Garmin - vívoactive® 6

make the switch. i was going to buy an apple watch series 6 when i decided i wanted a smart watch again as i used to have a series 3, but after realising i wanted something that will actually track my steps, training, calories, sleep etc, i decided on a vivoactive 6. i charge my watch like once a week and the sleep tracking is super accurate ive found. i dont run, i do strength training so i cant speak for the garmin running watches but would recommend anything garmin

Ha! Interesting, i found simple round ones like Vivoactive 6 “girly”. (I previously had Apple watch SE)

Garmin vivoactive 6. It occasionally misses a lap but if you push off the wall with force that happens pretty rarely. The battery life is fantastic—I charge once a week. Before that I had an Apple Watch, which never skipped a lap but needed almost daily charging. It also died after 2 1/3 years of 4 x weekly swimming.

I think all garmin watches are strava compatible I have the vivoactive 6 and it automatically uploads any activity I do

Go for it I recently got it for my sleep monitoring and is quite accurate even the rem sleep it takes quite well....

I really like my Garmin watch, though the model I have (Vivoactive 6) doesn't have an altimeter. The Venu 4 has one though.

I just switched from Apple Watch to Garmin Vivoactive 6. I haven’t climbed yet, but I only charge it every 6 days! It was the most comparable to the Apple Watch, but better activity tracking.

Just got my VA6 today and I don’t know if I’m happy with it or not. It just looks cheap and so disappointed with the watch faces. Also thinking of returning it and getting the venu 3.

I replaced a faulty/refunded Sense 2 with a Vivoactive 6 (similar price point). The only missing feature IMO is altimiter for floor count, though I haven't really missed that. For climbing/hiking I guess you need that? I used this - [https://github.com/simonepri/fitbit2garmin](https://github.com/simonepri/fitbit2garmin) \- to bring 10+ years of Fitbit data over, but it took a couple of days to run fully.

I've just gotten a Garmin Vivoactive 6 that I use to record my runs and rides. I think it tracks very well and that's backed up by the short review from DC Rainmaker. I use a very old Garmin cycle computer on my bars to show speed and directions.

I just switched from an Apple Watch to Vivoactive 6 and have been really happy. The battery life alone (11 days) is just so much better. The informative feedback, sleep tracking (because it has to charge at night)... all things I didn't get from the Apple watch. The one thing I miss is being able to control music from my watch face, which only really matters on a run.

I'm an Apple Watch SE user who recently decided to explore the Garmin ecosystem. You'll find more details and context in the post below. I've been using the Vivoactive 6 for about a week now. Before that, I had bought the Venu 3 for $450, but eventually returned it after getting the VA6. Here's why I made the switch: - I rarely use the watch speaker (I used to be an Apple Watch SE user), and I generally prefer taking calls on my phone. - I don’t like being notified on my watch, since I always have my phone with me. - Thankfully, I don’t need ECG/EKG features, so that wasn’t useful for me. **Context:** The main reason I switched to Garmin is that Apple Watch—even the Ultra—doesn't really provide actionable health insights. What impressed me about Garmin is the level of actionable insights it offers *without* requiring a subscription. Some of the highlights: 1. Sleep Score and Sleep Coach 2. Stress tracking 3. Body Battery 4. Recovery insights 5. Custom workouts and Garmin Coach ...and probably more features I’ll discover as I continue using the VA6. Most of the core health tracking features are similar to the Apple Watch, but Garmin seems to go a step further with its detailed insights. So overall, Garmin feels like a more complete fitness-focused smartwatch to me. ### What I liked in the VA6 compared to the Venu 3: 1. **New UX Improvements** - Fully redesigned UI/UX that feels modern and premium — more in line with 2025 standards. - Notification center with "Clear All" option (finally!). - Control center similar to Android/iOS. - Built-in Compass app. - Revamped UI/UX for several existing apps. - Smart alarm (haven’t tried it yet). - Adjustable font size. - Calendar app that shows all future events — unlike V3, which only shows today and tomorrow. 2. **Custom Workout Creation** - You can create fully custom workouts on VA6, which the V3 doesn’t support. 3. **Course/Route Syncing** - Ability to send training courses or routes directly to the watch. 4. **Improved Haptics** - The vibration motor feels noticeably better than the one in V3. 5. **Premium Strap** - The strap feels more refined and premium than what comes with the V3. ...and I’m sure there’s more I’ll uncover over time. **One thing worth noting:** although the watch has a UI that's quite feature-rich and visually heavy, I initially expected it to lag. But after using it for a week, I haven't experienced a single hiccup — it's been smooth throughout. After exploring the VA6, the Venu 3 felt like a bit of a downgrade—especially since I don’t care much about answering calls, using the speaker, or having ECG functionality. Yes, the Venu 3 has Garmin’s 5th-gen sensor and the VA6 has the 4th-gen, but the difference between V4 and V5 isn’t significant in terms of real-world use. I also had a look at the VA5 at a nearby store. Even though the VA5 and VA6 use similar materials, the VA6 feels much more solid and premium in hand. ### Final Thoughts Some of these points might not matter to longtime Garmin users who are happy with their current devices and don’t feel the need to upgrade. But for someone new to the Garmin ecosystem, or someone looking to jump in now, the VA6 seems like the best value. You get the latest design, more relevant features, and hopefully more updates going forward (fingers crossed).

The vivoactive 4 and 6 do do the animation, but aren't as good of running watches as the 165. And don't do any bike things either.

Yes. I just tried out the vivoactive 5 and the 6 and both of them allow for custom workout plans. You can design the plan on your phone and upload it to the watch. I decided to go for the vivoactive 6 in the end and one of the reasons is it shows you more when doing these exercises and I like the software and options for what is shown on the screen much more during workouts.

