I bought the Vivoactive mostly for the GPS capability for biking, and then started running and used it for that as well. Some features such as the sleep tracking and step counting were less appealing to me. However the reminder to get up and move during the day has been quite useful, especially for someone who sadly sits at a desk for too many hours during the week. I didn't think it would be as useful as it it, but the competitive side of me likes filling the goal meter and getting on a goal streak.
The sleep tracking hasn't been as useful as other features of the watch, but it is a visual reminder for me to limit screen time prior to sleeping in order to get a better and deep sleep.
I chose the Vivoactive mostly for cycling and I either leave it on my wrist or strap it onto the handlebars, the screen is a little small for this purpose and sometimes harder to make out than the larger screens of Garmin's dedicating cycling computers like the Edge series. However, sun glare has not been an issue. It pairs well and quickly over ANT+ to the Garmin Heart Rate Monitor, and Speed/Cadence Sensors. I haven't really compared the GPS for accuracy, but doing a charity bike ride, the distances were similar to those solely relying on the Strava App on their phones.
It has also been very effective for running in order to keep on track with my pace, and I do like that for activity tracking you can customize the 3 screens with each displaying 3 metrics, for a total of 9. Allows you to keep what you want to know consistently like pace (or speed/cadence while cycling). I've even tried some indoor running where the watch relies only on the accelerometer to determine your pace and stride. This is not completely ideal, however when it was almost 40 degrees Celsius with the humidity, running inside on the treadmill was a bit of a treat. After comparing a run on the watch to the recorded distance on the treadmill, the watch usually recorded an extra 200-400m over 8-10km. Not life shattering for someone isn't a professional, for me at least.
I've only briefly used the Golf app, and when I was actually able to get the course to sync it worked very well displaying the front, middle, and back of the green distances. The ability to track all your rounds and record your scores is pretty interesting to track progression. The one issue I had with the Golf feature was getting the courses to sync to the watch. Downloading the course to my phone on the Garmin Connect app was easy, the transfer to the watch was then highly inconsistent. I'm looking forward to giving it another go in the spring.
The Connect app has been pretty good and sync's easily over Bluetooth, however I do have to refresh sometimes to get it sync to the watch. There are lots of tracking features for activities, gear usage tracking, weight, body fat %, and medals/badges to be awarded. One of my favorite parts of the app is it's ability to easily sync with other apps such as Strava. Just sync your latest activities to the Garmin App, open Strava and your activities are right there for your followers to see.
One downside to the GPS is that it can be slow to lock on to a signal, before starting a run I'd select the activity so that it would hopefully lock on by the time I make it outside, and try not to stand in the driveway looking like I'm contemplating whether or not to just go back inside and forego the run.
I don't usually have the watch paired via Bluetooth throughout the day, so I haven't really used the notifications to a great extent, but it is kinda nice to get a quick preview of a text or know you're getting a call when you phone is nearby by not in sight.
The battery life has amazing so far, it does literally last weeks to a month without the use of GPS. The GPS time of 10 hours is pretty accurate, as 5-6 hours of it on while out riding did drain about half. If I'm running more it can last a couples of weeks of day--to-day use with a several runs a week.
One small complaint is that the move bar that fills when you're stationary appears to exclusively linked to steps while walking or running. The accelerometer doesn't pick up motions of weight training, so even if you're completely out of breath you'll find a full move bar telling you that you've been sedentary. Same goes for cycling, it'll shows that I've amassed 100+km in the day from walking and riding, but again a full move bar telling me to move. It's minor, but I feel like it's software base and I guess I don't like being told to move when I've clearly been active.
I paid $199 CAD in 2015 and for the price now on sale it is definitely a great deal. My only complaints are minor, and would not deter me from buying it again. Whether you just want to track steps as a motivator or use it for any number of the activities you can track to be fit, or train hard, it is definitely worth the money.
| OS | android |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 0.79 x 4.09 x 25.68 cm; 37.65 g |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included) |
| Item model number | 010-01297-00 |
| Wireless Communication Technologies | Bluetooth |
| Connectivity Technologies | Bluetooth |
| Special Features | Sleep Monitor, Email, Calendaring, Accelerometer, Camera, GPS, Notifications, Music Player, Heart Rate Monitor |
| Display Technology | LCD |
| Other display features | Wireless |
| Human Interface Input | Buttons |
| Colour | Black |
| Item Weight | 37.6 g |
