Garmin vívosmart® 5, Health & Fitness Tracker, S-M, Cool Mint

TL;DR — This is a great basic fitness tracker which, with a little extra effort on your part, can be turned into a shockingly robust data collection device, comparable to much more powerful and expensive units. When combined with the Garmin Connect app, which IMO is the best fitness data collection app out there (and 100% free, no paywall), you’ve got a real powerhouse system. My review will cover some tips for how to get the most out of the device, as well as one annoying bug fix. I hope all of this is helpful to you! ABOUT ME AND MY PARAMETERS: I am a daily cyclist and I also do strength training 2-3 times a week. I do not want or need to use my full-function Garmin head unit on every ride, and I also wanted to track my weight workouts; but there are not many (affordable) products which can effectively track both things in the same place(s). I was not interested in the overkill of the ubiquitous fruit-logo company's watch, and I did not have the money for any of the larger Garmin watches. But researching the vivosmart5 gave me hope that I could manipulate its default functionalities into a tracker robust enough to compete with much, MUCH more expensive devices, and I have — so here are a bunch of use-case tips (and a few bug fixes) which I hope are helpful to you too. Out of the box, the vivosmart5 is a great little fitness tracker — unbelievably accurate HR readings, extremely detailed and effective sleep tracking, custom settings for motivation (can remind you to hydrate or to get up and move, etc), bare-bones fitness effort data collection, super fast charging and long battery life, water/sweat proof, and easy to clean. For default effort tracking, you can click through little preset activity recording functions and get rudimentary data such as “bike ride, X minutes, top/avg heart rate X/X bpm,” or “weight workout, X minutes, X reps, top/avg heart rate X/X bpm,” or just a simple “walk/run, X minutes, X steps.” And all of that is awesome, particularly because the app (which, again, is 100% FREE, no paywall) is one of the strongest fitness data collection apps out there. So even just these minor collections of data are compiled into an easy-to-read daily/weekly/monthly/yearly format showing areas in which you can improve, or just giving you the knowledge you need to evaluate your efforts for your intended results. Plus it can sync with other apps, such as Strava, Ride With GPS, or even the fruit company’s default Health and Fitness apps. BUT, here’s what it can really do. Let’s start with cycling (and probably running, too). The vivosmart5 does not have its own GPS, but you can pair it with the Garmin Connect app on your phone and it will use your phone's GPS. So now instead of just “bike ride, X minutes, top/avg heart rate X/X bpm,” you’ll get a breakdown in the app which is much more like a proper head unit’s data, including a map of your effort with multiple overlay choices, total distance, moving time versus total time, elevation — practically everything other than cadence and power-meter based stuff. That’s … HUGE for a sub-two-hundred-dollar fitness tracker. And for strength training? The vivosmart5 will automatically count your reps (not always super accurate, but you can adjust that right on the watch face itself during rest periods), and if you attend to your sets by starting/stopping them on the watch face, you’ll end up with a loose dataset at the end of your workout, which you can THEN go through item-by-item in the app and flesh out by choosing the exercise type and the weight/resistance. Now instead of “weight workout, X minutes, X reps, top/avg heart rate X/X bpm,” you’ll have a full breakdown of your effort, including a little illustrated human figure showing the muscle groups worked (primary and secondary). As you can see, and as I’ve said before in this review, you must do some of the work here. But to me, this little extra effort is worth the huge price difference between this and even the lowest-price-point Garmin GPS watch, especially because when you do these things, the Garmin Connect app will begin to give you comparative points, awards for accomplishments, and other things that it would normally only do when you’re using much more expensive Garmin devices. It is not without its faults, though, and in the interest of full disclosure, here you go. 1 - An annoying bug fix! Because the vivosmart5 does not have a lot of RAM or a very powerful chip, you’re going to need to restart it every once in a while, especially if you’re really pushing its functionality, as I do. In fact, if you DON’T restart it every once in a while, it will do some weeeiiird buggy stuff when recording GPS-based efforts. Sometimes it will randomly record your speed at several THOUSAND miles an hour. Sometimes it will add your current distance to an old ride and record the whole thing as a new ride. It can get wonky, but I’ve solved this by simply turning the watch off and then on again before every ride (takes 30 seconds) — I have not had a single problem since I began doing that. 2 - The band’s buckle and keeper loop are positioned to the outside of the wrist, meaning that when you write or type, you’re resting your wrist on this uncomfortable little knob. I almost returned it on day one because of this but then I realized that you can reverse the band — just pop the actual watch unit out, turn the band around the other way, and put the watch unit back in. Now the buckle and loop keeper are on the inside face of the wrist, and no more problem. 3 - It has a proprietary charging cable. COME ON, MAN, REALLY? Even with a few little annoyances, I am a full-time proselytizer and apologist for this little device. It is unobtrusive and bare-bones, but contains so much potential and power that you’d never know it. I really hope this helps you because I’ve found a huge amount of value in this little device. Why spend almost five hundred bucks when you can … NOT?