Hello everyone, Since many online reviews don't reflect the needs of regular people, I’d like to share my personal experience with the new Vivoactive 6. Garmin’s recent development strategies have sparked a lot of negative reactions. In particular, their pricing strategy has faced heavy criticism. Many of the available models seem absurdly expensive, yet a lot of people are still willing to pay those high prices. Shortly after its release, I bought a Fenix 8 (47mm AMOLED) because I was looking for a new sports watch and got influenced by Garmin’s upselling strategy. In the end, I wasn’t particularly thrilled with it and sold it again two months ago. I quickly realized that although the watch could basically do everything, as a casual athlete I simply wasn’t the target audience. It’s nice to know you can dive 40 meters with it, track all sorts of niche sports, and be prepared for a nuclear war, but in my everyday life I noticed that, as an ordinary person who enjoys jogging, biking, swimming in summer, and doing short hikes, I never used 90% of the features. I’m just not a pro athlete. On top of that, the software often felt unfinished, the operating system was sluggish even by Garmin standards, and given the size and weight of the watch, the battery life wasn’t as impressive as I had expected. I eventually sold it and went without a smartwatch for a few weeks. For those who need it, the Fenix 8 is certainly an excellent watch, but for me, it just felt too overloaded and not right. After a few weeks without a smartwatch, I started missing it. So I decided to look for a watch that truly matched my needs. When the Vivoactive 6 was released, I immediately thought it might be just right for a regular person like me. Many reviews criticize that the watch doesn’t have the latest Gen 5 heart rate sensor, lacks an altimeter, and doesn’t support dual-band GPS. On paper, that doesn’t sound great, but I didn’t want to fall into the trap again of chasing better GPS, then a better heart rate sensor, then maps—only to end up back at €1000 (I live in Germany). So I ignored the spec sheet and ordered it anyway. It turned out to be the right decision. Even though it costs only about a third of what I paid for the Fenix 8, I’m far more satisfied with it. Let me walk through all the key points step by step: Feel/Build Quality: Unlike the Fenix 8, the Vivoactive 6 feels wonderfully minimalist. I was blown away by how light and comfortable it is. You hardly notice it on your wrist, which to me is worth more than all the advantages of a large watch. It also looks very elegant and high-end thanks to the aluminum bezel. It’s the kind of watch you actually want to wear in everyday life and that never gets in the way. Operating System: The OS is much more intuitive and less cluttered than on a Fenix. For someone who trains professionally, that might be a downside, but for a casual athlete like me, it’s a big plus because I can access the things I need much more quickly. The UI is also more in line with what you'd expect from a typical smartwatch, which I personally really like. Navigation is much smoother than on the Fenix 8, and combined with the better clarity, it makes me use the watch a lot more frequently. Features: Everything I used on the Fenix 8 in daily life, I can also use on the Vivoactive 6. Even for an entry-level watch, the data coverage is immense compared to other brands. While running, hiking, or cycling, I can view all relevant metrics—even running efficiency data. PacePro is included as well. I never used the features that are missing compared to the Fenix 8 anyway, often because I didn’t even fully understand them or just didn’t need them. Elevation is still tracked via GPS, which compensates for the missing altimeter just fine for me. Maybe the altitude data isn’t quite as accurate, but as a rough indicator, it’s good enough. In terms of health tracking, the watch records almost everything the Fenix 8 did—except for ECG. But since I have a healthy heart, I only used the ECG feature twice on the Fenix anyway. The smart features, aside from anything involving the microphone or speaker, are also nearly identical. You can find your phone, reply to notifications with a keyboard, make payments, listen to music, and more. On the Fenix 8, I only ever used route navigation in daily life, and I would create the routes on my phone beforehand. Everything else was too complicated. The Vivoactive 6 doesn’t have maps, but it has breadcrumb navigation, which has always been enough for me so far. Of course, maps would be nicer, but the current system works absolutely fine. As technically impressive as the navigation features on the Fenix 8 are, most people will probably use their smartphones for that stuff anyway. One feature worth mentioning is the smart alarm, which is one of the coolest and most useful features for everyday use. It’s actually something new that adds real value, and I use it every day. Accuracy: I never noticed that the heart rate sensor is older or that it lacks dual-band GPS. The data always seemed plausible to me. Maybe there are minor differences in direct comparison or during very intense activities, but for 90% of people, it probably doesn’t matter if the heart rate is off by three beats during a workout. On routes I had also run with the Fenix 8, the measured distances were identical—no noticeable deviations. Display: The display is very nice and really bright. I can’t tell any difference in quality compared to the one used in the Fenix 8. Battery Life: The battery life is impressive for the size and weight. Without the always-on display, I get around 8 to 10 days with regular workouts and blood oxygen tracking during sleep. The Fenix 8 had about 30% more battery life, but that doesn’t really justify the extra bulk and weight. When you wear such a large watch, you expect a breathtaking battery life, but with such a slim watch, 8 to 10 days is very satisfying. Most people will find time to charge it within that window. Summary: I think many people, like me, tend to buy things they don’t actually need. I can only recommend really thinking about what you actually want in a smartwatch before buying one. With a €1000 watch, disappointment hits harder because every flaw feels unforgivable. The much lower price of the Vivoactive 6 made me appreciate it all the more, as most things work just as well in daily life. It feels like a very polished product—no software bugs at all—and it fits perfectly into my life while offering many features that other smartwatches don’t have. It’s a great balance between price and functionality, and you still feel well-equipped for every situation. The price-performance ratio is especially impressive. For €300, you get a watch that does far more than you need. If you pay €200 more for an Instinct 3, you’re more likely to be annoyed by the lack of maps or the older sensor (even if it hardly matters in daily life, it feels outrageous at that price). But for €300, it’s totally fine. The low weight, smoother operation, and more streamlined OS mean that I’d honestly prefer wearing the Vivoactive 6—even if the Fenix 8 cost the same.

Vivoactive 6, unless you care about stair tracking. VA6 has routes, but not maps. No need to spend half a grand on a watch.

You are me 8 years ago. I went from C25K to Strava on my phone, which got me through my first race. After completing it I bought a Forerunner 35, which I would wear only on runs or long walks. It did everything I needed it to, and I only upgraded it this summer when I decided I wanted a fulltime smart watch. I now have a vivoactive 6, which is much more attractive for daily wear. I think they've discontinued the 35, but the 55 would be equivalent.

Just upgraded from Fitbit sense 2 to the Vivoactive 6 and I am so so SO happy I did! It’s probably one of my favourite tech purchases ever. 100% recommend.

The Garmin vivo active 4 works and is much cheaper than the Fenix. You can also look if the vivo active 6 has an altimeter my 5 doesn't but the 4 does. Garmin over Samsung or Apple just because battery life is incredible

165 has more buttons so it's easier to use while running without using the touchscreen. 165 will have daily suggested workouts for running (Vivoactive only suggests walking workouts for some reason) 165 has a Barometer so can measure elevation changes on-device during your activity, and count how many 'floors' you've gone up in a day (if you care about such things). Vivoactive will backfill elevation data once the activity is completed through Garmin Connect. 165 has training status/acute load (I think) to show what effect your recent workouts are having on your fitness. And they look different. Other than that, largely similar capability in terms of GPS and HR accuracy.

I have a Sense 2 as well. I just got a Vivoactive 6. I love it. I got it from Amazon. I'm not very active either but am using my treadmill more often. I think the watch has everything I need and then some.

Guess VA6 or Venu 3 (my watch, but i’m only walking in the mountains) would also fit; it’s just how much you are into serious training, and interested in supporting metrics, like Training readiness, training load, increasing/monitoring VO2 max and other components. VA6 /Venu 3 are (imo) very limited in this respect. As for VA6 vs Venu 3: V3 comes with mic & speaker, VA6 not. V3 comes with latest HR sensor (Elevate 5) hence ECG, VA6 has older Elevate 4 sensor and no ECG . V3 has barometric altitude sensor, the VA6 not. However, the VA6 comes with some new features, not on the older Venu 3, probably on the Venu 4 expected to be launched this month September.

