Garmin - vívosmart 5 Smart Fitness Tracker + Heart Rate Large - Black - (2022)

I had the Vivosmart 4 for probably 3 years and it was starting to get worn. The 5 came out so I bought. The price made m hesitate a little bit , but then I realized you don't have the subscription fees that Fitbit and others are rolling out to access features. So it's cheaper in the long run. The accuracy seems to be pretty good and battery life is excellent. I got the watch on Wednesday and I'm at 26% as of Sunday mid morning with sleep tracking on. I wish they had other bands available since they are swappable. Screen is sharp and watch is light weight. I love the physical button as opposed to the old touch button.

Garmin sleek and lightweight design with body battery, sleep, and steps data.

I switched to the Garmin when my Fitbit Inspire 2 finally died. It has more features and an ecosystem I prefer. I like it so far. But what was truly exceptional was the service provided by the vendor, FrontRow Tech. I wasn't paying attention and I ordered the wrong size, the large instead of the small-medium. I sent a message to the vendor through BestBuy's website. It was a Friday, late, so I didn't expect anything until the next week. I was stunned when I got a response in short order. A return label arrived, no fuss no charge, with a message from a person, not bot. The package was delivered to the vendor the following Friday. I had the replacement in the right size on Monday. Best service I've seen in a very long time. What I like about the watch: - Small format is very comfortable. I can wear it while sleeping, which is not the case with even a small (35mm) watch. - The screen, despite some reviews, is bright enough in direct sunlight and with my glasses (I'm far sighted) is fully legible. - With Pulse Ox enabled for sleep only, and occasional use during the week, I'm getting about 7 days per charge. - Data format (the way it shows up) and accessibility (device, phone, computer) is much better than that offered by the non-subscription service of Fitbit. I don't like paying for what I buy multiple times over. - Data collection seems accurate, at least those metrics I can verify, pulse, pulse ox, respiration rate. The Sleep score aligns with what I experience. - Plenty of customization options for me. Tom

Absolutely terrific. I bought this watch for my little one to count steps, monitor sleep and help him track tasks to do. It is very simple to use and the Garmin Jr. app is very easy to use as well. It is also very convenient not to have to charge the watch, a year later and the battery is still going strong.

I kept reading about problems with the battery life on these, but they turned out to last five days or more following the tips in the manual. One problem I have with it is the SpOx measurement while sleeping. The pulsing light is bright enough to wake me up, and I had to shut off that option. Also note that the "Large" is for wrist sizes of 6 to 10 inches! Apparently, men's wrists can get that large, but I find it hard to imagine. My main problem is with the interface, which is surprisingly complicated for a first-time user of a fitness tracker like myself. It took a few days of studying the manual to figure out where everything was, and the functions aren't in the most obvious places. For example, to change the screens available, one has to use the Garmin Connect app, select devices, select the tracker, and then select "Appearance" then "change widgets."

I don't like to do a review on something I still trying to make sure it works, but so far it's very accurate

I have had it for a week or so but I love it alot of information

I've had mine for about a month now, and I love all the features. It's really helping me with my weight loss. ITS AWESOME!

I am excited about most of the upgrades on the Vivosmart 5. I love that we now have a button to get into the second-level menu or go back to the home screen. It has a nice sleek look. It is a little narrower than the other brands. At first, I disliked reading the scrolling text but after a week I adjusted and it no longer bothers me. So I think the new narrow design is a plus. It holds a charge much better than the other brands that have had in the past I only have to charge it once a week now instead of the beginning and end of the week. And I use the nighttime SPo2 feature. I love the pulse ox. I've seen a lot of reviewers complain about it. Unfortunately, all of the reviews I watched or read about only used the Garmin for two or three days, and at most, a few used it for a week. This is not enough time. First, I tested the pulse ox feature against a finger pulse ox monitor. The Garmin is typically read 2% below the finger pulse ox. On a separate occasion when I was cold, it read 4% below the finger pulse ox. It shouldn't be a surprise that a wrist-based pulse Ox doesn't match the doctor's office device. However, it's within an acceptable range for me to use it. Especially, when I see I dropped down to 73 a couple of times during the night. One of the things to note is that you do need to wear this snug to the wrist for the HR and the Pulse Ox to work ideally. When they showed it, many of the reviewers were not wearing it snugly. I can still fit my index finger between my band and wrist so it isn't tight. Another sore point in most reviews is the overnight SPo2 monitoring. This frustrated me for the first week as it had many reviewers. But after that, it worked consistently. I learned that it only runs for about the middle 4 hours of your sleep time. Now, if you are a restless sleeper and move around a lot or get up, you will stop reading. For it to take your Pulse Ox your wrist needs to be straight. If you bend it, it will stop reading. If you make a fast move, it will stop, if you get up, it will stop. But, once you settle, the Vivosmart will start back up again. If your band is loose enough to slide around, you will not get a consistent pulse ox at night Especially if you move around. I also tested the Heart rate feature at the doctor's office and it was always dead on. Not once has it strayed from the doctor's reading. I tested both the pulse ox and the HR at five different doctor's offices. So I am fairly confident in the Garmin Pulse Ox and Heart Rate readings. But again, it needs to be snug to your wrist to achieve an accurate reading. When it is loose, it can be off. I did have to work a little to get my custom step size just right before it would take an accurate read of the distance I traveled and the number of steps I've taken during the day. For those who want to put it on and not worry about it, you may or may not have an accurate measure of how far you've walked/run or the number of steps you've taken. I do feel my Vivosmart 3 was a little better there. I'm not sure if it's specific to my band or why it is. But I did get it to work perfectly through the custom step and matching it to a handheld GPS to confirm the distance. The Body Battery is an interesting and unique feature. This one needed time to learn from me. It took a couple of weeks for this one to mesh with my life and activities. Once it did, I found that it has been useful to make decisions on working out or not. At one point I couldn't figure out why my reading was 44 because I felt great. Well, the next day I was sick. If I had looked at the HRV and pulse ox during the day (you have to manually ask it to take the pulse ox), I would have realized I was getting sick and could have adapted my activities for the day. I certainly don't use the body battery often but find it useful. For those who like to auto-count workouts, I've enjoyed that feature quite a bit. I don't run, but I love to walk and I swim, which is why I decided on the Garmin Vivosmart 3, it was waterproof. It misses a stroke or a rep here or there but it hasn't been very often. And if you do find it missed something, you can certainly add it to the App. Yes, it is waterproof. I use it in the pool all the time and don't worry about it in the shower. Garmin says the Vivosmart is waterproof up to 50 meters. And yes, it is! I don't normally scuba dive with it on. During the last trip, I forgot to take it off before climbing into my gear. My husband was about to head below deck so I handed it to tuck it away in our bags. He dropped in his shorts pocket and well, yes, he forgot. So, this wonderful little band survived a thirty-minute, 40-meter dive. It's not a dive computer and I probably won't wear it diving again because I can only handle so many wrist-based devices but I certainly won't be worried if I forget it again. So, whether you want it for the gym, running/walking, swimming, snorkeling, take it scuba diving, or tracking sleep, this little wearable is an excellent choice.