Garmin Vivosmart HR

Just Rubbish – For the amount of money you pay for these toys, they don't last anywhere near long enough. The band kept breaking. Garmin send you replacement bands (their Customer Service Dept in Oz is actually excellent) but, after 3 bands, they felt that they'd fulfilled their obligation, more or less. Trouble connecting Bluetooth. Now, to connect the watch to… Read more

your phone you have to have the Garmin Connect app. The battery suddenly only started lasting about 4 hrs, suspiciously, after an update. The time is always wrong. If you try to change the time manually it is never accurate. The automatic time is wrong. After an hour trying to set the time accurately to the 1194 clock, I peaked and threw it into the bin, along with my original with the broken band. That's about $400 in the bin. I pulled my trusty old $49 Casio out of the draw, waiting patiently there for me! Still ticking after all these years.... It's a pity, I was addicted to the step counter, the weight and the sleep part of it and I'll miss that. But, I'm tired of being conned into modern devices that do not last. These criticisms are probably applicable to all smart type watches.Update: I've since bought a Garmin Instinct and I'd give that 5 stars! Yes, addicted to the health monitoring!

I would not buy this again – The band broke. The screws heads stripped and when forced the plastic body broke. I then fitted a silicone band that fitted around the watch. Now the battery is dead and I have bought bands that I cannot use.  Show details

Not impressed – I had a Fitbit previously and I gave up on it once the button console fell apart for a 2nd time. I decided to go with Garmin as I figured it would be better quality and tracking but I'm not convinced. The step count is far lower than my Fitbit used to be, I'm not sure which one is the most accurate. I constantly have to switch my bluetooth on my… Read more

phone on/off to get it to even link to my device (whereas my Fitbit never had this issue). I find the info in the app OTT. It does not 'auto track' activities as well as my Fitbit did, in fact it pretty much doesn't at all or gets the time/activity completely wrong. Has ridiculous activities on their list (ie skydiving, obstacle running, recumbent cycling, RC device/drone) yet doesn't list activities like Pilates, Bikram yoga etc. Have worn it swimming laps & even GPS tracked it but it recorded the distance incorrectly & obviously will record heart rate inaccurately so what is the point?

Not impressed with the cost I outlayed for it and will probably go back to a Fitbit.

No Body's Perfect! – At the price $159 - it's considerably cheaper than some monitors. I got it for the Heart Rate monitoring as my chest strap was annoying me and had started to play up. I appreciate that the 'accuracy' is not quite the same as the chest strap but, to be honest, the chest strap had discrepancies as well. I do look at the heart rate sometimes and… Read more ·  1

ask it 'really?' But, overall it gives a good indication of where you are at. If you need something more accurate than that, maybe you need a different kind of help or you're an athlete?

I found that you do need to tell it you're exercising, it doesn't pick up automatically most of the time. The step counter, like the others I have used as well, is questionable but, again, it gives you an indication of how much you have moved. Unless you're driving a vehicle which vibrates!

The sleep monitoring is useful but if you want accuracy, you will need to check it every day if, like me, you're a bad sleeper and get up in the night.

Overall, I get good information an excellent guide as to my heart rate at the gym and activity count with my steps. I can turn off and on my music via the watch face. It display notifications from your linked phone.

Oh, and it tells the time!

The only down side is the size of the screen. Although it's nice that it's small, it also means the messages and notifications are also small - and difficult to read. But, if there's one i want to read, I pick up the phone anyway. But, i would rather keep the watch small than opt for a huge screen like some of the others.

Great Fitbit Charge Replacement – After the band breaking & peeling away from 3 Fitbit Charges, & after doing my research on other fitness trackers, I decided to purchase a Garmin Vivosmart HR. I'm so glad I did! I'm extremely impressed with the battery life & durability of this product. A single charge lasts up to 7 days.The fact that it's water resistant & features an… Read more

easy to read display is also a fantastic bonus. The Garmin Connect app isn't as good as the Fitbit app but at least it's more accurate in step counting & it encourages one to move if one has been stationary for a lengthy period of time. I also like the fact that it alerts me to social media text alerts, incoming calls & sms texts. The heart monitor is reasonably accurate but I'm not 100% sure that it is. It is more comfortable to wear on my wrist than the previous fitness trackers I've had which fall off easily.

