Garmin Vivosmart 3

Really great 'fitbit' in the form of garmin Vivofit 3 – It records your steps, heart rate, calorie burn, is a watch and calendar. Information can be kept via wi-fi onto your tablet/phone. Encourages you to be healthy. I love it. Show details

Buyer beware; non-replaceable wrist band prone to breaking -- basically: do not buy – In short: I strongly suggest not buying this product; the wrist band is prone to breaking after a few months of use. It cannot be replaced! Garmin offers refurbished replacement for $99 (AUD) within warranty period despite claiming a 12 month warranty period. This is neither acceptable, nor legal in AU (which mandates a minimum of 6 month… Read more

warranty).

While I agree with most that the technical feature set works as designed, there is, however, no point in buying this device, given the failure rate of the wrist band. We bought a VivoSmart 3 in October. Late December the wrist band broke. The wrist band cannot be replaced! Effectively rendering the device useless, ready for the scrap heap.

Another observation was that every time the device was plugged into a new Lenovo PC running Windows 10, a new driver had to be downloaded before the device would connect and upload the data.

There is no more to say, other than stay away.

All this is evidenced by ample reviews here, and elsewhere on the Internet. It's your choice.

Solid activity tracker, performs well, garmin connect is something else – Wanted to give the tracker 5 stars but i think its really 4 stars because of the garmin connect app. Wanted something to track my basic outputs, heart rate, steps and most of all sleep patterns which is important to me. Have family members and friends with fitbits who tell me all sorts of stories about quality or lack of it. Basic fitbits win on… Read more

the looks department but not being waterproof is a deal breaker for me. The garmin is robust and well built and above all waterproof, not just splashproof, so i can wear it everywhere. It does everything pretty well. Has a proprietry charger, not micro usb, charges in 1- 2 hours and will run 4 days on a charge depending on how bright you run the screen or the vibration feedback. The interface and garmin connect app can take a lot of work to master - its downright frustrating and difficult to synch at times and its not overly user friendly to use - despite the app being difficult to load sometimes the summary data and graphical display is good once you learn how to use it - it is actually pretty good and displays a lot of useful information. The silicone rubber case and band is very soft and you hardly know its on, and is very comfortable. Have no regrets about buying the garmin, and if a robust, waterproof activity tracker is what you need then this is the unit for you. Its priced reasonably well against fitbit and if you are not overly concerned about looks this is a very good quality tracker.

So durable! And syncs consistently – I've owned the Garmin Vivosmart 3 for about 8 months now, wear it everyday, and there are no signs of wear which is outstanding. I wanted to wait at least 6 months before reviewing this because of my previous experiences with Fitbit devices. Durability and sync issues were my gripes with the multitude of Fitbits I'd owned, which is why I'd give… Read more

Garmin a go and I must say, I'm rather impressed with this Vivosmart watch.

iPhone compatibility is excellent so there's minimal syncing interference.

Notifications are pushed through to the soft-touch screen (messages/messenger/phone calls..etc) quite nicely as you can actually read the messages.

It accurately records steps, monitors heart rate, has an altimeter (for stairs), sleep monitoring, I can skip through songs playing on my iPhone which is extra handy when I'm streaming via Spotify via other devices (PS4/Mac/UE Boom), weather updates, and a bunch of other options you'd expect from a good smart watch. Oh, and it tells the time too, which is handy.

One major benefit of this smartwatch is, you can swim in it.

The build/design is thoughtful. The silicon exterior runs seamlessly over the face of the watch and the led screen is very nice to view. The HR monitor is flat, making it very comfortable to wear and the charging port is unnoticeable, unlike other similar devices I've owned, *cough-Fitbit*.

My only issue with this watch is the touch screen sensitivity. I cross my arms often, and press my forearm against it. This sets timers off or activates other random menu options. This also occurs when water hits the touchscreen, i.e. when wearing it in the shower, it recognises water droplets as touch inputs so falling water cycles through various menu options. Because of this, I take it off before showering.

