Garmin Announces Three New Wrist Wearables, Including Apple Watch Rival

Garmin this week unveiled three new wearables, including the Vivoactive 3, which introduces Garmin Pay, a contactless payment solution that lets users make secure payments from their watch.

The Vivoactive 3 is more or less Garmin’s answer to Apple Watch, featuring a water-resistant stainless steel design, a wide variety of watch faces, and GPS.

“Anyone who is out and about being active can relate to the struggle of where to stash a credit card or cash, and has had to forgo a post-workout snack or coffee as a result,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “We’re solving that dilemma with Garmin Pay, an exciting feature on the new vívoactive 3.”

Garmin Pay supports Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards from major issuing banks, with more being added soon.

The Vivoactive 3 starts at $300 USD and comes in three color options.

Garmin’s other watch, the Vivomove HR, is “a hybrid smartwatch” with activity tracking, a heart rate monitor, push notifications, and a touchscreen display.

“When we first introduced the vívomove last year, it was geared towards customers who wanted a beautiful timepiece first and activity tracking functions second,” explains Bartel. “With the new vívomove HR, not only is the design as elegant as ever, the wearable technology is cutting edge.”

The vivomove resembles traditional analog watches while still including most high-end smartwatch technologies.

“We’re the first on the market to offer a hybrid smartwatch with both wrist-based heart rate and a digital touchscreen display,” says Bartel. “And you get all of that without losing the classic, timeless look of an analog watch.”

Finally Garmin launched the Vivosport. The $200 wristband includes a touchscreen display and pre-installed workout apps, as well as a heart rate monitor and GPS.

“We realize that many customers prefer to work out with a slim fitness band but don’t want to compromise on the fitness and connectivity features typically found on smartwatches,” noted Bartel. “With vívosport, you get the best of a smart activity tracker and a sports watch in an ultra-slim, ultra-sleek design.”