I specified woman’s perspective because when I was researching this watch, all I could find is how it looked and felt on a man’s wrist. So… I spent 2-3 weeks researching smart/fitness watches prior to purchasing the Vivoactive HR. When the HR came out, I was really excited. I owned a Fitbit Flex 3 years ago, and used it for about a year. Things I was looking for: • A device that would encourage me to start walking/running again • Heart rate monitor • Ability to track walking, running, calories, sleeping • Good battery life • Aesthetically appealing on a tiny wrist • Around or less than $250 • GPS tracking • Notifications for Android phone • Waterproof There’s quite a few options out there. But I found that each one would have one or two of those requirements missing. I definitely found my balance in the Vivoactive HR. That’s not to say it’s perfect. The worst part of this watch is the size of it. It took me about a week and a half to find a comfortable position for it on my wrist. The instructions suggest wearing it above the wrist bone but that’s not a possibility for me. I tried that on day one, and the following morning I had a sore indented spot on my wrist where the HR monitor dug into my arm. I was very aware of the watch on my wrist – possibly because I knew ahead of time that it was large and I was anticipating a problem – it just never seemed to blend into my every day. The HR monitor still leaves a small mark on my arm. I’m finally in a groove with it. I can ignore the size of it for most of the day. I wear it on the 6th notch. Complaints I read about prior to buying seem to be unfounded. The brightness of the screen has never been a problem. It is dim. But it also lasts about 9 days between charges. It brightens upon touching the screen. The heart rate is very accurate. The only time I’ve seen it go wacky is when I was in the shower. That was an isolated incident and I doubt you’ll need an accurate HR for the shower. The GPS rocks because it is Garmin, after all. Many buyers did not like the design of the watch. I like only the Fitbit Blaze design better than this one. I have come to enjoy my bulky box of a watch. The Bluetooth is reliable, and I can go throughout most of my 2 story house without losing a connection to my phone. There’s a plethora of activities that can tracked. Other thoughts: I really enjoy the idea of widgets. I use the weather widget most often but I also have one for astronomy. There’s a large amount of possibilities in the realm of customizable widgets. The move bar is a cute idea, but since I work in an office, I’m really in the need of moving throughout the day. It can be turned off, of course, but I like the reminder to move around. I’m a huge fan of the notifications. It’s nice to be able to quickly look at my watch to see if it’s worth even picking up my phone. The plastic around the face of it is not entirely the toughest. I already have a couple of small scrapes on it. It is large so it’s easy to just move your arm around and hit it on something until you remember it’s there. The Garmin Connect app is really awesome. There is a lot of information to dig through. The sleep information is one of my favorites. They break it down into light and deep sleep, and movement. It is really accurate in determining when I fall asleep and wake up. You can track your food intake through MyFitnessPal, which will upload through Garmin Connect to show accurate calories left for the day after your activities. The only problem is remembering to input your food! Tracking activities is a very simple task. I’ve used the running and walking tracking so far. It’s a very simple white screen with black text that records distance, timer and steps. Every mile it will vibrate while activated on a walking/running track mode. You can control music through the watch if Bluetooth is activated, which is neat. All in all, if you’re reading this then you might be in a place that I was prior to purchasing this watch. I poured over reviews trying to find the right person to tell me what to do. When I bought the watch, I specifically asked what the return policy was because I knew that there was a chance I’d be unhappy with it. However, I’m glad I made the decision to add the Garmin Vivoactive HR to my daily routine. It is a simple, easy to use, all-around great watch. Give it a try!

The Garmin Vivoactive HR is one of the best fitness watches that I have ever tried. I have been extremely impressed with the amount of features that the watch offers for the price. Other brands do not have all of the features and ease of connectivity. The main reason I purchased this watch was for running. It locks onto a GPS signal within seconds without any A-GPS updates required like other GPS watches. My runs were spot on accurate in regards to distance (ran around a track to measure). It does not require a smartphone connection to use GPS either. Garmin is known for its GPS modules, and this watch is no exception! There are apps that can be downloaded to the watch from a paired smartphone and I have tried a tracking app that works really well to keep me on course for runs in areas that are new to me. The smartphone pairing features are awesome too. I like being able to have music controls, weather, and notification viewing on my wrist. It's a nice luxury to not have to pull my phone out of my pocket to silence a call or read a text message. Since I have an iPhone 6s, I am not able to reply to messages on the watch like the compatible android devices, but at least being able to read them (and the entire message) is the most important part. Plus one can clear notifications from the phone on the watch. Even notifications from Snapchat and other apps will be pushed to the phone. I have found that the bluetooth signal for pairing is quite strong. I can still receive weather and notifications between floors of my home. I have used this watch for a week and a half and I can attest that it is waterproof (technically water resistant up to 5ATM). I don't really have a need to take it off other than when putting on a suit. I have a very small wrist, and the watch sticks up a little. I bought a matte screen protector (IQ Shield) to put on the watch, and that made it much more readable in sunlight. I highly suggest this watch to anyone looking into buying it! The features alone cost several hundred dollars more on other brands, and I think that Garmin did it right on this watch! The iPhone app is easy to navigate, and there is tons of information in regards to health stats available for viewing. The Heart Rate Monitor is spot on. I compared it to an EKG machine at a local clinic I work at while in a resting heart rate and the BPM was only 1 off. I also compared it to a more expensive older strap heart rate monitor, and those heart rates were very consistent with each other as well. The need to not have a heart strap is massive! It makes training and recording this information so much easier. Navigating through the watch with the touch screen and the menu and back button are easy. It loads things quickly as well. I am very impressed with the interface. The watch is comfortable to wear and the band feels sturdy. This watch is great at keeping stats organized and I have been really impressed by the amount of features within the product as well as the descent purchase price. The battery life is amazing as well! My apple watch pales in comparison at needing to be recharged daily. The Garmin Vivoactive HR is my new favorite watch by far since it is a much better fitness tracker than the Apple Watch. I HIGHLY recommend this watch to anyone looking for a higher end fitness watch.

