Garmin Vivoactive 5 evaluate | TechRadar
Garmin Vivoactive 5: One-minute evaluate
This Garmin Vivoactive 5 evaluate has discovered this newest sports activities and well being monitoring wearable a contender among the many greatest operating watches, inserting it in opposition to the Garmin Venu 3 and even punching up at a few of the Forerunner choices. The Vivoactive 5 is cheaper than many a Forerunner, however nonetheless provides a surprising AMOLED show and over 30 sports activities monitoring choices, plus sleep and stress monitoring, to call just a few well being choices.
All that locations the Vivoactive 5 as a superb look ahead to these with an lively life-style, who won’t be energy customers or marathon runners. It is actually vying for a spot as among the finest health trackers, and because of notification functionalities, its pebble-style design and naturally that wealthy show, it even begins to make a play as an Apple Watch competitor.
Whereas this mannequin would not characteristic photo voltaic charging and sits at a really slim 11mm skinny, making it smaller than the Vivoactive 4, it truly provides a extra environment friendly 11-day top-end battery life. Slimmer and longer-lasting? A terrific signal for a sequel, particularly when you think about the Vivoactive 5 retains a whole lot of the top-end health monitoring, GPS-powered exercise stuff that makes one of the best Garmin watches nice.
You may additionally discover the older fashions within the vary fit your wants simply high quality (and can prevent cash too, in comparison with selecting up a model new mannequin), so a have a look at our information to Garmin Vivoactive 3 vs Garmin Vivoactive 4 would possibly aid you select.
Garmin Vivoactive 5: Specs
| Element | Garmin Vivoactive 5 |
| Value | $300.00 / £259.99 / AU$499 |
| Dimensions | 42.2 x 42.2 x 11.1 mm |
| Weight | 36g |
| Case/bezel | Fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Show | 390 x 390 px, AMOLED |
| GPS | GPS+Glonass+Galileo |
| Battery life | 11 days |
| Connection | Bluetooth 5.2, ANT, Wi-Fi |
| Water-proof? | Sure, 5ATM |
Garmin Vivoactive 5: Value and availability
- £259.99 within the UK
- $300 within the US
- AU$499 in Australia
The Garmin Vivoactive 5 was launched on September 20, 2023 with availability to purchase starting in December, worldwide.
It was priced at $300 (£259.99 within the UK, and AU$499 in Australia) at launch, however can now be snapped up for round $249, at time of publishing. That’s rather less than the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music, and hundreds lower than a Fenix 7 or Garmin Forerunner 965.
The Vivoactive 5 is a good solution to get Garmin watch monitoring with out costing you an excessive amount of. In order for you a extra inexpensive various, you may go for the Vivoactive 4.
Garmin Vivoactive 5: Design and display
- Dimensions of 42.2 x 42.2 x 11.1 mm
- 5ATM water resistance
- 1.2-inch AMOLED show
- Gorilla Glass 3 display safety
The Garmin Vivoactive 5 hasn’t modified a lot in type since just a few fashions again however that’s largely because of it being a really environment friendly and efficient design that simply works. You might have a slimmer physique than ever now at simply over 11mm and it is available in a single 42mm dimension.
The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, that means you will not want to fret an excessive amount of about scratches, regardless of that barely raised glass end – which appears nice however leaves it extra uncovered to break.
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The Vivoactive 5 is just a little smaller, in addition to slimmer, than its 45mm predecessor. However with that beautiful high-res display and longer battery life, it is a welcome change. The small watch itself mixed with a silicone band makes for a barely noticeable wrist associate, which is nice for sleep monitoring and sporting in a single day in addition to all-day put on. Whereas a Forerunner would possibly really feel just a little extra premium in comparison with the lighter end right here, with extra plastic buttons, the trade-off for lighter watch which is much less noticeable in your wrist is probably price it.
Because of that 5ATM water resistance, you do not even must take the watch off within the bathe and might use it for swim monitoring, in pool or sea as wanted.
