Garmin launches the budget-friendly Vivoactive 3 Element
Garmin has launched the Vivoactive 3 Element in certain countries such as India. This is now the lowest priced watch in its range.
Vivoactive 3 is a few old. In fact, it’s been superseded with the Vivoactive 4 in September 2019. Nevertheless, the third generation wearable is still a popular choice as its a great all-purpose smartwatch.
The main upgrade between Vivoactive 3 and 4 are the different size options on the latest generation, SpO2 measurements and on-board storage for music as standard. The Vivoactive 4 is priced at around $350 which is $100 more than the Vivoactive 3. But now there’s a cheaper Vivoactive in town.
Vivoactive 3 Element
The Vivoactive 3 Element was made available this morning in certain Asian countries such as India. It is not clear whether it will make it to the US and UK and Garmin has not said anything.
In India, the device costs about 28% less than the regular version. That’s a saving which in the US translates into around $70 indicating a price of $180 for the Vivoactive 3 Element. This makes it the cheapest smartwatch Garmin currently sells. Cheaper even than the Venu Sq.
You’re probably wondering what functionality has been sacrificed on the Vivoactive 3 Element. The design is exactly the same. Which means you get a watch with a 1.2 transflective MIP touchscreen (240 x 240 pixels), that weights 43 grams and comes with 5 ATM water-resistance.
Nothing has changed in the sensor department either. The wearable keeps tabs on activities and sleep, it has the ability to measure stress and there’s built-in GPS. As far as battery, it will keep going for about a week on a single charge.
So what is different?
For starters, there’s the lack of an NFC chip for contactless payments. So no Garmin Pay.
The other change is in sports tracked. As you’ve guessed, the original version does more.
Vivoactive 3 Element has support for 15 sports modes, 10 of which are pre-installed. You get the usual running, cycling, yoga and more. But it has lost the swim mode and support for golf.
You can view a detailed comparison of the features on this link.
Will there be an international launch?
Whether or not this version makes it to the US and Europe is anyone’s guess. We are expecting the Vivoactive 5 this autumn and that will make Vivoactive 3 Element two generations out of date.
Garmin Venu SQ sells for $200, but you can sometimes pick it up for $30 less. Launching a Vivoactive 3 Element would only slightly undercut this price.
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