Garmin vívosmart 5 review: Can this fitness tracker beat the competition?

The Garmin vivosmart 5 in a nutshell

Garmin desires to supply the higher model of a fitness tracker with the vívosmart 5. Nonetheless, the newest mannequin is just partially profitable in its try. Xiaomi and Huawei have each launched new fashions of their value-for-money health trackers that sport thrilling updates in 2022. And Garmin’s considerably dearer variant doesn’t supply any actual benefits when it comes to performance or high quality.

So Garmin nonetheless depends on a monochrome OLED display the place you’ll be able to depend the variety of pixels. GPS is just out there by way of a linked smartphone and the connection to Garmin’s ingenious ecosystem of extra sensors can also be lacking on this mannequin. If you wish to preserve monitor your blood oxygen stage all through the day, additionally, you will must reside with a battery lifetime of simply two to a few days.

Garmin’s largest benefit would nonetheless the intensive Garmin Join app. Right here, your health information is totally processed and you may configure just about the entire health tracker’s settings from the smartphone. In comparison with the equally costly Fitbit trackers, you may as well use all features with out having to fork out cash for a subscription.

Design & Show

Garmin has been capable of enlarge the show of the vívosmart 5 by 66 % in comparison with its predecessor. The producer nonetheless depends on a monochrome OLED panel with a decision of 88 x 154 pixels. The wristband is manufactured from silicone and is mounted to the wrist by way of a traditional watch clasp, the place it may be swapped for a unique look.

What I like:

• Bigger show is less complicated to learn.
• Safe clasp.
• Light-weight & appropriate for swimming.

What I dislike:

• Low decision monochrome show.
• Sensor lights seen at midnight.

Garmin’s vívosmart is like two peas in a pod aside from the 66 % bigger show. It was simple to learn in all conditions all through the evaluation, however its monochrome OLED show at all times appears to be like a bit boring. In contrast to many cheap fashions, an ambient gentle sensor is on board, and working it by way of a bodily button that’s positioned straight beneath the show can also be a good suggestion. The remainder of the navigation is carried out by way of the contact show.

Because of a water resistance rating of 5 ATM, you may as well put on the vívosmart 5 whereas swimming. The tracker contains a silicone wristband thatmakes it very simple to scrub. I used to be joyful about this within the evaluation, as a result of the Garmin tracker additionally doesn’t thoughts getting used as a sleep tracker. When it comes to measurement, it’s inconspicuous sufficient for this activity with dimensions of 19.5 x 10.7 x 217 mm (S / M) and 19.5 x 10.7 x 255 mm (L) and a weight of 24.5 and 26.5 grams, respectively.

Nonetheless, the robust “gentle leakage” of the sensors bothered me at night time. The continual blinking of the sensors was clearly perceptible at midnight bed room and will have been averted with a barely higher designed wristband. Total, Garmin stays true to its line of high-quality health gadgets.

App & Good Capabilities: Garmin’s secret weapon

The vívosmart 5 connects to your smartphone by way of the Garmin Join app. Nonetheless, you’ll have to accept the naked minimal in relation to good features.

What I like:

• Superb companion app.
• Dependable smartphone connection.

What I dislike:

• No connection choice to Garmin equipment.
• No response choices for notifications.

When you learn our opinions of Garmin gadgets frequently, you’ll know that we’re enthusiastic concerning the Garmin Join app. This software has a logical and wise construction and presents related information in tables, graphs, and overviews like a real mannequin pupil. For every sporting exercise, you’ll be able to see precisely how usually and the extent of depth you might have indulged in over the course of days and weeks.

Utilizing Garmin Insights, you’ll be able to even examine these outcomes with different customers in your age class. Otherwise you may be motivated by the rewards, badges, and congratulatory messages that the app often sends to your smartband by way of notifications. When you typically lack the mandatory motivation, even in relation to one thing as primary as ingesting water, that is very useful in getting extra train into your each day routine.

One other sensible characteristic is you could additionally regulate the health tracker’s settings within the smartphone app. That is under no circumstances the primary on this planet to supply such a operate, however it’s particularly precious right here as a result of boring OLED show.

