Garmin, already a leader in fitness watches, is taking aim at high-end smart watches. This week at IFA, Europe’s biggest tech trade show, Garmin unveiled its new Vivoactive 3 — a fitness-focused smart watch with long battery life, swipe controls, and a reasonable price point.
Naturally, the Vivoactive 3 features GPS and heart rate sensors for continuous monitoring and session-based tracking. But it also boasts 15 different custom indoor and outdoor sports apps, stress monitoring. and VO2 max calculation features, as well as support for third-party watch faces and apps like Uber.
Hardware is more high-end than previous generations, with a slim form factor and a multi-color, touchscreen Garmin Chroma display. It also features Garmin Pay, a contactless payment technology that allows wearers to simply tap their Garmin-equipped wrist at any NFC payment terminal to make payments. Garmin Pay supports Visa and MasterCard debit and credit cards “from major banks” to start, with wider support to come.
Garmin is targeting people who want to balance the ability to effectively track athletic pursuits with a good-looking smart watch they can wear daily. It also syncs with iOS, Android, and desktop software, and offers a battery life of about one week.
The new Vivoactive 3 starts at $299.99 and will be available later this year.
