This watch competes against the smarter of the Fitbit watches, and since I came from using a Fitbit Blaze, that's what I'm largely going to compare it against.
The one place where fitbit devices win out is in the resident application, and auto activity detection.
While I generally prefer the Garmin app, It is infuriating that food tracking is outsourced to Under Armour's application. They do sync together, but the Under Armor app is about 90% advertisements, is bloated, and a pain to use.
Also, this device has trouble accurately detecting when I climb stairs, and it 100% fails to autodetect activities, like walking, jogging or bike riding.
Those are the negatives. Onto the positives.
1. Heart rate: The heart rate detection is nearly flawless, especially compared to my old fitbit. The Garmin almost never loses my heart rate, whereas the fitbit would constantly drop out.
2. Onboard GPS: I can go running, biking, etc with just the watch, and it has ONBOARD gps. A number of Fitbit products claim to do GPS tracking of activities, but in the fine print, they let you know it uses your phone GPS to track, so you're really no better off than just using an app on your phone at that point.
3. Battery life: Battery life on the Garmin watch is epic. I can easily go over a week without charging it. In fact, I get MORE life than Garmin claims. The only caveat to that is when you are doing GPS tracking, you can burn through a charge in a long day or so. For passive wear, though, it is epic.
4. Screen: At first I was underwhelmed by the screen, it's a reflective color LCD, so it is much less vibrant than some other smart watches. However, that reflective screen has some benefits I didn't consider at first... Since it is LCD, it can be on ALL THE TIME. That means there are no button presses or strange arm twitches needed to check the time. If it's dark out, a quick tap of the screen will turn on the backlight. Also, the screen is touch-sensitive, which makes navigation very intuitive.
5. Device navigation: Dovetailing to the above point, you can move around on the watch using multiple techniques: Swiping and tapping on the screen, sliding your finger along the side opposite the crown button, and tapping the crown button. This flexibility allows use of the watch with gloves on.
6. Customization: There are many, many great watchfaces and applications available for the Vivoactive watches.
7. Watchbands: Unlike Fitbit, Garmin opted for a traditional watch band system. This means you can go out and buy whatever style band you like, and use it with the Vivoactive. I'm personally a fan of metal bands, so it was easy to get something that fit nicely.
Overall, much superior to other offerings I've tried out.
Smartwatch GARMIN Vivoactive 3 1,2in GPS Waterproof 5 ATM Glonass Black Stainless Steel (Renewed)
4.1 | 203 ratings
Price: 109.99
Last update: 09-24-2024
About this item
Computers | Electronics, Electronics | Phones & tablets, Smartwatches
Wireless communication technology, Bluetooth
Package Dimensions, 8.2 L x 16.9 H x 16.4 W (centimeters)
Wireless communication technology, Bluetooth
Package Dimensions, 8.2 L x 16.9 H x 16.4 W (centimeters)
Product information
| Product Dimensions | 1.71 x 0.46 x 1.71 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 1.44 ounces |
| ASIN | B07HP7P4JT |
| Item model number | 010-01769-00-cr |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Metal batteries required. |
| Customer Reviews |
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars
200 ratings
4.1 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #326 in Amazon Renewed (See Top 100 in Amazon Renewed) #34 in Renewed Smartwatches #187 in Smartwatches |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| OS | android |
| Wireless communication technologies | Bluetooth |
| Connectivity technologies | Bluetooth, GPS |
| GPS | True |
| Special features | Time Display, GPS, Pedometer |
| Other display features | Wireless |
| Human Interface Input | Touchscreen |
| Scanner Resolution | 240 x 240 |
| Color | Multicolor |
| Department | mens |
| Manufacturer | GARMIN |
| Date First Available | September 26, 2018 |
| Weight | 0.09 Pounds |
| Standing screen display size | 1.2 Inches |
Top reviews from the United States
PCole
Way better than my Fitbit Blaze
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2019Sebastián R.
Una compra adecuada
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2023
Sebastián R.
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2023
Images in this review
bobby
Great for the money
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2020
bobby
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2020
Images in this review
Lorena
No funciona sin estar enchufado
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2024Antony Mulligan
Excellent product
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2021
Seasoned Pro
Great value, cool styling, twice the battery life of Apple and Samsung
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2019Lisa4r
Disappointed in the brightness of the watch faces
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2022S.E. Medcalf
I like it.
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2018