In comparison with different fashions, the Garmin vívosmart 5 lets customers down by the truth that you can not even react to an important notifications by way of an emoji or quick message. When you obtain a WhatsApp message, you’ll be able to learn it, however it’s important to dig the smartphone out out of your sweatpants pocket to react or reply. That is aside from receiving a textual content message from Android itself, in line with Garmin’s homepage.

One other disappointing facet: The vívosmart 5 is incompatible with Garmin’s wide selection of equipment, which allow a extra correct coronary heart charge measurement by way of chest strap or the exact measurement of cadence by way of foot sensors. You’ll have to use a Garmin smartwatch for this.

Monitoring & Options

Garmin’s vívosmart 5 is provided with an accelerometer, a pulse oximeter, and a coronary heart charge monitor. This permits Garmin to watch respiration charge, pulse, sleep phases, stress stage and different metrics. There isn’t any built-in GPS module, so you’ll have to take your smartphone with you when jogging or biking.

What I like:

• Dependable and seamless monitoring.
• All options don’t require a subscription.
• Auto-lap and auto-training.

What I dislike:

• No built-in GPS module.
• Solely seven sports activities are selectable.
• No Garmin Pay supported.

Garmin’s health tracker gives you the essential features {that a} health tracker should have the ability to deal with in 2022. With the vívosmart 5, you’ll be able to monitor your pulse, blood oxygen ranges, respiration charge, high quality of sleep, and exercise efficiency all through the day. Nonetheless, with seven totally different sports activities, Garmin’s providing could be very restricted in comparison with different trackers.

Nonetheless, using information is flexible because of the mixture of movement sensor, coronary heart charge measurement, and pulse oximeter. As an everyday runner, I may simply observe how my tempo is affected by the guts charge zones. Garmin additionally consists of its personal attribute values comparable to health age or physique battery, which ought to offer you just a little details about your each day health earlier than the exercise.

This fashion, you may get a good suggestion of whether or not you may need to squeeze in a yoga session or a respiration train as an alternative of a exercise. Or you’ll be able to merely go straight to mattress after which get hold of details about your sleep phases and oxygen breathed in throughout the night time. This could have the ability to detect life-threatening sleep apnea in snorers at an early stage.

Although Garmin presents this information very nicely and clearly, I don’t see any actual added worth within the vívosmart 5 in view of the worth tag. Quite the opposite: I discover it regrettable that there is no such thing as a built-in GPS module at this value level. You’ll have to take the smartphone with you whenever you train and normally wait a minute for it to connect with the Garmin Join app earlier than the exercise.

Talking of the Garmin Join app, you’ll be able to set emergency contacts right here, whom you’ll be able to contact by holding down the primary button for longer than typical. An emergency name can also be despatched if the vivósmart 5 detects an accident throughout sports activities. One other disadvantage that Garmin may enhance within the subsequent model: with out NFC connectivity, the vivósmart 5 is incompatible with Garmin Pay.

Battery & Charging

Garmin marketed the battery lifetime of the vívosmart 5 to go for as much as seven days earlier than requiring a recharge. You must depend on Garmin’s proprietary port for charging, however fortuitously, you’ll be able to proceed to make use of the charger of its predecessor.

What I like:

• Enough battery life for seamless monitoring.
• Charging cable is backward appropriate.

What I dislike:

• Unable to final for seven days straight with full performance enabled.
• No wi-fi charging assist.

For my evaluation, I activated the entire vivósmart 5’s features, i.e. 24-hour monitoring for pulse and SpO2, sleep monitoring, the drink reminder, notifications for the smartphone, and extra. As well as, I went for a ten-kilometer run about as soon as each three days. The health tracker’s battery lasted about three days throughout this admittedly intensive utilization sample.

That is enough for a whole recording of important information. Nonetheless, it did occur that I seen that the tracker was operating low on battery earlier than a deliberate run. Right here, different fashions supply a lengthier battery life. With the vívosmart 5, this might solely be realized by limiting the features.

Charging is a nice expertise, nonetheless, because of the included charging cable. I used to be stunned that Garmin doesn’t but depend on a magnetic system of which Stefan jogged my memory that Garmin has retained its charging port for a number of generations already. Thus, the vívosmart 5 is backwards appropriate with chargers from older fashions. Nonetheless, you’ll nonetheless must make do with out wi-fi charging in 2022.

Conclusion