In line with Garmin’s sports activities tech legacy, the Garmin Vivoactive three has a coronary heart price sensor, GPS monitoring and a number of built-in apps devoted to maintaining tabs on a variety of sports activities actions, from operating and indoor biking to snowboarding and snowboarding.
Though the Vivoactive three’s focus could also be on health, this versatile wearable additionally has loads of different options to shout about, together with good notifications, an on-board fee system known as Garmin Pay (which is but to reach within the UK), in addition to each sleep and real-time stress monitoring.
And its design displays its sporty but good credentials, because it seems extra like a watch than a cumbersome health tracker.
It is no shock that the Vivoactive three does health properly. In spite of everything, the Garmin model is as synonymous with high-end sports activities gadgets as it’s with GPS methods these days. Communicate to any runner or triathlete and so they’ll doubtless cite considered one of Garmin’s Forerunner, and even Fenix, bands as their favourite gadget.
However that hasn’t stopped Garmin from venturing right into a extra consumer-focused area both. Gadgets within the Vivofit, Vivomove and Vivosmart ranges should still be aimed toward those that like understanding, however may very well be described extra as life-style wearables given they care as a lot about step counts, sleep and stress as private bests and optimizing efficiency.
The Garmin Vivoactive three is packed stuffed with options.
The Garmin Vivoactive three would not match neatly into both class. At round half the value of the model’s high-end health gadgets, just like the Fenix 5X, the Garmin Vivoactive three is a extra reasonably priced possibility and but nonetheless packs a punch in terms of sports activities monitoring.
It has on-board life-style options, like sleep and stress monitoring, however can be geared as much as compete with comparable multi-purpose smartwatches with its notifications and fee system.
As you’d anticipate, the Garmin Vivoactive three is not occupying this interesting area all by itself. Retailing at £279.99 ($249.99, AU$449) it is coming into at the same value level to new gadgets from among the largest names in wearable tech.
Most notably there’s the Apple Watch 3, in addition to the Fitbit Ionic. They’re by no means equivalent, however all three are pushed by health, look good, are designed to be worn 24/7 and are good.
Garmin could also be a agency favourite amongst these severe about health, however the query now could be whether or not a multi-purpose smartwatch just like the Vivoactive three has the on-board specs, type and mainstream visibility to compete with the likes of Apple and Fitbit.
Garmin Vivoactive three value and availability
- Launched November 2017
- Begins at £279.99/$249.99/AU$449
There are three completely different colours of the Garmin Vivoactive three to select from. There’s black silicone and slate, which is a premium-looking darkish gray and prices £299.99/$329.99/AU$499.
It additionally is available in black silicone and stainless-steel, which is silver, in addition to white silicone and stainless-steel, which each value barely much less at £279.99/$249.99/AU$449.
That makes the Garmin Vivoactive three rather less than comparable gadgets that additionally straddle the road between health tracker and smartwatch, just like the Fitbit Ionic, LG Watch Sport and the Apple Watch three (with simply GPS and never mobile capabilities).
It is also significantly lower than most of the model’s extra specialised multi-sports ranges.
For instance, should you’re on the lookout for a wearable to see you thru an enormous vary of actions with tremendous correct monitoring, the Fenix 5X is perhaps your finest wager at $699.99/£629.99/AU$949.
Then again, should you’re solely on the lookout for a tool for operating and nothing else, you possibly can go for the Forerunner 30 at £129.99 (round $175/AU$225). However most runners would wish to go for one thing just like the Forerunner 235, which nonetheless undercuts the Vivoactive three.
Briefly, in order for you a Garmin health gadget there are definitely cheaper choices. However you’d have to make sure that health is your solely focus, in any other case it will make sense to think about the Vivoactive three as a substitute.
You may immediately see the way you’re performing all through the day with this watch face.
Design
- Round design
- Cozy strap
- Display counteracts glare
At 43g, and made with a stainless-steel casing, the Garmin Vivoactive three feels weighty sufficient to be premium, however like a traditional watch as soon as it is strapped on. It is a world away from Garmin’s earlier Vivoactive HR gadget, which in some ways felt and appeared extra like an inexpensive, blocky sports activities watch than a high quality wearable.
That’s the operating theme in terms of the design of the Vivoactive three, though full of good options and a bevy of sensors, it seems and appears like a ‘regular’ watch.
That is particularly the case compared to wearables constructed solely for monitoring, like Garmin’s newest Vivosport or Vivosmart gadgets. It even seems extra watch-like than its closest opponents, which is more likely to be as a result of each the Fitbit Ionic and Apple Watch three have sq. (or square-er) faces.
With a depth of 11.7mm the Garmin Vivoactive three sits flush towards our arms. This mixed with a brilliant versatile silicone strap makes for a really comfy put on. That was the case all through our complete overview interval, even at night time and on the fitness center.
The Garmin Vivoactive three has a depth of 11.7mm.
The silicone strap is versatile and really straightforward to get on and off. However as soon as it is on it feels safe, even after a run, swim and a HIIT class. However should you do not just like the strap, it is attainable to switch it with another 20mm fast launch band.
The Garmin Vivoactive three’s display screen measures 1.2 inches and has a 240 x 240 pixel show, which is a measurement that fits a variety of wrists each massive and small, and but nonetheless serves up info with out you having to squint to see the stats.
Like many different Garmin watches, the Vivoactive three has a colour transflective display screen. At first this seems a bit darkish, particularly in comparison with the Fitbit Ionic’s OLED show, but it surely’s been created that method with a purpose to make it simpler to learn, even in direct daylight, and to make a giant saving on battery life too.
The show is always-on, however dimmed. The backlight comes on while you flip your wrist up. That is helpful for rapidly checking the time, however we discovered maintaining that setting on meant it got here on lots through the night time. Nevertheless, you possibly can customise whether or not it comes on or not, in addition to how lengthy for.
There is a small bezel spherical the sting of the display screen with strains on it to indicate the place the hours are. And in contrast to loads of comparable gadgets, there’s simply the one button on the aspect of the display screen. The wonderful thing about that is you get to determine throughout setup whether or not you need it going through towards your physique, or going through towards your wrist and hand.
You may change the settings so you possibly can select which aspect the button sits on.
We wore the Vivoactive three on our left wrist, so selected the button to be closest to our hand to make it simpler to push with our proper. This button is fairly vital as a result of, amongst different issues, it permits you to entry the sports activities menu and likewise works as a again button.
Some individuals are certain to like the minimal impact this supplies, others who’re used to multi-functional sports activities watches with a number of buttons and dials might discover it missing.
On the underside of the Vivoactive three there is a 4 pin charging port, which is small and cannot be felt in your pores and skin, in addition to the gadget’s optical coronary heart price sensor, which once more, sits flush towards your wrist.
Right here you possibly can see the charging port and optical coronary heart price sensor.
We reviewed the Vivoactive three in black silicone and slate, which is a premium-looking darkish gray that prices barely greater than black silicone and stainless-steel or white silicone and stainless-steel.
The Garmin Vivoactive three is waterproof as much as 50 meters, which is right should you’re a swimmer and makes it simpler to bathe and wash-up with out worrying about taking it on and off on a regular basis.
Add to that the very fact the display screen is Corning Gorilla Glass three and the case is comprised of a bolstered polymer and you have got one sturdy gadget in your wrist that’ll face up to essentially the most grueling of exercise classes.
In relation to design, the Garmin Vivoactive three definitely ticks all the proper bins and justifies the value level, offering a watch that appears premium, however most significantly for a 24/7 wearable, feels comfy.