periodically runs and road/mountain-bikes, can live w/o them. Neither Fitbit Charge, nor Vivomove are athlete gadgets.

   Then comes the form factor. For the life of me I do not understand, why a digital watch should be round. More so “tactical” and other dedicated GPS ones – Garmin’s specialty. It’s way more natural browsing a map or viewing critical data on a square or rectangular screen. But, those utilitarian watches (namely Apple’s) look anything, but pretty – a square screen on some strap. Fitbit and other trackers (not their failed attempt at a full smartwatch) look better because they are basically just straps/bracelets themselves instead of an awkward piece of glass on a strap.

   However as refined and state of the art it is internally, Fitbit Charge is low-tech screen-wise with its huge bezels in our age of curved edge to edge phone screens. If the current (and hopefully next) Charge had such bezel-less screen, fitting a bit more text horizontally, I wouldn’t be looking for a more traditional smartwatch – that is not a copycat of Apple’s, nor an LCD panel inside a round housing. That led me to the only analogue smartwatch with digital display on the market: Vivomove. The only smartwatch that deserves to be round. Everything else e.g. LG is a joke. Garmin nailed it – unfortunately, only aesthetically.

   Vivomove is nothing, but a Fitbit-like tracker, overlaid on an average looking analogue watch. I’d call it Fitbit+, and pay up to $100 for its additional features not found in the current Fitbit Charge. Not so much for gimmicks like “body battery”. Styling-wise, don’t get me wrong, it is stylish (the few clean versions w/o the bling). And there is nothing remotely comparable on the market like I said. But feel- and materials-wise it is not even a poor imitation of the most conservative Rolex or Bvlgari. Which brings my next point – target demographics.

   Did you notice how everyone here starts his/her review with something like “I’m glad I went the Luxe”. Like if they weren’t really sure it was worth it. Neither am I. Since the basic 3/3S look plasticky, and due to the Luxe being the only one available initially (until that tiny supply ran out anyway), it was clear Garmin wanted to steer buyers away from Style. Is Sapphire glass worth $200 over already pricy $350 with virtually impossible to scratch Gorilla one? I’ve never ever had a phone case. I take care of things I buy with my hard-earned money.

   Which is my point here. The one-percenters who got richer in the last two decades, are going to stick to their Rolexes. Now, if Garmin makes something in that league (provided it works at least as well, as a $100 Fitbit), I’ll consider paying $2K+ for a truly upscale hybrid watch, Vivomove Luxe is not. Otherwise, stuck in the middle class with 20-year salary stagnation (that in absolute numbers, not adjusted for inflation) I am watching every penny unlike 20 years ago, when six-figure income meant something. Watches are jewelry, plain and simple. Want to be smart – get a well-engineered fitness tracker like Fitbit.

   I’m sure Garmin spends a lot on marketing. Here’s my honest customer feedback. A $350-550 watch is going to attract techy middle-class e.g. software developers like myself. A few of us, employed by Google and the handful of top tech employer, do enjoy late-90s upper middle-class compensation, indeed adjusted for inflation, meaning doubled. Others – like me: corporate IT employees, startuppers, etc. live on low six-figure salaries, comparable to 1999’s $70K. $550 (Luxe) is a lot for a lower and middle middle-class income. For $350 (Style) I’d be willing to cut Garmin some slack, if let’s say the HR readings were 5 counts off Fitbit’s instead of 20. How do I know, that Fitbit is accurate? Because I counted my heart rate manually. And because a relatively fit person doesn’t have a resting 120 heart rate. At $550 though I am going to scrutinize everything: from a 5 point HR error to 10-minute sleep detection one. Now of course if I wasn’t wearing Fitbit on my other wrist for the last day and night, I would have never known, just like someone buying a $16 Chinese fitness tracker that claims to measure the blood pressure (apparently by using a random number generator) wondering why to pay a $100 for a Fitbit.

   Lastly the colors. I’ll skip the female-targeted bling: copper and gold. White text on silver is unreadable. That only leaves black faces with silver markings and hands. I hoped the “graphite” Style I bought would be readable during dawn/dusk. Not really. I can care less about the 200% marked up Milanese band. And how much more stainless-steel costs? Make that $550 silver on black Luxe available as $350 Style (w/ Gorilla glass), and I’ll think about buying it. Or fix the HR software: the internal module that interprets the sensor readings adjusting for the skin tone, hair, irregular/skipped heartbeat (my case), which $100 Fitbit cleverly does behind the scene, and I’ll think about parting with $550 for a Luxe. The click responsiveness is clearly a software glitch too, though unlike the flawed HR module shared by I believe all Garmin watches, it is unique to Vivomove. I cannot believe a company that makes serious athlete gadgets didn’t figure out the HR issue. Or perhaps athletes don’t have irregular heartbeat like people with mild heart conditions trying to exercise and live a healthy lifestyle.

