These Smart Goggles Completely Changed How I Swim. Here’s Why I Can No Longer Swim Without Them

Picture this: You’re swimming laps while a virtual coach silently helps perfect your technique and provides real-time feedback. Small yellow digits glow softly in front of your eyes, displaying your heart rate, pace, stroke rate, distance and more. Thanks to Form, this has become a reality — and that’s just the baseline of what the brand’s technology can do. 

Before I tried Form’s Smart Swim 2 Goggles, I didn’t even realize I needed them. Now I can’t imagine going back to regular goggles. Here’s why.

What is Form?

Form made colossal waves throughout the fitness industry when it launched its first pair of smart goggles in 2019. Up until that point, accurate trackers for swimmers were few and far between. Today, Form’s technology is well-recognized in the swimming community, with its goggles even available at Apple stores.

Created by swimmers for swimmers, the brand now offers two generations of these smart goggles, the second of which came out in April 2024. Simply put, the Smart Swim 2 Goggles are highly complex — there’s a ton of technology in the small pack on its side. 

These goggles feature a super cool patented augmented reality display that shows:

• Guided workouts with lap-by-lap instructions
• Real-time metrics such as time, distance, pace, stroke rate and count
• Accurate heart rate readings and calories burned
• Automatic stroke and rest detection
• Instant technique feedback and analysis
• SwimStraight compass for open-water swimming

The goggles monitor your speed, movements and form as you swim, gathering impressive data that helps you identify your strengths and which areas you need to work on to improve your swimming technique and efficiency.

Who is Form for?

Brian Johns, head of coaching science at Form and three-time Olympic Games competitor for Team Canada, explained, “We have a broad range of users, including competitive swimmers, competitive triathletes and open-water swimmers, as well as swimmers who are more concerned about staying fit and accurately tracking their activity.” 

I definitely fall into the last category. That said, my usage and assessment of this device will likely differ from someone actively training and competing on a much more intense level. According to Johns, “The goggles are more appropriate for users who want to learn how to swim better, and not so much for those learning how to swim from scratch.” 

Why I wanted to try Form

As I mentioned, I am not a competitive triathlete or professional swimmer, but I’m also no stranger to water. My dad started taking me to the pool when I was an infant, less than six months old, and my love for swimming holds strong today. I swam competitively through high school and have continued swimming for exercise.

I was swimming regularly last year when I developed swimmer’s shoulder. That’s when I knew I was doing something wrong. It wasn’t until I started using the Smart Swim 2 Goggles that I understood the issue. My form was off, and my approach to the workouts was, in hindsight, quite terrible — I was just trying to complete a mile as fast as possible each time I swam.

Swimmer’s shoulder happens when you repeatedly stress and strain the joint, irritating the tissue over time. It commonly occurs for swimmers trying to enhance their speed, which is precisely what I was doing. I was fixating on my mile time rather than paying attention to my technique or how my body felt. 

I have been swimming with these smart goggles for the past few months, and they’ve completely transformed how I swim and approach my workouts.

Setting up the goggles

The Form goggles come in a convenient carrying case to protects them as you travel to and from your swims. I was immediately impressed by the quality of the goggle’s materials and their lightweight design, considering all they can sense and track.

Connecting and setting up my goggles was straightforward. I downloaded the Form app on my phone, turned on the goggles with the front power button and peered inside at those magic glowing letters for the first time. Pairing the goggles was super easy as the app walks you through it. I created an account, entered personal details such as height and weight and linked it to my Apple Health app.

The Form Swim app provides instructions for ensuring the goggles fit correctly on your face and head, including guidance on swapping out the nose bridge for a different size. I didn’t need to do this since the medium size already on the goggles fit well. The app also emphasizes the importance of strap placement for accurate heart rate measurements.

“I feel the goggles have the same complexity as using a smartwatch; there may be some initial setup that you need, but once you get going, the technology will guide you to success,” said Johns — and I agree.

With the app and goggles set up, I was ready for my first swim. I put the goggles on, ensuring a comfortable fit of the straps and heart rate monitor on my temple, and topped off the fit with my favorite Long Hair Swim Cap by Arena.

My experience with Form

The first swim

For my first official test of the goggles, I chose to free swim to get accustomed to them. I had no trouble adjusting to the augmented reality display in the lenses. I was impressed by how easily I could focus on the numbers or look past them to see my surroundings. The display didn’t feel distracting or bothersome. 

