Garmin Vivoactive 3 GPS Smartwatch with Built-In Sports Apps and Wrist Heart Rate - Black

Updated July 2019 after 4 months of use - typically training 8+ times a week across multiple sports, including approx. 50km to 60km of running per week:I have long been a loyal user of running watches produced by Garmin and my most recent (and much loved) watch is this Garmin Vivo Active 3. I have also road tested the Polar Vantage M, also being a Multisport watch, is a good side by side competitor for the Vivo Active so in this review I also compare the Vivo Active 3 to this watch.Set Up:- You can set up the watch with or without the Garmin App. It is recommended to use the app and therefore I did (I also love analyising my fitness data so a watch which isn’t syncing with an app is no fun for me).- The watch was easy to set up and both the watch and App were intuitive to use.Charging- The watch was ready to charge on arrival. It comes with a USB charger (note: no mains plug, you will either need to charge via a laptop or a mains to USB charger). The watch attaches to the charger via an each magnetic connection.- The watch went from out of box to being 100% charged in less than 1 hour (via mains).- The charger is a small clip in which attaches to the back of the watch.Aesthetics, general wearability and day to day use- The Garmin looks very good on my wrist, it is a nice small size for day to day wear (it is slightly smaller than the Polar Vantage M)- It is light and as a result it was easy to forget I was wearing it.- The strap is soft and pliable (other running watches such as the Polar watches have quite stiff straps).Ease of Operation:- The watch is operated largely by touch screen (there is only one button on the side of the watch). I really like the intuitive and easy to use touch screen ability – it feels modern and up to date but more importantly it is very quick to navigate.- To start training you select the button on the device and then scroll to find the activity you want to start. You can set the watch up so your most frequently used (or favorite) activities are listed up front for a quick start. There are many pre-programmed activities but I have mainly used the running (outdoors), treadmill running, indoor cycling and strength training activities.- The activity is paused by pressing the same button and then the touch screen gives end and save options.GPS log on- There is nothing more frustrating then your watch taking a long time to log onto the GPS signal when you just want to start running, I was concerned about this having read other reviews of this watch.- I had no siginifcant issues with the GPS link up. I have used the watch in a small town, a city, at the start of many races and in the countryside when trail running and the GPS log on was adequate in all locations (usually almost immediate but on rare and more frustrating occasions up to 1 minute).- It is worth noting that the Polar watch I have road tested often found GPS signal before the Garmin.Activities/Running/Distance Accuracy/GPS- As a runner this is what is most important to me.- The outdoor running accuracy appears to be incredibly good. It has matched (with very small tolerances) with official race measured distances in anything from 5km to 30km races.- On set up I selected automatic pause so when I stop running, for example at traffic lights, the device automatically pauses and then restarts tracking once I am running again. This feature worked well.- I like the strength training rep counter although I don’t always use it (unless I am wanting to deliberately slow down my work rate)Data screens- Along side the accuracy of data the availability of data whilst running is important to me.- Each data screen can hold 4 pieces of data (e.g. pace, distance, time etc.).- You can customise what data you have via the app.- The data was easy to see whilst running and gave me the information I needed to monitor and improve my performance.Display- The display is graphics are not amazing but they didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the watch.- I really enjoy the fact that you can customise what data you have on your standard watch screen. I have mine set up to show digital time, date and step count.Interaction with other devices and apps- In common with all runners I know I like to be able to analyse my running data and look at details such as my heart rate, pace and so on over the course of a run.- The Garmin uses the Garmin Connect app to do this. The watch is quick to syncronise and does this itself after activities. It can also be forced via the app.- The have my Garmin App (and therefore the watch data) also syncronised to MyFitnessPal so that my calories burnt are sent over to MFP and calories consumed are sent from MFP to the Garmin (watch and app).As a training aide- Being able to pre-program workouts before setting off makes for much easier interval training.- I use the Garmin to write a training plan with specific work-outs (e.g. interval training) and these then become available in the watch on syncing the two together.