Garmin Vivomove Style vs. Vivomove Luxe: Luxury at a price

Garmin Vivomove Style

If you're in the market for a hybrid smartwatch with a simplistic yet stylish design, you'll appreciate the Garmin Vivomove Style. It boasts a brilliant and unique dual AMOLED display, activity and sleep tracking, Garmin Pay, and more. It's also in a more achievable price range than the Luxe.

Garmin Vivomove Luxe

If you're having trouble peeling your eyes away from the Garmin Vivomove Luxe, you're not the only one. This stunning hybrid has plenty to offer, including a dual AMOLED display, activity and sleep tracking, Garmin Pay, and of course, a luxurious design. The bad news? A very steep price tag.

If you've been feeling the pull toward the smartwatch world but you haven't jumped in due to the lack of a traditional aesthetic, a hybrid is the perfect middle ground. You get the fashionable timepiece you've always wanted with some neat features hidden beneath the surface.

That's the case with the Garmin Vivomove Style and Luxe, quite literally. There's a hidden dual AMOLED touchscreen display on both of these hybrid smartwatches that allows you to do more than tell time.

The only aspect that varies between these two is their appearance. The Vivomove Style is simple and stylish in a way that'll cater to many different users. It also has a more affordable price tag. The Vivomove Luxe, on the other hand, is quite expensive and is clearly designed to be a fashion accessory before anything else. The fitness tracking and smartwatch features are a nice bonus, but are they worth the money? That's for you to decide.

The best of both worlds

These two hybrids are some of the latest additions to Garmin's existing Vivomove lineup. Other than the aforementioned difference in design and price tag, you can expect the same features from each. Both watches come with activity and sleep tracking, heart-rate monitoring, stress and hydration tracking, connected GPS, and Garmin Pay. At both of these price points, built-in GPS would've been nice, but that's the cost of owning a unique hybrid.

There are a few other helpful fitness features, including Body Battery energy monitoring. You can check your energy levels throughout the day through the collection of data like heart rate variability (HRV), sleep, stress, and activity. This data helps you schedule your exercise and rest at optimal times. There's also a Pulse Ox sensor for monitoring blood oxygen saturation levels, which provides more accurate readings for stress and sleep tracking.

When it comes to fitness tracking, both hybrid smartwatches will track steps, floors climbed, calories burned, distance traveled, and intensity minutes. There are also built-in activities for walking, running, cardio, yoga, strength training, and more. You can track other health metrics, including hydration, stress, sleep, and menstruation. The watch can be easily synced with the Garmin Connect app where you can follow your progress.

Of course, you'll need to have your phone on you to utilize the connected GPS feature during workouts. The same goes for music, which can be controlled from your watch when connected. You'll receive notifications for incoming calls, text messages, social media updates, and calendar reminders. One lovely perk of owning a hybrid smartwatch is longer battery life. You'll get up to 5 days in smartwatch mode and one additional week in regular watch mode.

If you're still wondering what the difference is between the Vivomove Style and the Vivomove Luxe, there's not much left to tell. Both are available in one size, 42 mm, but there are different case and color options. The Style comes with an aluminum bezel and casing that are available various metal finishes, including Light Gold, Rose Gold, Silver, and Graphite. Depending on which finish you choose, you'll get either a 20 mm silicone or nylon quick release band.

As for the more expensive Vivomove Luxe, it comes with a stainless steel bezel and casing that also comes in multiple finishes, like 24K Gold, Silver, and 18K Rose Gold. You'll also have your pick of an Italian leather or Milanese metal band, which are also 20 mm quick release bands. Instead of the Gorilla Glass 3 lens used in the Vivomove Style, the Luxe boasts a domed Sapphire Crystal lens. This is a luxury hybrid smartwatch through and through.

Bottom line

Considering that the only difference between these two hybrid smartwatches is their case and price tag, it should be an easy choice. Both models give you solid activity and sleep tracking, along with smartwatch features like Garmin Pay. Most likely, it will come down to what you can reasonably afford. Both watches are undeniably beautiful, but the Vivomove Style makes the most sense from a financial standpoint. Plus, it's hard to justify the cost of the Luxe when it's still lacking in key areas.

Do you have money to spend and want the most luxurious option possible? If so, the Garmin Vivomove Luxe is probably the watch you're leaning toward. It might be missing some features, like connected GPS and music storage, but since hybrids are more about form than function, this may not bother you.

If you fancy yourself a stylish person but would prefer something a bit more modest in price, the Garmin Vivomove Style is an alternative that's worth considering. It's still on the expensive side but it's much more reasonable than the Luxe. It offers the same set of features — and it's missing the same ones as well — so if you can settle for something a tad less luxurious, your wallet will thank you.