Lastly, I deactivated the raise to view option because it doesn't work very well and more-so became inconvenient when wearing it to bed. The screen would wake whenever I rolled over or raised my arms above my head. It needs a sleep option which deactivates it.

Overall, it's a very good watch and the price has come down quite a bit since I'd purchased it.

Simple resonable price – I've been using Garmin for a few years, the price is very reasonable for the functions it has. It measure heart rate, can show notifications from android or iPhone. I find it quite handy. But some time is not too comfortable wearing. But overall great price with good quality. Value for money if u like to track heart rate, steps.  Show details

My daughter loves it – We bought the Garmin Vivosmart 3 for my daughters birthday this year. She loves it. We chose it over the Fitbit through recommendations of others as the Garmin has proven to be more reliable/stronger than the Fitbit as per my friends. We have it set up with my daughters school computer and I have yet to set up the email function as I will be able… Read more

to email her (she can't email back on the Garmin) and she will receive the notification on her Vivosmart 3. She doesn't have a phone otherwise it could also be linked to that. Occasionally some readings seem a little off but generally we are very happy with it.

Great smartwatch, comfy wristband – Not many colours to choose from I purchased the blue other choices were black or plum, though unable to swap wristbands for abit of a change. Though screen is easy to read even in sunlight, does notifications, steps, stairs, heart rate, sleep, music great little bundle. Downside for me is the battery life I get approx 4 days  Show details

strap is irreplaceble, expensive and slow service – Other brands are cheaper just as precise and comfortable and have replaceable straps. The servicedesk took three weeks to tell me that the strap is not replaceable and it wil send a new one. This not what i paid for. Just go for a brand with replaceable straps. Bluetooth connection is iffy, and setting it up can be a headscratcher, once connected it's pretty simpel and kinda accurate. Show details

Rubbish silicone band on vivosmart3 – I purchased the garmin vivosmart3 November 2017. The band broke after 6 weeks and as i live a long way from the retailer I used super glue to fix it. Success until now March 2019 the band has now worn out around the recording device. There doesn't appear to be a replacement band. Seems that Garmin has used rubbish material on a great device. I'm disappointed and will now get a fitbit. Rose Show details

Awful! Unit is faulty, Garmin know it, yet are relying on proof of purchase as a defence! – The unit is faulty, need I say more. I am not the only one to experience the band breaking, which cannot be replaced. Once I made contact I was told I needed provide proof of purchase. After 2 years I dont have it. After several backwards and forwards emails I was told, and I quote “As per ACCC guidelines as a manufacturer we are within our… Read more

rights to request a proof of purchase”. They definitely did not quote my rights as a consumer to purchase an item which is fit for purchase. I have owned over 10 garmin items and bought several for family members, but based on this god awful experience, I wont be purchasing again. I hope you enjoy your day in the sun, BlackBerry of GPS!

Good device - can't replace dodgy bands – This device is great at doing what it says, however, after 4 months or use, my band broke. Contacted Garmin right away, but the prroblem is, you can not replace the band on these. Garmin replaced the device for free but now 6 months down the track, the band is broken again. I know it's not the most recent device now, but I suggest to stay away.  Show details

Do not buy- band broken poor quality – I chose this band due to the features and was happy enough with basic features of steps sleep and HR. Could not get the gym work out, timer or lap counting /swim functions to work. Not intuitive. Days after 12 month warranty expired the rubber clasp that holds free end of strap in place broke making the band very easy to come off unexpectedly.… Read more

Weeks after this the whole band snapped off- very flimsy rubber.

When I contacted Garmin this seems to be very common problem, after lodging the form to get it replaces I was told simply it is out of warranty and I need to pay to get it repaired $89.95!

This is poor design, materials not fit for purpose, poor quality and just bad for their reputation all around. I will not be buying any more Garmin products.

