Garmin vívosport, Fitness/Activity Tracker with GPS and Heart Rate Monitoring, Slate, S/M

I absolutely LOVE this fitness watch!! I always check the sleep tracker, which shows a breakdown of the types of sleep, and have found it to be very accurate. It automatically tracks my daily steps and stairs (though sometimes it does fail to count my stairs). I have to start it specially for a hike or bike ride, and hate it when I forget to start it. What I love most is the tracking of those hikes or bike rides. When you get into the phone to look at the activity, it gives an amazing amount of detail including time, distance, and calories burned. Then you can get into another screen which breaks down details, including elevation gain, maximum & minimum heart rate, among many other items. But my absolute favorite is to click on the MAP on the first screen. Then when you hit the "layers" symbol, you can add SATELLITE to the map. This was especially amazing when we were in southern Utah this September, and we could see the satellite image overlaying the rides or hikes that we took!! The smartphone app also includes a calendar so you can go back to any day in the past and see what you did that day. I got this watch in mid December 2017 and I have records all the way back to when I first got the watch!! The keeper for the band broke early on, but I replaced it with a black O ring which has worked fine. I don't know what will happen when the watch or band finally fails!

For the past two years I have been using the Samsung Gear Fit2 health and fitness tracker because it integrates seamlessly with Samsung Health on my Samsung phone, and it does pretty much everything I want a tracker to do. However, recently it has been inconsistent in tracking my heart rate and the GPS sometimes fails. So I decided to give the Garmin Vivosport a try because I have used Garmin products in the past, mostly for running. It does take a little while for the Vivosport GPS to find satellites, but I think that is simply mostly a function of where I live. Locating satellites improves the more I search for them in the same area. So, now it picks up a signal within 15-20 seconds, but when I took a trip out to Montana and Wyoming it had to relearn satellites. The heart rate function is fantastic so far, running continuously and accurately as far as I can tell. And the sleep data is so much better than what Samsung provides. The tracker is great for recording walks, runs, and bike rides. Sadly, unlike my Samsung tracker, it has no dedicated app for yoga, which I do every morning, so I need to edit the activity with Garmin connect after each yoga session, renaming and reclassifying it from "other." That is a general complaint I have, not only with this tracker, but with all trackers, that there is no provision for downloading the specific activities I do most often onto the tracker. Neither my Samsung nor this Garmin tracker allows me to place a basketball app on my tracker, which is a bother because I play basketball several times a week. I've seen requests to add Basketball to at least Garmin connect, if not the tracker itself, dating back 5 years. But no response. How hard could that be to program? What are the company's paid programmers doing that is more important than responding to reasonable requests from users? All-in-all, though, I have been very happy with the Garmin Vivosport. It does the job. The display is small but clear and easy to read and operate with tapping. The Garmin Connect companion app is much better than Samsung Health. Because I have accumulated so much data with the latter, I had to find ways to transfer information from Connect to SH, but it is possible to do this. Until Samsung comes up with a better tracker (this year's new model was actually a downgrade from previous models), I will be using the Garmin.

