Customer reviews for Garmin Vivoactive 5 Smart Watch forMember photos
love it so far
I have been using this watch for a couple of weeks now and so far I love it so much. The screen has such a sharp, clear image on it and I have no complaints about the tracking features. I still need to try out the coaching function and see what I think of the workouts.
Nice watch, good features
I got this watch as a replacement for my 4S that broke. This newer version has more features and a better interface (I think). However, things I don't like are the top button is hard to push sometimes to get the menu to come up and it's glitchy every once in a while for no reason. I couldn't sleep with my 4S because of the bright blinking sensor lights, but with the new 5 the sensor lights on the bottom are hardly noticeable. Overall I do like it.
Confusing/Overwhelming
I have been using this product for two weeks now. It replaced a Timex digital display watch that had served me well for years. I have struggled with getting any customization done. The seventy-plus page user manual isn't the best one I have ever used. My advice - buy a Timex
Tons of features and activities, highly motivating
I recently switched to Garmin, and although this isn't even one of the pricier models, I'm blown away at how many features it has! The learning curve was a touch steep, only because it offers so much. It took me a few days to discover all it had to offer. It keeps me moving with challenges and feedback on my activity and fitness. I did have two occasions where it didn't record sleep activity, and I'm not sure why, except that those were both days when I didn't go to bed until hours after my regular sleep time. It is accurate and holds a charge quite well. It offers something for just about any activity I could think of and I like that we can set up our own challenges with a connection, and also customize the activities. It also encourages me to keep hydrated, something I don't always pay enough attention to. I'm very happy with this!
Sorry Garmin!
I have used an Apple Watch since 2019, but their inability to produce a new model with a reasonable battery life really got me wanting to try something new. I'd really like to track my sleep and not have to charge my battery sometime in the middle of each day. My fiance is a police officer and loves his Garmin Instinct and it's crazy long battery life, functions for golfing and hiking! After research I went with the Vivoactive 5 for it's fitness tracking and great battery. My daughter also jumped on board and got the same watch. Unfortunately, I had issues from the start. I walk while working at my computer. You cannot set the watch to count steps accurately if you['re typing on your computer and walking. I even tried putting it on an ankle strap. The distance on the treadmill never matched the distance on the watch - yet it was almost spot on with my Apple Watch. I joined a sub-Reddit and tried multiple different things, turning off GPS and heart rate monitor, putting in your pocket and a few other experiments - none worked nor tracked distance accurately! This might not seem like a huge deal for some, but this is mainly what I use mine for so it is for me. The battery is amazing, sleep tracking so insightful! The interface could use some work and is not smooth, it feels very "android" and not like Apple, which unfortunately I've been indoctrinated to love! Old habits die hard I guess, and so I returned my Vivoactive 5 and went back to my Apple Watch which I have to charge in the middle of the day for about an hour if I want to wear it through the night. My daughter really loves hers, and I really wanted it to work for me, but the distance being off so greatly was a hard pass. Sorry Garmin!
Excellent watch
I bought this a couple of weeks ago and I am enjoying the features that log stress, sleep, and activity. The watch band is comfortable and easy to wear night and day. I am tempted to look for a protective cover for the watch face due to a tendency to hit things and not wanting it to scratch, chip, or break
Very accurate and slim watch that does exactly what it says it does. It has become an important tool in my husband's wardrobe for monitoring his heart symptoms and has prevented quite a few feinting episodes. It has also become a great measure to show to doctors to pursue treatment. Easy to use and worth the cost. The only thing we dislike is the charging, which makes it sit weird on the counter but ultimately this is just a personal preference that does not hinder the overall quality of the device. After almost a year of use, no damage has occurred either, so they are built strong. I personally will be looking into Garmin's more advanced watches thanks to how nice this one is.
Overall great fitness watch
I have been using my Vivoactive 5 now for a little less than a month. I had previously purchased various cheap fitness watches to use as a step counter, but they all broke after a few months of wear. My Husband’s colleague suggested this watch, and so we both decided to give it a try. Overall, I would recommend this watch to anyone who is looking to get more from their health and wellbeing. Besides cheap fitness watches, I have not owned a watch to this caliber, so I can’t compare it to other watches of its kind, but here’s my overall thoughts: PROS - This watch does a great job at motivating me to MOVE. I’ve literally put off going to bed to make sure I reach my step count and find that I’m more active than ever before. - Being able to customize your strength training workouts through the watch is a game changer. I love that I don’t need to carry my phone around the gym to track what I’m doing. - I love that it’s waterproof and that I can track my laps while swimming. (See notes regarding swimming under cons, too). - The band is comfortable and isn’t distracting or anything (as opposed to previous watches I’ve had), and the lilac color is nice and not as stand out as a black band. - The body battery and sleep score are a nice touch – we’re constantly asking each other what the others is at. It’s also helped me realize how awful my body reacts and sleeps when I drink. CONS - When swimming, I’ve noticed that the tracking isn’t 100% perfect. If I’m swimming free style at a fast pace, it’s fine, but if I want to casually swim during a cool down it typically counts my meters as farther than I’ve gone. Not a total issue, just not a perfect forecast. Additionally, not being able to customize swim workouts is a bit of a bummer, but again not the end of the world. - As someone who’s not technologically advanced, I feel there could be better tutorials or deep dives into how to use it. I had a really hard time connecting my Spotify account, as well as understanding how to create a workout (once I figured it out it’s super easy, but my Husband and I both put our workouts in incorrectly at first because there isn’t much explanation about how to use it). Opportunity for Improvement - Would love to see an additional work out option for aerial yoga. - The challenges are great. I feel there’s an opportunity to make the weekly challenge for steps against others more competitive/like a game. I’m not sure that would be useful to all, but I feel like it would help incentivize me to walk event more! - Would highly recommend purchasing a screen protector for your watch as well, easy to scratch.
Easy to use and wear
Although it is bigger than I like, it is very comfortable and lightweight on my wrist. It is easy to use, once I read the online manual. It keeps me inline. I also appreciate that I can track hydration on the watch instead of going through the app. There is so much to the watch I haven't even begun to use them all.
One of the Best
After extensive research my wife and I purchased the Garmin Vivoactive 5. It's now been a of couple months wearing them 24/7 and we are extremely pleased! The watch is a precision instrument that reliably measures so many body metrics as well as fun things like the weather, emails and text messages, that you can also respond to. The brilliant display is absolutely beautiful and battery life is stellar. We charge once a week on Sunday mornings and there is always 30% or more charge left so the manufacturer's claim of up to 11 days is pretty close. The GPS feature will drain the battery quicker, but that is only used on specific settings where distance and a tracking map is desired. We chose the Vivoactive 5 over the Garmin Venue 3 because it is thinner, lighter, and smaller, the soft band makes wearing it effortless. We did not need the microphone, speaker, and EKG feature on the Venue, also the heart rate sensor on the vivoactive 5, although not as elaborate as the Venue, is still state of the art and functions flawlessly. We are 100% glad we chose the vivoactive 5 over everything else we looked at. The health benefits of having this watch have been substantial for us. Being able to actually look at graphs and charts of sleep patterns, hydration, heart rate, stress, etc etc have given us great insight into adjusting our daily life. We really appreciate the technology, ease of use and the quality built-in by Garmin.

