Garmin Vivoactive 5 review

The Garmin Vivoactive 5 arrives because the successor to the Vivoactive 4, which launched again in 2019.

Garmin is updating its first smartwatch-style sports activities watch most notably with an AMOLED display. There are new smarts too with a sleep coach telling you ways a lot sleep you want, and it now presents built-in exercises for wheelchair customers.

It’s providing these options for lower than Garmin’s new Venu 3, which has emerged as Garmin’s reply to the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch.

So, was Garmin proper to convey again the Vivoactive 5 and is it top-of-the-line sporty smartwatches to select up?

Design & Construct

• Weighs 36g
• One case measurement solely
• New AMOLED show

The Vivoactive 5 is obtainable in simply the only 42mm case measurement, which is a change from the 2 case measurement choices you would choose up the Vivoactive 4 in.

Mike Sawh

It’s nonetheless a polymer case, which is just about the norm for many Garmin watches, with an aluminium bezel now rather than the metal one used on its predecessor. Garmin presents it in 4 completely different colors so you possibly can choose it up in a brighter or extra low-key bezel and case combo look. It appears fairly much like the Google Pixel Watch 2.

That’s matched up with a 20mm fast launch band, which does imply you modify that band through a easy pin mechanism. It’s a fairly normal sports activities watch band that has been comfy to put on throughout the day, in mattress and through train.

Up entrance, Garmin has switched from a transflective show to a 1.2in, 390 x 390 pixel decision AMOLED one. So that you’re now getting a substantial bump in color and general getting a punchier display that makes the newest Vivoactive really feel a bit extra like a smartwatch. It’s not the perfect AMOLED Garmin presents on certainly one of its watches, however it’s brilliant and vibrant sufficient to ship good visibility on the entire and also you do have the choice to maintain it on 24/7.

One factor I don’t completely love right here is that there’s a fairly sizeable black bezel that sits round that touchscreen, which takes a number of the gloss off what’s general a fairly streamlined look and never a massively memorable look.

Mike Sawh

Together with the touchscreen, Garmin consists of two bodily buttons, whereas across the again you’ll discover the charging port, which stays the identical as just about each new Garmin watch. That sits alongside an upgraded optical coronary heart fee sensor, although this isn’t the newest model of Garmin’s optical coronary heart fee sensor know-how.

Waterproofing stays the identical because the final Vivoactive at 5ATM, so that you do have one thing you possibly can submerge in water as much as 50 metres depth and is match for pool and open water swimming.

Well being & Health Monitoring

• Improved GPS and coronary heart fee sensors
• HRV Standing added from different new Garmin watches
• New Sleep Coach

The Vivoactive 5 is a multisports watch at coronary heart, so it’s able to monitoring runs, swims, biking and likewise has golf as certainly one of its core sport profiles. There are additionally monitoring profiles for indoor exercises just like the Elliptical and Garmin has notably added exercises for wheelchair customers with hand biking added as a brand new profile.

Mike Sawh

That is additionally a watch that may rely your each day steps, push you to maneuver extra and displays your sleep time. Garmin is introducing a brand new sleep coach characteristic to supply recommendation on bettering the standard of your sleep time.

Garmin additionally features a pulse ox blood oxygen saturation sensor, however loses the barometric altimeter from the Vivoactive 4. So you possibly can’t measure elevation like stairs climbed throughout the day which is a disgrace.

I’ll begin with that core sports activities monitoring first and I’m completely happy to report that in typical Garmin vogue, it’s fairly stable general. Garmin has upgraded to a multi GNSS setup for monitoring out of doors exercises, so not the spectacular multiband mode we’ve seen crop up on different new Garmin watches.

I’ve been utilizing it for runs in opposition to the dual-band mode on the Apple Watch Extremely 2 and the multiband mode on the Garmin Forerunner 965 and the accuracy has been superb. Metrics like distance tracked, common tempo and even energy burned tended to match up or be in the identical ballpark as these different watches.

Garmin has additionally upgraded the optical coronary heart fee sensor and efficiency right here has been good right here too. I’ve been utilizing it up in opposition to a coronary heart fee monitor chest strap and it held up properly for steady-paced exercises with some faltering at excessive intensities. That’s just about the norm for optical sensors, although you possibly can add exterior coronary heart fee sensors for successful of extra correct coronary heart fee information.

I’ve additionally used it for pool swims, indoor rowing, treadmill runs and HIIT exercises and the Vivoactive 5 has been a stable performer throughout the board. The information has been good, the display is large enough and brilliant sufficient to take in information and it’s providing that typical nice Garmin monitoring expertise.

Once you swap over to health and sleep monitoring mode, it’s extra of the identical as properly. The Vivoactive 5 retains monitoring of each day steps and adjusts goal step counts relying in your skill to hit that each day step aim. It tracks depth minutes, stress, respiration and coronary heart fee, whereas Garmin has developed its Physique Battery vitality monitor to supply extra common insights and updates throughout the day.

I’ve been utilizing it alongside a Fitbit Cost 6 and step counts have been properly in line. It’s the same story for steady coronary heart fee monitoring too, which is certainly one of Garmin’s strengths. 

Mike Sawh

For sleep monitoring, Garmin captures core stats just like the time you fell asleep and if you awoke, breaks down sleep phases and generates a sleep rating. Garmin is now additionally including in additional sleep metrics, like adjustments in Physique Battery and captures coronary heart fee variability measurements to gas Garmin’s HRV Standing perception.

That core sleep monitoring has its good and unhealthy days. I’ve been utilizing it in opposition to the Fitbit Cost 6 and the Oura Ring Gen 3 and Garmin does nonetheless appear to have that acquainted quirk of capturing an additional hour of sleep time or taking a bit longer to detect once I’ve fallen asleep. There have been days the place information was properly according to Fitbit and Garmin’s sleep information as properly, so it’s able to doing a great job however it’s a blended bag.

