Garmin Vivosmart 3 Review

Review on a new fitness tracker from Garmin – Vivosmart 3 

Garmin vivosmart 3
Garmin fitness tracker vivosmart 3

One of the areas that were positively affected by technology is the fitness sector. There are various technologies that have been developed to boost this sector. One of these technologies is the wrist-based fitness monitoring band. We have been observing Garmin for many years and we do trust their products, especially considering the fact that they have years of experience and tons of money spent on improvements and development of fitness devices. Over the years Garmin introduced various, incredibly successful products in this market (thinking about all the GPS watches for running – Forerunner series). And definitely one of the best in this range is Garmin Vivosmart 3. This is an upgrade from the previous version and provides additional features.

Features of the Garmin Vivosmart 3
In order to fully assess this fitness band, it is necessary to look at all the features of the device. Starting from the external design to its capabilities. The latest fitness wrist watches are packed with the most advanced sensors, and provide the latest technology features. Here are some of the  characteristics of vivosmart 3:

1. Design

Garmin vivosmart 3
Garmin fitness tracker –
vivosmart 3

This is one of the areas that were changed from the predecessors. It has a rubber band that really complements the screen and fits the wrist smoothly. When the display is off, the screen is completely invisible. One of its important features is the fact, that it is waterproof and allowing us to use it while taking shower or swimming. It comes in different sizes: small/medium – 7.8” or 197 mm in length, and 4.8”-7.4” or 122-188 mm in circumference; large size – 8.8” (223 mm) in length and 5.8”-8.5” or 148-215 mm in circumference. From its predecessors, it was changed to allow the screen to remain off most of the time and in order to switch it on, you just have to shake your wrist or tap the screen.

Design flaws
Since all devices are not perfect, one of the major flaws in terms of design is the fact that they chose to go with a unibody design. This means that the users must be careful when choosing sizes, and ensure that they pick the one that fits their wrist well. One other flaw is that it tends to attract dust and smudges making it hard to keep clean.

2. Tracking function

Garmin vivosmart 3
Garmin vivosmart 3

Being the most important feature of the wrist fitness device, it mainly tracks the steps, heart rate, calories burnt, floors climbed, distance. Unlike the other devices in the market, it has the ability to track very well the highest and lowest points of the heartbeat. Heart rate tracking with vivosmart 3 is really impressive, especially when compared to other devices. Step counting and sleep tracking seem to be incredibly precise. Another new feature introduced in vivosmart 3 is the measurement of stress levels by constantly (every few seconds) monitoring the heart rate variability in “none-workout” environments.  It provides the user with stress values from 0-100 and helps classify the stress level as low, medium, high.

When tap on the stress level bar, it will show hourly trending. This is one of the unique features of this device and has made it gain greater demand.

It also has a feature that enables it to measure the amount of oxygen utilized in your body. It’s not a new feature for the fitness trackers, but it’s been introduced for the first time in the Garmin’s less expensive line.

Garmin vivosmart 3
Garmin fitness tracker – vivosmart 3

Tracking flaws
In terms of tracking Garmin was able to produce the best results possible. There are some complaints about the accuracy of the heart monitoring. From some of our first tests, we can say that it is not perfect, but definitely pretty good and it does satisfy our expectations. We have to consider the fact that there is no perfect device at all in the fitness market which could provide 100% accurate heart reading, oxygen levels or a precise number of steps. In our opinion, Garmin vivosmart 3 is great and still better than many other similar devices.

3. Strength and running exercises
In this sector, the main feature of the Garmin vivosmart 3 is to prove its capability as a running device. You can initiate it manually but some consider hard finding the right screen and swiping down till you see the right icon. So Garmin came with the idea of letting the device automatically recognize activity (running, walking, swimming, cycling, elliptical training. Once you start moving, it will track and differentiate fitness activity. It also allows the user to customize what to display on the screen while working out. It is possible to set in advance 4 different pages.

An additional feature in vivosmart 3, is the ability to estimate you fitness age (this may, and should change with the regular progress in training – nice to have a confirmation that we’re becoming healthier) and it also monitors strength training.

Garmin vivosmart 3
Garmin fitness tracker – vivosmart 3Flaws

One of the major flaws in this section is the fact that after few hours of running, the device tends to be less accurate. Apart from that, the fact that it does not have a GPS feature makes it hard to map your runs. The other flaw in this section is that it does not accurately measure strength exercises.

Battery life and notifications features

One of the unique features of the device is the capability to show all notifications of the apps on a smartphone (iOS, Android, Windows). This is a feature that most other devices in the market do not have. Most of the other devices tend to bring fewer notifications, limited to calls or texts. In terms of the battery life, the vivosmart 3 provides 5 days on one charge. In fact, some people say that they have been able to use the device for 6 days straight without problems. Charging is pretty fast and may take just about 1 hour. With proper care, the device is highly durable and it is advised that the users should allow the device to charge fully when the battery is low.

Flaws

Garmin vivosmart 3
Garmin fitness tracker – vivosmart 3

The only major flaw in this sector is the fact that the screen is quite small and it may be difficult to read notifications. It is however really great for important reminders.

Conclusion
Garmin Vivosmart 3 is a very nice upgrade from the previous devices. Apart from some of the feature flaws, it is a really great device that has been able to reach levels of accuracy that most other companies have not been able to achieve. The fact that Garmin has lots of experience in fitness devices and that they also made them more and more affordable, is one of the very many reasons as to why most people prefer Garmin vivosmart 3 from other similar devices. We can conclude that the only major miss is the lack of GPS features. This could have really made the device outdo its competitors by far. Is it worth buying? If the GPS isn’t the main desired feature, it is definitely worth buying. Some of us use simple fitness trackers like Mi Band and are happy with them. Just for monitoring our daily activities and sleep quality is great. So the lack of a GPS isn’t an issue for most of us,  and we would go with the purchase, especially considering all the fitness features and precision of readings.