Garmin Vivosmart

Parth Patel No comments

Smartwatch notifications meet activity tracking in Garmin's latest wearable hybrid

We at Wareable were delighted to hear that Garmin was ready to take another bite of the fitness tracker Apple, when the Garmin Vivosmart was announced back in September at IFA.
Hot on the heels of the Sony SmartBand Talk, that was also unveiled at the big tech expo, the Garmin Vivosmart takes the much-loved Vivofit a step further by providing users a combination of smartwatch and activity tracking features, in one single slick looking device.

Garmin Vivosmart: Design and build

There's certainly nothing cheap about the price-tag of the Garmin Vivosmart. At £139 in the UK, or $169 Stateside, you're looking at a fitness band in the upper echelons of expensiveness. Only the Microsoft Band and the Samsung Gear Live are more expensive, but the former boasts built-in GPS and the latter an awesome coloured Super AMOLED display.

However, there's nothing cheap about the design either. The Garmin Vivosmart oozes class, from the premium, smooth rubberised finish (with five different shades on offer to compliment the dominant matte black), to the neon blue illuminated OLED display.

Garmin Vivosmart: Activity tracking

Yes, the Garmin Vivosmart packs in smartwatch features and yes, it's probably the more 'exciting' aspect of the device but come on, if you're considering a Vivosmart, you're considering it because of its activity tracking options, be honest.

And there's plenty – and all the ones you'd expect. So that's step counting, calorie tracking, distance recording and sleep monitoring.

Let's tackle them one at a time.

Step counting is pretty basic, we know, but it's a key aspect for fitness bandwearers. And we're happy to report that, with the Vivosmart, the counting seems to be on the money. As on the money as a couple of other high-profile trackers we compared it to at least.

As usual, the aim is to hit your daily step goal and there's a nice touch with the Vivosmart whereby a new goal is calculated for you and altered each day, based on the personal details you offer up to Garmin's Connect platform (which we'll elaborate on later) and your recent performance. This is a nice function for people who could perhaps become disheartened by not hitting 10,000 steps everyday.

Garmin Vivosmart: Garmin Connect platform

The Garmin Connect platform, either on your PC or your smartphone, is where you'll see all of your activity visualised.

Unlike the Vivofit, you won't need an ANT+ USB adaptor to send your data to the web via a PC - you can either plug it in using the accompanying USB charging cable, or simply sync to your smartphone using Bluetooth, which will then talk to the web portal over the waves of the internet.

If you're using the former method, you have to press and hold the display to get the USB mode working, otherwise it simply charges and the Garmin Express connection software won't recognise it.

The Garmin Connect app and web portal is pretty comprehensive - it's the same platform that more specialised wearables such as the Fenix 2 or theForerunner 620 use.

Garmin Vivosmart: Battery life

The Garmin Vivofit offered a whopping year of battery life and the bad news is that's been chopped to just a week on the Vivosmart thanks to that OLED display and the smart notification features.

However, seven days isn't a disgrace – it puts it on a par with the likes of the Nike Fuelband and the Fitbit Flex.

Charging is done using an absolute monster of a charging clip – yes, another USB cable for your collection, we're afraid.

The Vivosmart is 5ATM certified, meaning it should have no problems going in the shower, bath or pool.

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