We believe most swimmers can agree that learning how to use the big pace clock is pretty hard. While swim tracking watches offer a solution, sports watches are not everyone’s cup of tea. So, if you do not want to wear a sports watch, do you have to settle on the big clock on the wall? Not really!
Meet the Finis Smart Goggles: the swimming goggles with the functionality found on most swim tracking watches. And, through this review, you can find out whether the smart goggles can make it easier for you to track the swimming metrics or not.
1. Design
When you take the smart goggles out of the box, they look like regular swim goggles. Yes, nothing will tell you it possibly has the same swim functionality as an Apple Watch. Nonetheless, depending on your choice, you will either get them in white with a smoky lens or blue with a mirror lens.
1.1 Adjustable Silicone Strap and Nose Bridges
Talking of which, you will even find that the swim goggles come with 5 different nose bridges. The nose bridges are there to ensure a good fit and seal on your eyes.
Also, the swim goggles will come with an adjustable strap, which might seem a little on the long side. But if you adjust the strap right, it will not seem long when wearing.
1.2 Tracking Module on Goggle Lenses
The thing that makes the Finish goggles different than regular swim goggles at first glance is the tiny tracking module. It might not seem that obvious at first glance, but the left lens has a built-in display. Yes, that is the first thing that makes these swim goggles a smart goggle.
1.3 Button and Charging Ports
When you put the smart goggle on, you will notice a raised button on the top. It will be on the top of the gasket of the swim goggles. You would need to press the button to start the tracking process.
Also, you will find two small charging ports where you need to put the magnetic USB charging cable to charge the battery inside.
1.4 Build Quality
You will be pretty amazed by the build quality of the Finis Smart Goggles. The swimming goggles do feel like it is well built. There is extra protection on the lens, which will protect the swimming goggles from chemicals and make them fog resistant.
On that note, these goggles do not feel that bulky. So, you will not feel like wearing a brick on your face after you get new pair of goggles.
2. Features
These goggles from Finis are feature packed. However, the features that the goggles boast are pretty basic. Nonetheless, let us go over each of the features one by one to give you a better understanding.
Swim Tracker
The little tracker that makes the Finis Smart Goggle get the tracking capabilities is from a company named CIYE. And that stands for Coach in Your Eye. It is a part of the Finis smart goggle kit. Even though they don’t specify which sensor is in the smart coach module, its capabilities are on its highlighted features.
That smart coach module will be capable of tracking split time; lap splits, drill detection, calories burned, rest time, and swim time. In other words, the Finish Goggle will offer all of the basic metrics you will need during the swim training and swim workouts.
In terms of the post-swim, you can get access to total swim time, details of swim laps, rest time, and pace. This swim data will surely come in handy to scrutinize your swim history and check whether your swimming is up to the mark.
Although the swimming tracker sits on the left eye lens of the Finis Goggles, you can use it on other goggles from Finis if you want to. And even though the swimming tracker does not work if you are not in a pool, it can track open water swimming data. But it will not work with traditional goggles.
Digital Display
You will find a digital display outside of the tracker that comes with Finish Goggles. Again, the smart swim goggles do not provide any detail on the resolution of the small screen, but it is an OLED display.
That said, the digital display will work according to the CIYE app. And with the companion CIYE app, you can adjust the text position on the screen. That will allow you to set the text according to your comfortable peripheral vision. You can even use the CIYE app to adjust brightness and select what you want the display to show.
However, it does not have support for third-party apps. That includes the fitness apps such as Fitbit. But the phone app that Finis Smart Goggle bundles with is pretty handy. Also, you can sync the data with Strava, Apple Health, and some others. And the customization option for the smart coach is indeed a useful feature.
Smart Coach
The smart coach is one of the main highlights of the goggles. It has the ability to track calories, stroke type, splits, laps, stroke rate, laps, and many more. Due to this tracking ability, you will not even need to wear a smartwatch while you are swimming.
CIYE App
The goggles bundle with the CIYE app. It will offer you access to an in-depth analysis of your swimming session. The app will even offer you the ability to customize the stats shown on display, which we have already mentioned earlier.
And the great thing about the app is that it is available for both Apple and Android devices.
Replaceable Goggles
Lenses getting scratched is not an uncommon story. The same thing applies to the housings breaking. And if you are spending this much money on a goggle, you would want to use them for an extended time, right?
Well, with the Finis goggles, you will not have to worry about this one bit.
The design of the goggles will allow you to replace the lenses or replace the goggles altogether. In other words, you will get a prolonged use out of the tracker.
3. Performance
You might have been waiting for the breaking news that states how the Finis Smart Goggle performs. Well, you can find all about the performance in this segment. We will take a deep dive into that factor.
3.1 Reliability
The first thing that will stand out for the Finish Smart Goggle is its reliability. There is a tracking module on the goggles which is pretty reliable. It properly tracks the swim time, rest time, active time, lap count, swim sets, and other swim stats. And the fact that it can show all of that swim data in real-time stats is amazing.
With all of this data, you can actively decide whether you are getting to your training peaks or not. The running clock feature will let you dictate your standard swim pace and select the optimal stroke type. It will even let you know about your average pace throughout the swimming session.
However, you will need to adjust the settings to get that level of reliability. For that, you should head over to the app and set the total distance of the pool. Without adjusting the total distance of your local pool, the device will not be capable of doing accurate lap counting.
3.2 Screen
The screen that is on Finis Smart Goggles is not that sharp. It does not even offer a high clarity on the swimming stats. You will notice it at your very first swim with the Finis Goggles. But the good news is that the display module of Finis Smart Goggle does the job.
It does not get obstructed at all by the water. And the small notification tab on the goggle’s display will let you know when the tracker is tracking. For such a convenient feature, using the Finis Smart Goggle becomes a little easier.
3.3 Battery Life
Another great thing about these goggles is the longer battery life. According to Finis, the goggles should last up to four to six hours. That means after a 40 minute swimming session, you will see the battery life drop just 2 percent. In short, the battery should offer a solid week’s worth of battery life.
4. Value for Money
Finis Goggles are not the first smart swim goggles on the market. FORM Swim Goggles has been around for a prolonged time. However, with the Finis Smart Goggles on the market, the FORM Goggles now have a real competitor. But if you compare the Finis Smart Goggles, you will notice that there are some differences.
First of all, the Form Swim Goggles are a bit heavier in comparison. And even on the first try, you will not notice anything weird about the Finis Smart Goggles. But the Form Swim Goggles will feel a lot heavier than traditional goggles.
Secondly, both the goggles can track stroke rate and other basic stats in real-time. But Form offers more detail about the metrics. In other words, you will be capable of seeing the stroke rate and other basic swimming stats in greater detail. The Form app also offers in-depth post-swim app analysis.
Along with that, you will also have access to extensive customization with the goggles tab. The Finis app will let you access lifetime stats, which are also present on the Form app. You will also be capable of tracking those with the Form goggles, but the customization options are much more in-depth in the Form app.
Nonetheless, the accuracy of the Finis Smart Goggles is pretty much on point. The companion app of the goggles does a proper job of presenting all of the stats correctly. Also, the goggles are pretty simple to use. Considering all of that, we would say that the Finis goggles are offering pretty good value for the money.
