FOSSIL HR vs. GARMIN VIVOMOVE STYLE (Hybrid Watch Comparison) - Honest and in-depth

[@MikeOBrienMedia]

UPDATE: The Garmin Vivomove Style DOES have quick replies!!! (I will show you more in my "one month later" video!)

[@angrymanhands]

How do you scroll through messages on the either of the phones. I want to get one for my wife, don't know which one yet, and all I really care about is the message notifications.

[@oecus2786]

@@angrymanhands if you live in the US the miles app has an offer for 30% off any Garmin product (not sure if the offer is still there). So if you end up choosing Garmin you could get the luxe for the price of the style or the style for the price of a fossil.

[@carlosveloz2476]

Could you just tell me how to activate them?

[@tdn1312]

I don't want to bug you. But can you do a review on Skullcandy Crusher wireless?

[@MikeOBrienMedia]

No guarantees. I'll look into them but I don't normally review over ear headphones on my channel and I'm not sure if they'll fit in my budget. It's a possibility though

[@oecus2786]

Really wish you compared both their notifications as that's the biggest thing for me when choosing between these two. How does a phone call/missed call look on both, how do text messages look on both, how do other app notifications look on both, and how both watches handle looking at previous missed notifications. Other than that another good video.

[@randyb3576]

Oecus Past notifications stay on the watch like the pebble. Delete one, or all. So you can scroll thru them in case one is missed. The HR now receives notifications from all apps.

[@tarik9864]

@@randyb3576 Do you know if you can set quick answers on the Fossil Watch?

[@randyb3576]

@@tarik9864 The HR received an update couple months ago to enable canned (3) message replies to Phone calls, so we expect responses to text soon. fingers crossed. Love these HRs, have replaced my Pebbles, Wears and Gear S3 easily. Actually i have 2 that are diff sizes/style.

[@LewysC]

@@randyb3576 I just ordered a HR for that exact reason. It seems like a good Pebble replacement with a unique spin on the e-ink display

[@balazsszentesi6360]

Exactly! NONE of the reviewers focus on that extremly important part! How notifications look like on each modell and how can you scroll e.g. in a longer text back and forth...:0

[@mustafaa.5788]

The price of the Garmin just kills it for me. Even though the fossil does less, it looks better and does everything I need.

[@-reprisal3137]

PepsiFiend I agree. I think that if you want a watch like the Garmin Hybrid for 300 bucks you’d be better off just buying a smartwatch.

[@sonnycruz7032]

I agree. Plus seeing these two watches side by side shows which one is easier to read at any angle. The primary reason I wear a watch is to read the time quickly and easily.

[@randyb3576]

And this Garmin only has 5 days battery, I’m getting 18 on my HR.

[@Matanumi]

Pretty much the only comment worthwhile here...the price shuts this watch down

[@TankTheSpank]

It's not water proof. Light splashes from washing hand is the best you can do on Fossil. Dealbreaker.

[@ahhhdieu8763]

This was the comparison i needed! I was contemplating both watches for a while now. Thank you!

[@MikeOBrienMedia]

Glad this helped! Which did you choose?

[@mronion597]

@@MikeOBrienMedia I choose both, but my money choose nothing. So I am stuck here.

[@actube10]

Fossil is a way better for me, as you said it's a great solution for a digital detox and it looks great as a standard elegant watch

[@sddRd68]

My Garmin HR arrived this morning 🌞Thank you for your videos as I had no clue how to choose! 💕

[@Zedexization]

at the end of the day, they are 2 groups of people that wants a smart watch. The fitness people and the everyday person who uses it as a secondary screen for notifications and things other than fitness. Hope theres 2 versions of it.

[@xxjoStaxx]

I'd take the Garmin, without question. It seems to be more my style, just the right amounts of smart and watch combined for my preference 👍🏻 Love mobile tech, especially wearable tech, just got a Galaxy Fit to have a simpler, cheaper band to wear and like it a lot. I can't get over how beautiful that Garmin is though, might wanna spend some of my income tax on that beauty 😍 Love watching your reviews, always edited perfectly, most info I care about that I can get all in one place, so keep it up man, great work 👍🏻

[@bobbysworldrox]

I think it comes down to this, causal day to day wear fossil hr looks good and has the basic features to get you through the day. Garmin has more features so it be better suited for those more active with their smartphones and more into fitness analysis.

