{"id":609764,"date":"2023-02-19T07:49:09","date_gmt":"2023-02-19T13:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/19\/garmin-vivomove-trend-review-trending-smarter\/"},"modified":"2023-02-19T07:49:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-19T13:49:09","slug":"garmin-vivomove-trend-review-trending-smarter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/19\/garmin-vivomove-trend-review-trending-smarter\/","title":{"rendered":"Garmin Vivomove Trend review: trending smarter"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I had high expectations when I first strapped on the Garmin Vivomove Trend \u2014 and I\u2019ve never felt that way about a Garmin hybrid smartwatch. As the name suggests, hybrids mash together the look of an analog watch (including real hands!) with the smarts of a fitness tracker. The thing is, while Garmin\u2019s previous hybrids were gorgeous, they were way<\/em> too expensive<\/a>. But last year\u2019s excellent Vivomove Sport<\/a> bucked that trend. The entry-level Sport was the first time I truly felt that Garmin got the right mix of form and function. It was <\/strong>cute, reasonably priced, and hit all the right notes for a basic fitness tracker. The Trend <\/strong>(starting at $269.99, $299 as tested) was either going to keep that momentum going or slide back into old habits. <\/p>\n

After about two weeks with the Vivomove Trend, I\u2019m inclined to say the former \u2014 with a few caveats.<\/p>\n

The most important update with the Trend is the fact it supports wireless charging<\/a>. That\u2019s a first for any<\/em> Garmin, which is amazing when you think about it. It\u2019s 2023, and the vast majority of smartwatches long ago switched from clip-style pin chargers to teeny inductive pucks (that, infuriatingly, aren\u2019t compatible across brands<\/a>). It\u2019s yet another sign that while Apple and Samsung are<\/em> encroaching on Garmin\u2019s turf<\/a>, Garmin isn\u2019t about to just let it happen.<\/p>\n

Wrist candy for the lifestyle crowd<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Garmin watches have a reputation for being ugly, bulky, and thick. The Trend <\/strong>isn\u2019t any of those things. While the Vivomove Sport had a cuter Swatch-y design, I\u2019d describe the Trend as elegantly sporty. It\u2019s the type of device I\u2019d expect to see at a high-end yoga studio, worn by a person who shows up in a matching \u2018fit, manicured nails, and impossibly white sneakers. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s only the first image that popped into my head \u2014 probably because that\u2019s the version of me I wished I was while testing the Trend. (Alas, my \u2018fits are more practical than cute, my nails are chipped, and it\u2019s been years since my sneakers were white.) Garmin says the Trend is targeted toward women, but its design isn\u2019t so feminine that it\u2019s only<\/em> for women. I could easily see it on the wrist of a businessperson in a snazzy suit saying smart-sounding things about EBITDA margins, especially since there\u2019s an all-black version, and you can swap the straps out for any standard 20mm band. It\u2019s got a 40mm case, but there are plenty of people who prefer that to larger ones. The Trend won\u2019t appeal to anyone looking for a rugged vibe, but it\u2019s not intended to.<\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The gold versions of the Trend cost $299.99 \u2014 $30 more than the base model.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/span>\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

The Trend has a continuous heart rate monitor, blood oxygen monitor, accelerometer, and barometric altimeter.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Trend is meant to be the midrange option in the Vivomove lineup. Unlike the more expensive Vivomove Style<\/a> and Vivomove Luxe<\/a>, it has a plastic case and a liquid crystal display, and the lens is made of chemically strengthened glass. But I never felt the Trend was a downgrade. It helps that the Trend has a stainless steel bezel \u2014 it\u2019s a small change, but it elevates the overall look. <\/p>\n

More importantly, it\u2019s lightweight at 43 grams with the strap, making it ideal for everyday wear. It didn\u2019t weigh my arm down while working out, I never felt the urge to rip it off while sleeping, and it never caught on my sleeves. It has 5ATM of water resistance, which means you could<\/em> hop in the pool with it and be fine, though I wouldn\u2019t because touchscreens and water don\u2019t mix. However, you don\u2019t have to take it off if you\u2019ve got a pile of dishes to wash, get caught in a downpour, or need to wrestle a prickly cat into the bathtub.<\/p>\n

Smart enough<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

A hybrid watch is never going to be the smartest wearable on the block. But if you\u2019re not looking to control a smart McMansion, the Trend has a great mix of basic and modern features.<\/p>\n

Take the hidden display. It\u2019s a staple on all the Vivomove watches, but truly, it never gets old. You either flick your wrist up, or tap the display and boom. Your data and watchfaces appear like a ghostly futuristic hologram. <\/p>\n

I love these hidden displays because it\u2019s a clever way to bring analog style into the modern era, all while being adaptable to different price points. Like the entry-level Sport, the Trend opts for monochrome LCD instead of the color OLED you\u2019ll find on the more expensive Vivomove watches. But unlike the Sport, the Trend\u2019s hidden displays allow you to view data on the entire screen instead of just the bottom half. That makes it much easier to read full notifications and navigate menus. <\/p>\n

