I’ll be the primary to say that almost all Garmin watches will not win any design magnificence pageants. They prioritize perform over type within the Forerunner sequence, and strike a fragile stability with the enticing Venu sequence. Now, Garmin has introduced again the vívomove hybrid sequence, which reverses Garmin’s priorities and chooses type over perform.The Garmin vívomove Trend is a sublime, light-weight watch that evokes a traditional analog really feel at first look, however has a helpful hidden LCD show to provide you a stripped-down model of the Garmin OS and exercise metrics that so many customers admire. It’s a way more passive machine than most Garmin watches, however for a sure sort of athlete, that will really be for one of the best. Garmin vívomove Trend: Price and colours(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)With a watch as fashion-focused because the Garmin vívomove Trend, you are shopping for it for the end as a lot as anything. You have 4 Stainless Steel shade choices: Silver Bezel with Mist Gray Case, Slate Bezel with Black Case, Cream Gold with French Gray, or Peach Gold with Ivory. The two Gold fashions price $300, whereas the Silver and Slate watches dip right down to $270. Aside from the extra trendy end, the Gold watches haven’t any characteristic upgrades; you are simply paying for the look, which does admittedly look fairly stylish. Garmin despatched me the cheaper Silver vívomove, which nonetheless seems to be fairly enticing in my subjective opinion.You can discover the Garmin vívomove Trend on varied retailer websites like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart — although some solely have the non-Gold watches obtainable — in addition to Garmin.com.Today’s finest Garmin Vivomove Trend offersGarmin vívomove Trend: Design, UI, and touchscreen(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)I’ve gotten used to the thick, athletic look of most Garmin watches, so switching to the vívomove Trend makes me instantly really feel rather more trendy. While the case is similar plastic materials as most Garmin watches, the thick stainless-steel bezel is all you will see from the highest down. That metallic look paired with the golden watch palms means that in the first place look, this would possibly not appear to be a sporty watch in any respect.At 11.9mm thick, it is considerably thinner than a lot of my favourite Garmin units. That makes it extra petite, and little question this can be marketed as a “women’s watch,” however I see no purpose why males would dislike its analog aesthetics. Its thinness makes it significantly better fitted to sleep monitoring than a thick Forerunner watch, too.(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Unlike the vívomove Sport, which helps you to select a nylon or silicone band, the Trend sticks to silicone. Compared to my Forerunner watch bands, the Trend’s silicone materials has a extra uniform outer texture and a softer inside really feel, whereas additionally shedding the additional lug holes on the rear for a extra informal look.Unlike most hybrid watches, which give their smarts away with aspect buttons and crowns, the Garmin vívomove Trend depends solely on the touchscreen, which provides to its design simplicity. I’ve my complaints about touch-only watches I’ll deal with in a minute, however the simplified Garmin OS does lend itself to such a navigation. (Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)If a notification brand seems, you merely faucet the show to learn the complete message. To see your exercise or health-measurement choices, you faucet and maintain the display after which choose an icon. To verify your day by day health knowledge like steps tracked, you swipe up or down from the principle watch face.The software program is rather more restricted than on a typical Garmin watch. But due to that, virtually each perform you would possibly want is just one or two swipes plus one faucet away. So even you probably have the occasional mistaken faucet or swipe, it will not take you too lengthy to navigate again to the proper display. Still, I positively suggest utilizing Garmin Connect to maneuver your favourite widgets as near the watch face as potential for the fewest up/down swipes. In my case, I maintain notifications one downward swipe away, so I can ship fast replies to messages (solely on Android telephones). I maintain music controls and my calendar one and two upward swipes away, respectively.(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)As for the LCD show, I’m pleasantly shocked at how seen the white textual content is even in sunny circumstances. I’ve learn that different vívomoves had critical points with this, particularly the full-color vívomove Style, however that is not the case right here. I’ve no knowledge on max brightness (nits), however the 254 x 346 decision in a compact space appears to be particularly pixel-dense in comparison with most Garmin MIP or AMOLED shows.The important draw back right here is the “chemically strengthened glass” lens. Other Garmin watches use Gorilla Glass, and the shortage of official safety means you are both going to need to purchase a display protector stat or simply be particularly cautious to keep away from scratches. One different cool factor of this hybrid UI is how the watch palms glide out of the way in which whenever you take a look at a widget. The default is the horizontal look within the photograph under, however for some widgets like step-counting, they level to how far you have progressed in your targets in an arc from left to proper. As you swipe by means of widgets, it is enjoyable to observe the palms drifting from one distinctive place to the subsequent. (Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)So in essence, this hybrid smartwatch has a easy interface that works nicely sufficient on a touchscreen. But hoo