I would recommend Vivoactive 6 - it does all that you would like it to do, and the screen size isn't too bad. Plus it looks nice enough as a day to day watch. Garmin is more focused on sport, so it's more of a sport watch with some smart features. If you want a true smart watch, the Apple Watch SE is perfectly fine for a casual runner/sporty person with excellent smart watch features.

The new Vivoactive 6 would be a good option. The Vivoactive 5 is on sale if you want a budget pick with similar features. Both are a slimmer/more casual look than something like a Forerunner. That said, the Forerunner series has a lot of great running and cycling features, especially the 265 and 965 (the 165 can't use a power meter, for example).

I would go for either the Instinct 3 or Vivoactive 6. Both new watches are great, no issues. Vivoactive 6 is just in your budget range but isn't very 'rugged', which is the perfect desciption of the instinct 3 (which is a bit more pricey). You can go for the black and white screen of the Instinct E ($299), but the tech is a bit more dated, and if you are coming from an apple watch, im guessing you like the bright screens. Another option is the Epix 2 (refurbished) from amazon for $349 (what I would go for). This is their top of the line watch from a few years ago, but still very advanced with most of the new features. [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1316397/pn/010-02936-00/](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1316397/pn/010-02936-00/) [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1555457/](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1555457/) [https://a.co/d/fs1SPqL](https://a.co/d/fs1SPqL)

Following, that’s funny most of people says that the Garmin ia very accurate! I just bought the Vivoactive 6 and I have the AW9

I don’t know yet, I got mine friday night! I am very confused by the interface hahaha is very different from the apple watch. My watch looks cheap, but someone is this group said that was because I bought the cheapest one hahaha. But about the insights I am really surprised by this watch! https://preview.redd.it/vpy1fmw40zrf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4254a54c4700035a0852a50bf85b9b166ea9b3b3

Thanks for your writeup, I've had my vivoactive 4s for over 4 years now and feel I'm due an upgrade. In between I was tempted to buy a fenix 7 pro but could never justify the additional cost. I VA5 was a downgrade from the 4 so didn't really consider it, now that the 6 is here I think this is the device

I was in a similar position, ended up getting a barely used Vivoactive 6 for €215. I am super happy.

The vivoactive 6 is $300 (i have the 5, which was even less), pixel watch 4 is $350. 11 days vs 40 hours of battery. Maybe the pixel has some killer feature, but not one I care about.. I don't even use the music streaming etc on the one I've got. As I said above, I just want time, some fitness tracking, and managing notifications. The Garmin checks all those boxes for me.

If you want a mic and speaker your cheapest option is the venu 3, whith likely best option the forerunner 570 (there is also the more expensive and fully featured FR970 and the top end fenix 8 or the multi-use venu x1 if you want rectangular). If you can live without mic and speaker your cheapest option is the FR165 Music, however I personally think you get way more by going for the Vivoactive 5 or 6 as it offers more in terms of other recreational leisure activities, or if you want more training metrics and fitness features around running, cycling and swimming then the FR265

Apple watch ultra 2 is your only real option for longer battery life and esim and the rest of the features you want. You do know that if you have a spotify premium sub you don't have to have an e-sim to listen to music, as you can download playlists and save them onto the device, unfortunately offline spotify is only available on wear os watches (not an option for iPHone as locked to android), apple watches and garmin. Garmin may be a good option as can do offline spotify playlists, and has built in route options or can pull them from strava, syncs data with strava way better than apple does; and the models that offer music all offer at least up to 10 days battery life, and they can offer way more than garmin does in terms of built in training metric and analytics and features. Note offline music + gps on watch is a heavy battery drain - so 1hr or gps activity + offline music and you are looking to recharge every 4-6 days (maybe longer) depending on the model, compared to multiple charge per day on AW (assuming you sleep with it) or daily charge on AWU2 If you want a mic and speaker look at venu 3, FR570, FR970, Venu x1 and Fenix 8 series. Otherwise you could go with vivoactive 5 or 6; FR265, FR965, FR955 and prior fenix 7 (and its variants like Epix 2 etc).

One is a training watch and the other a lifestyle health and wellness watch, they are not the same. The Fr165 is the far better watch for running, hands down. The Vivo6 doesn't even have an altimeter. It may look sleeker but it is quite cheap looking in real life. The black F165 can work for you.

If you want to see detailed maps on the watch you need to pay more. You can see it on the app after the run I think on most models. Cheapest option would vivoactive 5/6

It does not sound like you do running or other outdoor activities, so I d recommend a vivoactive 5 or 6 mate. However, something like a basic Forerunner could also give you all plus some running support for a share of the vivo price. I started my first one with a vivomove HR which only gave me steps and basic gym rep counting (that was 8 years ago) then vivoactive 3 and now a FR965 because I do hike a lot and started running recently plus all the gym.

For 300€ budget, you can still buy Swim 2 from Amazon for only 200€ or Forerunner 255 for around 240€. If you want a new model, maybe Vivoactive 6 for 290€. In pool swim mode after you set a pool lenghth, it only uses movement sensor (accelerometer or/and gyroscope) not GPS. From my experience, it's quite accurate.

There is no point to buy any top of the line 9xx forerunner as you don't run outdoor. For your requirements, you should consider Venu 4 (or Venu 3 for the most value or even a cheaper Vivoactive 6) instead.

For gym it is important to be able to adjust weight/reps using touch screen. I'm not sure if Fenix 7 can this. Va6 and venu3 - can.

Forerunner if you care about run-specific metrics, the vivoactive 5 lacks them, the vivoactive 6 has some, but forerunner would be the go-to

I finally settled on Vivoactive 6 & am quite happy with it . I don’t need all the detailed data the more expensive ones give. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I had a 255, also a similarly slim wrist, and recently "upgraded" to a Vivoactive 6. Upgrade in quotes because I'm aware a lot of people don't consider that an upgrade, but it definitely was for me, for things I cared about, and ultimately it's only things you care about that matters. For me the biggest problem was how big and heavy the 255 was. I believe it's very similar size/weight to the 265, and the 955 is even larger/heavier (by a bit). I am also primarily a runner, but not a super serious one (one or two half marathons a year, a few weeks/months of half-assed training). The tracking and training features on the dirt cheap Vivoactive is more than enough for me, and I don't miss the more advanced features from the Forerunner at all. In fact, I still don't know what those are. I suspect very few people wearing Forerunners really benefit from the very specialized running features that the more "lifestyle" Garmin watches don't have, and I regretted falling into that trap and getting that Forerunner a few years ago. Either that or this sub is full of hardcore elite runners. On the Vivoactive, the OLED screen is much more beautiful than the MIP, and the new interface is so much more intuitive to use. The size also looks much less comical on my wrist. It's also much lighter, which I didn't really appreciate until getting this one. It "only" has 10 days battery life, but I just charge it when I notice it going below 20% when sat at my desk, and it really doesn't bother me at all. The 255 was purely a training tool. The Vivoactive gives me joy to wear and look at, in addition to being just as good a training tool for me. But that's a very subjective thing. If you don't like the Vivoactive aesthetic, there's also the new Venu 4/4S that looks more premium. So I think it mostly depends on whether you actually need the additional features. The map is the only feature I would care about in the 9xx, but I wasn't going to pay so much for that, when I never do long runs in unfamiliar places without my phone anyways.