I used fitbit for years, but they stopped supporting family/friend weekly challenges. I still ended up using them for a while, but the band would constantly fall apart and need replacing regardless of the version I had at the time. Finally my fitbit just stopped working after an update and I gave up and looked into Garmin. Garmin has family/friend weekly challenges you can create, the stats seem more realistic if maybe less precise, I've never had an issue with the band and it seems like it will last a very long time, battery life is so long you don't have to think about it as long as you don't turn on the blood oxygen stuff. Don't turn on the blood oxygen stuff, i makes the battery last like a day and it will also blind you at night if you are wearing it loosely.

My wife tried using the watch for about 2 weeks. She has small wrists and noticed right away the watch size from top to bottom was larger than her wrist, causing it not to fit properly against the skin. Still, she thought it was going to be OK so continued to setup the app and began using it. The watch wasn't counting her steps correctly if at all. Even with the band pulled so tight it left marks on her arm, the sensors didn't seem to register properly. At night it said she didn't get any sleep, when walking, it registered sporadically. The battery only lasted about a day and a half even with the blood/oxy function set to off as instructions mentioned. We think that was due to the sensors constantly lighting to try to get readings when not contacting her wrist. She had trouble reading the watch face as it kept switching back to other functions in the middle of what she was trying to read. Even the out-of-box experience was difficult as the instructions were unclear about getting it out of 'demo mode' and we had to resort to using the internet to learn how to get it going normally. The watch came with a special cable to plug into the back for charging, but it terminates in a USB -C plug and does not come with a charger. New devices that use type C have always included a USB-C to USB-A cable. We had to purchase a charger that included the C jack just to charge the watch. This was not mentioned in the description and came as a disappointment when we tried to use the watch originally. As I write this review, I'm changing my rating from a '2' to a '1' remembering all the trouble we had using this watch.

6-26-2026 Still doing the it's job and still no subscriptions for the features I want. Upgraded to 5 stars for durability and performance as it has been worn daily since purchased. I chose this model because Garmin did not require a subscription to access the features. As with anything, you'll see mixed reviews. For me personally, a 57 year old with Afib, here's my experience: Apparently the Garmin is not rated for doing an accurate reading on Afib. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. It has shown a few spikes I've had and gives me a daily heart rate range. While small and comfortable, at 57, it's a little tough to read and run through the menu's. The Garmin app works perfectly with my Galaxy S25+ even though I do not use all the features. I'm only concerned with the features that apply to me. Not tracking, etc...etc. The Garmin app will only sync with the watch while on wifi for me, not bluetooth. I do not have a data plan, so it may be different for you if you have data. I saw some reviews mentioning the watch easily falling out of the band and being lost etc. After a year, I've only had the Garmin fall out of the original band by accidentally pushing it backwards, when I was not wearing it, for charging. As to battery life, the way I use it, it's been a year and I get about 2 days out of it. I do regularly put it on a charger when I wake up and go through my morning routine of showering etc. For what I was after this was a solid purchase with no regrets at all. 4 stars because I don't know if the heart rate monitor is accurate and the small screen. 5 stars across the board for the way I use it.

