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Customer reviews for Garmin Vivoactive 5 Smart Watch for
Garmin Vivoactive 5 Smart Watch
4.3 out of 5 stars
stars1,534 ratings1,525 reviews
  1. 5 stars64% (976)
  2. 4 stars18% (276)
  3. 3 stars9% (138)
  4. 2 stars4% (67)
  5. 1 star5% (77)

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Showing 241-250 of 1,525 reviews
Sep 7, 2025
Madelynne
5 out of 5 stars review

Outstanding Fitness Smartwatch

The Garmin Vivoactive 5 has completely exceeded my expectations. It’s the perfect balance between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch, with a sleek, lightweight design that feels comfortable for all-day wear—even while sleeping. The AMOLED display is stunningly vibrant and easy to read in all lighting conditions, making it feel more premium than other fitness watches I’ve owned. What I love most is how fitness-focused it is. The built-in GPS locks on quickly and is very accurate, making my runs and walks easy to track without carrying my phone. The wide variety of workouts, including yoga, strength, HIIT, and even meditation/breathing sessions, keeps my training fresh and versatile. The Body Battery and sleep tracking features are game-changers—they give me real insight into recovery, energy levels, and overall wellness, so I can train smarter. Battery life is phenomenal. Even with GPS and notifications, I get nearly a week on one charge, which blows away most smartwatches in this category. I also appreciate the music storage and ability to download playlists, so I can leave my phone behind during workouts. As for smartwatch functions, notifications sync seamlessly, and I love being able to respond quickly without having to pull out my phone. The watch feels intuitive, smooth, and never overwhelming, even though it’s packed with features. Overall, the Garmin Vivoactive 5 is the best fitness companion I’ve owned—accurate, stylish, durable, and incredibly useful for anyone serious about health and wellness but who also wants the conveniences of a modern smartwatch.

Review from Garmin
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Aug 12, 2025
Blueberry
2 out of 5 stars review

Disappointing

Well - it does keep time. And step count seems good. HRV is okay I think. It is very poor at detecting heart rate when exercising. I could be 15 minutes into 120BPM (Garmin chest strap) and it still reads 72. The sleep scores often bear little relationship to reality - like says I woke at 4:30 when I slept soundly until 6:30. Battery life, on the other hand, is excellent. My first one would not charge after a 18 months. Replacement is charging fine so far.

Review from Garmin
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Jul 23, 2025
jmmilton
5 out of 5 stars review

Love the battery life!

I've had my Vivoactive 5 for a few weeks. The first charge lasted 10+ days and when I did have to recharge it went from 3% to 100% in 90 minutes. I moved from a different brand of smart watch and noticed the step counted seems to be more accurate than my old watch. But the main selling point for me was the disc golf app and how easily it interfaces with Udisc so I can keep score on the watch instead of fishing my phone out of the bag after every hole. I could type more, but my Garmin Vivoactive 5 just reminded me that it is time to get up and move to be more active.

Review from Garmin
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Aug 24, 2025
MCRushh
1 out of 5 stars review

Disconnects weekly

When this app and my watch are connecting, they're fantastic. But having to set up my device at least once, if not twice, a week is time consuming and makes me regret my "upgrade" to Garmin. I never put my actual goals into the app/watch anymore because it's a waste of my time. I could go back in time. I would have saved my money and bought a new fitb when my 5-year fitb broke.

Review from Garmin
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Aug 12, 2025
Dr. Nmezi
5 out of 5 stars review

Outstanding All-Around Smartwatch!

The Garmin Vivoactive 5 fulfills every functionality I desired in a smartwatch. It's reliable, feature-rich, and built to last. It excels at doing the important things exceptionally well, which is why I bought it. I couldn't be happier with this purchase and would recommend it to anyone looking for a dependable, comprehensive smartwatch that won't break the bank. Would I buy it again? Absolutely. This watch has exceeded my expectations in every way. Thank you, Garmin!

Review from Garmin
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Jul 4, 2025
Bambi10
5 out of 5 stars review

Great overall watch

It's a good upgrade from the vivoactive 4s. Battery is better (lasts 7 days), the screen looks brighter, you can actually text on here, see images in your notifications, and it gives lots of detailed info on sleep, body battery, and suggestions for exercise based on how stressful your day has been.

Review from Garmin
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Jul 19, 2025
Doug70
4 out of 5 stars review

A lot of great features!

Just bought my Vivoactive 5 a few weeks ago and getting used to it. I had Fitbits for over 8 years. This watch is better in many ways. The big drawback is that it doesn’t record steps unless I swing my arms. So while pushing a lawn mower or a wheelbarrow it doesn’t give me credit for the steps.

Review from Garmin
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Jul 30, 2025
Lauren C
5 out of 5 stars review

Great entry-level Garmin

It has taken me a while to adjust to Garmin features after switching over from Apple Watch, but it’s seriously growing on me. This is a great option for those wanting to make the switch without spending a fortune! The vivoactive is fairly user-friendly, provides all the fitness insights/tracking I was looking for, and the battery life just can’t be beat.

Review from ExpertVoice.com
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Jun 19, 2025
Christabell
5 out of 5 stars review

Upgraded features from vivoactive 3

I had a vivoactive 3 and it was not holding much of a charge and I was having an issue with the button on the side. I like the buttons better on the 5. I also really like the lightness of the watch compared to the 3. The sleep functions are way different and I love it. Also, I like the fitness options. I'm very satisfied with the 5.

Review from Garmin
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Sep 9, 2025
wnh83089
5 out of 5 stars review

From Apple Watch to Garmin

I am really enjoying my Garmin Vivoactive 5 so far. I mainly really wanted it to keep up with my walking/jogging, but I’ve also used it to track my strength training/HIIT exercises as well. Truly love the battery life. It’s SO nice not having to put it on the charger at the end of each day.

Review from Garmin
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