Vivosmart3 - 4 months old and band broken – Purchased a Garmin Vivosmart3 for my wife for her birthday. I have always thought of Garmin as being the maker of quality engineered products. Hence the reason for choosing the Vivosmart3 over competitors. The unit worked great for 4 months. My wife wore it typically a couple of days each week. So, it wasn't being taken off and put on with a high… Read more

frequency. With barely 4 months of use on it, my wife goes to put it on and the band separates at what I would describe as the connection point of the band and the unit case. 4 MONTHS! I examine the unit only to find the band cannot be replaced. I was dumbstruck that any manufacturer, much less Garmin that did have a reputation for quality would manufacture a product that is supposed to be used all the time, but particularly when engaging in physical activity, would be made so cheaply. Again, I was dumbstruck. I searched the web for over an hour and discovered that our experience with the Garmin Vivosmart3 was by no measure unusual. Indeed, after reading hundreds of reviews it is clear that anyone purchasing the Vivosmart3 should expect the band breaking on the unit in less than 6 months. Words are simply inadequate to express my surprise that Garmin would put what I always appreciated was a rather sterling reputation at risk of being so easily damaged. I would think if the company was truly concerned about its customers and its reputation, that it would completely revise and re-engineer the Vivosmart 3 so that the band could be replaced and would send everyone of its customers who purchased a vivosmart3 in the last 24 months a newly engineered unit.

WORST watch ever – I bought this watch in August 2017, in less than 6 months the band snapped off and I had to send it in to get replaced. A 2nd one arrived and again, SAME thing happened. I wasn't even doing anything physical at the time, the quality of make is beyond poor. Never buying Garmin again.  Show details

I thought Garmin would have better quality – I bought my Vivosmart 3 this summer because I liked the advertised features. Some of the features work as advertised (ie step counts, alarms, sleep tracker, stress level). I could never get the V02 tracker to work...after researching on-line you may have to maintain a highly elevated heart rate during exercise in order for it to work. HIIT… Read more

doesn't trigger it! The worst part was, within 6 months the silicone band broke. There is no way to replace it. It broke at the connection to the unit and appears to definitely be a design flaw. When I contacted Garmin Customer Service, they will replace the watch at a cost more than the original unit! I expect more from a Garmin product! Having a product that is not usable after only 6 months is totally unacceptable in my opinion!

Garmin Vivosmart 3 is rubbish – Garmin Vivosmart 3 is rubbish. Band broke and cannot get another one. This is the third and last garmin that I will get. Also they do not have spare parts at shops. Never get another one. Garmin Vivosmart 3 is rubbish. Band broke and cannot set another one. This is the trade and last Garmin that I will get. Also they donut b=have spare parts in shops. Never get another one.  Show details

Won't buy another Garmin – This is the third garmin that I've purchased that has broken either in the device itself or in the band. The return/repair procedure is not user friendly and the whole process is too hard. While the steps appear to ne accurate on this watch along with the reliability of the phone connection than other versions, the band keeper snapped within 6 months  Show details

Great for a short term – Great little device for a short period. Sync is clunky, and can't read the face in the light. However it works. BUT you cannot replace the band and when you contact them for warranty you need to send it to them first. Surely there is a customer centric solution where you can go in and replace? No. My experience is these bands break, it's not… Read more

replaceable so don't buy one

My wife has a Fitbit- in comparison it is more functional and easier to read but not waterproof

If they where waterproof I wouldn't bother with the Garmin

Disappointed – My sister bought me the vivosmart 3 for Christmas & after a couple of months the band broke... when I looked up getting it fixed as it’s under warranty, I discovered I have to pay for the postage to send it for repair! I cannot believe the band only lasted a couple of months! Also I noticed the steps tally didn’t always seem accurate, I even… Read more

managed to accumulate steps while sitting watching a movie... I’ve previously had a Fitbit & found it to have a longer lasting band & more accurate with the steps tally.