[@RanmaSaotome666]

I'm having the fossil smartwatch and i LOOOOVE it. I disabled the facebook notifications because it was vibrating ever message i was receiving (and i have couple of group chats with friends) and the battery is lasting me mor than 2 weeks ;) 1 only think that I'm missing and i hope it will change sooner or later, is that i would like to use the watch together with "Sleep As Android", for morning alarms and snoring tracking :/

[@LeftyPencil]

any change in sleep tracking ability? goes it currently go to Google fit?

[@NeutralGenericUser]

Great comparison! The price is a huge deal; the Garmin is honestly just way too expensive. I do think it's the better watch, but the price difference is massive.

[@MarcO-mu5cq]

I quite agree with you, the big problem of the Garmin is the price of this last one that puts it out of game versus Fossil and Withings Steel HR Sport. It is my opinion.

[@neoxnet]

Fossil has announced they will support tons more apps for notifications coming in the new year!

[@randyb3576]

A software update now allows notifications from all apps.

[@dertigerbauch]

Fossil updated it's App a couple of days ago also added a lot of cool customizing options.

[@MarioLoco03]

I just got the Fossil HR coming from the Fossil Commuter....I friggin love this watch.

[@arhamghouri8643]

How is it over 2 months

[@georgem3211]

How is it over 7 months?

[@eugeneabel5550]

On iPhone the Fossil does use your phone GPS to track a workout. It shows a map and distance, etc. Maybe they added this after the video.

[@SerhiiHorban-j7f]

You are so good in how you compare it, thanks a lot, I was going to buy garmin but find this fossil thanks to your

[@lukebiernbaum]

Thanks for the great video - quick thing the Luxe actually still only has connected GPS through a phone just like the Style

[@testaccsolutions6784]

Mike, Steven here from Malaysia. Great review for both these watches from two known well respected brands (if my memory doesn't fails me, Fossil should be part of the Timex group). Well, here's the quagmire I have with me, the Garmin Vivomove Style is a wicked hybrid coloured amoled smart watch, then again, after their release of the Venu, which coincidentally at the same time the new Vivosmart came into play, I'm still kinda weighing in on which should I get? Yes, the Lux version has the integrated GPS, but for the price hike, you can somehow get the Venu though, on the other hand. Your views and thoughts on this?

[@jerome96114]

That you cannot swim with the Fossil for me really kills it for me. Atm if I had to chose a smartwatch, I'd chose the Garmin Vivomove style, Honor Magic Watch 2, or Hey 3S.

[@seirerman]

Great comparison! But why are the hands of the Fossil watch always juuust below the 9 and 3 o'clock markers when they move out of the way? Bad camera angle? That would drive me nuts...

[@SimoneDePascalis]

He should recalibrate them via the app

[@balazsszentesi6360]

Why didnt you take vivomove 3 or HR? Those would be similar to fossil. Not to mention Withings steel hr...

[@robertoescobar5942]

can you do an updated comparison between hybrid watches? Using current lineups.

[@denodan]

I ended up getting the Vivomove luxe as I could not be bothered waiting for the fossil hybrid to come here. I wanted luxury so got the luxe with navy blue leather band and it's real quailty. Love my luxe and feel it's the better watch. Buttons pack up after awhile and love how the luxe has no buttons to catch or get pressed by mistake. Love the Oxy sensor and unlike previous garmin watches the sleep tracking is accurate but the Oxy sensor does suck more from your battery. But yes noth watches are great, but as Garmin is the more mature products has more features and can add any app notification whereas the fossil is limited and feel the garmin app is better and watch firmware being more mature again maybe less buggy.

[@randyb3576]

Dennis Rogers Wow, at that cost it should be nice. Battery life is willfully lacking for a hybrid. The HR has notifications for all apps now, and the background is customizable. Granted it’s not as flashy.

