Lifebeam Vi

Excellent audio quality ; Helps you maintain a healthy step rate ; Provides some motivation

Lots of bugs ; Finicky positioning for the HRM ; No training plans yet

Stunning design details ; Fantastic sound quality ; Good battery life

Hit and miss voice controls ; Lack of event-specific coaching ; Badly limited post-run stats in the app

The LifeBEAM Vi is a remarkable piece of fitness tech and one of the most exciting running products we’ve seen in years. However, for all her smarts Vi doesn’t do enough of the running basics right to even replace your watch, let alone your coach. But...

Coaching gives useful tips catered to you ; Earphones fit well (and comes with spares) ; Sounds is nice and bassy ; Neat design and flexible neckband

Spotify regularly stopped playing ; Coaching could be even more contextually aware ; Battery life could be better ; Strava tie-in unreliable ; Sound could be cleaner

The Lifebeam Vi is one of those rare products that genuinely makes your workouts more effective, especially if you're not a massively experienced runner. With its AI coaching and tracking combined in a well-designed earphone, it delivers timely...

Packed with sensors ; Polished voice technology

Compatibility issues ; Patchy microphone

We like the Lifebeam Vi a lot, but for serious fitness fans, it’s probably best to stick with a good wrist-mounted tracker, especially one that can be used without a phone bouncing around in your pocket.

AI trainer offers plenty of encouragement and advice ; Good range of bud and wingtip options to get a perfect fit ; Sound quality is fairly good

Voice control is a bit rubbish ; Lack of features for experienced runners

Vi provides a great hands-on approach to getting beginner runners in tip top shape

I like Vi a lot, but I appreciate in some ways it’s a tough sell. First, £200 puts it in direct competition with the likes of the Polar M430, Gear Fit2 Pro and the TomTom Spark 3 – all of which don’t require a phone, but track everything Vi does and a...