Update 1: Auto sleep tracking seems to be mainly if not completely movement based. If I take off the tracker right before sleep to take a shower it will count that time as well because it's sitting on the counter not moving. I end up having to fix the time later which is a little annoying. The Charge HR was better in this area. ------------------------Original Text------------------------ I'm coming from a Fitbit Charge HR so comparisons are to that. Impressions after one week: Pros Watchband - It's a much softer band than just about all other rubber/plastic bands I have used with the exception of a Suunto Core band. It's a stretchy material. Display - Easily visible in direct sunlight without the backlight. Distance Estimate on Treadmill - It was off by <10% during a short 1 mile run. YMMV since we all have different gaits. App (on Android) - There is much more detailed data here than the Fitbit app. Data Export - The Garmin site provides more options and more detailed data than the Fitbit site GPS Lock Time - It generally locks in 10 s or less. However the very first lock took 13 minutes. I'm guessing if you travel a long distance the next lock may take awhile. Cons Stair Tracking - This was very inaccurate for me. It got as bad as counting 1 flight per two flights climbed at times. Stress Tracking - Watching TV somehow shot me into high stress. I don't trust this estimate at all. No I wasn't watching a stressful show. App (on Android) - Organization and customization both need improvement. It doesn't feel intuitive. For example activity goals are for some reason underneath "Garmin Devices" -> "vivosport" -> "User Settings". You can see your waking heart rate history in one of the main panels. However the full day heart rate history including sleep is buried two menus deep. Other Notes UI - The watch face could use more customization as well. Only one of the options display battery level. That option however doesn't display any performance metric. Heart Rate - Heart rate tracking so far is at least comparable to the Charge HR. It has gaps and sometimes reads 1/2 the actual rate just like the Charge HR did. Everyone's wrists are different so again YMMV. I have yet to do any extended cardio with it so I can't speak to accuracy during heavy cardio. Smart Notifications - All notifications have worked so far including additional apps I added to the list.

First of all, the first Vivosport I had broke, but they replaced it no hassle. The rubber pealed off the unit for no reason and the floor tracker stopped showing up on my daily list of activities or whatever you call them. And THAT is really the root of what I dislike about this watch is the confusion I feel. It is easy to get lost while swiping through the various screens on the watch. Mainly use the watch through the smartphone app, which is really good. The second thing is not really Garmin's fault, but whenever I want to use cycling mode, I check the battery and notice that it is too low, so I just skip it and that is most of the time. The tracker will notice that I am cycling and log it in the heart beat reading, but that is it unless I turn on the GPS and start a cycling activity and more often than not, the GPS won't connect(I live in Japan, so perhaps until Japan gets all it's GPS satellites up in space by 2024, it will continue this way). Again, probably not Garmin's fault except the general UI not being so great. I love the spoon look of the tracker however and it is actually quite accurate when I do use the GPS. The smartphone app is great. I seem to look at the sleep tracking the most and it has gotten me to go to bed earlier, so that is a good thing! I wish that it would remind me to plug in the device when it gets to 50 percent, or the option to do so. Also, the alarm really wakes you up. Just a vibration, but one thing that keeps me from relying on it 100% is that occasionally, the alarm times will be way off. I originally got this tracker for it's heartbeat monitor, which is nice, but the one thing I couldn't find out before buying it was that it does not record individual heartbeats, so if you are like me and your heart occasionally skips a beat, it won't show that. No EKG mode. It does record highs and lows and stress level. I question whether it knows that I am really moving or not. Sometimes I am at a stop light while riding my bicycle and suddenly my tracker will vibrate and tell me to 'move'. Now come on. It will do that when I just sit down after climbing stairs and the like. Other than that, I find it mostly accurate. I actually wish the vivosport was twice a big on the wrist. Not the band, but the whole device, but that is probably just me. So, like the title of my review, I like this tracker, but I don't at the same time. I don't recommend it if you are a cyclist, but if you are wanting to track your sleep and use it for running and walking, you would probably really like this tracker.

I bought a Vivosport as my first fitness tracker (or smartwatch of any kind). I have no basis for comparison with other trackers, I bought it based on on-paper features and small size. Its features-to-size ratio is insane and everything actually works (touchwood). After using it for a month: it has completely replaced any regular watches I used to wear. It's small, light, stylish-looking (if you like sleek unobtrusive black bands), waterproof (even wore it in the sea once before realizing salt water is probably never a good idea), has an inbuilt GPS (no phone needed) and basically seems to be pretty good at everything it claims to do. Further, unlike the Fitbit Charge 2 (from what I read), it can receive notifications from a wide range of apps including email, WhatsApp, Uber, etc and not just call/text. You can read the first few lines of a message on the band and it works quite well. Cons over a full-scale smartwatch? The band doesn't display current GPS coords or altitude (only a post-activity map on the phone) so this is not going to help you locate yourself in the wilderness without a phone. The screen is small so it's ok for a quick notification check but no more. It has zero buttons and sometimes takes an extra tap to wake/unlock it (but never bad enough to be annoying). The GPS drains the battery in a few hours when on, but that's expected and I keep it turned off (can be done directly from the band) most of the time. It registers stairs climbed when in a car going up a bumpy road -- there's probably something I can turn off to stop this but haven't really bothered to check. In short, I'm a very happy customer after a month of daily use.