[@carlosveloz2476]

I got me a vivomove style, the same one you have, I really wanted the stainless steel one for the watchface but the price man...

[@DB-kl6xs]

Hi Carlos, and are you happy with it after the first month?

[@carlosveloz2476]

@@DB-kl6xs I love it

[@jash6836]

Are you still happy with it?

[@jeremiahcarranza9351]

I got the Vivomove Luxe in silver with the milanease band and black watch face and it gets here tomorrow pretty excited👌🏽

[@mihaiandrei434]

Hello Mike. Thank you for this review. I was looking for a comparison between those. What about the huawei gt2? Can you make a review about that too? 😬

[@larrybear08]

What about Withings?

[@ryndanriley5348]

The Garmin kind of prices itself out of the market for me. It just seems like a worse galaxy watch or Apple watch but for more money since you can usually get either of those really cheap with a phone purchase. The fossil makes more sense as just a normal watch but with a crazy amount of functionality compared to a normal watch.

[@HifiCentret]

The Garmins would be AWESOME if they had e-ink displays. Perhaps one of the modern quick refresh and perhaps even color ones (full color exists too!). There's something about those Fossils that I don't really like no matter whether it's the HR or the WearOS models. They've cut the wrong corners to keep cost down and no plain steel case. The black or tinted may look great when new but wears off ugly with time while steel holds up much better. If it has to be black then it has to be ceramic IMHO. Buttons look and feel cheaper than they should for the price. Garmin on the other hand is not perfect either. Most of all for such a simple smart watch it would be a lot more interesting if it had an always on e-ink screen. Blank it if you don't want anything to be displayed or you can have your home screen with useful info such as date, weather, heart rate etc. Always on displays no matter whether they're e-ink or transflective LCD is just so underrated. It's just so nice to have all your wanted information there without having to do awkward gestures or push buttons.

[@andrewwhaley7639]

Agree, the OLED is unreadable outside so really kills the concept. They should have embedded their regular transflective displays from the other models. A pusher would also really improve the experience too instead of random tapping until something happens.

[@palashbhaumik42069]

Can you make a comparison video of Fossil hr hybrid and the Garmin Vivomove 3/3s? Seeing that these two watches are much more similarly priced

[@palashbhaumik42069]

Also considering for most people the biggest drawback of the Vivomove Style will be its price

[@Fa11enUniverse]

Thx for this quite deep review. U did huge amount job!

[@kianbarnard1259]

Is the fossil hybrid hr suitable for swimming and or intense training

[@kr0naa]

that single hair stuck at the back of garmin tho xD

[@HankTheTank23]

I just ordered the Fossil HR with the steel strap for $111 (Normally $215) today. I haven't worn a watch in at least a decade, but I'm quite excited for it!

[@nelsonchinys]

Wow where did you brought it from with the price?

[@HankTheTank23]

@@nelsonchinys On their website. They're on sale, and then I used Honey for an extra 30% off.

[@nelsonchinys]

Niceeee thanks

[@ando2421]

hey man, not sure if you’re still active on here , but i’m looking to get the new fossil machine gen 6. how was your experience with your fossil? would you recommend ?

[@Ben-ev5se]

@@ando2421 lol just saw this amazing video today and didn't these watches existed. Im also tryna hear wht experience they got

[@MarioLoco03]

The Garmin interface reminds me of the James Bond watch in 007 Golden Eye on N64 lol. The future is here fellow nerds!

[@JediSentinel1010]

The fossil is very much a 1st generation product. I like the concept of the HR more than the Vivomove but that's just because I don't use fitness functions. The HR needs another iteration or two

[@sonnycruz7032]

For me, NFC and quick replies would make it the perfect hybrid.

[@sonia4515129]

This video helps me a lot! thx for your review

[@bweber9468]

I am very torn with these two watches been using pebble since the dawn of smartwatches and nothing else comes close to what I want. Aesthetically the fossil fits the bill but software Garmin wins all day. Really hard for me to choose what's better.

[@randyb3576]

B Weber Maybe it comes down to sports monitoring, to me the Garmin is just another touch screen Smartwatch. The hybrid is a beautiful traditional watch with smart features, and I’m getting close to the 20 day battery as I always turn my phone off. I’d take the Fossil HR over any of my 12 Smartwatches.

