One of many fundamental points with wearable tech is battery life. We have already got telephones we cost day by day, we don’t desire a watch that calls for the identical therapy.The Garmin Vivofit three avoids this challenge by holding its options easy and its tech super-efficient, for battery lifetime of as much as a yr. You’ll then have to interchange the battery manually, however when it saves you dozens upon dozens of instances plugging the factor in, possibly it’s definitely worth the effort.It is an reasonably priced machine too – extra about that down beneath – with a worth that barely undercuts the Fitbit Alta.Nonetheless, because the design is much less smooth and fairly than the Alta and lots of different wearables, and the tracker mild on each options and software program gloss, the Vivofit three shouldn’t be for everybody. Plus, there’s now a more recent model of the Vivofit that you could be need to take into account.Garmin Vivofit three worth and launch dateThe Vivofit three initially launched again in 2016 and remains to be accessible within the US, UK and Australia. The value of the wearable initially got here in at $100 (£90, AU$159) however we have gently seen the worth drop with the US and UK with the ability to choose it up in some gross sales for under $49.99/£49.99.The value is even generally decrease because the launch of the upgraded Vivofit four that encompasses a coloration display and a extra refined design.DesignBetter display than earlier modelsWater-resistantBland, chunky designThis is the third Vivofit. You get no prizes for guessing that one. The Garmin Vivofit three has a smaller, extra elegant display than these of the earlier fashions. Outdated Vivofits’ big angular fonts made them look a bit calculator-like.The redesign isn’t precisely a revelation, although, not once we’ve already seen the a lot prettier Fitbit Alta. Garmin’s Vivofit three is chunky for a primary tracker, and isn’t all that trendy. It’s a rubbery strap with an embossed diamond sample, into which a nugget of health tracker mind slots.Certain, it’s much less unintentionally retro than the Vivofit 2, however doesn’t come throughout too nicely sat subsequent to a Fitbit Flex 2 or the Alta. So-so model is a slight drawback with numerous Garmin health gear. It’s an organization extra at-home with hardcore runners’ watches just like the Garmin Forerunner 920XT.A technique round that is to purchase a substitute “Jonathan Adler + Garmin” designer band, that are way more trendy than the usual one.No matter strap you select although, there are many different issues to love concerning the Vivofit three. It’s comfortable sufficient to put on 24/7 (if you happen to don’t thoughts the majority), and because it’s absolutely water resistant you may put on it within the bathe.Garmin has carried out its finest to make the strap very safe too. It’s a typical rubbery strap for essentially the most half, however the clasp has a locking mechanism that makes ripping the factor off throughout train not possible.It makes an incredible watch as nicely. Older Vivofits show the time, however awkwardly, because the show sits sideways. The Vivofit three’s portrait display is way comfier to learn off.The display is the magic element liable for the 1-year battery. Its small, low-res, monochrome LCD makes use of nothing like the ability of a smartwatch LCD. At first look it seems like a coloration display due to the pink strip up prime, however the pink half is separate, and used as a immediate to let you recognize if you haven’t moved shortly.In daylight, the display may be very clear, and there’s a dim backlight you may swap on utilizing a long-press on the primary button. It does the job for making the show seen in darkness, primary as it’s.Garmin makes good use of this tiny show too, however doesn’t shout practically loud sufficient about its two modes – full display and cut up display. In “full display”, presses on the large button on the entrance flick by means of stat screens. Step depend, distance, energy, the time and date, and what number of ‘intense’ exercise minutes you’ve ticked off all characteristic.As this could be a little bit of a ache to cycle by means of, you may prune again what number of of those pages seem within the Garmin Join app. There are additionally 5 watch faces: three digital, two analogue. One of many digital ones additionally exhibits how shut you’re to your steps purpose for an honest one-screen replace.The Garmin Vivofit three has a split-screen mode too, which shows your ‘dwelling’ display plus slightly stat read-out on the backside. We’ve been utilizing this to maintain the clock on the show always, however you can also make any of the pages the lead.This may take slightly to get your head round, however makes the Vivofit three surprisingly customizable. In direction of the top of testing we settled on eliminating a lot of the screens for an ultra-simple read-out of simply the time and day by day steps. In any case, the Vivofit three’s calorie and distance reads-outs are extrapolated out of your steps anyway.All of those neat customizations are half-hidden within the machine settings a part of the Garmin Join app, and are straightforward to overlook. This can be a disgrace as some consumers will discover the default structure slightly annoying.It’s a facet impact of the pure simplicity of the Vivofit three model. There’s just one button. Fast faucets cycle by means of the screens you’ve enabled, an extended one begins an exercise and a really lengthy press begins the sync course of. This handbook sync is one other concession made for battery life.Efficiency and health trackingNo GPS, coronary heart charge monitor or altimeterTracking accuracy is akin to rivalsCan differentiate between walks and runsThe Vivofit three’s simplicity additionally determines the options the tracker has: not that many. There’s an accelerometer-based pedometer, however no GPS, no coronary heart charge sensor and no stair/climb-tracking altimeter. It’s so simple as they arrive, though to an extent that is mirrored within the worth.Its one barely extra superior characteristic is train recognition. Lengthy-press the button and the Vivofit three begins registering actions, logged as separate entries within the companion app, in addition to including to your day by day steps depend.We’ve heard experiences of this misfiring, however in our expertise it efficiently tells between walks and runs, which is the primary factor. When you’re a swimmer you’re most likely higher off with the swimmer’s version of the Misfit Shine 2, the Moov Now or one thing actually swimmer-focused just like the Garmin Swim.Don’t anticipate wonderful accuracy from any of the Garmin Vivofit three’s stats past the time and date, nevertheless it appears roughly on par with the higher wrist-worn pedometers. Its algorithms are good sufficient to dam out arm actions when you’re sitting at your work desk, for instance.The basis of this appears easy: make only a few sporadic arm actions they usually’re discounted. As soon as they turn out to be a sample, they’re let by means of. So if you happen to spend 5 minutes patting a canine you’re going to get some ‘phantom’ steps.The Garmin Vivofit three may even routinely log your sleep, and there’s a really primary alarm clock. This tracker has a tiny little speaker a bit just like the one you’d see in a basic Casio digital watch. It bleats, it’s not all that loud, and there’s not one of the intelligent tech utilized in different trackers to wake you up on the proper a part of the sleep cycle.You’ll rise up at 6:30am (or no matter time you select) and also you’ll prefer it. There’s no snooze choice right here both, and no vibrate perform, which additionally guidelines out telephone notifications.You specify the alarm time within the Garmin Join app, which can be the place all of your information finally ends up.