Garmin - vívoactive® 4S
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 24, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
14
2
"I use it for golf, running, walking, and indoor cardio/weightlifting workouts. ... I think the Venu and Vivoactive models are all-around models, which is where I landed on the Vivoactive 3 and then eventually upgraded to the Vivoactive 4."
"Garmin is much more accurate."
"HR, body battery seem pretty accurate (you can tell when I’m away on boys weekends or skiing at elevation, for example)."
22
6
"It's been a few years I've had it too, so it's durable."
"My favorite thing so far is how tough these watches are."
"My previous Garmin watch (Vivoactive 4) lasted me 4 years, and I sold it second-hand; the battery was still holding up 5-6 days on regular usage patterns. I do 2-3 runs a week with a GPS tracking and gym 3-4 times a week. ... My Vivoactive 4 also was good even after 4 years of usage, when I took it off only for a charge. The battery was lasting 5-6 days on a full charge, and I sold it, because I wanted to upgrade to a different look."
15
7
"The battery is about 6 days with me using it for a workout almost every one of those days, and usually a round of golf takes about 20%-25%."
"Oh yes I swear I charge maybe every 2 weeks."
"My previous Garmin watch (Vivoactive 4) lasted me 4 years, and I sold it second-hand; the battery was still holding up 5-6 days on regular usage patterns. I do 2-3 runs a week with a GPS tracking and gym 3-4 times a week. ... My Vivoactive 4 also was good even after 4 years of usage, when I took it off only for a charge. The battery was lasting 5-6 days on a full charge, and I sold it, because I wanted to upgrade to a different look."
6
0
"I've got pretty small wrist, run with a garmin vivoactive and get along well. ... Love it."
"Super slim and light ... I still miss it sometimes because I have a much bulkier watch now"
"I do use the VA4s, because I have small wrists, so I do need a bit of a smaller display"
1
0
"without any expectation of continuing fees (unless it was reasonable, like the inreach subscription or a cellular plan)"
Disliked most:
1
5
"the GPS was inaccurate while trail running"
"My previous Vivoactive 4 or Vivoactive 1 were very erratic, even trying different IQ apps."
"AFAIK that's something no Garmin under $600 can do."
2
6
"my vivoactive 4s died a few months ago now after a few good years services, I wanted to change it. I couldn't because I had the change the whole watch, planned obsolescence."
"The battery is hardly active for 1-2 hours after a full charge. ... I have VA4 and VA4, and both are busted now."
"I reckon they didn't put a good battery in there. ... Mine died last week. It's been a few years I had to put it almost every day on charge. Honestly been a bit disappointed by Garmin with that."
1
9
"it can't do custom swim workouts or swim drills"
"I had features in mind that i wanted (triathlon/brick) ... I’m upgrading from a vivoactive 4s for trail marathon & triathlon training"
"This was a much needed upgrade for me for the training status and progress."
1
7
"it can't do custom swim workouts or swim drills"
"My previous Vivoactive 4 or Vivoactive 1 were very erratic, even trying different IQ apps."
"it's crap at accuracy on laps."
0
4
"cracked screen"
"the screen is starting to fade"
"I does get scratched up"
1WonderWhatThisDoes 1.0My VA4 seems to do a great job.
Anielita 1.0My Garmin Vivoactive4 has never let me down!
-_Azura_- 1.0I use my Garmin and it's great for swimming as well as hiking. I tried it a few times cycling and it was quite accurate too- it has loads of different sports and I love mine. It's been a few years I've had it too, so it's durable. I used to have a Fitbit but I hated the strap and mine totally broke a number of times. Garmins seem much more sport focused whereas Fitbits didn't hold up for me.
Oh yeah sorry- left that out! It's a Vivoactive 4S so yeah not one of the newer ones but a great piece of kit!
BandShort4599 1.0Mir ging es ähnlich. Ich hatte lange Zeit die Vivoactive 4 und schon seit längerem auf die Enduro 3 geschielt. Mit Solar und Offline-Karten sah ich mich gedanklich auf langen, abenteuerlichen Touren. Aber ich bin Vater von zwei Kindern. Wenn, dann machen wir was zusammen. Radtouren, wo mein Garmin Edge dabei ist oder kurze Trips durch die Eifel oder die sächsische Schweiz - schön, aber nichts Abenteuerliches. Selbst im Urlaub, wo wir mal fremde Umgebungen auskundschaften, reicht mir die Vivoactive um damit wieder zum Auto zu kommen. Also Enduro 3, die schon bestellt war, wieder abbestellt und die Vivoactive 6 geordert. Bin gespannt auf den intelligenten Wecker und die 'Brotkrumen'-Navigation. Eine Unsicherheit bleibt allerdings: Grund für die Neuanschaffung war, dass mir meine Vivoactive 4 beim Schwimmen abgesoffen ist; also vielmehr bei einem Sprung vom 5m-Brett um fair zu bleiben. Die Uhr zeigte beim dritten Sprung einen Unfall an, den ich stoppen wollte und dabei ist sie komplett schwarz geworden und lässt sich auch nicht mehr reanimieren. Da hatte ich die Hoffnung, dass die Enduro etwas robuster ist und ich weiß jetzt schon, dass ich die Vivoactive 6 bei solchen Aktivitäten lieber ausziehen werde.
bawesome2424 1.0I just bought it a few days ago, and have been loving it so far! Upgraded from Vivoactive 4
bogoWroc 1.0I have Ignite 3 and Garmin vivioactive 4. Garmin is much more accurate. Ignite 3 at the distance 1200m is loosing 150m. In both cases there is no problem with Strava.
boomHeadSh0t 1.0I'll stick with my Garmin Vivoactive 4
bu5ym0m 1.0I've owned a Vivoactive 4s for 5 years. I've picked up running this year and am training for a half marathon, so I wanted to treat myself to a new watch. Two weeks ago, I bought the Forerunner 570, and then four days after, the Venu 4 was announced. I was gutted! Venu 4 has everything the Forerunner 570 has, and it is prettier for an office job. So I bought both, compared, and am sticking with the Venu 4. This was a much needed upgrade for me for the training status and progress. I sweat a lot and am in humid MN, and I've not had issues with only touchscreen. My vivoactive 4s didn't have five buttons, so I'm also used to the two buttons and prefer it. The GPS is a little slower than the Forerunner because of the different tech, but I'm not running trails/a super serious runner, so this is fine for me. I thought the light was going to be a feature I didn't use, but I actually use it a lot. I run in the dark, and it's great there. I search for items at night without turning on lights. The lifestyle tracking is fine. Nothing other apps don't already track. I also LOVE the smaller size. My wrist is just under 6 inches, and even the 42mm Forerunner looked too big. All in all, I'm happy with the purchase and plan to have this for another 5 years, so the price was fine for me.
CampingWise 1.0I bought a refurbished garmin vivoactive 4 a few years ago. Wear it daily and have really put it through its paces. It still works as good as the day I got it. I put a screen protector on it also since every smart watch I’ve had before had the screen cracked within 6 months of use.
Catsdrinkingbeer 1.0I had the VA3 for 3 years and am going on year 3 with my VA4. I've noticed some GPS drift lately so it might be tine to retire it, but overall I really do think these are great watches.
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