[@asher619799]

This video was so helpful! Thank you!

[@skizonormal2160]

How do you only have 138000 subs? This was a great vid

[@MikeOBrienMedia]

I really appreciate your kind comment! I'm working on improving my quality and growing the channel slowly!

[@D-me-dream-smp]

What really annoys me about ALL the hybrid watches I’ve looked at is that there is NO SECOND hand. Anyone who works in healthcare will understand what I mean (we use a second hand to measure pulse/respiratory rate) - many times a day sometimes at short intervals. I had an Apple Watch but the short battery life is frustrating, especially as I didn’t use most of the apps. I mainly use it to alert me to texts/phone calls while at work (also great at home for on call) and the alarms and timer. Aside from steps I didn’t really use all the activity/exercise functions.

[@cynthiajasmin5474]

The sport version of Garmin Vivo has a digital option for second hands.

[@trevorkettlewell]

Exactly. I've got a fossil sport that has the option for choosing a face with a second hand, or a digital readout with seconds, but I'm looking at a hybrid because it's a better 'always-on' display (the sport is good but goes to an 'ambient' screen until you 'wake' it with movement or touch - no second hand, not so good to glance at in all lights). I emailed Fossil yesterday asking if the HR had a seconds option - such as allocating one dial to be digital seconds, or having a digital second hand - but they haven't replied, not that hopeful. But looks like no better with the Garmin, and in reading/watching several reviews no-one mentions this.

[@mdfaiz4583]

Great analysis bro... U just went inside the watches... Thanks man

[@jessicajohnson3944]

Is it accurate on a treadmill?

[@woonsoolee8937]

Besides style and sports appealing asthetic it's useful frequency resources given swift convenience reach easier on top of that

[@aureliebeltramino5932]

Great review, was wondering how the Garmin looked like during an activity and your video answered it to me. Can't wait to see your "one month later" video, especially for the quick replies which is for me a killer feature. When is your video due ? I am also hesitating between a Vivomove style and a Venu (because they make refund offers for the holidays here in France) and in the end, there is only a $30 difference between both of them. Currently I have a Fitbit versa 1 and each time, it is the same mess with the updates, I always fear bricking my watch, draining my battery or having screen responsiveness problems.

[@AshishChavan2904]

Your review seems to be honest. You earned a subscriber.

[@fr3d205]

Wich is the better one, when fitness is not important for me?

[@GonzoTheRosarian]

I wish the Garmin had function buttons would help the looks. The screen tapping is not as sensitive

[@kevinho8442]

Hi Mike, Thanks for the great video reviews. My first smart watch was a Galaxy S3. I really liked the look of the available watch faces, but no matter how good they looked when on, they only stay on for a few seconds …. The always on displays are so dim that they were useless. I am not into fitness tracking, but like to check my steps each day & occasionally my HR. I bought a Garmin Vivomove HR earlier this year & have been happy with the looks (I have received quite a few compliments on the look of the watch gold/black). The digital readouts are very low resolution & not easy to see in bright sunlight. After seeing your reviews of the Fossil Hybrid HR I have ordered one. I like the fact that it looks like a traditional watch & is easy to see in bright sunlight. Is it possible to 'invert' the display from black to the white background (as on the gold versions of this watch)?

[@randyb3576]

Kevin Ho Actually the background is customizable, so the background can be change to white. I have an airplane on my HR watch. Pretty cool looking.

[@kevinho8442]

@@randyb3576 Thanks RandyB, Yes I realised that I can use a photo & took an image of a white sheet of paper & used that for the background. It looks good, though I wish that I could get the same white face as the Charter rose gold models ie White background with black fonts & black outlines. That combination is easier to read, I think.Thanks for your help.