Basically any Garmin watch can do all that, so you have to decide what other features you prefer. Vivoactive 6 is very cheap and pretty, with most functions you'll want in a smart watch (besides talking to it). Also nice and light. The only major limitation in exercise tracking is that it doesn't have triathlon mode. Otherwise it will have all the running metrics you care about. Forerunner 55 is probably the cheapest but very barebone. Forerunner 255 has a theoretically more accurate GPS (if you run in environments under a lot of tree cover or buildings), and some very advanced running features that you aren't going to need unless you take running extremely seriously. MIP screen which saves battery life and is marginally more readable under direct sunlight, but isn't pretty. Forerunner 265 is basically the same as 255 but has a pretty screen (and slightly worse battery life). Most of these, except for 55 and basic version of 255 (255 has a separate Music version) support music without phone. The forerunners are quite chunky if you have a small wrist, though some have a smaller version (255S, 265S). I switched from a 255 to a Vivoactive 6 and have been really happy about it.

Vivoactive 6, has most sensors, cheap, long battery life

They're very similar. If you want daily suggested running workouts get the 165. It can be useful, but you don't really need them though. I prefer a full set of buttons so I can disable touch in some cases. I have the blue 165 and wear it most days. It doesn't really fit in, but our office is quite casual. The black / white one could maybe work. But I agree that the VA6 looks a bit sleeker. It can't make beeping sounds though, only vibrate. Tough choice, but both are nice imo. You could also import the data into something like Runalyze.

I personally got the vivo 6 solely for the UI display differences, I felt it was much more adapted to my skill level with watches as this is my first smartwatch. I absolutely do not regret that decision I am very glad I did that! For something you will keep 5+ years that kind of price difference is an afterthought

I just switched from a charge 6 to a vivoactive 6 about a month ago.  The Garmin is larger, which is the only thing I don't like about it, but I'm okay with that. The sleep tracking works great and the heart rate tracking seems much more accurate than the Fitbit was. And best, the battery life on the Garmin is way better than the Fitbit, especially as my Fitbit was dying to the point of needing to be charged daily. 

Hi, I’m in the same boat as you and have been doubting forever what to buy. I’ve had a VA6, but found it very dim in normal conditions and I couldn’t up the brightness because you can’t turn off the autobrightness. I did like the size, i have small wrists. As do you. I’m currently between the VA5/Venu 3s. Do you like your Venu3s? How’s the size? My wrists are 16-17 cm, and I’m doubting between the Venu 3 (45mm) - VA5 (42mm) and Venu 3S (41mm).

I went from charge 6 to vivoactive 6 and its whole other universe. Its not really worth comparing. Its like thinking about a tracker from 5 years agao vs garmin latest offering.

A Garmin vivoactive 6. One month exactly today

I got the vivoactive 6 after my Fitbit sense was refusing to keep a charge. Had it for almost 3 months and never looking back. It also has smart awake.

Would you be using Youtube Music? If so, it just doesn't work on VA6 even though they say it's supported. May be it would, but didn't for me. If no... then VA6 new interface would be worth it.

I've decided to order Vivoactive 6 because my VA4 touch screen became irresponsive. I will be missing the reflective screen!..

I just switched from the Vivoactive 4s, which I bought in 2020, to the Vivoactive 6. The new interface is great, sure. The overall look and feel of the VA6 seems super cheap compared to my VA4s. My VA4 has beautiful gold colored METAL buttons and a gold colored metal circle around the watch face. The band felt sturdy and of quality. The VA6 feels like a watch that I could’ve spent $100 on - cheap and dingy. The buttons are plastic. As far as the sleep tracker: I went to bed at 10:45 pm last night and woke up at 6 am this morning. The VA6 tracked me going to bed at 9:00 pm and waking up at 5:00 am. After upgrading 2 models forward, I’m seriously shocked and disappointed that it’s not even close to tracking my sleep correctly. So many of the watch faces on ConnectIQ don’t work for the VA6, and as someone in tech, why wouldn’t they filter the app based on the watch you have paired to your phone to only show you available watch faces/apps that are actually downloadable. There are literally no filter options by watch type that I’ve found? Not sure if I should return it and wait another year or switch to the VA5 (just to save money) or hop over to the Venu 3 or just give it more time to adjust. I want a fancy-ish looking watch (one that I can wear to work events) that functions as a fitness watch, as I am a runner. Not really interested in the Apple Watch as I don’t want a total smart phone on my wrist and I don’t like the shape, but I may honestly consider it now. Just plain disappointed with the overall quality of the watch itself. Essentially an updated user interface, some additional outdoor activities and that seems to be it. It seems to have gone down in physical quality. I still love my VA4s and other than it taking forever to find my GPS location prior to a run (which was my reason for upgrading), I find that it still works really well —- it just has an antiquated UI and is missing some sports that I like (I’ve paid for a roller blading app on it for 5 years lol). I am actually impressed with how long this watch has lasted. Thoughts? EDIT: I returned it and got the Venu 3s and it’s perfect! This is exactly what I would’ve expected from my VA4s upgrade — just a shame I had to go with a more expensive model to get a similar product. Either way, I’m jazzed! Hope that helps anyone who had similar problems!

