Garmin HRM 200 review: An accurate and comfortable entry-level heart rate monitor

Designed to be Garmin’s entry level offering when it comes to chest strap heart rate monitors, the Garmin HRM 200 should not be considered lacking in advancements.

Impressively, for a budget heart rate monitor, the HRM 200 can be used for taking heart rate variability (HRV) measurements, something often lacking in chest strap monitors in the entry level market.

Appearance wise, it’s a big update from the previous generation HR monitor, but functionality wise there is little that has changed. That can be viewed as a good thing, given that the previous version just worked very well.

The HRM 200 has been positioned by Garmin as the optimal heart rate monitor to use when optical based ones, such as wrist or arm mounted, might not provide adequate data accuracy, such as high moisture/sweat environments where optical HRMs can struggle to remain consistent.

At £79.99, it’s not exactly cheap, but for a HRV reading HR monitor it starts to look better value. But just how well does it compare to other chest strap HR monitors on the market?

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Design and Aesthetics

The Garmin HRM 200 is the entry-level offering from the brand when it comes to chest strap heart rate monitors. These HR monitors work by detecting the actual electrical signals from your heart, whereas optical sensors use flashing lights to measure pulse based on visual blood flow.

Optical sensors can become less accurate when there is moisture present, such as sweat, so for endurance sports with lots of perspiration, chest-based electrocardiography (ECG) systems are more accurate, as they detect the signal even better with moisture present. These two electrode readers are located on the back of the chest strap, and connect to the main broadcasting pod.

This pod has been heavily redesigned aesthetically. It now features a button on the front, and an LED light. The button needs to be held to enter pairing mode to easily connect to a bike computer or smartwatch, and then a single press to wake it up before use. The front LED has different flash patterns for connecting (orange flash), and being connected (green dual flash). The LED can also display battery level at the point of waking up; Green flash is okay, orange flash is low, red flash is critical.

On the rear of this pod, the coin cell battery, CR2032 in this case, is accessible. New US and Australian regulations require these to use a tool to open, rather than a penny or similar coinage to prevent children from accessing them. Garmin has addressed this very cleverly, making the strap buckle feature two small prongs which fit into this compartment to open up the battery door. Battery life is claimed one year, but it is not clear under what sort of usage that one year life is guaranteed.

Two strap options are available, XS-S (60-85 cm, 23.5"-33.5") and M-XL (80-119 cm, 31.5-47.0"). A simple hook and latch design is used to connect them, while the pod snaps on and off easily with two press-buttons.

Water resistance is a claimed 3 ATM (atmospheres) so should be able to deal with rain and sweat easily when cycling as that is far lower pressure. Garmin recommends removing the pod and washing the strap after every seven uses. You can also broadcast HRV data to compatible devices, Garmin, of course, recommends one of their Garmin watches. Total weight with the M-XL strap is 63 g (2.2 oz).

Performance

Some heart rate monitors can be a bit of a faff to get adjusted and fitted correctly, no such issues with the Garmin HRM 200. The M-XL strap fits me very well, with the advertised chest size being a good gauge of what size you should order. I also like the neat bit of low friction material that is placed on the inside of the strap hook. On the Wahoo Trackr HRM for example this isn’t present and the hook can dig into your side a little bit. Adjustment of the strap was also very easy and has remained in place throughout the entirety of testing.

Connectivity is also a breeze. Holding the button on the front of the unit until it flashes orange to show it is pairing, it then connects seamlessly with the Garmin Edge 1050 I was using alongside.

In terms of accuracy, to test this I ran a few different heart rate monitors concurrently in a few different scenarios. Indoors, I was using an Apple Watch Ultra 2 on my wrist, along with a Coros HRM on my arm. Both of these perform better when there is no fabric over them, so are ideal for indoors with a vest on. They do both struggle when the going gets sweatier though. For the easier rides, the Garmin HRM 200 tracked well with them, but at higher intensity it tended to read higher, where the others have struggled to reach peak HR readings.

Outdoors, I had the fun of wearing a Wahoo Trackr HRM at the same time, both around my chest. Both devices read consistently across lower intensity riding all the way up to maximal efforts around HR maximum. I’d confidently say that the Garmin HRM 200 reads accurately, as a lot of chest straps do nowadays.

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The additional features are interesting. The waterproofing is more targeted toward swimming, where a smartwatch may not be as accurate for HR measurements because the wet environment can limit optical HR accuracy.

HRV is another feature of the HRM 200, but to measure this really you need to be either wearing a smartwatch which the HRM 200 is connected to, or connect each morning and get a waking measurement. Consistency is key when taking HRV readings, and I personally find putting the chest strap on for this a bit of a faff. At lower intensities, optical measurements have worked well for me and require less thought process. This is why an optical reading watch, strap, or ring would be my preferred option if I did track this regularly.

Battery level has been hard to judge, as over the course of the testing period I would not expect battery level to go from ‘okay’ to ‘low’ and it has not. I have not tested the unit for an entire year, just a few dozen hours, so I must take it at the brand’s word for the moment. Having used CR2032 HR monitors for years, the ‘one year battery life’ rings partly true depending on how much you ride and how many connections you have. I personally would have preferred to see recharging in this unit, like the HRM 600 or Wahoo Trackr HR, but coin cells, even with more waste, are better for fit and forget. I do have a huge list of devices that are being constantly charged after rides so maybe not adding to this is a blessing.

Value

Value is a tough one to gauge at the moment as there are a host of great HR monitors available with different pros and cons. The Wahoo Trackr HR monitor for example is the same price at £79.99 but is rechargeable although it lacks HRV broadcasting. Meanwhile the Polar H10 is very reliable, easy to use, has a great strap, but costs a fraction more at £86.50 and has a more awkward battery size.

There are some strong performing newcomers as well, with the 4iiii Viiiiva 2 (£64.99) and Magene H613 (£49) on paper offering better value overall given the features and the price difference.

Personally I find the HRV tracking a little hit and miss, as you need to be wearing a smart watch overnight to get truly accurate HRV measurements, which is not something I tend to do. You could connect it each morning with the Garmin app to measure waking HRV for a consistent tracking routine though. Personally, I prefer the rechargeability of the Wahoo Trackr HRM having tested that myself, while the Magene H613 with the same feature is a very enticing option.

As a chest based HR monitor though, the Garmin HRM 200 is a great performer, and if you don’t require the host of additional features that the Garmin HRM 600 comes with, then it is a better value offering and pretty good in the overall competitive market.

Verdict

The Garmin HRM 200 is a solidly performing heart rate monitor. It’s comfortable to wear, stays in place, has some neat features in-built, and it’s accurate for cycling use. The HRV features are something nice to have, but only if you have a smartwatch to pair with it or want to go through each morning actively setting up and measuring the HRV manually. For cycling use, I’d prefer rechargeability as a feature such as the same-priced Wahoo Trackr HRM.

What this means is that although it’s a solidly performing unit, it doesn’t exactly stand out to me. The likes of the 4iiii Viiiiva and Magene 613 claim to offer the same sort of performance for a decent chunk of cash less. Garmin has a great track record though as a superb HR monitor brand, so I expect the HRM 200 to be a reliable device for years to come.