Garmin Vivofit 3 Review

This slim, wrist-mounted fitness tracker offers a few simple reminders to keep you moving and set goals, and helps you track steps and sleep. Lacking any specialized features for other activities besides running or walking, this model basically amounts to a stopwatch. It is waterproof to 5 ATM of depth, making it suitable for swimming, snorkeling, splashes, or showering.

Performance Comparison

Fitness Impact

The Vivofit 3 was about average when it came to fitness impact, earning a 5 out of 10. We evaluated the scores for this metric based on how accurate the counter tracked steps in our tests, whether or not it calculated stairs climbed, and what other activities it monitored. In addition, we also looked at the ability of each tracker to compare your stats with your friend.

This model seemed prone to registering false steps off random arm movements, but it was exceptionally accurate when it came to counting steps while walking. We compared the tracker's step count with our manual count using a crowd clicker over a mile. This model was an average of only about 0.3% off, our manual count, making it one of the most accurate models in our test.

This model, along with all the other Garmin models, allows you to sign up and share with your friends your progress in steps, running, cycling and swimming. You can also opt in to weekly challenges with people in your step range to add some competitive flair to training.

This model doesn't do anything for tracking high-intensity workouts, or for other activities besides timing it, and this model does not track flights of stairs climbed.

Health Impact

This metric was to determine how this product could potentially impact your health in a positive way, specifically if it reminded you to get up and move, helped track and control your calorie intake, if it tracked heart rate, and if it tracked sleep. The Vivofit 3 continued its trend of being average, earning a 5 out of 10.

This model does not track heart rate, but it can be paired with a chest strap to add this functionality. This model also lacks any dedicated dieting aids, requiring you to use the third-party app, MyFitnessPal.

This model alerts you when you have been inactive for too long, and has a movement bar that will appear on the device. This bar will grow the longer you are inactive, and will gradually decrease if you get up and start being active. This model has automatic sleep tracking, but in our experience it fell a little short, and did not seem that accurate or reliable.

Ease of Use

The Vivofit 3 did better in this metric, earning a 7 out of 10. This model was easy to use and put on, had a great battery life, and had the added bonus of being waterproof to 5 ATM. This model uses a coin cell battery for a claimed battery life of up to 1 year.

It was very easy to navigate through the menus on this tracker, and it would sync with your mobile device in a reasonable amount of time, around 10 seconds. We weren't as thrilled with the app, which required you to manually re-connect the tracker to your phone every time you signed out of the app, instead of automatically doing it like other models. The app was also a little overwhelming with all of the graphs and various settings, and felt significantly less intuitive than some of the other model's companion apps.

Ergonomics

Our panel of users felt that this was great when it came to ergonomics, earning it a 7 out of 10 and putting it in a tie for the second highest score in this metric. We rated the comfort of this tracker when worn, its aesthetic appeal, and its profile.

This model was small and comfortable when worn, keeping it from being a nuisance when sleeping. It also has a low profile design, minimizing the times it would get caught when putting on a jacket or backpack. This model rated about average when it came to aesthetics, as it's your typical, black, rubberized rectangle — a common theme among fitness trackers.

Display

The final metric that we looked at was the display for each of these models. This model had a good display, earning a 7 out of 10. It was visible even in bright light, clearly displayed the time and date, and was extremely responsive. This proved to be a critical feature, as models that were fickle when it came to responding provoked tons of frustration. This tracker also has an extended display to show you your current steps, daily goal, distance traveled, and calories burned.

Value

This watch can be a good value if you are primarily concerned with step counts, or with swimming. It has a low list price and is often on sale.

Conclusion