Because Garmin offer a 12 month replacement warranty (& if Harvey Norman offer it), take out an extra 12 months' extra warranty on top of the Garmin warranty because by doing this one will have peace of mind with a replacement if anything were to go wrong.

I'm wishing now that I had bought a vivosmart HR instead of wasting my time & money with Fitbits in the past.

I highly recommend this fitness tracker because I am very impressed with all it's features & I'm sure you will be too if you decide to purchase one yourself.

Good – I had a Fitbit previously and I gave up on it once the button console fell apart for a 2nd time. I decided to go with Garmin as I figured it would be better quality and tracking but I'm not convinced. It will only require charging after a week and i love how little notification pops up for me once synched with my smartphone.  Show details

Good entry level for step counting and heart rate – I got my Garmin cheap, when I moved my insurance to MLC I was offered a Garmin Vivosmart for $20. This is part of their promotion where you hit certain goals in two periods through the year and get 10% off your insurance for life. I've found the Garmin very good with step counting, and watching my heart rate when exercising. I've checked it… Read more

against my heart rate monitor on my treadmill and there is usually only a difference of around 1-2% between the two of them.

Only two small gripes with it: It is a little annoying having to sync every time I want to change my alarm, and only being able to have one alarm set. I would prefer it if I could set multiple alarms e.g get up, leave the house etc... Also the security strap on the band split within a few months, but a rubber band is a quick and cheap replacements.

I love it – After I looked at alot of the smart watches around I decided on the garmin the guy at the shop said it was great and he was right I have enjoyed mine everyday, the battery is amazing lasts longer then expected and the functions are all good I like that I can track my sleep and know when i receive phone calls and messages. All round wonderful product.  Show details

2nd Replacement watch – I am returning my 2nd garmin watch vivosmartHr because the band broke. I am disappointed with this product as it didnt even last for 2years. I needed to pay for upgrade 1st time due to lack of replacement of original model Vivosmart. I am one very unhappy customer. I have a relative who has just organised a replacement for same problem. Show details

Super disappointed – I love my Garmin but the band broke after 8 months and Garmin can't fix it. They can only offer me a refurbished replacement for $60 less than the price of a new watch! So I have a perfectly functioning watch that I'll have to throw away for the lack of a replaceable brand. Very poor sustainability, very poor design and very poor customer service Garmin.  Show details

OK but not as great as its made out to be – At first I thought this was a great product, I have never owned any other tracking device so I have nothing to compare it against, so I believe what it tells me. However as time has gone on the info stored on my watch does not transfer onto the app - either not at all or it is very inaccurate with dates, times & activity.  Show details

Not great but not bad – Pros- long battery life Accurate step counting Cons: strap broke and difficult to replace Heart rate monitor often innacurate Stair counter rarely correct Unable to change skin colour like you can with Fitbit It often thought I was asleep when I was just sitting on the couch I had to disable the reminder to move as it was distracting in meetings  Show details

This was my first foray to step counting – As i do not have anything else to compare with i took to the Vivosmart HR happily. After weeks playing with the HR monitor, i find it not as accurate as I'd like and turning it off saves a battery. It will only require charging after a week and i love how little notification pops up for me once synched with my smartphone.  Show details

Do Not Buy Vivosmart HR - I am throwing mine in the bin after the band broke in less than 12 months – Not covered by warranty. I took it off to shower and swim, and yet it fell apart. Useless without the band and replacement is 60% of new price. I am spending my money on an Apple watch and throwing this in to the garbage. Even though the Garmin site says they offer call or online chat, you can't actually talk to anyone or even online chat in… Read more

Australia because their site doesn't have the option and you just go around in circles wasting time. I would give this zero stars if that was possible - a company that actually holds their customers in contempt - good luck making that work in the long term.