   Thanks for reading. I am returning my graphite Vivomove Style to Amazon.

3. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Danniella Josephine – June 24, 2022

   Nachdem man von der Vivomove 3 kaum etwas zu lesen bekommt, hier ein kurzer Review zur Orientierung (2 Tage Nutzung):

   + minimalistisches Design, meiner subjektiven Meinung nach sehr attraktiv
   + Uhrband dicker als bei einer Vivoactive 3 oder Forerunner, aber angenehm zu tragen
   + 20mm Standarduhrband – für Wechselfreudige
   + volles Sensorprogramm (inkl. bar. Höhenmesser -> Stockwerke) und Vitalmetriken (PulsOx, BodyBattery, Stresslevel, Atmungsfrequenz)
   + erstaunlich nützliche Sportprogramme, Nutzung via dem kleinen OLED – Display gut umgesetzt
   + Connected GPS
   + die Laufzeit scheint die versprochenen 5 Tage durchaus zu erreichen

   o ob die Watch im Uhr-Modus (low battery) weiterhin Vitalwerte erfasst, kann ich noch nicht sagen – lt. Manual deaktiviert sich nur das Display.
   o Einrichtung generell OK, einige Lags des Devices während des Prozesses dürfen einen nicht aus der Ruhe bringen
   o zweifaches Tippen zur Aktivierung des OLED – Screens funktioniert nicht immer (meine Schätzung 8/10)
   o Die Lesbarkeit des OLED – Display ist generell in Ordnung, bei hellem Tageslicht allerdings grenzwertig

   – sehr schwache Vibration (auch auf der maximalen Stufe), die Weckerfunktion muss daher mit einem Fragezeichen gesehen werden
   – der “Homescreen” hat sehr eingeschränkte Darstellungsmöglichkeiten (z.B. keine Akkuanzeige, Anzahl Benachrichtigungen – ist alles nur über Widgets zu erreichen)
   – die Uhr kann nicht abgeschaltet werden (strange, but true)
   – kein physio true up, aber Vo2Max (was bei Nutzung mit anderen Garmin Devices durchaus unerwünschte Effekte haben kann)
   – das Device muss als primäres Device eingerichtet werden, wenn man die O2 – Messung während des Schlafes nutzen möchte

   Fazit: wer eine schlichte, schicke Uhr möchte, das aktuelle Maximum an Garmins Vitalwerten (nicht zu Verwechseln mit Trainingsmetriken!!) und gelegentlich auch trainiert, ist hier gut bedient. Die Smart – Functions sind durch den kleinen Screen natürlich weniger komfortabel als auf einer reinrassigen Smartwatch, aber brauchbar. Auch eine Nutzung mit anderen Garmin Devices in Kombination klappt reibungslos (abgesehen vom Vo2Max – Thema).

   Noch ein Hinweis: jene Modelle, die ein AMOLED – Display ihr eigen nennen haben ein deutlich größeres Display zu bieten (und dieses auch farbig). Ob das nun 50 – 100,- Aufpreis rechtfertigen, hängt von der Nutzung und der Erwartungshaltung ab.

   Update nach ein paar Wochen Nutzung:

   – der Watchmodus ist tatsächlich nur ein Watchmodus – keine Vitaldaten, kein Wecker (Wecker wäre fein gewesen, allerdings müsste dazu auch das Display aktiviert werden).
   o das letzte Firmware – Update hat die double-tap Funktion verbessert. Noch immer nicht optimal, aber die Richtung stimmt.

4. 

   Rated 2 out of 5

   Danniella Josephine – June 27, 2022

   This watch has been a complete disappointment. There is a software malfunction which nobody warns you about and Garmin doesn’t know how to fix. I bought this watch for one purpose only, to track by yoga practice, how long I practice for in a daily basis and calories burned. But the software malfunction does not allow you to add other exercises. It only activity that works is “running” all the other ones, no matter how many times you try to add them, it is not able to add the feature to your watch.
   I called Garmin support and they told me it is a software malfunction as I’m not the only client complaining about this issue, and the only thing they could do is investigate. They asked me for a million things to send them via email so they can launch an investigation. A complete waste of time for the consumer basically. Garmin needs to recall all of these defected watch it and either issue refunds or replace them.

