Garmin Vivosmart Hr Review

The Vivosmart Hr scores well across the board, but there are other similarly priced models that scored substantially better.

Performance Comparison

Fitness Impact

The Vivosmart Hr scored above average when we assessed its fitness impact capabilities, earning a 6 out of 10. This model lost a few points, as it seemed exceptionally eager to count false steps based on random arm movements, as did most of the Garmin trackers. This model did a very good job of accurately counting steps when actually walking. We manually counted steps over a mile long walk, and compared it with the tracker's count multiple times, with the Vivosmart Hr averaging only about a 0.6% discrepancy.

For tracking other activities, this band will record the duration, as well as max and average heart rate. You can choose between run, walk, cardio, or other for activities to track, and this model does track how many flights of stairs you have climbed.

This model has a good set of features in the app to compare with the community, but the app, Garmin Connect, has received very low ratings due to some syncing and connectivity problems. You can sign up to compete and challenge your friends in various activities, as well as allowing you to opt in to weekly challenges with people in your step ranges. You can connect with Facebook to look for friends.

Health Impact

This tracker continued its slightly above average performance into this metric, earning another 6 out of 10. This model does track heart rate, but we found that is was significantly off of the chest-strap heart rate monitor we compared it to. This model consistently recorded low, averaging 51 bpm off throughout our trials.

This model's app didn't have much in the way of aiding you in dieting or monitoring calorie intake, requiring you to use a third-party app, MyFitnessPal. We did check how this model did at estimating rMr, and found that it overestimated it when compared to the result of a generic calculation based on our tester's physical attributes.

This model is one of the best at reminding you to move when you have been inactive for too long, with a move bar that will increase in length the longer you have been sedentary, and take proportionally longer periods of activity to clear it. This band has a vibration alarm to gently wake you and leave your partner undisturbed. It will also automatically track your sleep, but can be a little bulky on your wrist.

Ease of Use

As in the previous metrics, the Vivosmart Hr earned a 6 out of 10 in our assessment of how easy it was to use. This fitness tracker has a claimed battery life of up to 5 days, and uses a specific charger.

This model seems prone to having connectivity issues when syncing with the phone, but did alright when it worked, taking up to 10 seconds. The Garmin Connect app felt solidly overwhelming and unintuitive at first, but felt a little more comfortable after using it for a few weeks.

We did appreciate that this model is waterproof to 5 ATM, making it suitable for swimming or paddling, and was easy to put on.

Ergonomics

Unsurprisingly, the Vivosmart Hr scored a 6 out of 10 when it came to ergonomics. This model rated highly in visual aesthetics among our panel of testers, simple enough to match with anything. It also always displays the time, allowing it to be a decent substitute for a watch.

This model is relatively comfortable to wear, but we found it to have somewhat of an obtrusive profile. This made it prone to getting snagged when doing commonplace tasks like putting on a backpack or a light jacket. Think a tube of chapstick on your wrist.

Display

Bucking the trend, the Vivosmart Hr earned a 7 out of 10 in this metric. The display was clear and easy to read, with a strong enough backlight to read in strong daylight. We did like that the tracker was immediately responsive to a button press to wake up. The Vivosmart Hr has call and text notifications, as well as any other notification that would typically show up on your phone.

Value

This model is priced in the middle of all the models we tested, and scored roughly in the middle. It would be an alright value on sale, but nothing amazing.

Conclusion

The Vivosmart Hr is an average fitness tracker that does basic activity tracking at a reasonable price. This model has the added benefit of being waterproof, for those that do more water-based activities, and want to track while they do it. Unfortunately, this model has no dedicated swim features to match its waterproofness, but it can still measure the duration and your heart rate like any other activity.