Speedo IQ Review

Design

• Based on Speedo’s Vanquisher goggles
• Smarts provided via a small removable tracking sensor
• No built-in screen

The Speedo IQ essentially takes Speedo’s most popular Vanquisher training goggles and adds a small tracking sensor. At 42g, they weigh only slightly more than a regular pair, come in six different looks, and offer the option of clear or mirrored lenses.

The sensors and key components, like the battery, sit inside a small module on one side of the goggle lenses. It looks to be a similar Ciye sensor used by swimming brand Finis when it launched a set of smart goggles back in 2021.

Unlike Finis, the sensor is a lot easier to get in and out of the goggles. One of the benefits of this setup over other smart goggles is that when the goggles start to wear or need to be retired, you can put the sensor into another pair.

The sensor has a single physical button to start and stop tracking, with a notification light on the opposite side that indicates when the goggles are tracking and when they’ve finished recording a swim.

However, there’s no way to see your data during swims. It’s simply about putting them on, hitting that button, and collecting the data to review in the Speedo companion smartphone app afterwards.

I’ve worn them during indoor and outdoor pool swims, and they do a fantastic job of replicating wearing a regular pair of swim goggles. They’re nice and light, the lenses offer a good field of view, and the double strap makes them easy to adjust for fit.

In terms of waterproofing, they’ve been given an IPX7 rating, which means they’re, of course, suitable for swimming and can be submerged in water up to one metre deep for 30 minutes. 

Performance and companion app

• Excellent pool swim tracking, but no GPS for open-water swims
• In-depth swim tracking and coaching features
• Companion app can feel a little too busy at times

Speedo doesn’t divulge any details about the makeup of its custom module that delivers the tracking, though it’s fair to assume it includes familiar motion sensors found in smartwatches and other smart swimming goggles. 

It’s worth noting that the IQ goggles are designed specifically to track pool swims. While you can use them for open water swims, the tracking module doesn’t include GPS and isn’t built to monitor dips in the sea. 

That caveat out of the way, getting set up is pretty straightforward. Once you’ve paired the goggles with the Speedo smartphone app over Bluetooth, you can search for your pool in the app to make sure you’ve got the most accurate distance tracking. Then place the sensor in, press the button to start tracking a swim, and press it again when you’re done. 

One slight issue is that you need to assign the pool you’re jumping into, otherwise it can track sessions incorrectly. For example, I completed a swim in a 50 metre pool, then ticked off a swim in a 25 metre pool and forgot to assign the new pool. It meant the data was incorrect. Fortunately, Speedo provides the option to switch to the correct pool and correct the data.

While I’ve had no issues with tracking, there’s no way to know from inside the goggles whether they’re still tracking all fine or if the battery is running low or runs out during swims unless you whip them off to check.

Once you’ve synced your data, it can take a minute or so to crunch and analyse those metrics. Then you’re met with an app that hits you with a lot of stats, maybe too much at once. You can view core swimming metrics like distance, pace, and rest times at the top of the main home screen, with a breakdown of more precise swimming mechanics below.

Starting with the core stats, I’ve been using the IQ alongside two of the best and most reliable wrist-based trackers I’ve tested. That’s the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and the general pool swim tracking on Garmin’s Fenix 9 Pro. Data like distance covered and pace were pretty much spot on in my swims.

Then you get into the technique insights, broken down by stroke type used during a swim. You can see information about your head position, breath angle, breath time and distance per stroke. Speedo captures head movement during swims, which you can replay in a modelled animation showing when you turned to breathe and how your head rolls.

Speedo includes a Swim Lab for each aspect of your technique it can monitor. It includes a summary of your data, along with an explanation of why each aspect of your swim matters. It also includes drills to address weaker aspects of your swimming technique.

I’d like this technique aspect to sit more prominently in the app; it’s what will be most useful for swimmers trying to improve, and it feels a bit buried right now. It means you don’t have to be an experienced swimmer or have a coach to pinpoint problem areas, and that’s definitely a benefit.

All of this data can only live inside of the app, however. You can’t share it with third-party fitness or training apps, which seems like a bit of a miss for Speedo. Maybe that’ll come further down the line, but I think it would’ve added some appeal from the start.

Battery life

• Only four hours of battery life
• Shorter battery life than most competitors
• Full charge in 90 minutes

The Speedo IQ is rated for four hours of battery life before it’ll need a top-up – slightly surprising, given the lack of a screen.

Compared to other smart swimming goggles, it’s a fair bit shorter than the 12 hours offered on the similarly-priced Form Smart Swim 2 LT (14 hours), which also packs in a display. The HoloSwim 3 Pro goggles can run for 16 hours in the pool and 5 hours in open water when using its built-in GPS. The IQ doesn’t have GPS, so that battery number doesn’t sound great. 

For swims under an hour, the battery dropped by about 25% on average, so that four-hour claim seems about right.

When it does run flat, charging requires a proprietary charging cable. That’s no big surprise, as other goggles do something similar given USB-C ports aren’t that water-friendly. A full charge of the goggles takes around 90 minutes.

Should you buy it?