Featuring as the ‘best alternative’ (to typical watch-style fitness trackers) in our guide to the best fitness trackers for swimming, the FORM Smart Swim 2 takes swimming goggles to the next, purposeful level. At first glance, they look like everyday swim goggles, but they’re so much more. Replacing your everyday swim goggles, they feature a digital readout that gives you real-time data like your heart rate, distance and split times. You have the option to sign up for a premium subscription, where you can create your own training plans and utilize ready-made workouts and technique tips.
We love that this device is integrated into something you would ordinarily use in the pool. There is no need to remember an additional device, such as a watch or training band. It is also inherently swim-specific. There aren’t heaps of menus, workout types, or other distractions you would find on a multi-sport device. If swimming is the only exercise you’re interested in tracking, these could be a good fit.
The Smart Swim 2 comes with five interchangeable nose bridges and adjustable straps to help you achieve a secure fit. Once you have fitted the goggles to your face, the optical heart rate sensor sits snugly against it. In our hands-on FORM Smart Swim 2 review, we found the heart rate readings to be spot on, with no missed or erratic readings, unlike some swim trackers we have reviewed.
While these aren’t the most comfortable swimming goggles in the world, as they require a tight fit to ensure data accuracy, they are about as comfortable as any other swimming goggles we’ve worn for extended periods in the water. They all need to be snug to the face to ensure a leak-free swim after all.
While testing, we found that the reduced peripheral vision takes a little while to get used to, as does switching between looking ‘at’ the data and looking ‘through’ the data, as this is likely something you haven’t done before. We quickly adapted to it, and over time, it just became part and parcel of our swimming experience.
Tantse Walter
Tantse is a hiking, travel and outdoors enthusiast with a penchant for helpful multi-use tech. She is also a keen swimmer and used these goggles to log lengths during a cancer charity fundraising challenge back in 2024.
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The real strength of the FORM Smart Swim 2 is the hands-off real-time feedback in the pool. If, like us, you’re prone to losing count of your laps/lengths in the pool, you can relax into your swim and not have to think about the numbers. Turn detection, automatic pause detection and lap counting work with impressive accuracy, taking the guesswork out of tracking swims. You can connect and sync your data with third-party platforms, such as Strava, if you wish.
The accompanying app provides structure through workouts and training plans, but access to the full range requires a subscription, priced at around $15 (£13) per month or $99 (£84) per year. In the grand scheme of things, though this may seem a bit annoying, it is still great value.
Key features: Customizable transparent ‘in-eye’ display for metrics such as heart rate tracking, number of lengths, lap split times and overall distance.
Product launched: April 2024.
Price history: The price was consistently $279 (aside from a few flash-sale drops) but has been $199 since the start of November, possibly because consumers are now favoring the updated Form Smart Swim 2 Pro.
Price comparison: Amazon: $199 | Walmart: $223.73 | Best Buy: $199
Reviews consensus: The Smart Swim 2 goggles have a rating of 4.1 out of 5 on Amazon, with many users reporting significant improvements in their swimming technique and overall experience. A frequently mentioned benefit is the ‘swim straight’ feature, which is particularly useful for helping open-water swimmers stay on track.
Live Science: ★★★★½ | T3: ★★★★ | Toms Guide: ★★★½
✅ Buy it if: Your primary focus is data logging or improving your swims. These are purpose-built for swimmers.
❌ Don’t buy it if: You want to track multiple sports, for that, you’ll be better off taking a look at one of the best fitness trackers. Our favourite overall, the Amazfit, is on sale for just $119.99 with a 40% discount right now.
Check out our other guides to the best budget fitness trackers, sleep trackers, smart rings and much more.
