Garmin Vivosmart 5 review: Aces the software, fails design

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I am usually the first to call companies that ignore the design, or put it in the list of importance when making a new wearable. I think it is important that a product we put on our body are at least vaguely attractive. But I am ready to go easily on gamin, such as Vivosmart 5 fitness tracker is very common, it's other most important aspects of wearbals – app – absolutely correct. Let's talk about how a great user experience protects Vivosmart 5 from passing.

design

Garmin Vivosmart 5 is functional, not beautiful. The dimpled silicon strap consists of the main module of Vivosmart 5, with a small monochrome OLED screen and a single physical button on it. My review model is black, but you can get other colors to brighten it, as well as polycarbonate modules can be easily removed from the band and swaping with one of replacement. Sells for $ 30.

It is as simple and nondescript as they come, especially in boring black. I want to hide it under my cuff, but because the case is quite bulb, it never fits comfortably under it. A strange type of specific issue with comfort that only affects me does not want to let the lease go while trying to close the vivosmart 5, and it emphasizes holding my hand hair in a bid to prevent me from leaving. It rips me like a band-ed.

The small OLED screen has an acrylic lens above it and an original 154 x 88 pixel resolution. It is bright seen in sunlight, and touchscreen is sensitive and reliable. The physical button will please those who did not like the haptic button on Vivosmart 4, but it is at the age of the design of the new model. I will take that trade-off here, as it makes the use of vivosmart 5 so easy, to choose characteristics with a quick press and a longer pressure to finish a workout.

Garmin offers Vivosmart 5 trackers in two different sizes, one for a small to moderate wrist and the other for large wrist. There is a slight variation in weight, but at 26 grams on its heaviest, wearing it at all times does not cause any fatigue. For reference, I am wearing a large size on my 6.5 -inch wrist and buckle on the sixth hole, 14 are available, so there are tones of adjustment.

Fitness trackers are rarely beautiful, but for those who care about the design, it looks good that looks good. If you prefer a watch-style look, garmin has Vivomov Sport, or fitbit Lux if the fitness tracker style is more for you. Vivosmart 5 risks are being ignored due to its original design, and as we will see, it is a shame.

Health tracking

Vivosmart 5 has a broad sensor array to measure your heart rate and look out for unusual changes, as well as it measures your blood oxygen levels and tracks stress and sleep. All data of your daily activities, workouts and sleep are collided in the Garmin Connect App available for iOS and Android. I am using Vivosmart 5 associated with an iPhone 13 Pro.

Garmin connect is fantastic. This is the reason that you should consider Vivosmart 5. It provides deep insight into your body's state and performance, it is a broad and data-pack. It does all this for free – there is no membership model to access special features or historical data – which is a large bonus on competition from fitbit. Yes, it's a bit intense Information amount Available, but I am not much more than not enough.

Keeping an eye on a 50 -minute walk away provides information about speed, speed, time and heart rate data, plus calorie burns, average temperature and workout intensity. Vivosmart 5 does not have its own GPS and that location depends on the GPS of your phone for data. It is connected to my iPhone, but it needs to open the first app if you do not allow it to reach your location at all times. Once GPS was connected, I could put my phone back in my pocket. The latter plotted map adds height to the speed information, the breakdown of laps, the ambient temperature and the overall picture of their workouts.

Actually everything that you want or need. Certainly for me, a casual exercise, this is a total overcome. I tell this that the more dedicated person will get all the information they want. In addition to walking, Vivosmart is running in 5, a variety of cardio, strength, cycling, pool swimming, HIIT, and other workout-tracking mode.

The goals can be set manually, but the platform by default connects the target to complete you automatically. They are quite low sets, and changing them means digging through different menu to find the option. Connect can be quite complicated to navigate and there are different ways to find the same data, really that it is really.

My favorite state is a clever body battery of gamin. To help gauge your energy reserves for the day it takes into account stress, sleep and heart rate variability, and better understand how much you have tried in your workouts. It is informative and simple to understand, and helps in creating an understanding of data that may otherwise shine or ignore.

Only the negative side is that there is not a very inspiring response, and while all the data means, there is a lot of explanatory text about it, you have to actively go in search of it.