The are a few downsides. One is that there\u2019s no physical buttons <\/strong>\u2014 and no crown \u2014 and touchscreens can be finicky if you\u2019re sweaty or wearing gloves. The hidden display can also get washed out in bright lighting, but you can<\/em> tweak brightness levels to help mitigate that. I\u2019d also love it if the display itself were more responsive, but having tried almost every Vivomove device, the Trend\u2019s display is definitely an improvement from earlier models. <\/p>\n

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\"Close<\/span><\/p>\n

The Vivomove Trend can pass as an analog watch without the display on.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

You\u2019ll also get the basics like push notifications, media controls, find my phone, find my watch, alarms, timers, and the analog hands automatically move out of the way when you\u2019re viewing data, calendar and weather widgets, or texts. Android users can also reply to texts and reject phone calls. The Trend includes more advanced communication features, too, like contactless payment via Garmin Pay<\/a> and safety features such as fall detection and live tracking. The safety features aren\u2019t as polished as what you\u2019ll get from Apple or Samsung, but they\u2019re there if you need them.<\/p>\n

Since this is a lifestyle watch, you won\u2019t have LTE connectivity, though you do get Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and ANT Plus<\/a>. It also only supports GPS via your phone, as opposed to built-in GPS. <\/strong>So this isn\u2019t going to be a standalone watch for long solo runs or hikes, but it\u2019s more than adequate for keeping you in the loop during work or at the gym. <\/p>\n

Qi-qi-qi-charging<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

The Trend\u2019s biggest flex is that it supports Qi wireless charging. As I mentioned earlier, it\u2019s the first Garmin ever<\/em> to do so. And I\u2019m happy to report that it works. My Qi chargers are nothing special \u2014 they\u2019re from some no-name brand and cost me $9. I plopped it down, the analog hands moved out of the way, and a lil charging icon popped up.<\/p>\n

Of course, wireless chargers can be fussy. You gotta make sure your device lines up with the coil, and at least on my charger, there\u2019s no magnet to lock the smartwatch in place. They\u2019re also not as fast as wired chargers. But I enjoyed plopping the Trend down on my Qi desk charger while I worked, and it\u2019s great that you can use any existing Qi chargers you have, especially since it reduces your reliance on proprietary chargers, which can be expensive to replace, contribute to e-waste, and are a pain in the butt.<\/p>\n

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\"Close<\/span><\/p>\n

The analog hands will move out of the way when it\u2019s time to read notifications. The Trend\u2019s display also displays information on the entire screen.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The only catch is if you don\u2019t have a Qi charger already, the Trend doesn\u2019t come with one. (It does, however, come with a proprietary Garmin charger.) That, and there are some bunk Qi chargers out there. (Pro tip: don\u2019t buy one you find in the checkout aisle at TJ Maxx.) But if you\u2019re keen to try them out, it\u2019s not a steep investment and a ton of devices these days support the Qi charging standard.<\/p>\n

As for battery life, the Trend has an estimated five days on a single charge. That\u2019s about what I got during testing with 24\/7 wear, default brightness, more notifications than I care for, and about 30-60 minutes of GPS activity every day. It not as long as you\u2019ll get on some other fitness bands, but battery life heavily depends on your individual usage. At least now, you could stick a Qi charger in every room, and you\u2019d be covered. <\/p>\n

Casual fitness<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

This may not be the most hardcore Garmin watch, but the Trend doesn\u2019t skimp on health or fitness tracking. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s got a continuous heart rate monitor, barometric altimeter, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, and blood oxygen monitoring. It tracks your steps, calories, and floors climbed and has automatic activity tracking, too. You\u2019ll be able to do heart rate zone training, see your VO2 Max, and broadcast your heart rate data to ANT Plus gym equipment and accessories. It\u2019s got Garmin\u2019s proprietary metrics, like Body Battery to visualize recovery and fitness age. You have mindfulness features and sleep tracking. We could go on and on<\/a>, but aside from Garmin\u2019s most intensive<\/a> training<\/a> features<\/a>, you\u2019ll be pretty much set. <\/p>\n

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\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

The Trend is better for casual tracking.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

The Garmin Fenix 7S Sapphire Solar (left) is the better option for endurance sports.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

That said, I wouldn\u2019t recommend this if want to see a ton of data mid-exercise. It\u2019s got nothing to do with accuracy. The Trend did well in my heart rate testing against the Polar H10. Connected GPS generally isn\u2019t as accurate as built-in GPS \u2014 which was reflected in my testing \u2014 but it\u2019s in the right ballpark. For example, a 2.46-mile walk recorded on my Apple Watch Ultra was logged as 2.57 miles on the Trend.<\/p>\n

