Garmin Wearables Comparison Review

Fitness trackers are becoming more and more commonplace in the fitness world now.

They’re excellent value when you consider the lower-end models, and the higher-end versions come with plenty of features that help us not only in fitness but for everyday life. In this article, we’ll be covering some of the best fitness trackers from Garmin who are renowned for the excellent build quality and features in their fitness trackers.

Garmin Fēnix® 5 Plus Series

Garmin Fenix 5 Series

Pros

  • Premium-quality feel and design
  • Music storage
  • 100m water resistance
  • Supports Garmin Pay™
  • Battery lasts a long time
  • Very customizable
  • Onboard mapping function

Cons

  • Quite expensive compared to other fitness trackers in Garmin’s range
  • Screen resolution is a little lacking

 

Garmin’s Fēnix® 5 Plus Series is a unique watch. It’s a mix of both style and function, and Garmin has managed to load it with literally every positive feature in its range of fitness trackers. This means it’s almost perfect, but also very expensive. For people that want the ultimate fitness tracker that boasts a stylish look and also all of the greatest features, then the Garmin Fēnix® 5 Plus Series is the perfect solution.

Garmin Forerunner® 645/645M

Garmin Forerunner 645

Pros

  • Can store and play music (around 500 songs)
  • Very compact and lightweight features
  • Comes in a variety of designs and colours
  • Has support for cycling, running and even swimming
  • Smart features like Garmin Pay™ and sleep tracking

Cons

  • Doesn’t support open-water swimming
  • Battery life is fairly limited

 

The Garmin Forerunner® 645/645M is a GPS fitness tracker with support for music, making it a brilliant all-in-one solution for those that are serious about their fitness. Compared to Garmin’s previous offerings, the Garmin Forerunner® 645/645M definitely offers a wealth of features and it’s clear when you consider the price that this watch is certainly going to last you a long time.

Garmin Vívoactive® 3 Music

Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music

Pros

  • Can store and play music (around 500 songs)
  • Excellent features for the price
  • Supports Garmin Pay™
  • In-depth analysis of your activities
  • Built-in GPS provides an accurate representation of your fitness
  • Slim & comfortable enough that it won’t weigh you down
  • Sleek design- This is the only Garmin watch without a full bezel, the whole face is glass

Cons

  • Basic health features and functions

 

Whether you’re into running, skiing, biking or even golfing, the Garmin Vívoactive® 3 Music is a fantastic fitness tracker for the music lover. It does the basics such as counting steps you’ve walked and floors climbed thanks to its built-in GPS, but also adds additional features such as sleep monitoring and calculating intensity minutes.

The rechargeable battery lasts up to 7 days, but shortens down to 5 hours when using the GPS with music mode. Thankfully, the GPS doesn’t need to be used all the time.

The Garmin Vívoactive® 3 Music is an affordable yet long-term solution for your fitness tracking needs. If you need an all-in-one fitness tracker that can be used with Garmin’s app, yet also have enough functionality to be used as a fairly capable watch, then the Vívoactive® 3 Music is the right fitness tracker for you.

Garmin Vívomove® HR

Garmin Vivomove HR

Pros

  • Incredibly stylish and comes in a variety of different colours and designs
  • Wellness monitoring tools
  • Excellent battery life
  • Very easy to use

Cons

  • Display is troublesome in direct sunlight
  • Doesn’t support GPS

 

For the price, you would expect the Garmin Vívomove® HR to have an accurate GPS hardware. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. However, it more than makes up for it with a stylish design and a wealth of features. The lack of GPS means that the battery is actually surprisingly efficient and it still contains all of the fitness features you’d expect it to have. This is fantastic fitness tracker for anyone looking for a stylish and modern design that they can wear all day.

Garmin Vívosport®

ProsGarmin Vivosport

  • Variety of colours to suit different tastes
  • Accurate GPS monitoring
  • Always-on colour Garmin Chroma Display
  • Monitor VO2 max and fitness age estimates
  • Long battery life

Cons

  • Battery drains fast if left in GPS mode
  • No swimming mode despite waterproofing

 

The Garmin Vívosport® may initially seem expensive, but it’s well worth it for the features you get. It’s a slim design, has great battery life if managed well, and packs an accurate GPS monitor. The design is a little dull but it comes in a variety of colours to make it look more interesting. It’s a surprisingly smart and fully-featured device and is wholly recommended if you’re looking for a well-rounded fitness tracker.

Garmin Vívofit® 4

Garmin Vivofit 4Pros

  • Very affordable for the features
  • No charging required
  • Can still pair with the Garmin Connect app
  • Excellent for day to day use
  • Brilliant entry-level fitness tracker

Cons

  • Screen is a little small

 

The Garmin Vívofit® 4 presents a fantastic value proposition. While it comes with the same features as most fitness trackers under its price, what you get is a sturdy product with excellent customer service and a well-known brand name. It’s as basic as it gets. It tracks walking, running, sleeping and uses an accelerometer instead of GPS tracking.

It’s simple to use and doesn’t interfere with the rest of your life. You turn it on and pair it with the app if needed, then use it either all day or only when you need it. One of the best things about the Garmin Vívofit® 4 is that you aren’t required to charge it. Instead, it uses two SR43 coin batteries and is said to last up to a year.

The Garmin Vívofit® 4 is a fantastic value-for-money fitness tracker and we’d wholly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a simple solution.

ConclusionGarmin Fitness Tracker range

Garmin fitness trackers are fantastic for the wide range of features and styles they offer. They can appeal to a wide audience and they’re renowned for their build quality and ease of pairing with the Garmin Connect™ app.

So whether you’re looking for a simple fitness tracker to keep your motivation up, a colourful but functional one for your kids, or even an expensive one with GPS tracking and additional features to make your workout experience that much more enjoyable, Garmin has something that can suit your needs.