“The fit and form of the goggles can be a bit different than normal goggles, so giving yourself extra time to adjust your straps or change nose bridges during your workout will help you get comfortable more quickly as you become accustomed to the goggle screen,” Johns said.

I wore my Apple Watch for the first few swims to compare the data from both devices. I quickly realized that the Form goggles were much more accurate. Additionally, with my Apple Watch, I’d stop constantly to ensure I was on pace or double-check how far I’d gone. Now, with the numbers right in front of my eyes, I no longer have to stop and check. 

I also like that the goggles automatically track how long you rest when taking a break. It’s a great way to focus on getting your heart rate back down quickly. I’d try to keep my breaks under 15 seconds or until my heart rate dropped below 150 beats before starting the next interval, which helped keep my form in check.

Read more: Zone 2 Cardio: Pros, Cons and Tips From Experts

I ended my first swim with a Form Score of 40 out of 100, which I was honestly pretty embarrassed about. The app promptly shared videos and resources based on my results to help me understand my form and how to improve it.

The second and third swim

I was slowly beginning to understand better the metrics the goggles tracked regarding my form, including head pitch, peak head roll, time to neutral, set and interval pacing. Here’s a brief description of each term:

• Head pitch is the angle of your head while swimming in a neutral position (during non-breathing strokes).
• Peak head roll is the maximum angle your head rolls from side to side when you breathe. The less your head rolls, the better.
• Time to neutral is how long it takes for your head to return to neutral after taking a breath. The quicker, the better.
• Set pacing is your ability to keep the same pace for every interval in a set, even when you’re tired.
• Interval pacing is your ability to keep the same pace within each individual interval. The less variance, the better.

For my second swim, I chose one of the suggested workouts I had previously selected to load onto the goggles. I walked away with a Form Score of 48 — an increase of eight points, which I was pleased to see. For my third swim, my score increased again to 51. I was making progress, and seeing the higher scores in my goggles while swimming and on the app afterward was incredibly motivating. 

The overall Form Score is an average of the five previous workouts. At this point, my Form Score average was 46, which the app classified as “Very Good.” I wasn’t convinced, though. I reached out to see if that assessment was accurate or if the smart goggles were just being generous, and Johns reassured me. 

“I generally try not to focus on the score relative to other people to judge whether it’s good or not. Rather, I like to use it to judge how good your last length, interval or workout was compared to what you have been doing. That being said, a 46 is right around the middle of our users, which have a high proportion of committed swimmers and triathletes. Relative to our users, it might be in the middle, but compared to the broad world of swimming, yes, I would consider it ‘Very Good.’”

It was a relief knowing I wasn’t completely putting my swim training to shame. His feedback encouraged me to focus on improving my own numbers rather than thinking of it as a failing test score.

With each swim, I focus on specific aspects of my technique. My two weakest areas are the peak head roll and time to neutral, so those have been my primary targets. I enjoy using the HeadCoach Skills features, which provide a visual target in the AR display to help me hit those sweet spots. It feels like a game. I love it. 

I know it will take time to achieve my desired scores. Visually seeing my slow but steady improvement on the Form Swim app is encouraging. I have been following the app’s HeadCoach suggestions and watching the provided video tutorials, in which Johns states, “Like improving your technique, you should expect that making sustainable improvement in your five-swim average may take weeks or months of committed swimming, which is completely normal.” 

The workouts leave me feeling tired but strong and satisfied. I noted in my journal, “The 100-yard intervals are a lot easier for me now than they were in the past. I’m getting a solid workout and don’t have overly wobbly legs, toe cramps or lightheadedness like I used to. I just feel really good. I don’t feel like I’ll pull a muscle or anything.”

I recently earned a Form score of 61. It’s exciting to see such a drastic improvement from when I started two months ago (with a score of 40), and I now look forward to my workouts.

Fit and comfortability

I have sensitive skin, so after a swim, I usually have marks around my eyes from the pressure of the goggles. They typically take hours to fully fade away. One of my biggest pet peeves is pushing off the wall and sensing the goggles dragging or leaking, so I’d typically suction them tighter to my face to prevent that annoying feeling. 

With Form, I noticed that the resulting rings around my eyes were not as intense as before. This improvement can be attributed to the design and materials of the proprietary eye seals on the goggles. I no longer feel the need to suction them as tightly to my face. When I initially experienced a slight leak with one of the lenses, all I needed to do was adjust the straps, and since then, I haven’t encountered other issues with it.

After a few swims, I noticed fogging and a cloudy display. The fix was simple. All I had to do was gently clean the lenses with dish soap and fresh water, and then they were clear again.