Very Good but bulky – The Garmin Vivosmart HR+ whilst having many valuable features is somewhat bulky and unattractive. Very good GPS for tracking distance and pace as well as heart rate monitor which i found very useful. I receive notification of phone calls, text messages when i have achieved goals for the day such as steps, stairs climbed etc.  Show details

Its okay – Purchased the garmin vivosmart hr after having a cheaper smartwatch. I found it very bulky and the back part digs into my skin. I was satisfied with the technology part it was not bad (doesnt pick up me riding on a stationery bike) the looks and bulkyness lets it down. I dont wear it anymore as it use to hurt my son when carrying him so if your looking for something slim dont purchase this.  Show details

Good could be better – Not the prettiest accessory to be flaunting while running laps around the block. Big bulky design is very masculine for a danty wrist. The heart rate sensors on the bottom side do a great job at gripping onto your wrist. All the functions work as they should with apparent great accuracy.  Show details

Good watch – Good watch, handy that it counts your steps and km’s, and how many calories you’ve burnt in a day. Has a back light which makes it good at night but it isn’t always turned on which could be a slight downfall as you need to press the button and hold.  Show details

Love my Garmin! – I love my little Garmin which I got in purple! Seems pretty accurate with distance, has a decent battery life (up to 5 days, depending how much I use it!) and a good range of settings to go through (I.e steps, calories burnt etc.). Only down side is it's a little thick, so Rome ones have r to take collared shirts off. But I like that it's a little smaller than other ones!  Show details

great little gadget – Love my new Garmin , it allows me to keep track of my steps and sleep patterns (or lack of sleep), very interesting info. I have an app on my phone that allows me to sync whenever I want and the actual device monitors sot just steps but heart rate, time, goal, so much I don't even know what some of it is!! I got it as a gift and love it to bits.  Show details ·  1

Loved it but band didn’t last long – I had this for just over 12 months before the band broke. I had already had part of the band break after a few months and got a replacement part fitted from a watch repairer. The band completely broke and I can’t buy genuine spare parts for it. Ended up getting an Apple Watch in the end. It did what it says it does and was ok but in the end. Does not last very long but what does these days.  Show details

Firmware upgrade bricks the device, and Garmin Support refuses to fix/replace it – I have had this device for a couple of months, and in general it has worked great except for a couple of minor bugs. Last week a new firmware (4.20) was released by Garmin, so I upgraded it hoping it will resolve some of the minor bugs. It proves to be a bad and fatal mistake. After the upgrade, the battery on it was getting depleted within 1-2… Read more

days, when it would previously last at least 5 days before requiring charging. Two nights ago, after charging it to FULL, I removed it from the charging cradle only to find that its battery has depleted completely overnight , except it seems to be so depleted that it now refuses to be charged again!! Obviously it won't power on either.

Lodged a support call with Garmin support today, only to be told that I have to pay $129 to get a replacement. Their system shows that this device was registered in Dec last year by the first owner, so knowing this, you would think they should honor the warranty even though I am the second owner. Since I don't have a receipt, they refused to fix it under warranty citing that manufacturer warranty is only available to the first owner and only with presentation of a receipt. Everything is pointing to the firmware upgrade being the culprit!

I have had various items in my life that have been replaced by the manufacturer even when I can't always produce a receipt. I made my first Garmin purchase less than 2 years ago, and I have since bought more than half a dozen Garmin fitness watch/band for all six members of my household. I communicated this to the Garmin support person, to no avail. I have now asked for this case to be referred to their complaints department.

To me, this does not seem like a company that seems to care enough for its customers. It is such a shame that I have liked its products, this is despite the fact that 3 out of 4 the cheap Vivofits I bought have failed on me in this short period, but I figured they were all cheap (<$50) so it didn't deter me too much. A good company is one that knows how to treat its customer right when its customers call up to get help on its products that do not perform up to expectations. How can a firmware upgrade cause the battery to deplete so quickly that it basically stopped working altogether in a week???

I am not hopeful they will do anything for me without a receipt. If you are contemplating choosing between a Garmin device or a Fitbit device, you really should think loooooooooong and hard. After this experience, I find it hard to remain in the Garmin camp. I will wait and see what transpires over the next few days but I am not likely to ever buy a Garmin again if they won't fix a device that is caused by their buggy firmware, and still less than 1 year old!