My last fitness watch, a Vivosmart HR finally broke after much use and abuse, so I bought the Vivosport as a smaller replacement. And what a great price for a watch with gps! Not only does it do everything the old watch did, it does even more, like track rem sleep, and stress level. Although the face is smaller with less info on it, it is much, much better that my old one. I can easily read it without my reading glasses, it is far brighter, and is super easy to access info like heart rate, steps, and everything else. It took a few minutes to find a gps signal when I first turned it on, but ever since it connects almost instantly. I love how much smaller it is as I’m not into big, thick watches. I can hardly tell it’s on my wrist it is so light. Also, it works great in the pool. Lastly, the battery life is excellent, lasting several days even when using gps for runs/walks. I don’t understand how anyone could spend so much more for an Apple Watch when the battery doesn’t even last a full day. Love almost everything about it so far! Update: I don’t understand some of the reviews that claim they had issues with the band. I am pretty rough on these things and take it off daily yet have had zero problems with the band cracking or breaking. If you treat it normally, it should last for years from what I see.

I have used Garmin products for over 10 years and have been generally satisfied with them. I've been tempted to switch over to Fitbit or other brands but have been loyal to Garmin. I think that might change. This particular Vivosport watch has been snake bit. It started with Amazon sending me the wrong size. I ordered a large and they sent me small. Ok. Mistakes happen. I contacted Amazon and they were quick to replace the watch with the correct size. Good for Amazon. Watch #1- I had the watch for about a month and it stopped allowing me to scroll to different activities. Basically, the only activity I could track was walking. Then, I noticed the battery started to decline. At first, I only had to charge it once every three days, then it became every two days, then it became once a day. By now, a charge only lasts about six hours. I've only had the watch for two months. I contacted Garmin and they were quick to offer a replacement watch which I have accepted. Maybe I just got a lemon. Anyway, kudos to Garmin for offering to replace the watch immediately with no questions asked. Good customer service experience. Watch #2- I am going to give the watch another chance because I really do like the features and when this watch was working properly I liked the product. I will report back after I receive the replacement and update this review with my comments in a few weeks. Update: 11/30/2020- OK. I tried to be patient with this Garmin product. You can read about my disappointment with the watch (watch#1) they sent. I received the second watch (watch#2) about three months ago. Last week, all the screens on the watch froze . The only thing that worked was the clock. It also stopped syncing. I called Garmin last week and spent about two hours in a chat session trying to revive the watch. They had me go through a series of "fixes" to attempt to revive the watch. Nothing worked. After two hours they said I must have a unit that malfunctioned. Duh? So now their solution is to send me a third unit (watch#3). The customer service person said "third time's a charm." Somehow I didn't find that funny. Honestly, I wouldn't be bothered except I did spend the money and I don't want to just throw it away. Of course, they won't reimburse me or give me credit. Their solution is to keep sending me units. I envision an entire warehouse full of these things that they keep sending to unsatisfied customers. By the way, their replacement process is kind of weird. You have to ship the watch back to them (I pay for the shipping) and they send the replacement. The process takes about two weeks until you get the replacement unit. The only thing positive I can say about the watch is that when it works, it's good. I like the features and the ease of use, but, all things considered this product has been a nightmare for me. My disappointment is only exceeded by my frustration.