[@gianniche]

Hey! Which of these watches works better with the Calendar app on iOS? I tested the Garmin Vivoactive 4 last year and I didn't like the way it worked with the calendar: it could sync events from the Calendar app on iOS to the Garmin Calendar app, but wouldn't notify me if I didn’t have my phone around because the watch just mirrors notifications on the phone, but I need the notification triggered by the watch itself. These days in a remote work environment I have so many online meetings every day, so good syncing with Google Calendar is probably the smartest feature I need for a smart/hybrid watch :)

[@69indigoblue]

Thanks for this good comparison...to me the Fossil is the winner, because the arms on the Garmin are only a gimmick. Small, hard to see and overall way less aesthetic then the Fossil. The Garmin with decent and "glowing" arms would be the clear winner...

[@Richard-yz3li]

Why can't they just do one together with every advantages😂

[@Whodis.Canada]

Please do the Zeblaze Thor Ultra... or something else FULL ANDROID? Also curious how these compare to Redmi Watch 4.

[@TheProjectAlcatraz]

I'm still on the fence, what's more worth it? $190 CAD for the Fossil or $250 CAD for the Garmin?

[@thomassarver7638]

How well does the Garmin work with the iPhone?

[@preciosa2324]

Thanks a lot for this! I now know which one I'll be getting.

[@altawashm]

Dose any of them support right-to-left notifications ??

[@passtheblunttoannefrank]

My favorite tech reviewer

[@Deborah-rz6gq]

Hi Nice review I subscribed. I like the fossil so far. I have a newer one that has a metal handle and faux crystals. I work out on the beach every morning before work so for me it claims you can wear it swimming. Please update the video explaining a little more of the actual functionality of the watch. Time setting etc. I use the fossil for deep breathing and love it while I work out every morning beach or park its the way to go. Thanks

[@hiro4476]

With the Fossil one, can you control camera shutter on Android?

[@MMagedNabieh]

Your channel is awesome man.

[@avinasharthur8177]

India is starting to listen. 👂

[@adi27061990]

Great review! Have liked and subscribed. So if you could choose just one, which one would you choose?

[@MikeOBrienMedia]

If you can afford it, the Garmin is probably my preference. But the battery life on the Fossil may convince me otherwise in a few months. It's hard to say honestly

[@niklex123]

5 or 10 days on a single charge is very little time for hybrid watch. Withings Scanwatch can work up to 25-30 days on a single charge.

[@RobVanDam1591]

What kind of band is that on the garmin watch and what is the brand?

[@kathirvels685]

I watch your videos from India. I love fossil.

[@MikeOBrienMedia]

Thanks for watching!

[@kelbinn]

Just wanna check, does both have cycling in the exercise mode? The previous Garmin watch can only do running

[@MrEam0nc]

Hi Mike. I've just found your channel. Do you know of any hybrid watch that supports Google Pay? (NFC)

[@dynnlopez5606]

Hey Mike. I'm just curious. Are you brothers with Nate O'Brien?

[@MikeOBrienMedia]

Yes actually! How could you tell?

[@dynnlopez5606]

​@@MikeOBrienMedia I can tell by the facial resemblance and the voice as well. Cool!

[@GeorgeArroyoMusic]

Same here! Found Mike searching for smart watches and I already followed Nate for his great financial advice. Both upload quality videos.

[@iHawkXJ]

Hey there I always notice in fossil that the hands were not alligned when they were horizontal in order to see things .. can you please tell more about it ? Is it a problem and persists even when it shows the actual time?

[@emile7973]

Jashn Tyagi You can calibrate the hands manually via the app. 2 weeks in wearing the watch and it stayed alligned.

[@iHawkXJ]

@@emile7973 Okayy thankss for the help man

[@gsajeevgeorge]

how to get this… its not available in online sites

[@mortimerlivan557]

It would be nice to see how the Zetime 2 by MyKronoz compares with these 2

[@mfrancis706]

\\\New Subscriber/// Hi Mike, can the Garmin show dual time or another time in another time zone on any of it's screens? If not, which smart watches can? Great video's keep them coming... Martin from London UK.

[@47pricey]

How accurate is the garmins heart rate sensor in the gym? I had the vivosport and it was accurate for running and cycling but anything else, even rowing, my heart rate would drop to my resting. I think had something to do with using my hands.