Battery life sucks – I brought this as a replacement for my worn out Fitbit as it was a cheaper alternative. I would not purchase again as that battery life on it does not last long at all compaired to my prevous Fitbit. I also find that it gives me irritation on my skin whereas the Fitbits didn't  Show details

Great one – Bough Garmin Vivosmart HR as a present for my daught - ans she loved it. Since then I bough exactly same one for myself as it works very well and gives you all necessary info about how you`ve been performing the whole day. I like how easy their an online account is - can go and see all data systematized and accessible at any time.. Highly recommend this one.  Show details

Needs to improve – Tends to freeze after updates and at times can be very difficult to unfreeze. Does not always sync easily with properly paired phone and requires a lot of aimless work in the hope it will finally connect. There is no set process for this as what works one time does not work the next. Is not able to sense when you are stationary and adjust… Read more

accordingly which changes your speed average. Will cut out if you are stopped and pause activity for a period of time ie coffee in middle of ride. When working properly it is brilliant but find phone apps more reliable for activity following.

Multi-functional tool for fitness and health monitoring, plus being a timepiece – It reminds me regularly to move. It follows my settings to monitor my activities and remind me what to do. Checks my heart rate at rest and after activity. Graphs and data picked up on computer so I have a record of all statistics so that I can manage my healthy lifestyle in an informed way. I have yet to optimise my use of the Garmin by… Read more

using all of its capacity to manage my life to the point of addressing issues like weight and healthy eating.

Works well, novelty wears off – I won this as a prize, it was worth $189. i thought it didnt look as nice or sleek as the apple or other brand ones but it still had plenty of features. a little bit complex to learn initially but once you get the hang of it then it is ok. the only thing is the novelty wore of fairly quickly and you stop checking it or using it. probably wouldnt buy another one  Show details

awesome heat monitor. strong watch. waterproof – I first bought the Garmin HR as a means to monitor my heart rate all day and night. It has been brilliant at that. It even let me know what kind of deep sleep i had as to light. It has allowed me to track my bike riding and soccer heart rate and see if i am backing off too early. Have taken it swimming also without a problem and it even… Read more

recognized that activity. Only problem for competition sports is not allowed to wear watches. So i used some gaff tape around my ankle and had it on my inner side. To my surprise it worked!

The Bluetooth to my phone worked also as with the music. But i turned all that off as i don't really want.

I am super pleased and it lasts me around 5 days between charges. What amazes me is the glass isn't even scratched! Even though i wear it at work and treat it rough.

The app is also very easy to use. And provides very detailed information.

Very pleased with the buy.

Perfect size and comfortable to wear – I thought I might not like the elongated screen compared to other models with a horizontal screen but it is very intuitive and easy to use. Its great to be able to check the Heart Rate and the in built activity reminder has made me more active at work when it reminds me to stand up and actually move instead of being tied to the chair. Very happy with the purchase  Show details

Does the job but I'm no longer motivated to use it – We were given two of these by our insurance company to encourage positive health outcomes. It does everything it says it does, well - monitors heart rate, counts steps, tracks activity that can be linked to an app. The app also allows you to connect with friends, and set up fitness challenges (I've never actually done it though). The strap is… Read more

comfortable to wear and it is relatively easy to negotiate through the screen. It feels hard wearing as well (as in tough). I find the ability to receive messages great, but it doesn't read well on the screen which makes it slightly pointless, and this is probably one of the larger reasons that I've stopped wearing it. A larger screen would address this, but that would mean a move away from it's current slim features. I exercise for fun rather than for goals, so I think the aim of this watch would definitely suit someone who really did want to monitor progress and achieve goals and overall I think Garmin have done a great job.

Heart Rate/ Fitness Tracker Watch – Nice wearable technology, need one to monitor heart rate does this very well, has time and date display on home screen, quick to charge and long battery life. Did not come with printed manual or easy use guide and has no battery life display that i have found yet. Sturdy and stylish 9/10  Show details

Garmin vivosmart HR – This watch only costs $159 but it does everything the Apple and Samsung watches do Time , Heart Rate , steps walked , Running ,Phone calls ,Phone notications Bluetooth . This watch will even tell you to move if you have been sitting around to long ?I would recommend this watch  Show details

Good for a first activity tracker – When I decided I needed a new watch I thought I'd go a step further and buy an activity tracker. The Vivosmart HR has less features than the HR+ but it is great for my needs. Heart rate, steps, distance, calories and I love the fact I can read notifications from my phone and control my music. No GPS which doesn't bother me but would suggest you check the features you want carefully as there is so much choice out there.  Show details