Garmin's New Vivoactive 3 Smartwatch Adds LTE Connectivity For Streaming Music
Garmin on Monday announced the Vivoactive 3 Music with Verizon, its first smartwatch with both GPS and 4G LTE connectivity baked into it. As with other smartwatches with 4G LTE connectivity, users can leave their smartphones behind when going on a walk or jog, and still receive text messages on their wrist. The same goes for streaming music.
"The Vívoactive 3 Music with 4G LTE connectivity gives you everything you need from your phone—safety features, text messaging, and the ability to download and listen to music—now on your watch, so customers can leave their phones behind with confidence," said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales.
"Designed for customers who lead an active lifestyle, we’re excited to introduce these new safety and communication features to the Verizon-connected Vívoactive 3 Music to give added peace of mind on the go, so leaving your phone at home can be a choice instead of a cause for panic," Bartel added.
Garmin has teamed up with Verizon to introduce and promote its newest Vivo smartwatch. To take advantage of the 4G LTE support, users need a connected device plan from Verizon. Pricing has not yet been announced, though we anticipate it will be around $5-$10 per month. We'll know for sure later this quarter when Garmin and Verizon start offering the Vivoactive 3 Music with LTE.
The new smartwatch sports a 1.2-inch display with a 240x240 resolution. It's basically the same smartwatch as the non-LTE version. However, this new model works with Deezer and Spotify. It also has "incident detection," which is similar to Apple's fall detection—if the user falls or experiences an impact (like getting hit by a car), it automatically notifies pre-loaded emergency contacts with the user's location.
Garmin's latest smartphone will be available later this quarter. While pricing has not yet been announced, the regular Vivoactive 3 Music (non-LTE) sells for $299.99.
