FORM Debuts Latest Smart Swim 2 PRO Goggles With Gorilla Glass 3
FORM Smart Swim 2 PRO Goggles: A Deep Dive Review
FORM has been a leading name in smart swim goggles for a while, even gracing the shelves of Apple stores. Their Smart Swim 2 goggles offered augmented reality displays showing metrics like time, distance, and heart rate. Now, FORM is upping the game with the Smart Swim 2 PRO.
Durability and Clarity Enhanced with Gorilla Glass 3
The biggest improvement in the Smart Swim 2 PRO is the use of Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 for the lenses. This replaces the plastic found in the previous model, resulting in significantly improved durability and clarity. The glass lenses also offer a 50+ UPF rating, blocking 98% of harmful UV rays. While the switch to glass adds a slight weight increase (around 5%, or 3.4 grams), the benefits far outweigh this minor addition.
Since traditional anti-fog coatings don't adhere well to glass, FORM includes a cost-effective anti-fog spray (based on baby shampoo) for quick application before each swim. This simple solution effectively addresses the potential fogging issue associated with glass lenses.
Real-Time Feedback and Customizable Dashboards
I tested the Smart Swim 2 PRO extensively in both pools and open water. The in-goggle display dynamically adjusts based on your swim activity, thanks to an integrated accelerometer. During swimming, it primarily shows elapsed time and distance. However, upon detecting a turn, it briefly displays your speed over the previous interval. When you stop swimming, it shows your rest interval. All this happens while simultaneously displaying your near real-time heart rate.
The customizable nature of the display is a major plus. You can tailor the information shown to include stroke rate, pace over various distances, and even technique scores (head pitch and roll) to help refine your stroke. FORM combines this data to generate a FORM score, indicating overall swimming efficiency—another display option.
Instead of being limited to a single data view, you can save up to five different dashboards and easily switch between them with a button press on the goggles. Pre-set dashboards cater to Fitness, Technique, Pace, and Intervals, but these are fully editable. You can also create a custom fifth dashboard from scratch.
Premium Subscription: Unlocking Advanced Features
FORM offers a Premium subscription (with a free one-month trial) that significantly enhances the goggle's functionality. This includes access to over 1,500 guided workouts, automated HeadCoach technique analysis (providing feedback during and after swims), and SwimStraight (a digital compass for open water swimming).
FORM continually updates the Premium plan with new features. Recent additions include HeadCoach Plans (customized workouts that adapt to your progress) and Smart Set (automatic display of intervals and sets to track repetitions). Coming in September is HeadCoach Insights, offering personalized data-driven guidance after each workout tailored to your goals.
Open Water Capabilities
For open water swimming, the goggles display stroke rate, elapsed time, and heart rate. Once sufficient pool data is collected to understand your speed, it can estimate your open water pace and distance. For increased accuracy, you can pair the goggles with an Apple Watch or Garmin fitness watch for GPS-based pace and distance data. The SwimStraight digital compass is a particularly useful feature; after a quick calibration, it helps maintain your intended course, reducing the need for frequent visual checks.
Target Audience and Limitations
The FORM Smart Swim 2 PRO goggles are ideally suited for triathletes and swimmers aiming to improve technique and endurance. FORM's data shows that Premium subscribers using guided workouts achieved 1.4 times greater performance gains compared to those using the goggles without structured training. For swimmers lacking regular coaching, the FORM platform provides a comprehensive solution for swim tracking, workout suggestions, and technique advice.
However, serious swimmers with regular coaching and race-focused pool training might find the additional features less crucial. While features like live heart rate and Smart Set are beneficial, the larger size of the goggles (due to the electronics) can make them less secure when diving. The field of view is also narrower than some traditional goggles.
Data Synchronization and Battery Life
After your swim, you can sync data to Apple Health, Strava, TrainingPeaks, and TriDot. The goggles boast up to 14 hours of battery life, and recharging is easy via a magnetic cable. However, the use of a USB-A connector instead of USB-C is a minor drawback.
Pricing and Availability
The Smart Swim 2 PRO goggles are available now in the United States and Canada through FORM's website and select retailers, with global availability expected early next month. They are priced at $329 in the US, a $50 premium over the standard Smart Swim 2 model. The FORM Premium subscription costs $15 per month or $119 per year after the free trial; purchasing it with the goggles lowers the first year's cost to $99.
Note: FORM provided MacRumors with the Smart Swim 2 PRO goggles for this review. No other compensation was received.
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