Garmin Vivosport Review

Garmin hit the market hard this year with their newest lineup of wearable tech.  Garmin’s smartwatches, the Vivoactive 3 and Vivomove HR, plus the fitness tracker Vivosmart 3, which launched earlier this year, have taken most of the spotlight, but one other Vivo- device is worth talking about: the Vivosport.

Quick Take

A bit confusingly (beyond the names – Garmin sure likes the “Vivo” moniker), the Vivosport strongly resembles the Vivosmart 3. We’ll compare the two a bit later, but first let’s see how the Vivosport stands on its own. While a lot of these are available on other Garmin devices, the Vivosport is jam-packed with fitness features.

Some of the key specs include:

• Built-in GPS
• Heart rate monitoring
• Battery life up to 7 days (8 hours in GPS mode)
• Water resistant to 50 meters

As you can see, there’s plenty going on with the Vivosport, and it doesn’t disappoint in the fitness capabilities. Garmin keeps up with the pack in a lot of the fitness tracking abilities – one key example is rep counting. It also tracks time, distance, speed/pace, and can map out your ride or run for you.

Design

The Vivosport is lightweight and pretty slim. It’s comfortable to wear all day, if not the most fashionable fitness tracker. The screen design is a big upgrade over some of Garmin’s other trackers. The always-on color screen looks good and is easy to see in the sunlight. Water resistance makes it even simpler to wear all the time – you can swim or shower in it without any problems. Screen usability is simple enough. The touchscreen has you tap or swipe to do what you need to. The Vivosport comes in sizes small/medium and large. There are a few different color options if all black isn’t your thing.

Vs. Vivosmart 3

The first thing you’ll notice when putting the Vivosport up against the Vivosmart 3 (see on Amazon) is price: The Vivosmart’s list price is about $60 more. So what does that extra chunk of dough get you? The biggest feature difference is built-in GPS—the Vivosport has it while the Vivosmart 3 does not. Beyond that, the differences come in design. The Vivosmart 3’s display is not always on, it isn’t color, and it is a bit harder to read in the sunlight. The Vivosport, on the other hand, has the better screen, plus a slightly more streamlined and thinner design.

Related: Vivosmart 3 Review

Verdict

On the surface, there’s very little difference between the Vivosmart 3 and the Vivosport, but the Vivosport is the better option because of GPS and the newer aesthetics. It might not be worth it to everyone to spend the extra amount to get those features, but the Vivosport is a great option for a fitness tracker regardless. You can save a bit and pick up a Vivosmart 3, but our verdict is that the price tag is worth it on the Vivosport if it’s in your budget. You’ll get all the great tracking features Garmin offers, a vibrant screen, thin design, and GPS capability.