Garmin Vivoactive

983 reviews

Nov, 2024

Positive
usability (304)
size (112)
performance (91)
design (86)
price (63)

Negative
screen (5)
touch screen (2)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 983 reviews of Garmin Vivoactive. The average rating for this product is 4.1/5, compared to an average rating of 4.1/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. Comments about the price and design are generally positive. The performance and size are also mentioned favorably. There are some mixed comments about the apps, while the touch screen and screen get negative opinions.

usability, size, performance, design, price

screen, touch screen

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Garmin Vivoactive is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 87/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 983 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

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Showing 1 - 577 of 680 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (302)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Garmin Vivoactive

alaTest has collected and analyzed 373 user reviews of Garmin Vivoactive from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.1/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.co.uk. People are impressed by the performance and design. The size and price also get good feedback, but there are some mixed comments about the reliability. Many are critical about the screen.

usability, price, size, design, performance

screen

90% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Garmin Vivoactive

alaTest has collected and analyzed 194 user reviews of Garmin Vivoactive from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.0/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.com. Comments about the portability and design are on the whole positive. The size and price also get good feedback. The touch screen and battery get critical comments.

usability, price, size, design, portability

reliability, battery, touch screen

81% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Expert review by : Andrew Williams (trustedreviews.com)

Garmin Vivoactive

The Garmin Vivoactive is a fitness watch that cuts all the fat, and some of the muscle, off the higher-end Garmin Forerunner runner's watches. It delivers a GPS tracking device in a package that looks and feels like a lifestyle smartwatch.

Has full GPS tracking ; Good value ; Great battery life ; Small frame

Occasionally patchy notifications ; Limited apps library

Aug, 2015

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Expert review by : Andrew Williams (techradar.com)

Garmin Vivoactive review

An exercise band that is also nearly a smartwatch

Great fitness and activity tracking ; Top battery life ; Good comfort

Kinda drab design ; Less slick than Android Wear alternatives ; It looks like a smartwatch, but kinda isn't

May, 2015

Partner Source

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Expert review by (t3.com)

Garmin Vivoactive: GPS fitness tracker with a side order of smartwatch

This smartwatch/fitness-band hybrid is a jack of all trades and a master of… Well, let's find out, eh?

Great multi-sport tracking ; Accurate ; speedy GPS ; Long battery life

No built-in heart-rate monitor ; It’s not overly sexy ; Sleep tracking rather basic

Partner Source

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Expert review by : Dan Graziano (cnet.co.uk)

Garmin Vivoactive review: A fitness smartwatch that ultimately falls short

An ultraslim design and a laundry list of features can't save this watch.

The Vivoactive has an ultraslim design, good battery life and an always-on color display that shines in outdoor performance. It has vibration and notification alerts from your smartphone, activity tracking with auto-adjusting goals, multisport tracking...

The Connect IQ app store is lacking, Garmin's mobile app is dated and sleep tracking is unimpressive. The watch software and smartphone connectivity can also be unstable, requiring frequent reboots.

The ultraslim design and laundry list of features can't overcome the buggy software. Once Garmin fixes these problems, the Vivoactive could be a good product, but until then, there are better options available.

Apr, 2015

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Expert review by : Ashleigh Allsopp (techadvisor.co.uk)

Garmin Vivoactive smartwatch hands-on review

Garmin has opted for a square design for the Vivoactive. We prefer the look of circular smartwatches but wouldn't say that the Vivoactive is unattractive. It's available in either black or white, and is fairly thin at 8mm though perhaps too large...

We're looking forward to spending some more time with the Garmin Vivoactive smartwatch to find out how accurate it is at tracking our activity and exploring its features more thoroughly to see whether they make life easier.

Jan, 2015

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Expert review by (which.co.uk)

Garmin Vivoactive review

(Rating Hidden)

Garmin calls the Vivoactive a smartwatch for an active lifestyle, but can it keep pace with our tough fitness tracking tests? And just how smart are its smart functions? Read on for our full review of the Garmin Vivoactive and find out whether it lives...

Jul, 2016

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Expert review by : Sasha Muller (alphr.com)

Garmin Vivoactive review: The fitness wearable to buy

Long battery life, integrated GPS and ANT+ compatibility make for a great fitness watch – niggles aside, the Vivoactive is the one to beat

The Garmin Vivoactive isn’t a sleek, sexy do-it-all wearable: it’s a GPS-enabled fitness watch with a smattering of semi-smart features.

Jun, 2015

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Expert review by : Ashleigh Allsopp (techworld.com)

Garmin Vivoactive hands-on review

Garmin used CES 2015 to several new forays into the wearable market, including the new Vivoactive GPS smartwatch aimed at fitness enthusiasts interested in keeping track of their daily activity. Here's our Garmin Vivoactive hands-on review.

Jan, 2015

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Expert review by : Elias Plastiras (goodgearguide.com.au)

Garmin Vivoactive GPS smartwatch

Track your fitness activities in high detail with this comfortable smartwatch

GPS tracking ; Comfortable to wear ; Lots of metrics to digest

App and Web interface could stand to be a little clearer ; Step count was a little off

May, 2015

Partner Source

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Expert review by : Lee Crane (digitaltrends.com)

Garmin VivoActive review

On-board GPS and step tracking ; ANT+ sensor connectivity ; Waterproof to 5 ATM ; Smart Notifications (phone, text, email)

Only one programmable alarm ; Sleep tracking lacks detail ; Menus can be complex

After wearing the Vívoactive for two weeks, we still can’t really decide if this is the easiest to use GPS watch we’ve ever tested, or the most complex fitness tracking band. But that’s a good thing.

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