I also opted for vivo6 just ordered it from target w 5% off. I’m upgrading from venu sq. Looking for better phone notification when I’m dancing or playing pb. I have a smaller wrist, venus sq feels ok . I hope I like VA6. Thank you for the review, it help solidify my decision bc I was trying to compare with Venu 3

Past few weeks it kept on restarting constantly on its own. Garmin is sending me a new replacement and I’ll send this one back, still within one year of purchase . I also just found out how to get text notification that’s why I got it the first place. Doesn’t register when I take naps, will need to enter that manually. I do like the phone notifications . Hope the new replacement won’t have issues … battery life was decent , did go from 11 to 10 days

Vivoactive is the best watch imo coming from another watch. 955 is buttons only which is tough coming from apple. Venu does offer much more if anything more than vivoactive

Reason you could not find a DSW alternative is because there aren't any. Guess what! It costs money to add features to any product. Suntoo/Polar/Coros are cheaper than garmin because they cannot do lot of things that a Garmin does. People value that and pay more for Garmin products. I have a friend who pays for Runna app which claims to be the #1 running app in the world and charges $120 per year subscription. He has been using the app for more than a month and so far the app has done absolutely 0 adaptation to his body condition or paces he can sustain. I have found DSW to be way superior in this regard. It is Amazing that Garmin provides such a nice service for free. Some people argue that it is included in the watch's cost. If I consider Runna pricing, my watch would be free in <3 yrs! Considering how long Garmins last, we basically pay nothing for them. I am fed up with all the paranoia about free Connect features going away in the future. People seriously need to take a chill pill and learn to stay in the present. Garmin just announced Vivoactive 6 yesterday and it added a tonne of features over vivoactive 5 for free (brought to vivoactive series from the forerunner).

Garmin Vivoactive 6. Has a lot of sport tracking features without looking super techy. It also tracks sleep and menstrual cycle.

I switched a few months back. Bought a Vivoactive 6, had an Apple SE. Things I love about Garmin - * Battery life is epic - can run far, or hike long, and not worry * No charging every night * Access to training plans for free Things I miss about my Apple watch - * Cannot answer calls * cannot reply to texts * Cannot take photos using watch as a remote Garmin feels more sports focused, apple is like having a tiny iphone on my wrist. A few months in, and it is hard to decide which I prefer. But the battery keeps the Garmin on my wrist. I find both are crap at sleep tracking.

Got myself a vivoactive 6 last week, as couldn't see any reason to get a Venu 3 or 3s. And i certainly don't need what Fenix offers. Another hot take, at least amongst other people at my work. Watches can in fact, get to large and bulky.

I have a vívoactive 5, that I am happy with, Vivoactive 6 would be my to go now as it seems they added some more running dynamics I. That one. Battery is around 5-6 days easily, more if you turn off some features, and less activities. It's light, aAndbd doesn't bother me at all.l, but no phonecalls if that's what you are looking for, which doesn't bother me at all

I recently replaced my Apple Watch SE2 with a Garmin Vivoactive 6. No regrets. Honestly, I liked the Apple Watch, but Apple's idea of battery life can jump off a bridge. "18 hours all day battery" is just absurd. My VA6 has like 10 days of battery life and I can pretty much top off the battery any given day by charging it while I shower. Also, while it's not the most accurate, the Vivoactive 6 has SpO2 recording, which matters to me because I have sleep apnea, and getting a nightly average is convenient. The Apple Watch doesn't even have this on their higher end models right now because they're in a patent dispute over the use of their sensors. Bear in mind though, the Garmin is a Fitness watch. It's not going to do all the things an Apple Watch does, and it doesn't integrate with iOS in the same way as the Apple Watch.

I switched a few months back from an Apple SE to Vivoactive 6. Couldn’t be happier. Purely on battery life alone it was the right choice. And I’m an Apple guy.

I have the fr965. Had the vivocative6 before thw upgrade and that was fine. I just wanted something with navigation on it as palm routes where I haven’t been before, so just gives me extra piece of mind as phone may not always have a signal. Battery life is fine. Will last over week doing 5 or 6 Activities a week (gym for over an hour, 10k runs etc). Even doing y3p with navigation running all the time it only used about 60% battery and that was nearly 12 hours. I do wear at hr strap when exercising so that will improve the accuracy of hr and calorie burn. Best thing to do is compare the watches for the features you want and then get the one you like best

Isn't it basically a VivoActive 6 with ECG (and flashlight, if anyone cares) making it thicker and heavier? Oh and more expensive.  If you have no arythmia, ECG is useless so no need for the Venu?

Touchscreen is helpful with maps but otherwise it's nice to have for swiping through widegets but not absolutely necessary. Touchscreen is already default disabled during sports on the watches that have it though you can turn it on. The 255 is a super watch for what you get and outdoors it will be easy to read. The newer watches have the updated heart sensor but the Gen. 4 is still great.

Vivoactive, venu, and currently have a forerunner

Just get one of the garmin watches with heart rate tracking. Their most budget one with a heart rate tracker, is their vivoactive, and it'll set you back maybe 200 bucks. But I'd personally spend a bit more and get the Forerunner 255. I currently have a 255, and it's fantastic. Battery life is about a week, but I also do a good deal of running. I imagine it'd go up to 10-14 days if I didn't use the GPS function while tracking my runs. It works with the Garmin Connect app, and that doesn't require a subscription at all. It'll also sync your activity data with Strava for additional tracking if you wanted.

I wouldn’t be afraid of buying a Garmin watch for open water or pool swims. I have a first generation instinct since the summer of 2020. I’ve worn it everyday no matter what. If you don’t like the look of the instinct, I would look at either the Fenix, Enduro. The forerunner has a bezel but it’s not as raised I feel. Really any of their watches that includes the feature of a raised bezel I gravitate towards. For me, anyways, watches that don’t have that feature end up with a cracked screen like the venu and the vivoactive with the rounded edge of glass hasn’t lasted for me which is why I prefer that raised bezel. Garmin has always been good and replaced them for me in the past but once the warranty is done, there’s no more replacement. Hope this is helpful and keep going.

Happy with the vivoactive which gives all the sleep data and on sale now on Amazon

I think you are in a hard spot here! When someone is serious about something, it is difficult to gift them something about that something. In the same way that you cannot gift a mouse to a software engineer unless it's the Logitech Mx 3 or superior, you cannot gift apparel to a serious runner unless it's something really good. My point is, if you want to gift him a watch, it is difficult to recommend you something that is below $300 or $400. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of watches out there that cost less and may work. For example, you can buy the Garmin Vivoactive or Instinct for around $200, or the Amazfit T-Rex Pro for $150 (this is a really good watch for the price). However, if he is really serious about trail running, you may have to consider a Garmin Fenix 6 (between $350 and $400 on Amazon) or a Garmin Forerunner 945 (I just saw it at $319 on Amazon). If he is into both road and trail running, the Forerunner may be a good choice, but if he is getting more and more into trail running, the fenix is the best option. Note: You won't get navigation in budget-friendly watches, but I haven't meet a racer that needed it. Generally, the course is marked and people carry their phones (I have offline maps just in case). Note 2: You can save a lot by purchasing the previous-generation model (that's why I recommended fenix 6 and forerunner 945).

The Garmin Vivoactive is probably the most classic looking smartwatch these days I had a 3, they’re on 5 now. Good battery life, good fitness tracking but less phone integration than an Apple watch, which I currently use. It fits standard watch straps so you can put it on a less sporty strap if you like.