Soooo disappointed! – Was given Vivosmart HR last year for Mothers Day - just loved it, had absolutely no problems at all however band broke while still in warranty. Unfortunately has been updated to Vivosmart 3 and have all sorts of issues ever since. took it back within 2 weeks as step count was way out of my usual (many more). Did not register intensity minutes… Read more

although my exercise regime had not changed. It is supposed to be waterproof however it turned off within 10 minutes of my swimming exercises. JB Hi Fi replaced it once again and although step count is within range and intensity minutes are registering now it still does not register my swimming activities. It is also very hard to sync with app - did not have any problems with HR. Also find the screen hard to read out in sunlight. All in all I am not happy with upgrade at all

Love checking my progress....difficult to pair and sync – Frustrating trying to do a challenge wirh friends and family. Lovely to wear love the buckle instead of the plastic clips. But its a marathon trying to connect, sync or pair. Have had it back to domayne twice in two months...they have trouble doing it also. Apart from this difficulty when it works im a fan  Show details

Not as good as Vivosmart 2 – Fitness products in the cheaper range (under $500) from what I understand are replaceable. That is they are good for a year or two then its time for an update our replacement. I have had Fitbits, and ruined two with occasional splashes of water. The last one came around again after it dried out but this took a few months. So my first serious… Read more

fitness wearable was the previous version of the Vivosmart. This was great even though a little clunky in its square watch form, but didn't have HR monitoring without wearing a chest strap.

The Vivosmart 3 (VS3) is in the slimline function that I want, I wear a nice collectable watch and will never replace it with a wearable. The VS3 I wear on the other wrist, and although it has a gyroscope to determine when you turn your wrist to light up and tell you the time this doesn't always work. The VS3 has no buttons and relies on the user to remember the order the functions scroll across the screen. The functions use touch control to swipe through reading text and email messages from your phone is pretty much impossible. But it is handy in a meeting to tell me who is contacting me when the phone is on silent.

This wearable has various functions measuring heart rate, stress levels and VO2 fitness measurables. I use it as a sleep and step tracker and it does what it is meant to. I only get four days battery life before it needs a recharge. The old vivofit have me close to 7 days which have me a routine time to recharge, now you get a warning about 6 hours out before it goes flat. Overall much better than a Fitbit!

I had my last Vivofit for 3 years, only when the band broke did I get a replacement (no replacement parts) The current to get accurate readings needs to be worn tight. My wife had same model and broke her band after 6 months. I hope this one lasts longer than my previous model.

Perfect smart wrist band – Got this last year and to replace my vivosmart 2. As the 2 has broken a few times. Did a bit research and compared it to Fitbit, still personally like Garmin as it’s waterproof(Fitbit is probabaly waterproof as well) I wear it day and night. It can detect the movement if I’m walking/running/cycling. Didn’t seem to be able to detect swimming. I… Read more

found it useful as mobile notification as I like to keep my mobile silent all the time.

Great value however hope the battery last longer than the 2

Great smart watch – The vivosmart 3 was one of my best purchases of 2017. I switched to this from the fitbit charge 2 solely because it is waterproof and am mostly happy. It info pretty well however it constantly records flights of stairs climbed inaccurately compared to the charge 2. My other complaint would be that the screen is poorly lit and sometimes hard to… Read more

read compared to the charge 2 but i live the extra features such as reps counted and v02 max. The app is a little hard to use sometimes as had major issues with pairing it with my old phone but it works seamlessly with my new phone. the pros mostly outweigh the cons with this smart watch, it they can fix the problems with flights climbed and change the screen i'd be much happier

Changed my life – I resisted buying a fitness tracker when everyone else was buying them. But then I got to a stage where I needed to make changes in my life to get healthier. I was gaining weight and becoming physically uncomfortable and had pains in joints and bones that I never had before. I decided I needed to move more... my iPhone had a health app that… Read more

tracked my steps, but this wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to see it physically see it, easier. So I bit the bullet and went to Harvey Norman and looked at all the different fitness trackers available. Fitbit and Garmin were the two standing out to me, but the Garmin was just a bit sleeker and I decided this was the one I wanted to try.

