Form’s smart swimming goggles will improve in 2024

In 2019, Form launched a goggle with a built-in display that displays real-time data while swimming. Considering the company got a lot of things right when it first launched, the keyword for its successor, the Smart Swim 2, is now “refined.” But some incremental improvements also mean there’s no reason to upgrade.

The Smart Swim is a beautiful pair of swimming goggles with a thick box attached to one of the eyecups (the “Tech Pack”) and crystals in the corresponding lenses. With it, you can view stats like heart rate, distance, split time, and more on the waveguide monitor without interrupting your rhythm.

The Swim 2 inherits much from the first model, including its two-button user interface, display resolution (72 x 40), and much of its internal structure. The addition of a heart rate sensor (which the company says has been tweaked to work properly in water) cuts battery life from 16 hours to 12 hours. But I’m not sure that’s a real issue unless you plan on swimming across the English Channel.

Instead, the Form revamps the existing model with a technology package that’s 15 percent smaller than its predecessor. Comfort and fit have also been improved, with longer and more adjustable straps and a wider range of interchangeable nosepieces. Oh, and there are some features that Form built into the first-generation hardware that have remained dormant until now. More on that later.

history

Form founder Dan Eisenhardt was at the bottom of the 2010s wearables boom. His previous company, Recon Instruments, had been producing head-mounted displays long before Google launched Glass. After initially considering and then abandoning plans to produce a swimming-focused wearable, the company partnered with Oakley to launch a smart ski goggle, and then launched a cycling-focused product under its own name, Jet.

These early successes caught Intel’s attention as it searched for the next big thing in computing. It acquires wearables companies like Recon, and its smart business strategy is… to get them all operational and then cut its losses after a few years. After Recon was destroyed, Eisenhardt and his colleagues returned to the product they originally founded Recon for, a head-mounted swimming display.

is using

Once you download the app and pair it with your goggles, it’s not complicated to get started. Press and hold the power button to turn it on, then use the other button to cycle through the options menu. You can choose between swimming pool, open water or swim spa – the latter available at select partner gyms. If you’re in the pool, you can select its length from a list of standard options, then press start and the headgear will automatically track your movements.

To be honest, not much has changed from the first version in terms of operation and use. If you want more details then you can go back and read my original review, it will be helpful for you. Really, the only difference is that you get your heart rate on the monitor. And, if memory serves me correctly, the markers showing when the helmet thinks you’re swimming and when you’re resting will be clearer and updated more regularly. But that’s it, really.

Now, remember how I mentioned that there was some dormant extra gear on the first-gen Form? SwimStraight first debuted on Swim 2, but will also be available on first-generation hardware—as long as you sign up for a premium app subscription. You see, there’s a magnetometer in the tech pack that acts as a compass and gives you instant orientation while you’re swimming. Once activated, the lower half of the display transforms into a compass view, showing you a relatively precise heading.

SwimStraight is designed for open water swimmers who would otherwise rely on landmarks to chart their course. For example, if you’re circling a lake or ocean, you might stop your stroke every few minutes to make sure you’re aligned with a buoy. But the company showed me GPS telemetry data that showed these intermittent corrections caused swimmers to veer off course in large numbers. However, if you always have an instant compass bearing in your eye, you will be able to more or less maintain your intended path.

I’m not going to lie, given the low-tech nature of the hardware, this feature impressed me far more than anything commercial. Turn your head violently and you may get a slight delay as the compass catches up with your direction, but otherwise it’s quick.

HeadCoach, meanwhile, launched its first generation of goggles last fall, also behind a premium paywall. The system looks at various elements of your body shape, such as the pitch and roll of your head, and how quickly you turn your head to one side to breathe. It then gives you a score of 99 in each area and provides you with video lessons and suggestions for improvement. You can then set these suggestions to your goggles the next time you get in the pool, so you can really understand what you’re doing and how you can improve.

Form’s Smart Swim 2 is now available globally, priced at $249 in the United States and $339 in Canada. Its predecessor now adds a 1 after its name and will continue to sell for $179, giving wary would-be swimmers a more affordable entry point. Here’s the thing, I actually think the Smart Swim 1 with Premium might be a more attractive option for many people. That’s not a disparagement of the 2, but rather a compliment to how good the existing model already is. Look, if you’re a serious triathlete who cares about your split times and owns a Cullinan diamond-sized Garmin, buy 2 bucks. But if you’re a better swimmer than me (and it’s not that hard) but want some instant data in the water, get the 1.