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 wrist-worn monitor, the HandPlus B2, which can be detached from its strap and clipped to a swim cap for use with the goggles. Pairing the HandPlus B2 with 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 |
FORM Smart Swim 2 LT
Smart Swimming Goggles: Pool & OWS
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
RRP $319 $239
£183 at HoloSport UK (regular £245), £179 on Amazon UK, €207 on Amazon Germany
10% off - use code: THE5KRUNNER
Get it nowOrder now – HoloSwim 3 Pro Smart Swim Goggles Also sold direct byQuick 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 wrist-worn HandPlus B2 monitor, which can also be clipped to a swim cap, 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 3 October 2026 by tfk the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Kineon MOVE+: Red and infrared light for sore knees, Achilles and other joints after hard training. I use it.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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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. See the gear tfk uses. ID
Google’a supports structure workouts(in holo app or sync from tp/garmin)?