Jumping on the vivoactive bandwagon. I've had mine for a couple years. It has a long battery life, looks slick, and I use it for running and workouts. Highly recommended.

I would suggest any Fenix or even any forerunner over any vivoactive or venu of you're serious about training. Sure you can get by with most basic stuff on those watches but if you get serious about training or want better features you'll have wanted at least a forerunner model

It's a no brainer, the Vivoactive is, by far, a much better device than the Amazfit by a long shot, not just accuracy-wise, but in every aspect.

I just use a Garmin Vivoactive. It does everything I need at a fraction of the cost of fancier watches.

I have had both the Garmin Vivo and Charge 5 and I am an android user so Apple watch is out for me. Durability wise Garmin but not sure how that compares to the Charge 6 as they fixed alot of the issues that the Charge 5 has. But wearing and comfort. Hands down the Charge 5. I have gone thru 2 charge 5 over the last 5 years and would still buy the charge 5/6 over Garmin for the comfort. The Charge 5/6 is much thinner on your wrist and surprisingly that makes a world of difference

For weights none of them are great, you should not spend more money expecting better results. If you think you might get a little more serious about running in the future, get the FR165 (or even the 255/265 if you find a good deal). If not, Vivoactive is a good choice.

Started with Golf Logix on iPhone Then Garmin Golf Watch, terrible product could not hold charge a round. Back to Golf Logix on iPhone Then Garmin VivoActive with Garmin Golf App, very nice Wife got Apple Watch with fall detection, she stuck with it, sold off Garmin, bought Apple Watch with fall detection Hundreds of rounds on Golf Logix, multiple phones and watches 2024 Golf Logix changes User Interface, tried GolfShot, love it! 2025 GolfLogix revises UI, much improved, tried a few rounds, easy distances to layups hazards, no swing analysis. Staying with GolfShot for now. Lost access to hundreds of rounds on Golf Logix Have not used Garmin in over 5 years it was the best experience. The greater Apple ecosystem won out. We are old, my wife falls, I need the alerts.

I got my Garmin for basically just miscellaneous activities and general health monitoring, and I got myself a vivoactive. Really like it. My main activity is biking, but I use a bike computer for that instead of the watch. As you mentioned charging, I probably charge mine once or twice a week. But I try to just charge it while showering (when I remember.)

Vivoactive was fine for me for about 6 months, then recently upgraded to a forerunner 265, I don’t think I could go back, way nicer, better in every way, and loving the extra data points.

Garmin all the way if you are using android The tracking is really quite good and the features arent exactly advanced for a beginner, it walks you through basically everything Ive seen a few forerunners or vivoactive go on sale for slightly over 200. Abit higher than your budget but imo worth it, it will last you even when you are no longer a beginner

I love mine. Bought an older Vivoactive off Poshmark. I love the battery! Esp compared to the apple watch.

I use the Garmin Vivoactive because of some other activities that I do beyond swimming, and it does a good job with swimming data. It does not know your stroke as far as I know, but it has always accurately tracked my distance, pace, stroke count, rest versus swimming, and I think a few other things. Mine is a bit older, so not sure if there are newer features.

I love my garmin vivoactive. Uploads to Strava, less expensive than other garmin watches, and has been going strong for 4 years now. I came from a Fitbit and the only thing it doesn’t do quite as well seems to be sleep tracking.

I think a vivoactive or venu would be perfect for you! Make sure you get the S because it is smaller in profile. I’m petite and have small wrists and in comparison to other watches the profile of the S models fits me very well!

Love my Garmin vivoactive 

This is just my honest experience I know it’ll maybe rub some people the wrong way. I’ve only had an Apple Watch for quite sometime most of my friends have garmin so i decided to give it a try and I ended up staying with Apple: I had the vivoactive which might make a difference I found the activity screens for the vivo really lacking like the visuals of it made it harder to glance at the face while working out and immediately know what is what because it was all just black and white also only a certain number of data sets could be added to a face. I find the Apple activity faces to be easier to read/understand quickly because of the lay outs and use of color etc, I also found the post work out graphs on the garmin to be harder to read or instantly understand compared to Apple. Many people say that garmin does more or gives more insight again maybe it’s because I had the vivo but there wasn’t any data I was getting from garmin that I wasn’t getting from Apple the ONLY thing I can think of was garmin gave me my running speed in mph? Which Apple doesn’t do. It’s important to remember that apples native fitness app certainly has its limitations but there’s tons of apps you can download that give specifically what you’re looking for, for example I did like that garmin has the exercise and rep detection for strength BUT I like the ‘train’ app for Apple Watch better it sucks I have to pay for that app but idk overall I had issues switching from Apple Watch to garmin but I’m a very visual person who doesn’t enjoy spending a lot of time siting down and researching my device (again I know on reddit that makes me dumb and lazy but just giving my honest experience) Also quick note about Fitbit: I tried them before I tried the garmin and I HATED the way they calculated active mins, that you got more mins based on heart rate, happy for people that works for but if I worked out for 30 mins I want the data to say 30 not some made up time based on how hard I worked (I like the apple gives me the actual normal time but gives a score on level of intensity of the work out separately)

Probably unpopular since I only tried out 1 garmin vivoactive but I found the faces on garmin really hard to read quickly at a glance when running or working out because most of the faces are just black with white text and there was no face that showed me ALL the zones with labels (there was only one that’s a dial by color) it was too much to adjust to so I stayed with Apple because I just want to get the info quickly and easily without interruption and their preset faces seem to show the data in a way my brain can process faster than garmin Also I had a run with the garmin where it would not let me end the workout it was like stuck so it messed up all my data which is when i returned it my older Apple Watch has never done that to me ever

I have the fairly inexpensive Vivoactive and I love the golf functions on it Gives you GPS range, can see front and back green yardages, scorecard and does some shot mapping after the round My buddies use range finders and usually within 10 yards, they get slope though which I get is helpful but at 30 HCP I’m just trying to play the right club at the right time

Pretty much all Garmins do. Vivoactive or Venu is a good place to start.

OnePlus Watch 2. Great battery life as well as fitness and smartphone features. Previously used a Garmin Vivoactive.

Buy a second hard Garmin Vivoactive. Does everything you want for very little cost, because it’s the older model.

Spot on. For your needs, Vivoactive is enough. No need to get anything extra.

Had a Vivoactive too ? I reckon they didn't put a good battery in there. (Plus the latest update didn't help)

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. I'm considering something else but it's not easy. I don't know who's equivalent to Garmin.

I’ve had my scan watch 2 for almost 2 years now. I’ve also had the Vivoactive right before I got this one. I like the Withings watch more because it looks classier/like a regular watch, the app is very user friendly, it tracks the basic health data I need (steps, sleep, HR), and the battery life lasts two weeks before I need to charge it. I can also track different workouts which is nice too. However, the watch stopped charging after a year and a half (luckily it was covered under their two year warranty). The Garmin watch app is very outdated. However, if you’re a hardcore athlete or like the nitty gritty raw data points, then Garmin is for you. I also like how the Vivoactive shows messages on watch face better than the Withings watch.