Garmin’s new Sleep Coach creates a really helpful sleep time primarily based on sleep historical past and exercise historical past. So I’d slept greater than the really helpful 7 hour and 50 minutes on one evening and it steered I wanted 20 minutes much less sleep. After a tricky exercise day, it suggests going again as much as that 7 hours 50 minutes. It doesn’t really feel like a revolutionary characteristic, however does add a extra actionable facet to Garmin’s typically okay sleep monitoring.

There are coaching and evaluation options right here too, although to not the extent you’ll discover on Garmin’s Forerunner sequence watches. You possibly can construct exercises, together with intervals for working, which will be synced over to the watch. It’ll recommend a super restoration time after exercises and Garmin has included its HRV Standing metric, although lacks its extra helpful and less complicated HRV-powered Coaching Readiness metric.

A brand new exercise profit perception included after a exercise presents some fairly fundamental perception on the worth of that exercise, which is one thing I typically forgot about or ignored.

Smartwatch Options

• Constructed-in music participant
• View photographs in messages 
• Join IQ Retailer entry

The Garmin Vivoactive 5 seeks to be a smartwatch in addition to a sports activities watch. It does work with iOS and Android gadgets, with some newer smarts solely obtainable when paired to Android smartphones.

Mike Sawh

You possibly can view notifications with Android customers now capable of see pictures despatched by messages. That’s together with the flexibility to reply to messages with the onboard digital keyboard. Garmin consists of its useful Morning Report summaries and there’s 4GB of storage a few of which is reserved for the onboard music participant. You possibly can plug the Vivoactive 5 into a pc to switch over your personal audio or you possibly can sync some over instantly on the watch from streaming music companies like Spotify, Deezer and companies like Runcasts.

Garmin Pay makes the minimize as properly to allow contactless funds, although supported banks are smaller in quantity in comparison with rival smartwatch fee companies. You do have entry to Garmin’s Join IQ Retailer to obtain apps, watch faces, information fields and widgets, whereas it’s good to see Garmin’s security options make the minimize too. You will want your telephone paired to utilize them, nonetheless.

In order for you the perfect smartwatch expertise on a sports activities watch, Garmin stands out above the competitors. Is it as slick as an Apple Watch or a Samsung Galaxy Watch? No. Should you care principally about notifications and music options, Garmin does a great job on these fronts.

Battery Life & Charging

• As much as 11 days in smartwatch mode
• 5 days with display in always-on mode
• As much as 21 hours GPS battery life

Regardless of including in that AMOLED show, Garmin suggests it is best to nonetheless get a formidable battery from the Vivoactive 5 in between prices. 

It’s touting as much as 11 days in smartwatch mode, which drops to five days when you’ve that AMOLED display set to always-on. There’s a extra restrictive battery saver mode that additionally pushes it to 21 days. I’d say that getting that 11 days in smartwatch mode fully is dependent upon how commonly you’re utilizing options like GPS.

Primarily based on my testing, it’s been slightly below per week with common GPS use together with steady well being and wellness monitoring options in use and enabling the notification help. Should you preserve that display on, it’s going to be a 3-4 days. However that’s greater than the 24-hours touted for one thing just like the Pixel Watch 2.

Mike Sawh

Garmin says it is best to stand up to 17 hours within the high GPS accuracy mode, which will increase to 21 hours in the usual GPS mode and drops to eight hours with music streaming. That appears about proper primarily based on my testing. A 30-minute out of doors run noticed the battery drop by lower than 5%, and that was with out the display set to always-on.

Whether or not you go all in with options obtainable or scale issues again, that is nonetheless a watch that’s going to go longer than smartwatches just like the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch, however perhaps not so far as the Huawei Watch GT 4.

Value & Availability

The Garmin Vivoactive is available in priced at $299.99/£259.99, placing it firmly within the mid-range worth class in Garmin’s in depth watch assortment. That’s considerably cheaper than the AMOLED-packing Garmin Venu 3, which prices $449/£449. It additionally sits slightly below the value of the older Venu 2.

You should buy it from Garmin in addition to the likes of Amazon, Currys, Argos and Very.

Within the US, it’s on sale at Garmin, Amazon and BestBuy.

Outdoors of Garmin’s personal vary, it’s clearly competing with the likes of the Polar Ignite 3 ($329.95/£289) and the Apple Watch SE ($249/£219), two color screen-packing smartwatches that additionally supply sturdy sports activities, health and well being monitoring options.

For extra options test our greatest smartwatch chart.

Verdict

The Vivoactive 5 sees Garmin add yet one more stable AMOLED multisports watch that performs as a great smartwatch to its ranks. It additionally means it has one other watch to sit down at yet one more completely different worth level.

Once you have a look at what it’s up in opposition to, it presents arguably a greater software program and smartwatch expertise than the closest-priced Polar sporty smartwatch and has richer native sports activities monitoring than one thing just like the Apple Watch SE. Apple presents a extra complete smartwatch ecosystem and looks like a greater watch to trace your well being, if you happen to personal an iPhone.

Taking a look at it from a Garmin perspective, it’s additionally providing a whole lot of what the Venu does for much less cash too. You miss out on a special bezel, further case measurement, an altimeter and the additional voice-based options. Should you can dwell with out these issues, you may get a less expensive sporty smartwatch from Garmin that also delivers the products the place it issues.

Specs

• 1.2in 390 x 390p AMOLED show
• Gorilla Glass 3
• Polymer casing
• 4GB RAM
• 5 ATM water score
• 20mm fast launch straps
• 42.2 x 42.2 x 11.1mm
• 36g