the best asset of athletes smart health innovation

New arrival of the Garmin range, the Vivosmart HR + is a smart health connected bracelet which carries all the hopes of its creator with a GPS, a mode of automatic recognition of sports activity and a nicer design compared to its predecessor: the Vivosmart HR.

Mark : Garmin
Category: smart health connected bracelet
Release date : available
Marketing price: € 219.99
Tested on: Wiko Rainbow 4G

Buy the Vivosmart HR +

Unpacking the Vivosmart HR +

This bracelet appears in an opaque box which presents, by photo, the product and its main characteristics. When you open it, you discover the bracelet wrapped in polystyrene the size of a wrist, all closed through a cardboard paper. Coming out of the box, appears behind the charging cable and two small manuals, one for use, the other for usage precautions.

Little more compared to most products nowadays, a leaflet is provided with the product. Certainly minimalist, it 7 small pages and, failing to really explain how the device works and how to get the most out of it, it allows to know everything you can do with it.

Design and ergonomics of the Vivosmart HR +

Available in black, black and purple and like the one we received, in black and navy blue, this bracelet is more sporty than a formal evening but it nevertheless remains quite discreet and adapts to the wrist. Very thin, the dial is however widely readable. Light, it is comfortable and the closure system like a belt, provides perfect wrist support while not causing no unwanted irritation or sweating. For convenience, from the bracelet, you can choose to display horizontally or vertically.

Installation of the Garmin Connect application and configuration of the Vivosmart HR +

First bracelet smart health connected by your dedicated editor, a big step to take before you can use this device: connect it to the smartphone. A small detail which however lost a good half hour for the simple reason that it is not obvious: first install the Garmin Connect app before connecting the deviceotherwise the bracelet and the smartphone are well smart health connected but it becomes impossible to properly use all the services offered by the smart band. It is therefore necessary to make a parallel installation of the two elements. The application itself is clear.

After research, it turns out that it is possible to choose your metric system, which greatly facilitates the task, for this, go to the application settings. The configuration of the bracelet is not more complicated.

Garmin Connect app

It is discreet, entirely on a black background with the elements in color. It seems complicated at first, there are so many tabs, but it turns out to be very common.. It can be understood in just a few minutes and insofar as the updates between the bracelet and the application are regular, we can quickly see its results, detail them and better understand them, just as we can set goals that the Vivosmart HR + will help us accomplish this.

The parameters are just as malleable. They allow you to choose the applications that will lead to vibrations of the bracelet, the metric system, the default music player that will open from the smart health connected device and finally to adjust profile and privacy.

Using the bracelet

The whole point of this Garmin object is that it can be forgotten. We can tell him that we are going to play sports, in which case he will adapt his sensors to the activity that we are going to offer him, just as we can say nothing and let him harvest at a minimum, distance, number of steps and calories lost. It is possible to whether or not to activate GPS. And insofar as we indicate to him, in broad outline, the hours when we sleep, he detects it by himself. Finally, the most important information is available at the touch of a finger.

For the rest, one button which is used to switch on, off, lock and access the menu. Very simple menu: with 9 drawings we understand that it is possible to adjust the sport, to go to sleep mode, to set the alarm, to trigger Bluetooth search, to synchronize the device with the application, to search for your phone, to have access history, settings and product information.

It is possible to read his messages and get a precise summary of the sports session that we’ve just done, for example in a running race.

The data collected with regard to sport is substantially similar to that of the machine used for running, for example, for more precision, we can provide via the application, the average size of one of our steps. To encourage us to play sports, too much inactivity forces the bracelet to vibrate and asks to move. In addition, it recalls the objectives to be achieved. The application can be coupled with MyFitenssPal to allow an effective calculation of the calories consumed and burned and thus follow his diet as well as possible.

Vivosmart HR + autonomy

It has great capacities for a smart health connected bracelet, 8h with GPS continuously, up to 5 days in tracking mode. Very good capabilities that could have applied to Bluetooth which on the other hand are quickly lost, practical not to forget your phone at the cafe, less practical when going from the living room to the kitchen without your phone, you lose the connection.

Against competition

If we put the Vivosmart HR + in competition with the smart health connected bracelets of our buying guide, we can begin to note that for a bracelet intended mainly for athletes, it is relatively aesthetic.

It is also powerful, easy to use, suitable for the practice of an aquatic sport and it offers a complete health and sport assessment, which places it above most other smart health connected bracelets on the market. In addition to all this, it has a GPS chip and its autonomy can last up to 5 days, enough to make some manufacturers envy.

On the other hand and to assert its qualitative superiority which makes it possible to go as far as entering the length of its steps for more precision, it is more expensive than the majority of its competitors.

Conclusion