I've loved Garmin since I got my first Vivoactive years and years ago. They felt like they produced quality products, designed to last, sold perhaps at a premium, but without any expectation of continuing fees (unless it was reasonable, like the inreach subscription or a cellular plan). Obviously, recent changes make me question these apparent commitments. I've experimented with other watches in the past (Polar and Apple Watch primarily, but also Coros and Suunto). Generally, I've been disappointed in their equivalent of Garmin's daily suggested workout. DSW has completely changed my life and my running. I will begrudgingly stick around if nobody else can deliver a program that gives me workouts that don't push me to injury. I was a beta-tester for a similar app on Apple Watch and I always felt on the very of injury. I mentioned this to the developers and they basically told me the app wasn't for me. I've heard Polar's version dumps absurdly long runs on you. And I don't know much about Coros or Suunto's offering, if any. Samsung has a watch too, but I'm not optimistic it will have offerings any better than Apple's iOS. And the only other watch I'm aware of besides the big android makers (Google, etc.) is the UNA watch which claims to be user-repairable. I am similarly not optimistic that will have any DSW competitor - but maybe in the future? EDIT: I searched for questions about DSW alternatives before posting - from what I can tell nobody has addressed this question for at least the last 3 months (the search results wouldn't go further than that for me when I sorted by "new").

I have a vivoactive and can see data older than a year on the website. But you can also download data to a spreadsheet, and I've been keeping a spreadsheet of my swimming since before I had my Garmin.

I made the switch about a month ago from AW to Garmin Vivoactive. Overall, I like the Garmin, but I do miss some features of the AW. I'm an apple user for my phone and it's so integrated. I like the garmin fitness features, sleep tracking, and the BATTERY. I miss being able to easily see my notifications if I don't see them when the come in, the menus are way easier to find and navigate on the AW-I'm still trying to find things on the Garmin.

Apple Watch will do fine for a long time - only got a Garmin last year. However once you go to only having to charge your watch once every two weeks you just can’t go back to Apple. I have a Garmin Fenix (on the $$$ side) but I wear it every day as my normal watch too and have had zero issues making the switch. However there’s heaps in the range, I love accuracy, maps, long battery and lots and lots of data so I can overthink every run - so Fenix it is! The forerunners are great and the vivoactives are a good mid range model. There’s other brands like Suunto, Polar etc. For true accuracy on any wrist watch you may need a chest monitor. But if you really like your Apple Watch I found it pretty good unless you’re somewhere with not much reception

A forerunner 165 or 265 might be good. Or a Vivoactive if you want a sleeker look. I run and do weights as well and find the 165 is sufficient! It can only do so much with weights (guessing the actual exercise you're doing, rep counting, etc). I usually go back into my saved workout afterward and edit any info that was wrong.can only ask so much from a watch but it's nice to have the rest timer and general log of the workout.

How do you access your data older than 1 year? I've had my Garmin Vivoactive for 1.5y and I cannot see back more than a year on their app or website. It's infuriating.

Fenix 7s was too bulky on me, Lily active 2 was hard to read, Vivoactive looks plasticky almost toy like, Venu 3s looks more premium, so that was what I went for. No regrets

I second this! I have a vivoactive which is one of their less fancy watches but it does everything I need. The app is super insightful too and it's not necessary to bring your phone with you.

I still wear both, they are both good at different things.

Garmin watch! I have the vivoactove. But they all track sleep, down to rem, deep, light sleep, and hours. It also uses AI to assess it. Helps a lot cause nights get foggy with a baby.

Oh yes I swear I charge maybe every 2 weeks. For me it’s relatively reliable as far as I can tell. It’s hard to tell on the nights that there are a lot of wake ups of course. But I can attest that the nights where I don’t have wake ups it has been pretty accurate!

I wouldn't buy a Garmin for those needs. Calories will be a wild guess because you aren't doing any activity that it can measure or infer power from. Stress is kind of useless. Recovery is more related to an endurance sport which you're not doing. I'm exaggerating a little but it is like asking what phone to buy and finding out you just want to use it as a flashlight. You're not really using the core functionality of the watch. Maybe a Vivoactive if you insist?

It's got garbage battery life, unfortunately. Also unfortunately, the watches that seem to be most accurate are either obsolete (Fitbit Versa, idr which generation, counts laps and shows on watch face) or Sense 2 (has been very accurate but won't show laps on watch face even though it does keep track of laps - a really stupid decision by Fitbit/Google in a sea of stupid decisions ((no pun intended))). Battery life is excellent on both. Battery life on the Garmin Vivoactive is the bomb but it's crap at accuracy on laps. Good luck!

Most people coming from apple go vivo active or venue. Venue being closest to a smart watch. Personally, I'm a instinct guy. Although I'm wearing a Fenix today since I didn't charge my Instinct for 2 weeks and it died before bed. I've swam tens of thousands of meters (more like hundreds but..) in pool, open and salt water with my Garmins. Done free diving (only to about 40ft, I'm not very good) and press the buttons regularly sub surface. I've also done cliff jumping with every watch, and haven't lost a garmin to water intrusion. I would definitely select a 100m rated model for water sports. Any watch can fail but I've had 6 garmins and none have. I also had a bunch of Casio and Timex over the years and not one failure.

Those are wildly different watches, price points and use cases. If this is what you are comparing I would personally go for the best watch I could afford. If the Fenix 8 is in your options go with that. Rather than buy something that will be obsolete soon, or fits your needs today go with the option you can grow into and will last you a while. I have personally gone the other way and every 2 years I have upgraded to a new watch that fits my needs. That is until this year when I bought a 970. Previously I have owned the vivofit, vivoactive, and Venu 2 Plus. What meets my needs today is the 570, what I will grow into is the 970. So if you can afford the Fenix 8 do that.

I love my vivoactive. I do sometimes get watch FOMO because I love running but I think the Vivoactive is a great (and very good looking) watch.

I am upgrading to a forerunner 265 from vivoactive because it can't do custom swim workouts or swim drills. but it does give you a fair amount of data for pool swim if you aren't concerned with that (time, distance, spm, pace, swolf, speed, heart rate, etc.) the vivoactive just went down to $200 and you may be able to find a refurbished or used one cheaper on ebay. Edit to add that I swim 5 days a week and there's no concern about water resistance that I have seen or heard of for vivoactive.

