Garmin’s stylish Vivomove Trend smartwatch works with Qi chargers

While Garmin’s latest hybrid smartwatch doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it does add a long-awaited feature: wireless charging. The $269.99 Vivomove Trend will be the first of all Garmin devices to add Qi compatibility.

Wireless charging is nothing new for smartwatches. In fact, most modern smartwatches come with some sort of wireless charging magnetic puck. The catch is that these chargers tend to be proprietary, and even if you have a Qi charger, it probably won’t work with your smartwatch. Or, at least, not reliably. Conversely, Garmin says you should be able to place the Trend on any existing Qi-certified charger you might already have. That’s good, because losing smartwatch chargers is more annoying than your typical gadget. Not only is there a good chance your dozens of USB, micro USB, and USB-C cables won’t be compatible, but it often costs a pretty penny to buy a replacement from the manufacturer, and third-party dupes may not always work. . .

The Trend is intended to replace the Vivomove 3 in Garmin’s hybrid lineup. Image: Garmin

That said, there is also a catch here. The Trend won’t come with a Qi charger in the box. You’ll have to buy it yourself if you don’t already have one. (You get a wired charger included with the Trend, and that’s also been upgraded to USB-C.) Garmin also notes in its press release that the Trend may not work with upright Qi charging stands or those built into vehicles.

Of course, wireless charging isn’t the only new feature coming to the trend. The watch is meant to replace the Vivomove 3 in Garmin’s hybrid lineup and adds Garmin Pay, its Sleep Score feature and a barometric altimeter. Otherwise it has the same signature hidden display as Garmin’s other Vivomove watches – although the Trend is a monochrome LCD display like the entry-level Sport compared to the color OLED displays used in the Style and Luxury.

As a lifestyle watch, the Trend opts for connected GPS rather than its own built-in GPS sensor and has an estimated battery life of five days, which is “short” for a Garmin. It also doesn’t go overboard on the basic training features you’ll find on the company’s more rugged watches. Meanwhile, for health tracking, it will include menstrual cycle tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, in-depth sleep tracking, stress tracking, abnormal high and low heart rate alerts, Fitness Age and Body Battery – Garmin’s exclusive metric to visualize how well you’ve recovered from stress and activity.

The trend is available in four colors: Slate/Black, Peach Gold/Ivory, Cream Gold/French Gray and Silver/Mist Gray. Gold options cost $30 more. Image: Garmin

It will be interesting to see how the trend differs from the similarly priced Vivomove style. It seems to come down to what you prefer: the Style’s color OLED screen and all-metal body or the Trend’s wireless charging. I’ve been playing with the trend for a few days, and it still looks pretty chic on the wrist, even without the metal body. I’ll have to try Qi charging before giving a final verdict, but so far the trend is in line with what you’d expect from Garmin’s hybrid lineup.

The Garmin Vivomove Trend is available from today in four colors. Slate/Black and Silver/Mist Gray colorways will retail for $269.99, while Peach Gold/Ivory and Cream Gold/French Gray versions will retail for $299.99.