Before buying my vivo I used a Microsoft band 2, so that is my benchmark for comparison. I was fed up with terrible battery life of the band 2 and started looking for alternatives. Thanks to Garmin Vivo is an option for my Windows 10 phone. Garmin and Fitbit are the only alternatives to the band that has a modern app for Windows 10. The Garmin connect app is better than Microsoft health(now band) in how it displays all the sleep, heart rate and activity tracking. The GOOD: The vivo has awesome battery life even with full time heart rate tracking and built in GPS and smart notifications. Working out or running 5 times a week I still only charge it weekly. The watch faces, apps and widgets are colorful and show most of the data you need to see. Garmin Connect isn't needed to see activity summaries. I like that the watch can work well without the phone app. The Vivo is fully waterproof and can be taken swimming or safely washed with soap and water. The buttons have a high quality click when pressed and the screen is responsive to input. The watch body is also tuff and holding up well to wearing it all the time either in the office or during home renovation projects. Only minor surface scratches are visible when you really look closely. The BAD: The vivo is big and flat. I loved how the band 2 curved with the shape of my wrist. This does not do that. The screen is completely flat. This makes it look at little odd. The display is nice but compared to the band 2 or an android wear watch looks out of date. Not powering AMOLED screen is most likely why the battery lasts all week. Think of the vivo screen as a really high resolution digital watch screen. Remember "indeglo"? That's similar to how this screen is lite up. It's "back lite". It feels a little old school and cheap when compared to other modern touch screen watches. But hey, 5 to 6 days of battery life. I'm not complaining. The Bluetooth connection is flaky at best and has to be initialized by the app. This means you start the phone app and it will connect to the watch. Why you don't pair this like any other device is weird. I've also experienced constant app crashes. I've found opening the app letting it sync then killing the app keeps it connected the longest. Smart notifications are also as flaky. They work some of the time. And best when connect is open, but then it crashes. Oh well, part of the reason for the 4 stars Bottom line this is a good project and Garmin seems like a great company continuing to make it better. I recommend for the data hungry active type.

After using the VAHR for about a month and a half, I feel pretty satisfied with the product thus far. Pros: -Relatively long battery life lasts 6-8 days if not using GPS. -compatible with various Garmin products, such as chest strap HR and footpod -variety of applications for different exercises such as rowing, weight lifting, running indoor, treadmill etc -waterproof up to 50m (claimed) Cons: -Wrist HR is VERY subpar. Only seems to keep up when jogging. Can't keep up on weight lifting, intervals, or even light walking -Altimeter is also subpar, seems to only count stairs whenever it wants to. Also seems to work less on certain times/days of the week -Records steps but not distance when in certain modes such as weight training or cardio, thus not adding to your overall distance for that day. -Accelerometer is also off. This is an issue if you run on a treadmill that can be fixed with a foot pod. This was not an issue with my Garmin Vivofit 2, but it was noticed on my vivofit 3 and VAHR. I would say this is more of a smart fitness tracker and less of a smart fitness watch. It works for me since I really don't need to be that in sync with my phone. I was already used to using the chest strap for my HR, so that wasn't a huge issue for me, but if you're looking to be rid of it you may look into a wrist HR with better reviews. Finally, the altimeter is lacking and does not correct with Garmin's manual info. If you're looking for a device that does a bit more than just track steps, then the VAHR is a versatile device that fits a lot of different lifestyles. The chest strap and foot pod are a must if you lift weights or run on treadmills often.

Coming from a Samsung Gear 2 Neo this watch is far and wide a better sports tracker. The heart rate monitor is on 24/7 and although it is mostly accurate I find that during strength training it does not always pick up your heart rate (say when you're training only legs). It nudges you when you sit still for too long and keeps track of how many flights of stairs you climb. The golf yardage tracker with scorekeeping is fantastic although it drains the battery much quicker than normal. As a smartwatch, it's really nice that notifications and phone ringing come to the Vivoactive HR, sometimes I miss the audible alert from the Gear 2 Neo. There is no speaker so you can't use the watch as a "bluetooth headset" like I could with the Gear 2 Neo but I knew that coming in and for as few times I had used it I don't really miss it. Overall the battery life is fantastic running 7-8 days with 6 days of fitness tracking, round the clock HR, pedometer, intensity tracker, stair flight tracker and more!