Garmin Vivosmart HR+ Fitness Tracker Gets GPS, Plus Feature Updates

The Garmin Vivosmart HR+ offers runners more detailed tracking, including the actual pace compared to the targeted pace, plus a new auto-pause feature.

The Vivosmart HR+ tracker includes an always-on 1-inch-long by 0.42-inch-wide display (160 by 68 pixels) that can be read in bright sunlight and is safe for use in water while swimming or bathing. The device’s lithium battery provides up to five days of use in the watch/activity tracking mode, including 24/7 heart-rate monitoring and no GPS use, or up to 8 hours using GPS.

The tracker’s Elevate wrist heart-rate tracking feature quantifies the intensity of a user’s fitness activities through the use of designated “intensity minutes,” which can help users monitor their progress against activity goals recommended by leading health organizations. A wide variety of screens can be displayed, including stairs climbed (as pictured here).

The latest GPS-equipped tracker provides information about a wide range of user activities, including distance traveled, and time and pace for indoor or outdoor activities. With the GPS feature, users can get even more accurate distance and pace stats as well as a map of their activity when running or walking outdoors. Details about steps taken, calories burned, floors climbed and intensity minutes are also recorded.

The Vivosmart HR+ also provides users with on-screen and gentle vibration notifications of incoming calls, texts, emails, social media posts, calendar reminders and other notifications that come from a compatible Android, iOS or Windows 10 smartphone. Users can also control music on their smartphone through the fitness tracker and locate a lost phone using an audible alert.

The Vivosmart HR+ also performs sleep monitoring to give users information about their total sleeping activities, as well as their periods of movement and of restful sleep patterns. Also included is a built-in alarm clock.

Vivosmart HR+ users can automatically sync their band with the Garmin Connect mobile app so they can visualize their full day of activities in a timeline view to analyze and plot their progress. The band includes expanded data collection capabilities for runners, such as constant tracking of personal records, a virtual pacer to compare the current pace to a target pace, an Auto Pause feature that pauses and resumes the timer based on speed, an Auto Lap feature that automatically starts a new lap, and a walk/run mode.

The Garmin Vivosmart HR+ activity tracker is available in two sizes: regular (in black with a Shark Fin Gray band, Imperial Purple with a Kona Purple band or Midnight Blue with a Bolt Blue band) or extra-large (in black with a Shark Fin Gray band).