Well I now walk 10,000-15,000 steps a day. So my goal has been achieved. This pushes me to walk, my partner got one and 4 friends also got one. We have weekly steps challenges, we try to beat our daily best steps.... I’ve lost weight, I’m not in as much pain, I’m happy.

The watch itself is easy to use, rotate towards you to turn on, rotate away to turn off. Or double Tap the screen to turn on. The menu is so easy to use, pairing with your phone or iPad, tracking walks, seeing your heart rate.

The STRESS feature I completely disregard, don’t know if it’s just my watch, but it says I’m stressed when I’m asleep and my hr is only 50.... who knows, maybe I am stressed? Haha

I love seeing my phone messages, snapchats etc on my phone - makes it so much easier than having to get my phone out all the time. I can be selective because of my watch.

Oh, and I love the sleep tracker - not sure exactly how accurate it is, but I love knowing and tracking how much sleep, light and deep, that I get!

There are so many other features that I just don’t need to use - all I really need, and love, is the steps!

Best option for walking-running-sleep tracking – I have had two smart-watches, the original Garmin Vivosmart and the Apple Watch. POSITIVE: I was disappointed with the Apple Watch in that accuracy and how the data was presented was not as good as Garmin/Fitbit. I enjoy walking, running and wanted an 'always-on' smartwatch that can track my sleeping habits and Heart Rate. The best thing about… Read more

this watch is that it does all of the above activities well.

Battery lasts for about 5 days, and charging is quick. The watch band still looks brand new even after daily use for about 3 months now. The build seems more sturdy than previous generations. The Garmin software indeed may not be the most user-friendly, but I found it to be very good, and gave me all the information I wanted. The watch is light, and the rubber (although causing me some skin irritation) is of a material that doesn't inhibit activities such as typing on a laptop. Stress tracking and VO2 estimation is also a very useful tool to assess fitness and lifestyle.

NEGATIVE: The screen is supposed to activate by raising your arm (say when you want to look at the time), unfortunately the accelerator inside doesn't seem to respond as well I would have expected. It isn't too much of an issue, but now, I mainly double tap the screen to find out the information.

My previous Garmin was able to show notifications from my phone, but this watch doesn't seem to allow that function (or at least doesn't make it easy to do so), which is strange as my 1st gen Vivosmart did it quite well. Another feature that the watch doesn't excel at is the tracking of weight-training workouts.. I can't seem to get it to work.

VERDICT: The Garmin Vivosmart 3 is one of the most affordable current-generation options for time/alarm/activity-tracking/running that I have seen. These are the most common features, and I think it makes it a good option for someone who does the above activities.

It's OK – Battery life isn't impressive, the surface gets rather dusty by sitting on my wrist. Have a few new features compared to the previous gen. The star feature to me is still that it's waterproof, as with the previous gen. Nothing too fancy but does what I need. Looking forward to the next gen :)  Show details

Just-what-you-need functions – This device isn’t fancy, but it has everything you need to track your fitness. Pair it up with the Garmin Connect app for really cool data visualizations of your tracker info. Design is a bit bulky, the band is a little worn out over the last 8 months (to be expected with rubber wrist bands), I have some light scratches on the screen and the… Read more

battery doesn’t seem to last as long as when I first wore it. Still, it’s a nifty device and works well as an entry-level fitness tracker.

Okay, mediocre Garmin Device – Vivosmart 3 feels very nice when you put it on your wrist due to its rubbery feeling and I dont even feel like wearing anything on my wrist. However, the screen is very small and sometimes it is very hard to navigate around the device as the screen is quite small and has no colour. Another drawback is that you have to use the garmin app which is not very good and very hard to interpret the data  Show details

Good, nicely-featured Activity Tracker that seems to be holding up well – So previously I've owned a Fitbit Charge HR - two actually - and managed to destroy both of them within about 18 months. My work isn't kind to large, glass-faced watches so a small, low profile wristband I can tuck under a shirt cuff is ideal. The form factor and functionality was there... the durability wasn't, unfortunately. After a few… Read more

months to stew over a possible replacement, I decided to go with the Vivosmart 3. Already being in the Garmin ecosystem due to owning a Fenix 3 watch for running and triathlon, it made sense to stay in Garmin Connect. At the time the Fitbit Charge 2 HR hadn't been discounted (was $280ish) so the $227 for the Vivosmart, while not exactly cheap, seemed to have the better bang-for-buck in terms of meaningful features.