Rather, I wouldn\u2019t recommend trying to check your metrics mid-workout because it took me out of the flow. Between the dimmer display and lack of physical buttons, swiping through screens was more distracting than it should\u2019ve been.<\/p>\n

This tracker is better suited to workouts where you can zone out or where just getting the credit for doing <\/em>something is enough. I loved it for walks, mobility work, arm day, and yoga. It was okay for shorter runs, but I\u2019d rather reach for the Garmin Fenix 7S<\/a> or the Apple Watch Ultra<\/a> for half training. The same applies to health tracking. Garmin\u2019s sleep tracking isn\u2019t the best I\u2019ve tested, but it gets you in the right ballpark. Heart rate data is good, but sometimes your nightly SpO2 will be suspiciously low. You probably won\u2019t like that if you obsess over numbers, but accuracy is only one aspect of health tracking. The bigger goal is to see your progress over time, and the aptly named Trend is more than equipped to do that. <\/p>\n

On the up and up<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve noticed a trend with Garmin\u2019s lifestyle smartwatches: they\u2019re getting smarter. It\u2019s not enough to make Apple or Samsung quiver in their boots \u2014 but Google might want to take some notes, especially now that Fitbit has seemingly lost its way with multiday<\/a> server<\/a> outages<\/a> and legacy features disappearing<\/a> left and right<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Garmin Venu Sq 2<\/a> was a great lil smartwatch with a snappy display that gave the Versa 4 and Sense 2<\/a> a run for its money. The Venu 2 Plus<\/a> also has a beeyootiful display, voice assistant compatibility through your phone, and long battery life, and it just got FDA clearance for EKGs<\/a>. Now, with the Trend, Garmin is adding wireless charging to the mix. <\/p>\n

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\"Garmin<\/span><\/p>\n

The Vivomove Trend shows the company\u2019s on the right track with its lifestyle watches.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

All of these products \u2014 and some<\/a> I haven\u2019t<\/a> mentioned<\/a> \u2014\u00a0are compelling alternatives to Fitbit. And given Fitbit\u2019s murky feature<\/a>, I\u2019m inclined to recommend Garmin as the better investment.<\/p>\n

The only thing that gives me pause is the Trend\u2019s price. At $270, it\u2019s only about $30 cheaper than the Vivomove Style<\/a>. And if you get the gold versions of the Trend, they\u2019re the same price. The main difference between the two is the Trend has Qi charging, while the Style has a hidden color OLED display and better materials. It\u2019ll boil down to what discounts you can find, the colors you want, and whether you want the option of wireless charging. That said, I can\u2019t help but feel this unnecessarily muddies the waters in an otherwise solid hybrid lineup. <\/p>\n

I think I speak for all smartwatch reviewers when I say Garmin could stand to pare down its product catalog a bit. But, there\u2019s something to be said about a company that\u2019s delivering this many wearables in such a broad range of styles, sizes, price points, and feature sets for casual and hardcore athletes alike. Now, if Garmin manages to figure out LTE connectivity and streamline the Connect app, I\u2019d say Apple and Samsung are in for some healthy competition.<\/p>\n

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Agree to continue: Garmin Vivomove Trend<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it \u2014 contracts that no one actually reads. It\u2019s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we\u2019re going to start counting exactly how many times you have to hit \u201cagree\u201d to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don\u2019t read and definitely can\u2019t negotiate.<\/em><\/p>\n

To use the Garmin Vivomove Trend, you must pair it with an iPhone or Android smartphone. That includes the phone\u2019s Terms of Service, privacy policy, and any other permissions you grant. You must also create a Garmin Connect account to use the app.<\/p>\n

By setting up the Garmin Vivomove Trend, you\u2019re agreeing to:<\/p>\n

All of Garmin\u2019s privacy and legal policies are available within the Garmin Connect app. You must also grant the Garmin Connect app certain phone permissions for Bluetooth, calendar, location, and notifications. Additionally, optional safety features, like LiveTrack, also come with an end-user license agreement. You may also have to agree to share your health data with the company for certain features. If you decide to enable Garmin Pay, you\u2019ll also have to agree to the Garmin Pay Terms and Conditions and Garmin Pay Privacy Policy. Integrating your Garmin activity data with other services, like Strava, Spotify, or Apple Health Kit, also requires you to agree to those individual terms and policies.<\/p>\n

Final Tally: Whatever your phone requires, plus three mandatory Garmin policies and four phone permissions for smart features. There are additional policies for optional health insights, contactless payments, and safety features.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Victoria Song<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had high expectations when I first strapped on the Garmin Vivomove Trend \u2014 and I\u2019ve never felt that way about a Garmin hybrid smartwatch. As the name suggests, hybrids mash together the look of an analog watch (including real hands!) with the smarts of a fitness tracker. The thing is, while Garmin\u2019s previous hybrids<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":609765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3345,46,118730],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-609764","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-garmin","8":"category-technology","9":"category-vivomove"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/609765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}