Battery life

I’m lazy when it comes to charging my devices, but that’s not a concern with the Form Smart Swim 2 Goggles. The battery life is extremely impressive, lasting up to 14 hours on a single charge. After 10 swims, I’ve had to charge them only once and they were back up to 100% in less than 2 hours.

My favorite Form features

Heart rate monitor

Before I started using Form, I didn’t pay much attention to my heart rate. Now, I can’t imagine swimming without this feature. With my heart rate displayed in real time right before my eyes throughout my workout, I am more mindful of when I push myself too hard or need to pick up the pace. 

Between intervals, I can focus on getting my heart rate back into a lower zone before starting the next set. This approach has helped quicken my recovery, and I now have better control of my heart rate through intentional breathing and rest.

Accurately monitoring health metrics underwater is a massive hurdle, but Form has found a way. Studies have shown that Form’s integrated heart rate sensor is more accurate and consistent than wrist-based monitors, with a 97% accuracy rate compared with an ECG chest strap.

Workout options

I typically prefer workout classes because I like having someone tell me what to do. I like it when Peloton instructors shout at me during a ride. It motivates me in a way I have a hard time doing by myself. Unsurprisingly, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having a virtual coach encourage and push me while swimming.

“Most people using the goggles do not have a coach and do not understand what an appropriate swim workout may be. Form can generate workouts for you based on your speed, workout preferences and areas to improve your technique and then guide you through the workout directly in the goggles, with no coaching or previous swim knowledge required,” Johns explained. 

The app features over 1,500 workouts, and you can load five onto your goggles at a time. I mostly followed the app’s suggestions for my workouts, occasionally switching to some with longer distances. These workouts have enhanced my swimming technique and helped me train effectively in ways I hadn’t before. It guides me through intervals with instructions on how much effort to exert (easy, moderate or fast) and for how long.

When I swam competitively, my best events were the 50- and 100-meter freestyle. I’ve always been more of a sprinter. Learning how to pace myself during longer swims with Form has been game-changing. Using Form made me realize how poor and lazy my technique used to get when I was tired. It made me less efficient and increased my risk of injury (to the point that I did injure myself). I’m much more confident now.

HeadCoach

Like guided workouts, having a virtual swim coach has been more helpful than I could have imagined. The feedback and suggestions provided are spot on. The HeadCoach feature offers actionable tactics and goals for improving technique and efficiency, and it knows better than I do what I should work on with each progressive swim. Whenever I doubt my form, I refer to the HeadCoach resources in the app.

When I asked Johns how Form compares to having a real-life swim coach, he explained, “Swimming can be very difficult for a coach to give good feedback to their athletes. Unlike a team sport where a coach can deliver instructions or feedback across a field, a swim coach has to wait until the swimmer is resting at the wall to give feedback and may only have five to 10 seconds to give that feedback before the swimmer pushes off to the next part of the workout. Therefore, swimmers typically rely on how they ‘feel’ in the water in the absence of any other feedback. Form goggles can give feedback WHILE the swimmer is doing their workout, allowing us to give effective feedback to the swimmer in a way that was not possible before.” 

You can customize and tailor the HeadCoach feature based on your personal objectives and goals, whether you’re training for a race or simply swimming for exercise.

Why I’m never going back

I’m a sucker for quantitative data, and Form certainly doesn’t skimp in this area. After a workout session, the goggles automatically sync with the app on my phone to deliver an array of post-swim information. It guides me through the improvements made and which areas I need to focus on for next time. It’s super easy to understand and track my progress.

“Our dedicated data science team eats, sleeps and breathes swim data and algorithms. This makes Form more accurate across all swimming metrics, as well as having more unique swimming-specific metrics, such as Form Score, that help you become a better swimmer,” explained Johns.

Another reason I’ll never be able to wear regular goggles again is because Form gives me something to focus on. Let’s be honest: lap swimming is boring. It’s just you and your thoughts in the water. There’s nothing to distract you, no content to consume to kill time. Of course, you can wear waterproof headphones, but I have yet to try a pair — and now, I don’t necessarily feel the need to with my smart goggles. I can concentrate on improving my technique through the real-time metrics displayed right in front of me, and I enjoy “playing” the HeadCoach Skills. 

I am quite competitive with myself. I love beating my old times and records and focusing on my Form Score is an excellent motivator for improving my technique and swim efficiency. 

