Garmin HRM-Pro Plus tracks pace and distance for indoor runs
Garmin has launched its newest heart rate monitor today. HRM-Pro Plus comes with pace and distance tracking for indoor runs, along with a more user friendly battery release mechanism.
Garmin HRM-Pro Plus – modest upgrades
The images of the upcoming device were posted by a Redditor a few days ago. These came from a retailer listing, so we knew the chest strap was launching this week. You may notice that the case of the device has different colour combinations than the HRM-Pro.
More importantly the new variant comes with a few modest functionality upgrades. One if these are indoor tracking abilities. More precisely, HRM-Pro Plus has the ability to transmit pace and distance information. This means when you are on an indoor track or treadmill run, there will be more in-depth data to help you push your limits.
Other than that, there’s the above mentioned easier to operate battery cover that works via a twist mechanism. The retailer says it allows for “independent change of the coin cell battery without the need for additional tools”. So no need to fuss around with unscrewing anything. The old device runs about a year before needing a battery replacement. No change there with the Plus version.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
Other than that you get all of the same functionality. Interestingly, owners of HRM-Pro will also get the indoor tracking ability. It is due to arrive today via a firmware update. Which means there’s practically no reason to upgrade as the tool-less battery door design is pretty much the only improvement.
The price remains the same at $129.00. HRM-Pro Plus can be picked up on Garmin’s website from today.
HRM Pro has topped Garmin’s range of heart rate chest straps till now
Garmin has a few heart rate chest straps in its lineup. HRM Pro was unveiled in September 2020. This is a fully featured device that goes beyond simple recording of heart rate.
Packing both ANT+ and Blutetooth Low Energy connectivity, HRM-Pro can track running dynamics and Run Power for compatible devices. At the moment Run Power only works natively for the Forerunner 955 and 255. But a firmware Beta was recently released for Fenix 7, Epix 2 and Instinct 2 that allows them to track the metric. The other option, of course, is to use the Garmin Connect IQ store solution. But this is more messy than the native route.
Other than that, the chest strap has offline support for workouts and excellent water-resistance. It can even work independently of a watch to capture your daily activity metrics, namely steps, intensity minutes, calories and heart rate. All these features make the HRM-Pro range top of the line for Garmin users.
Busy months ahead
The sports watch maker has had a slow 2021 but this year is shaping up to be quite busy. We’ve already seen a slew of launches, with more to arrive in the coming months.
The next watch we are expecting is the Venu Sq 2, followed by Vivomove Trend, Austin, Instinct Analog and possibly more. The first of these may have stopped by the Federal Communications Commission a few weeks ago. No credible leaks so far to do with specs of any these devices, but their names were leaked by a local Garmin-authorised distributor earlier this year.
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