HoloSwim 3 Pro: First Thoughts on the GPS and HUD Swim Goggles
I have a few weeks to test the HoloSwim 3 Pro before my lake gets too cold (for me). The key excitement is a lower price than FormSwim and built-in GPS – the first of its kind. The goggles also look streamlined and vaguely ‘normal’. Let’s go.
HoloSwim 3 Pro puts a working GPS receiver and digital compass inside a swim goggle, a combination no other smart goggle currently offers. The unit arrived for testing this month at a UK price of £189, with a discount code available below. This is a first-thoughts piece on where it sits in the market, not a review.
GPS and compass
The onboard GPS and compass are the headline feature. FORM’s Smart Swim 2 LT covers pace and lap counting in the pool without a watch, but leans on a paired Garmin or Apple Watch for GPS-based pace and distance in open water. HoloSwim 3 Pro carries its own receiver, so open-water tracking does not depend on anything else being worn. Whether that translates into accurate distance and a track worth trusting is a question for the site’s usual GPS accuracy testing.
It also has a route-guidance feature, but it’s not live yet. Do we really need a route for swimming?
Both FORM and HoloSwim have compass heading, which is useful in OWS, but only to the extent that it reduces the need to sight or helps when swimming directly into a setting or rising sun.
Battery, heart rate and the wider ecosystem
HoloSport quotes 16 hours in pool mode and 5 hours with open-water GPS active, against a 2-hour charge. That’s a long time to charge, and many of you will drain the battery before realising it’s empty if you do a lot of open water swimming. However, 5 hours of GPS recording is, I suppose, what I would expect from a first-gen product, despite the longer battery life watches boast.
There’s no onboard heart rate sensor. HoloSport sells a companion chest strap, the HandPlus B2, and pairing that strap with the HoloSwim 3 Pro is expected soon (September 2026). Live heart rate during long swim sets can be useful.
The site’s heart rate section covers what a wrist or chest sensor can and cannot tell you during training.
Where it sits against FORM and the rest of the market
At £189, HoloSwim 3 Pro undercuts FORM’s Smart Swim 2 PRO on price while adding integrated GPS that FORM’s range lacks. FORM counters with a built-in heart rate sensor on its Smart Swim 2 and PRO tiers, and Corning Gorilla Glass lenses on the PRO.
Neither goggle requires a subscription for its core features. For triathletes training across all three disciplines, the practical question is whether standalone GPS in the goggle is worth more than a built-in heart rate sensor, since most buyers will not want both goggles.
| HoloSwim 3 Pro | FORM Smart Swim 2 PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| UK price | £189 (£170.10 with code) | £279 |
| Built-in GPS | Yes | No, needs a paired Garmin or Apple Watch |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate | No, pairs with HandPlus B2 | Built-in optical sensor |
| Subscription | None | Core free, Premium £13/month or £84/year |
| Weight | 73g | 73.4g |
| Lens | Nano anti-fog coating | Gorilla Glass 3, spray-applied anti-fog |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IPX8/IP68, varies by source |
Price and availability
HoloSwim 3 Pro costs £189 at HoloSport. The code THE5KRUNNER takes 10% off, bringing it to £170.10.
HoloSwim 3 Pro Smart Swim Goggles
GPS and HUD Swim Goggles for OWS and Pool
+other retailersQuick answers
Does HoloSwim 3 Pro have built-in GPS?
Yes. The goggles have their own GPS receiver and digital compass, so open-water pace, distance, and route tracking don’t require pairing with a watch.
Does HoloSwim 3 Pro support heart rate monitoring?
Not from a sensor built into the goggles. It is designed to pair with HoloSport’s HandPlus B2 chest strap, though HoloSport lists that pairing as expected for September 2026 rather than confirmed live.
How much does HoloSwim 3 Pro cost?
£189 at HoloSport. The code THE5KRUNNER brings that down to £170.10.
Last Updated on 16 September 2026 by the5krunner
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