UPDATE: 7/28/25: In 2024, days before the warranty expired, the watch started flickering and then died. I phoned Garmin. They asked me to return just the watch element (not the band!), and they would mail me a new watch element. The whole process took a little over a week. The new watch element has no warranty, so when it dies I will have to buy a new watch. Fair enough! Garmin honored the warranty. It's almost a year since the watch was replaced, and it's still running well. And I've gotten used to the original neoprene band, which does "buzz" your wrist when you have an incoming call or text on your phone, if you have linked them. I do rely on that feature. UPDATE 9/6/23: Watch/tracker is still working great. Found numerous compatible bands to replace the uncomfortable silicone band. My favorite, with easy hook+loop closure: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2ZN38TL?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Initial review: Watch face is easy to read and illuminated; brightness/dimness can be adjusted. Easy to scroll through metrics and data. Lightweight -- barely notice that I'm wearing it. Accurate enough for my general purposes -- am just trying to stay active and healthy, and am no longer an athlete. I am ok with general/approximate measurements, don't need exact measurements. Easy to sync with phone, and the app is pretty easy to manipulate and comprehend. Battery life is good. I use the Garmin all night to report on my sleep, so battery is used 24/7, and lasts 4 days or so between charges. Am quite pleased with this purchase. UPDATE, 4 months after writing initial review (above): I'm still very pleased with this Garmin watch. I wear it daily, and really like it. It's easy to read outdoors as well as indoors, the battery is still holding a charge for about 4 days, and another great feature is its Bluetooth connection to my phone. I don't always hear my phone alerts when I'm outdoors, but the Garmin watch "buzzes" my wrist, so I know I'm receiving a call or a message. The only criticism I have is that I don't find the silicone wristband comfortable. It gets slick with sweat, and is not very flexible, either. Sweat and grime build up inside the compartment where the watch sets into the band, so I have to remember to wipe it out. It takes some getting used to, and I feel a great relief when I take it off, so I'll be looking for a more hygienic and comfortable band that's compatible.

I didn’t listen to the reviews . If you depend on large print for the time without your glasses, this is not large enough . It also needs a charge every 3 rd day . My other Garmin was a week . It signals when you are out of range from your phone even though the phone is 2 rooms away . And if you’re walking around , say cooking it goes on and off and back on that you are disconnected then connected . I also sleep with it but now when you move your arm or rollover there’s a red light that appears on the underside . Super annoying .

I'm a horology nerd, if it's not quartz or mechanical I don't really consider it a watch, so I went into this with real bias against anything smart on my wrist. What actually got me here wasn't fitness tech enthusiasm, it was wanting an honest accountability partner for sleep, breathwork, and stress, without any of the smartwatch noise. The other two big players in this space both lost me before I even considered them. WHOOP wants a subscription just to see your own data, and Fitbit wants your health data handed straight to Google. This one just works, no subscription wall, no corporate hand extended for your biometrics. Battery life is the standout feature so far. I got this Tuesday afternoon, charged it once, and it's nearly Friday sitting at 87 percent. For a device tracking sleep, stress, and activity around the clock, that's genuinely impressive. What sold me on the actual design is how much you can turn off. No GPS baked in bloating the thing, and you can disable texts, weather, morning reports, phone call alerts, music controls, even gestures, and dim the display, all of which extends battery even further if you also turn off the blood oxygen sensor. Basically, it ships with everything a smartwatch person wants, but lets someone like me strip it down to a pure fitness band with zero smart watch bloat. That's a rare balance to get right. Accuracy has been solid on sleep and stress calibration so far. Steps and calories are the one soft spot, I clocked 990 steps on a day where that number felt generous, so take that specific metric with a grain of salt. Everything else has tracked believably. 5 out of 5 stars. No subscription, no data harvesting, incredible battery life, and it respects that some of us just want the tracking without the smartwatch circus.

I’ve been using the vivosmart 5 for a few months and it’s not perfect. This is actually the second one, since after several long troubleshooting calls they said the first one was defective. I returned for exchange and they sent back the watch face only, not with the band, so I had to call again to get a band which was replaced for free. I continued to have the same problem with the second one, which was at night, during the “sleep hours” which I had previously set up on the Connect app, it would randomly come on when I moved my arm (“gesture”) or touched the screen. A bright light shining in your face in the middle of the night is super annoying! So, I called again and the agent asked me to take a video of the problem and email it. No response. They told me “eventually the watch will get used to you answer settle down.” It was inconsistent…some nights it would come on with gesture and some night not. And it will always come on if you touch the screen twice, no matter what mode you've put it in. More phone calls and finally an agent told me that the Garmin Connect app on the phone had to be running in the background at all times and be within Bluetooth range of the watch (30 feet). If you swipe the app closed on your phone, the watch cannot sync to information such as sleep hours, weather, etc. Later, I talked to a different CS agent who said the app did not have to be running for "sleep hours" to work, but it did have to be open and I must leave the location setting for the Connect app on "always" for the weather feature to work. She also said I should sync the watch to the phone daily and it was designed to come on both when you push the button and when you touch the screen twice, even in the middle of the night if it accidentally touches some other part of your body. Regarding steps, the counter on the watch always reads much higher that the built-in counter on my phone. I called Garmin again to ask why and they explained that the watch doesn’t count steps, it actually counts arm movements. So, if you’re grocery shopping and you keep your hand still while pushing the cart, no steps. If you’re folding laundry or lifting hand weights, you get steps. I have found that keeping the watch in “gesture on” mode (which is the default) you burn through the battery pretty fast and have to recharge more frequently. So every morning I reset to “gesture off” mode and the battery will last a week. Even with gesture off, if your finger (or some other body part when you’re sleeping) touches the screen twice it will turn on. The main watch face can show up to three “widgets” (in addition to date and time which are fixed) but there are actually seven widgets and you have to tap to scroll through to see the ones you are most interested in tracking. There’s no way to customize the main screen to lock your favorite widgets in place. So, I’m a little frustrated that it took three months and numerous phone calls to get this figured out. Even after reading the full downloadable users guide I have questions about functionality. It’s the only smart watch I have tried and I’ll keep it since it pairs with the Garmin Edge 530 on my road bike and I can watch my heart rate on my road bike computer. Bicycle activity mode on the watch is probably helpful if you don't have a bike computer - it seemed to match up with my Edge 530 - but if you want to see your heart rate displayed on the Edge device, you need to set it to "Broadcast".