I read A LOT of reviews on this watch from multiple websites and the bad reviews almost convinced me not to get it, until I remembered that a large number of reviews are from people who are upset with a product and take the time to complain. I believe there are a lot of happy users that just don't want to bother writing a review. So with that being said, I've happily had this watch for 2 months and given the cost it is worth 5 stars. PROS: It has so many features in a compact size. I am small and have tiny wrists so a small watch was most important to me. I also wanted a decent battery life, built in GPS, texting ability, HR, and sleep monitoring. This has all of those and then some. I don't think the battery lasts as long as they say, but it only takes about an hour to fully charge so not an issue. GPS usually connects almost instantly most of the time (MUCH faster than a Garmin watch I bought about 10 years ago). I also love that HR is built in so I don't have to wear that band around my chest. Speaking of bands, the watch band is holding up quite well! A lot of people had expressed issues with that. I have worn virtually 24/7 for 2 months and it appears fine. I am extra cautious because I am aware of the complaints about it, but I clean it daily and don't make it too tight and it seems perfect condition still. I love that you can select which phone apps will pop up with notifications on the watch. I especially like that when you get a text, it just shows up with the person's name so not everyone can see your message. All the features seem to work decently well. The Garmin app that goes with the watch is pretty cool. There are a few features on Garmin Connect website not available on their app, but that doesn't have to do with the watch so I'll let it be. CONS: I get steps for moving my arm when I brush my teeth. My HR during a race was 140 (when it was probably closer to 180). I usually have to edit my bedtime because it won't register I'm sleeping, sometimes for up to 3 hours after I'd been sleeping. The range for the connection to the phone is terrible! If I leave my phone in my room and go to the kitchen to do dishes (with just the living room in between), I lose connection. Sometimes when I have my phone on me it will even disconnect. The screen sensitivity is sometimes poor; I find as long as I press in the upper half of the screen there isn't an issue. I am a little bummed the alarm is the only app I would have wanted to sync that I can't. They make you use their alarm, which you can't even set on the watch. Overall, I am very happy with the watch. I've had a Fitbit and Samsung gear smart watch and I already like the Garmin way more. I'm guessing a lot of the accuracy problems this watch has would be in other ones of the same size. It is important to just remember that every measurement (HR, steps, sleep quality, etc) is a guideline. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

I didn't want a full size watch face but wanted the features from the larger (more expensive) Garmin trackers. This was exactly what I was after, comfortable to wear and great battery life.

Ma copine l'utilise très souvent.

I am so happy for the choice i made to buy Vivosport. Its very compact and light to use. Fit and finish is at par with any other tracker. Its best for Amateur Runners and also for seasoned ones who wants to track whole day activity inputs. Its small but it has everything one needs for mapping his runs. Kudos to Garmin for such an innovative device. I would recommend it for every runner indeed! Now after using it for almost 1and a half year i can definitely say that its worth a buy for someone who is new to running. Its heart rate sensor is most accurate as compared to other watches. Though floors climbed and other minor things goes out of place but that should not matter much for someone who is more interested in health monitoring. Sleep pattern can also get weird on many occasions and you have to depend on your intuition to rectify how well have you slept. Overall if your main focus is on running, GPS accuracy, heart rate activity then this small gadget can do wonders!! Happy running to all

Este reloj en verdad es muy bueno para carrera, caminatas o ciclismo ya sea al aire libre para que puedas hacer uso del gps y mapear tu actividad o para que lo uses bajo techo con el gps desactivado. La pantalla es pequeña pero te acostumbras rápidamente, se puede leer perfectamente bien bajo la luz del sol y también en condiciones de poco luz gracias a que su pantalla es retroilumiada. Pesa muy poco y después de unos días ni siquiera notaras que lo traes puesto. En cuanto a la precisión del gps, pasos caminados, pisos subidos y su medidor de los pulsos por minuto, es muy bueno, no tendrás quejas. Solo te recomendaría desactivar la función de Move IQ porque esto consume bastante batería, con esta función desactivada he logrado conseguir 7 días de uso con medición de pulso 24/7.

Great product, user friendly. I only wanted it for purposes of measuring km's walked/ ran and time taken. Needed to spend a bit of time in set up to ' switch off' many other functions and notifications/ alerts. Lovely slim looking which is unusual for a gps device. Very happy with the product.