The Vivomove Luxe looks and feels like a luxurious timepiece, however it's a smartwatch in disguise with a premium at a hefty $849. No one would be able to tell until a raise of the wrist wakes a stunning dual AMOLED dynamic display that provides notifications and health monitoring. Although it's a beautiful analog clock, the Garmin Vivomove Luxe does fall short of providing the ample lifestyle and fitness features - and here's why!
Display
There are only minor differences between the Vivomove 3 and Style/Luxe in terms of features: Chronograph and Garmin Pay. Unfortunately the Garmin Pay feature lack of support makes it hard to call it a feature. The most obvious difference is that there are now two digital displays and both are in colour thanks to the dual AMOLED display. The second AMOLED screen means the Luxe can display smart readings in both the top and bottom halves of the face. While the Vivomove 3 has a single 64 x132 display, both the Luxe and Style have two screens for a total of 200 x 200.
Design
On the wrist, the Vivomove is designed in a form that feels more like a traditional fashion watch and thus naturally, the Vivomove Luxe is a solid choice for those interested in adding a smartwatch to their professional or social attire. That is, more or less, the selling point from Garmin’s perspective, i.e., to offer people the ability to track their sports and activities while not immediately announcing that fact by their choice of watch. The Luxe only comes in a 42mm size but with a choice of silver, gold and rose gold cases
On the downside, it does not have built-in GPS to track your outdoor runs. Instead, it uses connected GPS, or your smartphone's GPS. So you have to bring along your smartphone for your runs.
Switch up your style with a wide variety of bands thanks to it's cross compatibility with Vivomove HR/Vivoactive 3
Fitness
Like most smartwatches, the Garmin Vivomove Luxe tracks daily physical activities such as steps taken, stairs climbed and sleep. It also measures your heart rate. However, it is in sleep monitoring that the Luxe severely disappoints. When I place it on a table, it assumes that you are sleeping and even shows my light and deep sleep periods.
Battery Life
The Luxe is supposed to last five days on smartwatch bands. I found the battery level dropping from full charge to around 50 per cent at the end of a two day period that included a few exercises.