Activity and sleep-tracking comparison

While tracking a 40 -minute walk, putting Vivosmart 5 against Apple Watch Series 7, I found that both devices suggested the average heart rate and total calories, both were matched, both were matched. Nearby other workout types, the devices usually match, but it is important to keep the vivosmart 5 tightly against your wrist for precise heart rate tracking. If it is slightly loose, it can be wrong, something that affects blood oxygen reading and heart rate overnight.

Comparing Vivosmart 5's sleep tracking with OURA ring, the Garmin tracker recorded a long period of “sleep” compared to the OURA ring, as it does not recognize that I was awake in the morning. However, the OURA ring keeps thinking that I wake up during the night when I do not, some avoid gamin.

Garmin gave 95/100 sleep score to my 7-hour, 42-minute sleep, while OURA measured 7-hours, 21-minute for 83/100 score. Heart rate estimates was very different from OURA, with the lowest record 9 beat per minute, which is unlikely, because the OURA ring saw nothing less than 47Brpm. Sleep-tracking discrepancy will definitely be cured by almost wearing the band more tightly, but I find it uncomfortable. Laughingly worn, I did not notice Vivosmart 5 at night.

Operating system and information

Vivosmart 5 is controlled using a touchscreen and a single button on the front side. Your current statistics are all hidden under a branch menu, so you have to swipe and tap them a few times to see them. Press the button to reach the main menu and find a workout, as well as set a way to change the heart rate measurement, the watch face and set a timer. It is very sensitive, and once you use for layout, it is faster to find what you are looking at.

Information has come firmly, but there is no way to interact with them, and due to the small screen, the formatment usually closes. This means that they are fine for a look, but not too much. In addition, they cannot be missed, so if you remember the alert, you cannot check to see what it was. Notifications are much more secondary feature and do not match the ability provided by a full smartwatch.

Battery

Garmin says that Vivosmart 5 will give you a battery life of up to seven days. This is only when you decide to not activate blood monitoring and track your sleep. If you track them, expect a pathetic three days for a maximum of three days with a daily workout running for 30 to 50 minutes. On average, Vivosmart loses about 15% of the battery overnight.

This is a problem because the body battery feature, which I really like and consider a large part of the appeal of Vivosmart 5, takes your sleep into account. In addition, blood oxygen levels are helpful for many different aspects of health tracking. Either either does not use both feels like a waste. Simply put, the seven-day battery estimate of gamin does not apply to just anyone, the way it is actually planned to use Vivosmart 5, the way it is intended.

It is charged using a involved proprietary cable and takes a few hours to move from 10% to full.

Price and availability

Garmin Vivosmart 5 $ 150, or 130 is available to purchase through online stores of gamin for British pounds, whether you find a small/medium or large version. You can choose a black, white or cool mint color, and buy a replacement band for $ 30 or 25 pounds.

Take ours

Garmin Vivosmart 5 is about Garmin Connect platform. The fitness tracker is very plain to see itself, but it is the beauty in the data that collects it and presents it in the app. The tracker has a simple-use touchscreen and button-controlled interface, and while the app is a data-bed, it is unlikely that you want more than this.

This is the depth of data that makes Vivosmart 5 worthwhile, even if the design is not initially curious to lease you on it. Because it is so broad, your fitness level should improve for the future and you find yourself more or try to try new games. This is also true for hardware, which has all the right sensors to monitor your health over time.

It is to use and incompatible on your wrist, and I have found that it provides interesting and useful. It is just a shame that the design is very common, and when you take advantage of its full capacity, the battery life is very low.

Is there a better option?

Yes, if the design matters to you. The boring look of Vivosmart 5 stops me, and I will wear Vivomove Sport Smartwatch. It uses a germin connect platform, so you have access to all the same excellent data, as well as the same sensor array, which is all more attractive inside the watch-style case. It is only a little more expensive in $ 180, or 150 pounds.

If you are set on a fitness band, Fitbit Luxe has the same glasses for the same price, and more expensive Fitbit Charge comes with 5 onboard GPS, but you have to pay monthly membership for access to all your data. If you want to spend less money on a fitness band, take a look at Xiaomi Mi Band 6 or Honor Band 6.

How long will it last?

Garmin vivosmart 5 is made of polycarbonate and silicone, so it should be proved hardwearing, as well as swim-proof for use in the pool. You should not have any problem with durability. Provided that gamin connect software has been supported long -term, which I think it will be, Vivosmart 5 should last for many years.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Garmin Vivosmart 5 may not have too much style, but excellent garmin connect software makes it for it, and you are not charged additional fees to see all your data.