The Good:

* Waterproof!

* Attractively minimal design with a decently sized screen that's easy to read.

* Band doesn't seem to irritate your skin the way the Fitbit ones do.

* Easy to use and configurable screen/menu, though can be a little unreliable when you're dripping in sweat. Nice to be able to hide widgets that you don't need/aren't interested in, but the Bluetooth music controls are surprisingly useful, I've found.

* Supports pretty much every notification that comes through on your phone. Helps keep your phone in your pocket while at work ;-)

* Supports quite a few activity types... as mentioned I have a Fenix 3 for my actual workouts and only use the Vivosmart as a daily tracker and watch, but obviously if it's your only watch, that's a good thing.

* Optical HR is decently accurate at a steady heart rate. What that means is that for daily activity tracking, sleep/RHR and long sustained efforts (ie. bike trainer or a steady pace run) it is perfectly usable. However people need to understand that wrist-based HR detection will always have a delay (often up to 20-30 seconds) before it 'catches up' to what BPM your heart is actually beating at. So if you're doing short run intervals, varying efforts or some other kind of HIIT workout and want accurate HR data you will need a chest strap (ie. HRM-Run) to properly capture it.

This goes for all optical-HR technology, not just Garmin's.

The Not-So-Good:

* After a few months the coating on the screen has worn/degraded a bit. Granted, I'm pretty rough with it and it cops plenty of knocks, dust, sparks and scrapes, so hardly surprising. Still works and the screen is still legible, which is the main thing.

* The timer function/app could be easier/quicker to use. For example, it's handy to have a one-minute countdown between intervals, but without a physical button or tap-gesture it takes a number of screen strokes to get to the timer app, then even more furious tapping to set the appropriate time.

* Garmin Connect Mobile, though much improved from a couple of years ago, is still something of a mess. Admittedly there's a lot of data in there to sift though and display, but I swear Fitbit's app was a million times easier to use.

* Battery life isn't bad, but I do find myself needing to charge it more often than the old Fitbit Charge HR.

All in all, a very good, reliable daily activity tracker and daily 'smartwatch' that integrates well with your phone's alerts. That said, if you want something to track actual runs and other workouts, you may well find yourself wanting to spend a little more and get a 'proper' sports watch with GPS and a HR strap.

Heart rate monitor doesn't work – There's lots to like about the activity tracker. Lots of data and interactive with phone. HOWEVER, I really wanted to use v the heart rate monitor when exercising. It's pretty much useless unless it is so tight it is about to cut off my circulation which is clearly not ideal. Otherwise it cash be v50/60 beats per minute of what the gym equipment is telling me. So pretty much useless in that instance. Wouldn't recommend.  Show details

Awesome Fitness Tracking – This is a great activity tracker. I got it a couple of months ago and it has met all expectations. Garmin has updated their App and it is easy to navigate and easy to connect to the tracker. A great feature is that the tracker is waterproof, so no need to take it off when you take a shower or go swimming. It is easy to use and blend in when you wear. timeless design.  Show details

Poor customer service from Garmin – I’m a prospective buyer of the vivosmart 3 and my wife already owns one. Before I spend more money on another one I emailed customer support asking them if the band can be purchased separately if it gets broken as I had read the vivosmart 3 is a throwaway item once this happens. My reply from Garmin..... nothing.... zip.... nada.... I’ve tried… Read more

contacting them multiple times and got ABSOLUTELY no reply whatsoever. If this is how they treat prospective buyers it worries me how they will treat my wife when she has issues with her one. Very poor customer servive Garmin!