[@rakhmat6761]

I envy with you guys, since I want these watches so much but neither Garmin nor Fossil bring them to Indonesia 😣

[@mandalorian7044]

Garmin udah ada yang jual tapi mahal banget. Nunggu fossil nih lama banget

[@hamzamaqbul3317]

How long does the E-ink display last on the fossil hybrid watch? I've seen reveiwers say the E-ink display starts to fade of after a few months.

[@joesafro6146]

I've had mine for around 9 months and it still looks like it is new out the box

[@nicolephillips1127]

My biggest question is if I can shower while wearing the fossil hybrid hr? That may be the one factor that makes me purchase the garmin instead. What is your experience?

[@hdproactiveistanbul1278]

Nicole Phillips I have the Fossil and the vivomove hr. Fossil is 3 atm, meaning hand wash only - no shower. Garmin is 5 atm, mesning swim and shower safe

[@Calwah]

Awesome comparison

[@MikeOBrienMedia]

Thank you!

[@ingbrzy]

Please calibrate watch hands position on your Fossil Hybrid HR.. My OCD hurts when watching your videos with them.. Thank you!

[@marcusmeysel2589]

Do you guys know if there are any similar hybrid watches out there?

[@dhgfffhcdujhv5643]

Wonder if they measure pulse on a sausage to.

[@Kwatch]

good review

[@canuckwineguy]

I’m waiting for a hybrid smart watch with the style of the ones reviewed with ECG any recommendations?

[@matrhein]

@Canuckwineguy Check out the Withings Scanwatch! It‘s a really beautiful watch in itself, can record afib episodes and medical-grade ECG .

[@canuckwineguy]

Mathias Rhein thanks I have a gen 1 Withings I’m still using.... I will check out new model..... appreciated!!

[@KarpisMaksudian]

Excellent review. Thank You

[@MarcO-mu5cq]

The big problem of the Garmin is the price of this last one that puts it out of game versus Fossil and Withings Steel HR Sport.

[@roshrashid]

Which one is better for receiving notifications and messages? Does is the Fossil have the black watch face? So that no one knows that this is a smart watch. And when the message arrives, everyone will be surprised.

[@kfruit]

Isn't using the Fossil watch higher up on your hand like that going to worsen its ability to measure HR and other stuff?

[@MikeOBrienMedia]

That's why I wore them on different wrists when I ran, to make sure they were as accurate as possible

[@Julie-my6ds]

You should review the withings steel hr :)

[@jamesmitchell7378]

Please explain what the buttons on the Fossil hybrid smartwatch actually do -in layman’s terms, PLEASE!

[@NowUndefined]

Great breakdown on these two options but for me I'll stick with a non hybrid.

[@josh3326]

Lux doesn’t have standalone GPS

[@freddsds3718]

Had to send the fossil back because the flick gesture is way too sensitive

[@lukas.1558]

I hope that the hands on my Fossil Hybrid HR are not as inaccurate as yours. If the pointers are horizontal, you can see that they are not pointing exactly at the marking.

[@adskee69]

You can actually re calibrate the hands in the settings on the phone. If they move out of alignment you can adjust them. I agree, it would drive me mad too, but it's easy to fix on this watch.

[@harithhumam4372]

Thank you for being like a fool for us for a week. Sincerely.

[@allenlark]

8:17 is that ios only

[@Malibutch]

I actually prefer the fossil and that's only because I love fossil watches😭😭

[@MikeOBrienMedia]

Fossil watches are definitely pretty nice

[@bobbda]

I want a full screen watch with no bezels. Is there any? Preferably with Amoled. Galaxy Watch Active 2 has thick bezels.

[@Oscar-xw7nt]

No screen bezel or hardware bezel?

[@mantiscity]

I wish it did not say Garmin on it.

[@jaydonnichlos6544]

I wish the fossil had a physical wheel

[@uqrising8292]

I wish my dad came back

[@woonsoolee8937]

Like customized best for you

[@joelf5565]

So the batteries are rechargeable and not a replaceable coin battery?

[@joesafro6146]

Yes

[@curtisbehle1859]

Go Garmin!!! Definitely my favorite:)

[@MikeOBrienMedia]

A very impressive hybrid for sure!