The Garmin Vivoactive 5 has a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, upgrading the earlier MIP show. It is a actually shiny and colourful show, which implies readability in direct daylight in addition to in use underwater. Crucially, this show can be extra environment friendly, that means it truly saves battery in comparison with the MIP show whereas wanting higher than ever.
The decision is excessive, so you may learn a whole lot of textual content on that small display with ease. The colourful end makes particulars clear and brighter, whereas additionally giving Garmin the prospect to boost its format. The brand new format makes it simpler to learn notifications with out having to achieve on your telephone than a whole lot of different Garmin watches, even the ultra-premium ones.
You’ll probably be capable of use this fuctionality for extra options in future, like Ring doorbell alerts. To be clear, you will want the Venu 3 for that proper now, however a Garmin software program replace is all it might take to get the Venu 3’s Ring doorbell interplay on the Vivoactive 5 in future, because of that do-it-all show.
Garmin Vivoactive 5: Options
- Engaging and clear format
- Helpful shortcuts
- Two {hardware} buttons
The Vivoactive vary solely has two buttons, in contrast to the Forerunners or Fenix, which have 5. This implies touchscreen is the principle interplay level and that works very properly, with minimal smudges and marks on that resistant glass.
Contact a button to start out or cease a exercise, whereas the opposite can be utilized to trace laps or exercise segments. It is easy however works properly, with the touchscreen throughout train reserved largely for flicking between knowledge screens.
You might have entry to over 30 sports activities monitoring choices from the get-go, plus this makes use of the Garmin Join IQ retailer for much more well being and good app choices accessible from third-party builders. Though it is price noting these is usually a bit flakey at occasions, you may’t choose the Vivoactive 5 as a unit on the deserves of third-party app builders. Apart from, I believe it is fairly charming, like utilizing the web within the nineties.
Lengthy-press the buttons for shortcut entry to helpful options like watch controls or clocks and settings. These could be edited too so that you do really feel in fast management with out a lot menu diving wanted.
Garmin Vivoactive 5: Efficiency
As beforehand talked about, the Garmin Vivoactive 5 provides over 30 workouts to trace, all with clear knowledge screens you can edit as you want. From the fundamentals like operating, biking and swimming, to barely extra esoteric actions like golf, yoga and SUP – this has greater than sufficient for many wants.
What makes the metrics actually helpful, except for correct GPS and HR monitoring, is the information on well being. Pulse OX appears at your oxygen ranges and Respiration displays respiration price which is useful in durations of relaxation, sleep or throughout yoga. Physique Battery is a tried-and-true Garmin Watch metric used to supply a window into how exhausting you are pushing your self. That mentioned, there isn’t a Efficiency Situation or Coaching Readiness Rating right here, which is a disgrace, however you may nonetheless use Physique Battery to get a good suggestion of when to relaxation and push.
It is price noting that it is a very spectacular sleeper entry into one of the best golf watch ring. You’ll be able to even connect with membership sensors for super-rich knowledge metrics along with the wealth of well being monitoring choices on supply right here.
The shortage of Coaching Load is a disgrace, as this metric locations your train into context and actually helps when coaching exhausting, so you may see when to push your self and what sort of train will profit your coaching – cardio versus anaerobic, for instance. Additionally having quite a lot of hours to relaxation is a useful determine to work with – and allows you to really feel you’ve got earned a relaxation. That is all sadly missing within the cheaper Vivoactive vary, and accessible on extra premium Garmin watches.
The GPS acquisition is certainly slower than on the Forerunners. That mentioned, after an preliminary connection in a location taking on a minute, it was sooner throughout subsequent exams at below 30 seconds. Accuracy was excessive as soon as out and coaching, with HR and GPS each performing comparably to the Forerunner 965 when examined side-by-side. The Vivoactive 5 options the identical Elevate V4 coronary heart price sensor, additionally on the 965, it could have been good to see the extra superior V5 discovered on the Venu 3. Nonetheless, these omissions assist maintain the associated fee down, eliminating obstacles to entry.
