The Garmin Vivosmart 5 is a compact fitness tracker that competes directly with Fitbit – and succeeds. Because of its relatively utilitarian appearance and monochrome screen, it’s not as appealing as gadgets like the Fitbit Charge 5 and Fitbit Luxe, but it’s functional and puts a massive amount of data right at your fingers.
The most noticeable difference between the Vivosmart 4 and the Vivosmart 5 is the bigger, better definition screen. Garmin makes full use of all that extra space by cramming in a remarkable assortment of data — including graphs and charts to indicate trends, which aren’t common on fitness trackers this big. Despite the lack of color to distinguish distinct bits of data, everything is clear and easy to understand at a look.
Unlike the Fitbit Charge 5, the Vivosmart 5 does not include onboard GPS, so it relies on a Bluetooth connection to your phone to track your route and pace during outside activities. It can also estimate distance and pace using its onboard accelerometer, although this is only a rough guide and should not be depended on if you’re preparing for an event.
The Garmin Vivosmart 5 isn’t as user-friendly as an entry-level Fitbit since it prioritizes numbers, but if you’re a data freak, that approach will surely appeal.
Unless you already own a full-fat Garmin sports watch but find it clunky for everyday wear in between training sessions, the Garmin Vivosmart 5 could be a good choice. The Garmin Connect software works with numerous devices, and all of your data is aggregated regardless of whatever watch you were wearing.
The Garmin Vivosmart 5 debuted on April 20, 2022, four years after the Vivosmart 4, with a starting price of $149.99 / £129.99.
That’s a regular price for a higher-end fitness band. However, if you’re becoming serious about running and want a GPS-enabled watch to help you with your training, the superb Garmin Forerunner 55 is now available for only a little extra.
To begin, the Garmin Vivosmart 5 is available in two sizes: Small/medium and Large
Both variants appear to be extremely similar to the Vivosmart 4 at first sight. The tracker itself is compact and comes with a soft silicone band/case. This time, though, the band is removable; simply bend the band back enough to release the tracking unit, then put it into the new strap — no tools required.
The Vivosmart 5 lacks the metal bezel of its predecessor, which gives it a less elegant appearance but almost definitely helped Garmin’s designers save a few precious kilos. The small/medium variant weighs only 24.5g including the band, while the big model weighs 26.5g, making it extremely light.
Three colors: Black, White, and Cool Mint
In addition, Garmin has replaced the capacitive button at the bottom of the watch’s display with a physical one. This may appear to be an odd choice because it disrupts the device’s elegant lines, but it’s one we like because it makes the Vivosmart 5 lot easier to operate whether you’re wearing gloves or have damp hands.
The optical heart rate and SpO2 sensors, as well as the charging socket, are located in the rear. The Vivosmart 5 charges with the same proprietary wire that has been used by other Garmin devices in recent years, and it fits in securely.
The bigger, larger OLED screen is perhaps the most notable change between the Vivosmart 5 and its predecessor. The Vivosmart 5’s display is of greater quality than its predecessor. However, it remains monochrome rather than color. This makes it less visually appealing than the Fitbit Luxe. However, Garmin’s engineers have made clever use of the restricted space and palette, expressing an incredible amount of data on each screen. Longer pieces of text scroll rather than being cut off and at least three stats can be displayed on-screen at the same time.
The Vivosmart 5 also incorporates an ambient light sensor, which dynamically changes the screen brightness to fit the current conditions. It’s pretty effective. However, you can also choose a brightness level manually, alter the timeout duration before the screen goes to sleep, or even select always-on mode.
The Vivosmart 5 automatically tracks sleep. It correctly recognizes when you fell asleep and woke up. Each morning, you’ll receive a little report that includes a sleep score, a brief weather prediction for the day ahead, and a fast review of your upcoming calendar events. The Garmin Connect app allows you to dig deeper into your sleep statistics.
The main drawback is that Garmin’s sleep tracking does not account for naps. If you get 40 winks in the evening, your overnight data may be thrown away. Amazfit devices monitor naps effectively. Hope that Garmin will upgrade its sleep and recovery algorithms to integrate them shortly.
