Garmin’s new smart watch was showcased during the IFA 2017 exhibition of smart fitness watches. This is a very great improvement on its previous Vivoactive HR smartwatch which was really unique in term of its appearance. Drastic changes have been to the new Garmin Vivoactive 3 regarding design. It has a more nice round clock display and a standout metal lunette.
This comes in handy for users who are not only looking for a fitness smart watch but also a day to day wear. The smart watch has a distinctive bezel look and a slimmer body all which constitute an attractive and fashionable fitness smart watch. It also comes with nice fitting straps that feel comfortable around the wrist. The Vivoactive 3 is available in various colour options; Black/Slate, White/Stainless and Black/Stainless.
The Garmin Vivoactive 3 which is being marketed as a smart watch that allows you to pay using the Garmin Pay contactless-payment feature. Garmin Pay which works more or less the same as other wearable payment methods use a built-in NFC chip. In line with other smart watch making brands like Samsung, Apple, Fitbit and other Android smart watches supporting MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards. This is simply how it works, once you’ve made sure that your card details have been assigned, you will have to type in a password. It then enters into pay mode after which you are given a minute to swipe it at a terminal in any outlet.
There is also the addition of an unusual side navigation swipe control which allows you to scroll through conveniently without making use of the touch screen functionality. At the side is a haptic feedback response area where you slide your fingers up and down to navigate through the widgets, menus, and stats. This proves useful when your hands are covered in sweat especially during exercises.
It also has a Garmin Elevate Precision Optical Heart Rate Sensor that monitors heart rate during the day and also at night during sleep. The smart watch is equipped with a 5 ATM and up to 50m waterproof design. It has one of the best battery life that lasts up to 7 days in standard mood and 13 hours when in standby GPS mode.
Also, there is a high-resolution chroma display which happens to be touchscreen, a well-built fitness monitoring tools like Fitness Age and VO2 Max with all day stress tracking, save stats automatically by synchronizing with Garmin Connect App, LiveTrack feature that alert registered friends and family your location when you work out in real time using it built in GPS and 15 different built in sport with new profiles for strength training, yoga, cardio, stair stepper and running amongst others. It allows you to control music on your phone from the smart watch, control a Garmin VIRB camera remotely and send alert to locate a misplaced phone.
Garmin Vivoactive 3 has come a long way from its predecessors to look like a fashionable, smart watch finally. Although we are yet to see the music playback feature which other brands have, the smart watch still has enough features to hold its place in the wearable market.