boy, this touchscreen might be hit-or-miss.Sitting at my desk, I’ve little hassle swiping by means of menus, and there may be sufficient display house to suit three or 4 round buttons and have it acknowledge which button I’m tapping. It’s fairly responsive, and there hasn’t been a lot noticeable lag even when swiping shortly by means of menus.So what’s the issue? This vívomove Trend typically cannot differentiate between my swipes and faucets, so I’ll choose a widget as a substitute of swiping by means of it. Then I’ll futilely swipe up and down, not realizing I have to swipe left to proper to return to the final display first. Other instances, I’ll take a look at an information display for too lengthy and it will day trip proper as I’m swiping, after which nothing occurs as a result of the display solely turns again on if you happen to flip your wrist sharply or double-tap the show. Otherwise, you’ll be able to faucet, swipe, or press and maintain the show all you need; nothing will occur. To be clear, this is not a singular concern. Practically each touch-only health tracker might be finicky, from the premium Fitbit Charge 5 to the funds Amazfit Band 7. You’re compromising for a light-weight design as a result of even one button provides to the burden and ruins the look. At least with the vívomove Trend, you are much less prone to run into points as a result of the software program is designed so that you can largely ignore it. I’ve additionally gained a greater data of what the watch considers a swipe or faucet, so I’ve had fewer points over time. That being stated, I positively miss my Garmin buttons. And you will need to make the display timeout medium or lengthy, even when it means the battery dies extra shortly.Garmin vívomove Trend: Software and sensorsSwipe to scroll horizontallySpecificationGarmin vívomove TrendLensChemically strengthened glassBezelStainless SteelCasefiber-reinforced polymerWater resistance5ATMDisplay1.01″ x 0.74″ LCD touchscreen (254 x 346)WeightCase solely: 28.3g; With silicone strap: 43.3gBattery lifeUp to 5 daysChargingGarmin clip charger or Qi-certified wi-fi chargingSoftwareHealth Age, Body Battery, Stress, Relaxation reminders, Sleep rating, Hydration, Menstrual cycleSensorsHRM, SpO2, altimeter, accelerometer, ambient gentle sensorTrackingConnected GPS onlyNFCGarmin PayActivitiesWalk, Run, Cardio, Bike, Strength, Breathwork, Yoga, Pool Swim, Treadmill, OtherGarmin gave the vívomove Trend what I’d name the “Garmin Starter Pack” of options. You have a Sleep rating, Body Battery, respiration and hydration monitoring, menstrual cycles, depth minutes, Pulse Ox, and health age. You additionally get just a few primary sports activities modes, however nothing too area of interest and the obtainable exercise knowledge is stripped down. For instance, with the Run exercise, you’ll be able to technically view your timer, distance, coronary heart charge, common or present tempo, coronary heart charge zones, energy burned, and different knowledge; however you’ll be able to solely customise two knowledge fields, so you will most likely have to stay to the primary three metrics.The identical applies to swimming, biking, and another exercise. You’ll hardly see any actionable knowledge in your wrist throughout a exercise, nor will you get a lot data after it is over. Garmin is anticipating you to verify all that knowledge within the Connect app.For anybody who makes use of Garmin watches passively, you ought to be completely superb. Runners can nonetheless analyze their run cadence, present VO2 Max, and different helpful metrics within the app, as an illustration. But if you happen to actively use options like Garmin Coach to information your tempo, or created or preloaded exercises to enhance your gymnasium routine, then the vívomove Trend positively is not the proper selection for you. It’s meant to mix into the background.(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)That reliance in your telephone additionally applies to monitoring. Unlike 95% of Garmin units, this watch has no built-in GPS or GLONASS; whenever you begin an exercise, you will want your Garmin Connect app open with entry to your location knowledge always. Thankfully, the GPS sometimes connects inside a few seconds, and any trendy Android telephone or iPhone ought to be fairly correct — although the sign is perhaps occluded a bit in case your telephone is stuffed in your pocket.Most exercise knowledge depends upon the optical HRM to find out your depth stage. The Garmin vívomove Trend makes use of an older-generation sensor relatively than the newer Elevate v4 present in 2022+ Garmin watches just like the Forerunner 255. That would not essentially imply it is inaccurate, however the latest HRM does are inclined to adapt extra shortly to adjustments in coronary heart charge.Otherwise, the vívomove Trend has an accelerometer to react to your wrist actions and decide whenever you’re strolling or checking your show; an ambient gentle sensor to match your display brightness to your environment; a blood oxygen sensor you’ll be able to have activate throughout sleep monitoring; and a barometric altimeter to find out flooring climbed. The latter is a pleasing shock, since many Garmin watches on the cheaper aspect skip the altimeter regardless of its usefulness.Garmin vívomove Trend: Battery life and charging(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Smartwatch manufacturers’ official battery life estimates ought to all the time be taken with a grain of salt, however in all my Garmin critiques, its watches have sometimes caught intently to the licensed size in my very own assessments. With the Garmin vívomove Trend, it solely has a five-day estimate, and I’ve discovered that to be considerably beneficiant. Although it would not have built-in GPS to burn battery, linked GPS for exercise monitoring has an identical impact, so