   I’m really disappointed in both the watch for not working properly and Garmin customer support.

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   KGMe – July 3, 2022

   I have been using Fitbits for a few years now, so when I saw the Garmin Vivomove 3S Hybrid Smartwatch available I couldn’t resist giving it a go to compare the two. To make it easier to read, I will list what I think the positives and negatives are of this watch.

   -Positives-
   * It looks like a traditional watch but has the features of a smartwatch that we now find it hard to live without
   * The watch hands tell the time even when the battery is low
   * It has a digital display that appears when the screen is tapped
   * The watch tracks a number of things such as sleep, steps, flights of stairs, energy levels, stress levels, oxygen level, hydration levels and heart rate (there’s also the ability to track a menstrual cycle)
   * When setting a step goal, the watch analyses the number of steps you normally do, and changes your goal accordingly
   * You can have notifications sent to your phone through Bluetooth
   * Pink, rose gold and white are a great colour combination, and I had a compliments immediately on the watch
   * Even though only one strap is provided, the watch strap can fit a number of different wrist sizes
   * When the watch realises you’re feeling stressed, it offers timed breathing exercises
   * The watch measures SpO2%, which is a premium paid service on Fitbit

   -Negatives-
   * I found the battery life to be a disappointment. I am used to having 5-7 days of battery life, so having to charge the watch every 2-3 days was a bit annoying, especially when I barely used the Bluetooth
   * You’re unable to toggle the type of notifications sent to the watch, its either all or nothing, and to be honest I didn’t really want my junk mail pushed to my phone as a notification
   * The watch is heavier than other fitness trackers
   * The stress level measuring was a bit hit and miss, there are more times than most when the watch couldn’t measure my levels as I was too “active” and I ended up taking no notice of it
   * The Garmin Connect app isn’t as fun to use as the Fitbit app
   * I found the raise to wake action wasn’t as responsive as I would have liked and I often had to physically tap on the screen for the digital screen to work

   Overall, I’ve enjoyed using the Garmin Vivomove Smartwatch and it will be hard to go back to a Fitbit, especially when I get so many compliments about it. It would make a great present for Christmas this year, although its worth keeping an eye out for a deal as it can be out of budget at full price. I have tried to include pictures in my review as I know they’re helpful, although it seems my camera didn’t like the digital display! I hope you found my thoughts helpful :o)

6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   H67 – July 12, 2022

   Die Uhr hat mich durch ihr schlicht- schickes Design und die vielfältigen Funktionen komplett überzeugt. Ist sie nicht aktiviert, vermutet man keine Smartwatch dahinter.
   Das Problem der Aktivierung wurde hier schon mehrmals beschrieben und kann ich leider bestätigen. Durch Drehen des Handgelenkes ließ sie sich nur am ersten Tag aktivieren, danach nicht mehr. Dass die Uhr bei mir nicht auf 2 maliges Tippen reagiert liegt an meinen stets sehr kalten Händen. Beim Test bei Anderen hat es sofort funktioniert.
   Ansonsten bin ich wirklich begeistert. Sie zeichnet sehr zuverlässig alle eingestellten Parameter auf, weckt mich jeden Tag durch Vibration – anders als in einem Anderen Feed beschrieben, reicht mir die Vibration auf geringster Stufe völlig aus um aufzuwachen – und lässt sich sehr intuitiv bedienen. Besonders schön finde ich, dass die Zeiger während der Einstellungen etc. in die Horizontale gehen, um nicht zu stören, und bei zum Beispiel der Batterieanzeige als Füllstandzeiger genutzt werden.
   Bisher nutze ich sie seit 5 Tagen durchgängig und die Batterie geht deutlich zu Neige, hält aber immernoch.

   Probleme, wie dass sich das Armband selbstständig gelöst oder Jucken ausgelöst hat, wie zum Teil beschrieben, traten bei mir auch nicht auf.

   Insgesamt von mir also eine klare Kaufempfehlung.

7. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   flowerbomb – July 31, 2022

   The watch is really Good does exactly what I wanted, but has to swap wrist every now and then as it gets sore, I’ve put a pic up to show.