Back in 2018, Garmin launched the Vivoactive 3 Music smartwatch. For the most part this is a smartwatch that comes with a host of features you might expect from a smartwatch, but recently it seems that Garmin and Verizon have teamed up to launch an LTE version of the smartwatch that will make it more independent.
Dubbed the vivoactive 3 Music – Connected by Verizon (yes, it is rather unwieldy as far as names are concerned), this is the same smartwatch from last year except that now it features LTE connectivity powered by Verizon’s network. The LTE connectivity means that the device won’t need to dependent on your smartphone in order to be connected to the internet.
This means that users will be able to access features such as Spotify and also receive messages. However there are also safety reasons behind the choice of making the watch LTE compatible, and that is it could be used to call for help where if you’re in an accident and you’re somewhere remote, you could use the watch to call for help and the GPS on the watch will provide your location.
The watch boasts a 5-day battery life in smartwatch mode, or 4 hours when LTE is enabled. There will also be support for Garmin’s own mobile payments system, Garmin Pay. There is no word on when the device will be launched or how much it could cost, but the regular version is priced at $300 so we expect this model shouldn’t stray too far, although the cost of an LTE plan needs to be taken into consideration too.
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