You may also activate SpO2 monitoring overnight or 24 hours a day. Although as previously stated, this has a significant influence on battery life. Unless you’re extremely concerned about oxygen saturation, leaving it off may be a reasonable compromise.
Garmin creates a Body Battery score by combining data from your sleep and everyday activities. This is an assessment of how much energy you have to handle tasks throughout the day, similar to Fitbit’s readiness score. However, unlike Fitbit’s statistics, Garmin products like the Vivosmart 5 enable you to view changes in real-time. If you were planning a strenuous training session but your body’s battery was running low, it could be a good idea to ease up with a mild recuperation workout.
It’s a helpful feature, and the Vivosmart 5 makes it easy to see your current Body Battery score. There’s also a useful line graph that shows how your score has changed over the previous four hours, as well as a message that tells you if your Body Battery is ‘charging’ or ‘draining.’ It’s a lot of data to fit into such a little area, but it eliminates the need to open the app on your device for more information.
Another useful function is all-day stress monitoring. Unlike the Fitbit Sense and Charge 5, which assess stress by looking for changes in the electrical resistivity of your stress, the Vivosmart 5 employs a heart rate variability-based algorithm called Firstbeat Analytics.
It cannot always distinguish between physical and emotional stress. However, it is suspended during logged exercises and should give you a decent general indication of your mental condition. If you begin to feel tense, the Vivosmart 5 can guide you through a simple but effective square breathing exercise to drop your pulse rate.
First and foremost, the Garmin Vivosmart 5 lacks an onboard GPS module, similar to last year’s Garmin Lily. Instead, it tracks your pace and distance during outside activities using your phone’s GPS chip, so if you want to run or cycle without your phone, you’ll just get basic exercise information at the end.
There are several sports profiles to pick from, but the Vivosmart 5 can only hold ten at a time, so you’ll need to pause for a moment to set up your chosen sports in the Garmin Connect app prior to hitting the road, pool, or gym. After that, simply push the button on the tracker’s face, choose Activities, and you’re set to go.
However, keep in mind that the gadget will not link to your phone’s GPS unless you start tracking your workout. Distance will still be measured using the device’s accelerometer. However, it will be less precise.
The Vivosmart 5 doesn’t have the same heart rate monitor as newer watches like the Fenix 7 & Forerunner 55, but it performs well. You may also opt to transmit your heart rate to a coupled device through ANT+ compatible devices such as treadmills.
Once your workout is over, data is shared with the Garmin Connect app almost immediately. The watch can store data from seven timed activities, so don’t worry if you can’t sync it straight away.
The battery life of the Vivosmart 5 is the same as that of the Vivosmart 4. Garmin claims a maximum lifespan of 7 days in watch mode. However, adding SpO2 monitoring dramatically reduces it. The watch lasted four days and nights in our tests with 24-hour SpO2 monitoring and tracking one workout each day. It’s able to recharge the battery from dead to fully charged in a little over two hours.
The Vivosmart 5 lacks onboard music storage, which as usual is okay for a device of this size. However, you can use it as a remote for your phone’s media player. It eliminates the need to dig your phone out of a pocket in the middle of a run to change tunes.
You also can’t use it to make phone calls. You can get Incoming calls and messages with customizable vibrations on your wrist. Also, you may see short snippets of SMS, email, and app alerts by pressing them when they show on the Vivosmart 5’s display.
Another useful feature is the ability to locate your phone with the Vivosmart 5 – even if it’s on silent. It’s quite loud and extremely effective if you’re unorganized.
The Garmin Vivosmart 5 is a slim, lightweight fitness tracker for those who value data above appearance. It’s not as stylish as a Fitbit Luxe or Inspire 2. However, it has a lot more information and analytics at your fingertips, with even more accessible through the Garmin Connect smartphone app. The lack of onboard GPS is unfortunate, but it’s wonderful for keeping track of your daily wellness and recuperation numbers.
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