Good value for a basic smart watch. Works well. Was a bit tricky to set up with my Samsung phone.

Es lo que se ve en pantalla, les sugiero pedir la correa grande si mides mas de 1.70 porque la mediana me quedo muy justa, es el producto de ingreso a estos juguetes, muy bueno y el algoritmo ya que esta bombardeando con los relojes y me estoy resistiendo!!!!

I bought the Fitbit Inspire 3, returned it, and upgraded to Garmin. Here's what I noticed between the two: Step count: Fitbit step count is ridiculously inaccurate, it counted hundreds of steps while I was sleeping or sitting. Garmin step count is indeed very accurate, it never miscounted when I was being still, and always on point when I quickly monitored it while I was walking. Heart rate: I can't do intense workout so I have limited info on this. Generally it feels Garmin gives more accurate heart rate numbers and it's abnormal heart rate alert is quick to react to your hr changes. Fitbit also has a hr alert but felt non-existent and is mainly for advertisement purpose. Ox saturation: Fitbit advertised they have this feature yet it is only available during sleep. Garmin has the option to monitor day and night Ox (this feature battery draining). Neither is accurate enough to replace an actual Ox monitor. Sleep track: Both are meh, I think this has to do with one's sleeping habit as the tracker is relatively loose on your wrist while you move around during sleep. I think Garmin is betterish on tracking once I fell sleep, but both tends to mistaken my awake time. Unique feature from Garmin, the vivosmart shows your "body battery" and "stress level". In general I think these mainly for entertaining purposes, but they are pretty much on point in terms of how I feel, especially so for the stress level monitor. The app: Garmin's app is noticeably a lot more informative, fully accessible, no monthly fee. Some of the features such as a clear daily/weekly/monthly etc. trend of your health stats, as well as most stats let you see hourly or even greater detailed tracking. The interface is intuitive and straight to the point. Although finding settings on your tracker is a bit tricky in the app. I don't really recall what the Fibit app looks like, except I remember I was unimpressed and users are constantly being reminded of the feature blocked by paywall. The tracker: Fitbit has prettier selection of watch face, while Vivosmart is monochrome. It's less appealing but is easier to read in the sun. Both are informative. Although Vivosmart seems to have a really simplicit and minimal tracker, but you can acctually go into every stat detail on the tracker. The screen is small, so that such feature is less feasible, I mostly read it off the app. Battery: Fitbit has about 1 more day of battery life than Vivosmart. Aesthetic: Fitbit Inspire 3 is pretty plasticty, I tried the lavender band, wasn't flattering, looks like a toy almost. Vivosmart has this muted sage color that I'd much prefer, the tracker itself also feels plasticty but is well tucked in the band and the band is really nicely crafted and feels much more comfortable on the skin. Overall I find that Vivosmart just has better sensors and delivers what they advertise.

Love the device and I started using it when I received it. My previous device, Fitbit Inspire HR, died on me and I was contemplating to either go for Fitbit Inspire 3 or Garmin Vivosmart 5. I decided on the latter as I read that there are more data that I can get access to, rather than Fitbit. The only downside is, the battery life is shorter than the equivalent tracker (7 days versus Fitbit Inspire 3's 10 days lifespan). Otherwise, it is lightweight and almost non-existence, what tracker is meant to be. The quality of the leather strap is also better than Fitbit's leather strap.

Great device. But sometimes seems surreal: did I really do 15k steps? It counts weirdly. It is a wonderful watch, I wish the battery lasted longer (I already turned most of the features off).