Moreover, I’m not a fan of wearing watches or fitness trackers on my wrist. I used to stop constantly to check my Apple Watch to see how far I’d gone, and I’d often lose track of how many sets or intervals I had completed while swimming. Having all the metrics displayed throughout the swim (including my heart rate) has completely transformed my approach to swimming. I’m truly having fun with it. 

Johns expressed similar feelings. “Having the data so easily accessible in the goggles makes my swimming significantly more motivating. As a retired swimmer, I had a very hard time swimming regularly, watching the clock and writing my workouts. Using the goggles and planning my workouts became a lot easier, and following my workouts through the goggles made it a much more engaging experience as I built myself back up in the water,” he said.

Other Form features

Because I’m not a professional swimmer or triathlete fully immersed in the fitness tech world, I can’t speak to certain components of the goggles — namely SwimStraight and Script. 

SwimStraight

SwimStraight is one of the primary features of the Smart Swim 2 Goggles that I have not yet tested, mainly due to cold weather and a lack of nearby areas for open-water swimming. This feature is great for triathletes training and competing in open water. The goggles pair with a compatible GPS smartwatch (such as Garmin or Apple) to track your distance and pace. The goggles provide navigational assistance like a compass to ensure you’re swimming on the straightest path.

Script

You can also upload your own workouts through Script. Using a text description or photo, Script transforms it into an auto-generated workout that you can load onto your goggles. Additionally, if you choose the free swim option, you can save your swim as a workout afterward.

As I mentioned, you can easily connect and integrate the data from your goggles with apps like Apple Health, Strava and TrainingPeaks. It’s also worth noting that if you are a competitive swimmer, the Form Smart Swim Goggles are race-approved by the World Triathlon, USA Triathlon, British Triathlon, PTO and Supertri.

The future of Form

Form is successfully redefining technology for the swimming world. I believe it’s only a matter of time before most swimmers use real-time feedback and virtual coaching assistance, whether through AI or other advanced algorithms. 

When asked where Form is headed in the next five to 10 years, Johns explained, “As we get more and more data and information about our swimmers in and out of the water, I believe that we can enhance the swimmer’s journey to be more personalized and effective. AI will be a helpful tool, but being able to analyze a swimmer’s data in the water with their biometric data will help us create a pathway for any swimmer to succeed in the water regardless of their ability level or their goals. I think that having this knowledge and access to data will not just be effective for swimmers, but for any endurance athlete.”

Pricing and subscription

The Smart Swim 2 Goggles retail for $279. They’re currently $80 off, bringing the price down to $199, which I think is a great price for a high-tech device like this.

No subscription is required to access the goggles’ core features, which include the augmented reality display and motion sensors to track your swims. The core features include all the real-time metrics of time, distance, pace, stroke rate and count, calories burned, heart rate and automatic stroke and rest detection. With the core features, you can still access your post-swim data and share your swims with Strava, TrainingPeaks, TriDot, Apple Health and Final Surge.

Premium is required to access certain features of the goggles, such as:

• Guided workouts
• HeadCoach
• SwimStraight
• Training plans
• Script workout builder

Form offers a free one-month trial of Premium. After that, it’s $9.99 per month. Whether you upgrade to the Premium version or stick with the core largely depends on your swim goals. Having the guided workouts and HeadCoach instruction is enough for me to opt for the subscription, and I’d say it’s worth it if you’re a triathlete or competitive swimmer.

Whether you should get the Smart Swim Gen 1 or Gen 2 also depends on your goals. I would personally opt for the second generation based on the heart rate monitor and smaller tech pack size, but if those aren’t as important to you, save $100 and go for the first generation.

Form Smart Swim Goggles: Gen 1 vs 2

Form Features	Generation 2	Generation 1
Integrated heart rate sensor	✔️	X
Reduced tech pack size	✔️	X
Improved eye seals	✔️	X
Extended strap mount	✔️	X
Carrying case with ventilation	✔️	✔️
Waveguide display	✔️	✔️
HeadCoach	✔️	✔️
SwimStraight	✔️	✔️
Workouts & training plans	✔️	✔️
Longer battery life	X	✔️

Should you get the Form Smart Swim Goggles?

You should consider these goggles if:

• You’re a competitive swimmer or triathlete
• You want to accurately track your swims
• You need to monitor your heart rate while swimming
• You want to improve your swimming technique and efficiency
• You have the budget
• You train in open water

You should skip these goggles if:

• You don’t swim consistently
• You don’t care about tracking your swim data
• You’re brand new to swimming 
• It’s out of your budget