Most Garmin watches would do those things. Depending if you want the latest bells and whistles, such as an OLED screen vs a MIP screen from an older generation, a model from an older generation will be more than fine. However, I wouldn't recommend getting a second hand one, but that's just my preference. Take a look models such as the Instinct, the Vivoactive, the Venu and Forerunner 55/165. Those would suit you. I would not recommend more expensive models as the Fenix and the more expensive Forerunners. They would be way overkill and extremely expensive.

For the things you described any would be good. Even a FR165 (or F255/265 slightly bigger screen) or a basic Vivoactive. With that budget you can buy even an Epic if you like it (though would be overkill in terms of features). I would go on a shop, try them and pickup what you like the most in terms of size, look and comfort on your wrist.

I just bought the Vivomove Trend (arriving tomorrow). It's the best looking Garmin watch. It looks great in a business environment and is fairly basic for sports activities. It seems to be marketed towards women, but i personally like the smaller size on my dainty manwrists lol. I've been using Garmin watches forever. With the Vivomove you're giving up GPS on your watch, so to map your runs and rides you need to take your phone with you (which you may already plan to do). If you like to constantly look at your speed, HR, duration, etc on your runs/rides, the Vivomove might not be the best since i think it will be hard to see all these at once on one screen. I do plan to still use my older Vivoactive for some activities (the screen is starting to fade). I'm not getting another Vivoactive since they're no longer offering ones that look more business professional. If I were still a triathon fanatic I'd probably go with the Vivoactive 6. It's a very good sports watch but doesn't scream tri geek at work.

I’m relatively new to the fitness tracker world. I originally was drawn to the Fitbit Charge line (still on the fence) but pulled the trigger on a Garmin Vivoactive because of longevity concerns. What makes longtime Fitbit users concerned about its longevity or being bought by Google? At the moment it just seems like an entry tier product compared to their more expensive Pixel smartwatch lineup which seems… fine?

Any lower end Garmin is great. Vivoactive series. Or a used Apple Watch

Yes, serious overkill. Vivoactive is good for general health tracking and logging your runs or you could go for something more running specific like a Forerunner. For more all around fitness at a decent price, you can't beat the Vivoactive series.

I can recommend the Vivoactive as it kind of falls into that price range. I have the version 5, but 6 is the newest. Not sure if any Garmin is ECG capable, if so then only the more premium models starting at 600€+. There are more dedicated swimming models, however, I also regularly use it for swimming and when I activate the „auto stop“ function and put swimming as first item in my activities-list, I can start and stop everything only via buttons (avoiding using the touch screen in water)

100% agree here. Apple Watches and Oura have been tested and rank higher in terms accuracy in predicting your sleep and stages. The Apple Watch SE is much cheaper and probably a better option! Garmins don’t track sleep stages quite as accurately, but if you’re not going to be using it for the fitness features it’s probably not worth the money. My Garmin honestly doesn’t really get the times I fall asleep very accurately and it’s usually skewed by quite a bit. If you do want a Garmin go for the Vivoactive, Venu or very base model forerunner 55! I can highly recommend Garmin specifically for the amazing battery life.

Second a Garmin (I have a Vivoactive myself)

I’ll second this. For training especially for running the Garmin is amazing. But other than that it’s not as great of a smart watch and not very useful besides telling the time. The Apple Watch is just so handy.

Yeah op could get a cheaper watch like the vivoactive and the strap that goes with it and it would still cost less than a forerunner.

Not to get sucked into the marketing but the Vivoactive is a lifestyle watch targeted at non runners while the forerunner series is really leaning into serious runners. Of course you can buy or not buy whatever watch you want.

Vivoactive and Venu (non X1, that thing should have had a name of its own) don't have the advanced running metrics. So it's Forerunner , then check whether the features you want are in Instinct, Fenix, Enduro or Epix if you like one of those better.

Garmin. I've had a vivoactive for 3/4 years and it does more than enough to support my training. When the vivoactive dies I'll upgrade to a more sports focussed one but its more than enough as is.

I've got pretty small wrist, run with a garmin vivoactive and get along well. Love it.

I've owned a samsung galaxy watch and currently rock a garmin vivoactive. The garmin's battery is 10x better. The UI isn't as good, though - but that's small potatoes.

I have a Garmin instinct solar and I really like it. Before this I had a vivoactive and also liked it, but never climbed with it. I also run and do indoor bouldering. I’m not as concerned about tracking when I boulder, there is an activity for it where I’ll do one warm up route and just leave it on a break for the rest of my time climbing. The instinct is not a touch screen (which I actually really love) and it’s super durable. The watch clasp has gotten scratched up but the face is still fine after nearly a year of climbing inside with it. I’ve cooled off on my lifting with climbing, and was never that into it, but the strength activity isn’t horrible at keeping track of exercises. You can edit the activity afterwards to get the exact rep/weight/exercise, but some of the smartIQ exercise guesses are pretty accurate (ie a recent workout guessed pushups correctly, but also classified tricep dips as pushups). The solar add on is pricey and I don’t know if I’d recommend it, but the base option is pretty reasonable Cons for garmin: sleep isn’t super accurate, some data breach issues, a lot of grumbling that the Garmin+ subscription may be pushed on people in the future for things like updates and access to features Pros: easy to use, good tracking for running/hiking, instinct is very durable, lots of activities to chose from (cardio, indoor climbing/bouldering, runs, strength, swimming), fun metrics like HRV, training load, and vo2 max, decent battery life

My partner and I both love our vivoactives. I'm an intense exercise person and he isn't really, but we both use them and get a lot out of em. I highly recommend.

Shrug. I mean, if you don't like it i can't make you like it. I have a vivoactive and love it. It does have fewer features than some of the other garmins but it's so much better than an apple watch. You're literally just paying for the apple logo w that. The garmin has actual functions and has leveled up my running a lot in the last few years. When i upgrade though I'll probably buy a model with more functionality.

All garmin’s work really well. I have the forerunner 965 and it works great. Garmin also sells a speed and cadence sensor that connect to your watch for 40 usd and also improves data capture. I ride exclusively w/o a head unit because I prefer no screens on my ride. I like to track calories, heart rate, elevation, and routes along with speed and cadence. The 965 has the best experience I’ve found so far, I’ve also used the vivoactive, venu 2, and forerunner 265. 965 offers incredible battery life (6 2-3 hour rides per week along with other activities for a weekly charge). You can also bring up and use maps on the watch. Syncing is a PITA and is useful in a pinch if you REALLY need it, but if you are looking for map integration I’d suggest a head unit instead of a watch.

I run an older factory reset garmin vivoactive, got it for £60 in the UK. Used it for a year or so without issue.

Garmin - They have a lot of watches at different price points. There is built-in GPS and the battery lasts for several days, unlike a smart watch that you typically need to charge every night. The Garmin app easily syncs with other fitness apps, if that's important to you. If you have a smaller wrist, go for the "S" models that will look and fit better.