- The data you get on the watch at the end of the run is not that extensive (the Polar watch may be better for you if you want this on the watch) but the data in the app is extensive and useful for a post race or run postmortem.Battery life- The battery life on the Garmin is very good, but outperformed by the Polar when both had the same features engaged (e.g. continuous heart rate monitoring).Garmin App- The Garmin Connect App is what takes this watch from a very good 4* product to a 5* watch for me.- It is a real life tracker. I track my weight (and my BMI which is automatically tracks), my steps, my menstrual cycle, my calories in (and out, via a link up with MFP), I analyse my run and race results, set and monitor step (and other activity) goals – I must look at the App on average 10 times per day.- The App is easy to use, intuitive and I honestly believe it has contributed to me developing an even healthier lifestyle.- The app is the reason why I can’t see myself moving away from Garmin when I need my next running watch/activity tracker.Other features- The ‘sleep’ feature isn’t very accurate as it seems to think I’m asleep from the minute I get into bed and start reading until I get up in the morning. All sleep trackers I have tried do however tend to have the same issue.- I had the watch paired with my phone all day via the Garmin Connect app so I could receive message etc. notifications – a useful function but it does drain the battery more quicklyIn summary the Garmin Vivo Active 3 is an amazing watch supported by a brilliant app and I would not hesitate to recommend it.Update May 2020: This watch is over a year old now. It is still being worn daily 24/7 (except when being recharged) and the battery life is still as good as it was when new and functioning fine with no damage and even the strap shows only very minor physical wear and tear.Update 21 July 2020: still being used daily. The battery will last 4-5 days without charge at a push if not using the sports activities. If so count on recharge every 1-2 days. Under light usage, expect to charge daily for about 10-20mins. Getting up and having a shower is ideal time if you wear it overnight for sleep tracking.

This is a great fitness watch with basic smartphone notifications. I've tried android wear but the battery life is two days at best right now and the amount of notifications is annoying. I found myself turning off most of them and just had text, what's app, reminders and alarms. And vivoactive offers these and any other app you want on your wrist. Unlike android wear you can't reply with a keyboard or voice dictation but again I found myself reaching for my phone more often than not to action things on android wear so this again isn't any different.I find (after over 4 weeks of use) that I average 4-5 days of battery life between charges. It take approx 1hr to fully charge too.The screen is great, especially in bright light or sunlight. The transflective display actually becomes clearer the brighter the light in the room or outside is. This is great as my previous wearable devices were lcd screens and out in bright sunlight there were hard to view.The watching is super comfortable to wear. It's so light you barely feel it on. I've not change he'd the staple even though it's easy to find any replacement you want due to the generic quick release system and size. The stock strap is again super comfortable and the silicon is nice for sports wear as it won't absorb the sweat like a leather alternative would.Sports tracking is great, I do a mix of strength and cardio exercises. No it's not as precise as a chest strap but it's surprisingly not that far off. Strength training work is where I find the gap between chest strap and wrist appears more. When out for a jog/run I find it much more accurate. I don't do HIIT training and it's sudden spikes where wrist tracking is often less precise. That's a problem with wrist based tracking in general due to the location being further to the extremities from my understanding. And the flexing with strength training work and different bloody circulation within the muscles all has an affect on it. But overall the results seemed to even out about the same as the polar strap I have by then end of the workouts. So 👍🏻The Garmin companion app and website are great. There is an absolute shed load of data to digest after training but it's all great for understanding how your performance is changing. Some reviewers have complained saying there is too much data but more data allows for more insight. It's one of the reasons I swapped to Garmin. My old ms bans 2 used to give more data than the polar M600 but the band wasn't as accurate at tracking workouts or very comfortable.Garmins app also links brilliantly with MFP unlike anything else I've used before. It's so good I find I use it's calorie tracking interface more and just log my food in MFP. Previously I used to get all my exercise data into MFP to the work out the calories. Garmin connect makes its clearer and easier.I could bang on more but ultimately I'm super happy with my device and can't recommend it enough