the extra energetic you sometimes are, the extra typically you will have to recharge it. Continuous coronary heart charge detection does take its toll, as does utilizing Pulse Ox monitoring at night time. Depending on how typically you really verify the look ahead to notifications, it might solely final you three or 4 days per cost. That’s actually not horrible in comparison with a typical way of life watch, nevertheless it’s fairly quick for a health watch.Once your vívomoves Trend battery runs low, you have got two charging choices. Your first is an old-school clip-on charger that Garmin has largely deprecated for its present watches, however doubtless takes up much less inside room for the thin Trend than its traditional pogo-pin chargers. It’s slightly tough to line up the clip appropriately, so simply watch out to verify for the charging image earlier than you stroll away.More excitingly, Garmin added Qi charging for the primary time. Garmin says the Trend is appropriate with “most Qi-certified wireless charging pads,” so whereas I can level you to our website’s favourite Qi transportable chargers and energy banks, there is not any assure it’s going to work with each Qi pad; you will have to only rigorously place the Trend on its heart and check for your self on a case-by-case foundation. Whether you select the clip or a Qi charging pad, the Trend ought to recharge in a few hours. That’s the standard timeframe for a Garmin watch, however given its shorter lifespan, you could resent the shortage of quick charging. The Competition: Other vívomoves, Garmins, and hybrids(Image credit score: Courtney Lynch / Android Central)Garmin sells a number of different vívomove fashions, together with the vívomove Sport and vívomove Style. While I have not examined both watch, each watches basically provide the identical software program, battery life, and general hybrid look because the vívomove Trend. The Style, which prices the identical because the Gold Trends, makes use of a hidden shade AMOLED show, a domed Gorilla Glass 3 lens, and an aluminum case and bezel. While it is sleeker and extra sturdy, it lacks the brand new Qi charging possibility, and varied critiques from specialists and clients are inclined to agree that the colour OLED show is just too uninteresting and laborious to learn, an issue I did not have with the monochrome Trend. As for the Sport, my colleague scored it larger than I rated the Trend, however do not assume meaning it is higher. It seems to be extra sporty than trendy, its OLED part is confined to a small backside house, and it misses out on among the Trend’s instruments like Garmin Pay and an altimeter. It’s cheaper, however this hybrid watch developments too far towards the analog aspect in my view. (Image credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)The vívomove Trend’s precise finest competitors is with the Garmin Venu 2 Sq, which prices barely much less or extra relying on whether or not you purchase the Music storage model. Its squircle AMOLED design is rather more trendy and primary than the stylish Trend, and each watches share a lot of the identical core Garmin suite of instruments. What makes the Venu 2 Sq extra compelling is the 11-day battery life, built-in GPS, extra sports activities modes and customized exercises, Garmin Coach, and Connect IQ entry for extra customizable watch faces. If you just like the analog look however need extra of a runner’s type, and like a significantly better battery life and sturdiness, take a look at the Garmin Instinct Crossover hybrid as a substitute!Otherwise, you’ll be able to take a look at different hybrid smartwatches throughout different manufacturers that’ll every provide a traditional watch look, however pack a lot totally different software program. Fossil is the largest hybrid title, with the Gen 6 Hybrid Wellness Edition as its newest providing. That provides you varied well being and exercise monitoring instruments, plus entry to larger smarts like an Alexa assistant and a 2-week battery because of the e-ink show.Garmin vívomove Trend: Should you purchase it?(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)You should purchase this if…You desire a trendy hybrid watch that makes an impression.You’re simply distracted or discouraged by mid-workout knowledge and wish one thing less complicated to maintain you within the zone.You desire a comparatively inexpensive (for Garmin) machine.You should not purchase this if…Long battery life is a precedence.You depend on guided exercises and training to succeed.You wish to work out with out your telephone readily available.When I joined a operating membership in New York, our coaches informed us to tape over our watch shows and concentrate on operating at a tempo that felt proper for our health stage. Having too many metrics readily available was extra distracting than useful, they claimed. These days, I typically depend on metrics to push me to hit operating targets I may not attain naturally; nevertheless it’s additionally potential that I might get pleasure from myself extra if I did not have a lot knowledge about my present skills so readily at hand. That distinction in perspective is what’ll decide whether or not the Garmin vívomove Trend or a extra sporty possibility just like the Venu 2 Sq is finest for you. I personally choose my Forerunner 955 as a result of I would like as a lot knowledge as potential, however for some, time and coronary heart charge knowledge are actually all you want throughout a exercise, and also you’d relatively have a watch that appears trendy and feels snug to put on than some cumbersome lump in your wrist. 

With a pretty and comfy design, shiny hidden show, and all of the core Garmin software program you want, the vívomove Trend provides athletes the essential well being and exercise knowledge they want in a way more visually pleasing package deal.