Withings Move vs. Garmin Vivomove Sport: Which should you buy?

Withings Move

The Withings Move is one of the latest hybrid smartwatches to launch and has already made quite a name for itself. It has a super sleek and playful design, activity and sleep tracking, and a battery that lasts for well over a year. Even better, it costs well under $100.

Garmin Vivomove Sport

For buyers that want a solid hybrid option while spending as little as possible, the Vivomove Sport remains a decent choice in 2019. While technically discontinued by Garmin, it still offers all of the big features in a stylish package.

The Withings Move and Garmin Vivomove Sport are both really good hybrid smartwatches, but at the end of the day, we'd encourage you to spend a few more dollars for the former of the two. For just $20 more, the Withings Move has a more compact design, a much better mobile app, and is still being supported by Withings unlike Garmin with the Vivomove Sport.

Why you should get the Withings Move

If you're in the market for a hybrid watch, chances are you're interested in smart wearables but aren't quite ready to throw down $200+ on a new device and/or aren't comfortable with wearing a touchscreen display on your wrist. For that, both the Withings Move and Garmin Vivomove Sport do an admirable job.

First thing's first, both of these devices get points for looking like normal watches. The Withings Move favors a simpler aesthetic with a smooth plastic body, whereas the Vivomove Sport uses a stainless steel construction. This makes it a bit heavier than the Withings Move, and while it's definitely a classier watch, the Withings option might be better-suited for really intensive workouts thanks to the lighter build.

Also similar between the two are the tracking capabilities. Whether you pick up the Withings Move or Garmin Vivomove Sport, you'll get all-day activity tracking, so you can track exercises and monitor your sleep throughout the night.

From there, the Withings Move does a couple of things to pull ahead of the Garmin watch. In addition to the design that's better suited for working out, the Withings Move also has an advantage with its battery life. The 12-month battery life on the Vivomove Sport isn't bad by any means, but the 18-month rating on the Withings Move is downright legendary. Plus, with connected GPS (something you won't find on the Vivomove), you can map your outdoor runs/walks/biking when you take your phone with you.

Another win for the Withings Move is its companion app. Garmin's is functionally quite powerful and has everything you could ask for, but the overall UI of Withings' is much cleaner and easier to navigate. Especially for people that are new to smartwatches, this could make a big difference in daily use.

Last but certainly not least, we have to acknowledge that the Vivomove Sport has since been discontinued by Garmin. You can still buy it just fine and works as you'd expect, but for an increase of less than $20, we feel more comfortable getting the Withings Move that was just released in April 2019 and will be supported for a while to come.