vívoactive® 3 Music

Gonna be the negative Nancy here and have to say my vivoactive 3 music died in three years, then the refurb I got to replace it (paid refurb, 90 bucks, not warrantied) broke in another 3. It came apart due to some medium force so I can’t 100% say it was its fault but I have reason to suspect that it was beginning to come apart about 3 weeks prior to the incident (screen was glitching for a few hours, was randomly acting up) and that might just have been the final straw. I did still get a new venu 3 tho. It works well and I don’t have to charge every day, that means a lot to me lol.

While I know you didn't mention it, IMHO this depends on your budget and what you're looking to get. I had (still have) a Vivoactive 3 Music, which I got 6 years ago for $199. It replaced my previous Fitbit which had fallen apart (literally) and I wanted something that had a) standalone, reliable GPS/barometer/altimeter, and b) music storage (I got sick of carrying my phone when I run). Recently, when Jeff Bezos needed more yachts (aka Prime Day), I snagged a FR255M for $249 (normally $399).

\^\^ This. I had a Vivoactive 3 Music for 6 years; hardly any new updates, but the thing kept working (the battery stopped holding a charge as well). The only reason(s) I updated to a 255 Music was because a) it was on sale for only $50 USD more than the VA3M from *6 years* prior, and b) it had more sensors I wanted to take advantage of. If my 255 lasts as long as my Vivoactive did (does), I'll be a happy dude.

It depends on what you need. When moving to Garmin from Fitbit, I opted for a Vivoactive 3 Music (aka VA3M). I was looking for a) GPS on the watch, and b) music storage. Hate carrying my phone when cycling/running. Recently moved on from the VA3M (worked for 6+ years, and *technically* still works). Picked up a Forerunner 255 Music and am quite happy with my choice. This may help: [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/which-watch/runner/compare/](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/which-watch/runner/compare/)

Vivoactive three for just in case my other watches die. They are a venu 2sq and a venu 3. Some days I like having the smaller venu 2sq.

The sleep tracker works really well, way better than my old watch which was the Vivoactive 3. It’s really accurate regarding sleep and wake up time. Also the sleep stages and sleep score feels accurate, for example when drinking, I always get a really low score and often I feel that I have slept like shit. 😁 Battery lasts more than a week but that depends on how much you use the GPS, AOD etc. If I don’t use AOD, It last for about a week (with still ~ 10% left) normally with 3 long running activities. With AOD, it’s like 3-4 days. Edit: Some third part watchfaces consumes alot of battery so it also depends on what face that is used.

My second Garmin, a used Tactix Delta, is hyuge, and a tank. I'm hard on watches and the bezel has NO scratches. The rim around the bezel is scratched to hell, and I'm ok with that. The 22 day battery life kicks ass. My last Garmin, a Vivoactive 3, was lasting barely a week per charge. It works great for tracking workouts, weather, temperature, controlling music, sleep and more. I could get messages when going to school when the profs didn't want you screwing with your phone in class. What's not to love?

I have had my GarminVivoactive 3 for 6 years while my wife has been through two fitbits and an apple watch. I wear it everyday and no scratches on the glass. The only thing I changed was the band because I didn't like the rubber feel when I got sweaty.

A few years ago I bought my parents (then in their late 60s) each the Garmin Vivoactive 3. My dad is largely sedentary, but my mom golfs twice/week and goes for walks. They were both fitbit users but seemed to have to replace them pretty regularly... As a regular cyclist and runner I thought a Garmin would be perfect. They both wear their watches all the time - my dad likes the move alert. He probably wouldn't get up and walk around if not for it. My mom tried the Golf activity feature but said it was too time consuming. She enjoys getting steps and doing those challenges. Their battery life seems short to me, but I've always worn a Fenix (5, 6, and now 8). They don't complain. What surprised me most was both of them have become data fiends, regularly tracking their sleep, stress, etc. I was going to try and upgrade them this year but it didn't seem worth it. The only things I was considering were large #s for the time and a bright touch screen. I was looking mostly at the Forerunner 165 despite neither of them running... with I think the Venu 3 as a close backup.