The display provides numerous knowledge choices whereas coaching and because of the readability of the AMOLED screens, these are genuinely helpful, flitting between all of them by utilizing the touchscreen. Nonetheless, the swimming exercise profile locks the touchscreen right down to keep away from water-based touchscreen inaccuracies. On that topic, swimming lengths had been measured very precisely, even once I modified between stroke varieties each few lengths.
For the value level, the very fact this options an SpO2 oxygen saturation monitor is spectacular. This is ready to observe two units of knowledge without delay, utilizing inexperienced and crimson lights, making it much more data-rich and correct in different extrapolated metrics than lower-end watches.
There’s a lack of altimeter and metrics to rely the variety of flooring climbed which is not a deal breaker, though that flooring climbed alert is missed if you lose it as a every day measure of lively actions.
Sleep knowledge is useful with REM, deep sleep and lightweight sleep phases, together with pulse oximeter and respiration knowledge for that night time. All of that provides as much as a aggressive providing that provides numerous perception into sleep every morning. I loved the Morning Report which confirmed adjustments if I had a poor night time’s sleep, had drank alcohol or was feeling below the climate.
Having music onboard the watch is an actual enchantment, because it means going out for train with out your telephone as you join Bluetooth headphones on to the watch.
When you can retailer music onboard, realistically most individuals will desire to make use of Spotify or Deezer and easily save playlists offline on the machine. You want a paid subscription to the streaming service in query for these options and the controls aren’t nice, but it surely does work and is welcome at this value level.
The Vivoactive 5 initially lacked Garmin Pay within the UK, however that has now rolled out so you may faucet to pay and actually discover phone-free.
Notifications out of your telephone apps work properly, with WhatsApp permitting you to learn messages as you go with out the telephone being opened. The choices are minimal so it isn’t an Apple Watch competitor in that manner, however is beneficial sufficient to cease you reaching on your telephone as a lot.
Apps supply some helpful data in your wrist just like the climate or sundown occasions or helpful surf knowledge. It is all primary however could be genuinely helpful.
The Garmin Vivoactive 5’s format is modular, like different Garmins, so you may prepare to type your most-used coaching profiles to the highest of the menu, making getting began simple. However it will probably get cluttered with computerized suggestions, so it is best to place a while into tidying once in a while to verify it is operating at most effectivity.
Garmin says the Vivoactive 5 will get you 11 days on a cost, or six hours of GPS monitoring with music or 18 hours with out. In actual world use that labored out to a few working week’s price of use with a number of GPS-tracked classes, with out music. Which means going away for a weekend, with loads of coaching, ought to imply you will not must cost the watch till the center of the next week. That is precisely what you need at this value level.
This isn’t one of the best Garmin for battery, by a protracted shot, but it surely does the job greater than properly sufficient whereas remaining extraordinarily compact.
The charger makes use of a proprietary charger, which inserts most Garmin units and plugs right into a USB-C port for a full cost in about an hour.
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Garmin Vivoactive 5: Scorecard
| Class | Remark | Rating |
| Worth | Good worth for the efficiency and options on supply right here. | 4/5 |
| Design | Some corners reduce to justify the value, however every little thing’s been put into the incredible AMOLED display. | 4/5 |
| Options | 30 exercise profiles, strong GPS, modular layouts and third-party apps. . | 4/5 |
| Efficiency | Nice efficiency metrics, together with extra area of interest actions like swimming and golf. | 4/5 |
Garmin Vivoactive 5: Ought to I purchase?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Garmin Vivoactive 5: How we examined
Our reviewer wore the Garmin Vivoactive 5 as his major smartwatch for over two weeks, and it accompanied him on some journeys in addition to throughout common exercises. It was paired to a iPhone 15 Professional Max for almost all of the testing.
The monitoring outcomes had been in comparison with historic outcomes from the Garmin Forerunner 965 and Wahoo Tickr, in addition to the built-in step counter on the smartphone to evaluate accuracy.
Garmin Vivoactive 5: Additionally think about
Garmin Vivoactive 5 simply considered one of many concerns for you? Here is a trio of solutions to look into:
First reviewed: June 2024
