Whereas Garmin’s newest hybrid smartwatch doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it is including a long-overdue characteristic: wi-fi charging. The $269.99 Vivomove Pattern would be the first of any Garmin machine so as to add Qi compatibility.

Wi-fi charging isn’t new to smartwatches. In actual fact, most trendy smartwatches include some type of wi-fi charging magnetic puck. The catch is these chargers are typically proprietary, and even when you have a Qi charger, it possible received’t work along with your smartwatch. Or, at the very least, not reliably. Conversely, Garmin says you need to be capable to plop the Pattern onto any current Qi-certified charger you could have already got. That is neat, as shedding smartwatch chargers is extra annoying than your typical gadget. Not solely is there an excellent probability your dozens of USB, micro USB, and USB-C cables received’t be appropriate, but it surely usually prices a fairly penny to purchase a alternative from the producer, and third-party dupes could not at all times work.

That stated, there’s a catch right here, too. The Pattern received’t include a Qi charger within the field. You’ll have to purchase that by yourself should you don’t have already got one. (You do get a wired charger included with the Pattern, and that, too, has been upgraded to USB-C.) Garmin additionally notes in its press launch that the Pattern could not work with upright Qi charging stands or these constructed into autos.

In fact, wi-fi charging isn’t the one new characteristic coming to the Pattern. The watch is supposed to interchange the Vivomove 3 in Garmin’s hybrid lineup and provides Garmin Pay, its sleep rating characteristic, and a barometric altimeter. In any other case, it has the identical signature hidden show as Garmin’s different Vivomove watches — although the Pattern’s is a monochrome LCD just like the entry-level Sport in comparison with the colour OLED shows used within the Fashion and Luxe.

As a way of life watch, the Pattern opts for linked GPS over its personal built-in GPS sensor and has an estimated battery life of 5 days — which is “brief” for a Garmin. It additionally doesn’t go too deep on the hard-core coaching options you’ll discover on the corporate’s extra rugged watches. In the meantime, for well being monitoring, it’ll characteristic menstrual cycle monitoring, blood oxygen monitoring, in-depth sleep monitoring, stress monitoring, irregular high-and-low coronary heart price alerts, health age, and Physique Battery — Garmin’s proprietary metric for visualizing how nicely you’ve recovered from stress and exercise.

It’ll be attention-grabbing to see how the Pattern differentiates itself from the equally priced Vivomove Fashion. It appears to boil all the way down to what you’d want: the Fashion’s colour OLED show and all-metal physique or the Pattern’s wi-fi charging. I’ve been enjoying round with the Pattern for just a few days, and it nonetheless appears fairly stylish on the wrist even with out the metallic physique. I’ll must check out Qi charging earlier than passing a last verdict, however up to now, the Pattern is according to what you’d anticipate from Garmin’s hybrid line.

The Garmin Vivomove Pattern is offered beginning in the present day in 4 colours. The slate/black and silver/mist grey colorways will retail for $269.99, whereas the peach gold/ivory and cream gold/French grey variations will price $299.99.