Garmin Vivoactive 3

Subtle, circular, stylish design Good GPS and heart rate monitor Tracks a range of activities

Can't choose which apps get alerts iOS users can't respond to texts Base model can't support music playback

With smart notifications, GPS, sports tracking to rival high-end devices, an on-board payment system and a subtle, stylish design, Garmin has created a versatile wearable with true mainstream appeal.

Affordable ; Long-lasting battery life ; Lightweight design ; Versatile and capable of tracking multiple activities ; Degree of data detail

Garmin Pay isn't supported in the UK yet ; Some connectivity issues ; Screen less attractive than Apple/Fitbit competition

In the Vivoactive 3, Garmin has tried to build a device which is predominantly an everyday, normal persons', lifestyle-focused fitness watch. Think of this as more competition for your high-end Fitbit than a "serious running watch for serious runners".

Lightweight ; Great battery life ; 24/7 heart-rate monitoring

A little ugly ; On the pricey side

That it does all this while also packing in some degree of smartwatch capability is truly remarkable and, while it isn’t a beautiful device to look at, it achieves pretty much everything I’d want from a fitness-cum-smartwatch. The only major misfire is...

Great exercise tracking ; Very good battery life ; Contender for smartest Garmin watch yet

Software not as slick as Wear or Watch OS ; Garmin Pay not ready yet ; No standalone music playback

If you’re into sports rather than all-round fitness tracking, then this is the smartwatch for you

It might sound stupid but one of my favourite things about the Vivoactive 3 is just how comfortable and discreet it is. Despite being packed with all the great features you’d expect from a top-level multisport watch, it doesn’t have the substantial...

Connects to ANT+ sensors ; Smart Notifications ; Garmin Pay

Weak vibration alert ; Easy to miss notifications

24/7 heart rate and stress monitoring. Great features for runners. Tracks wide range of activities. Supports contactless payments. Compact and fashionable.

May feel heavy and bulky to some. Charger is proprietary.

The Garmin Vivoactive 3 has just about every feature you'd want and expect from a fitness tracker, plus a few extras—stress readings, contactless payments, cadence measurements, ability to reply to texts when paired with Android—that make it more...