Last Updated: November 24, 2018 (Refresh Now)
Garmin v voactive Black
Last Updated: November 24, 2018 (Refresh Now)
7.7
SCORE
/10
Total Reviews
999
Old Reviews
481
Unverified
110
Spam Test
!
Yes
GPS
10 meters
SIZE
Review Analysis - 408 recent, verified reviews
Detailed Mode
Pedometer
48track, miles, running, golf, accurate
+75%
-25%
" ... This version is pretty good for what I use it for, which is just the basic step counter. ... "
" ... I track my runs, walks, use it for golf for distance to the flag and to see who is calling or messaging without having to rummage around in my bag. ... "
" ... I mainly got it so I go track my bike riding such as distance, speed and time. ... "
" ... like the watch & tracking it does! ... "
" ... It has been very effective in making my son health conscious as he sets daily goals for his steps/calories after he started using this ... "
" ... I use mine mainly for step counting and it works great. ... "
" ... I wanted a fitness tracker that was fashionable, that tracked my movement, that had a digital face and that I didn't have to take off every time I went into the water. ... "
" ... Tells you to "move" when stationary for awhile and "fireworks" when you make your step goal. ... "
Device Compatibility
48sync, garmin connect, garmin, connect, bluetooth
+77%
-23%
" ... You can see incoming messages, control music, and take a call on your phone. ... "
" ... I use it for smart notifications rather than as a fitness watch. ... "
" ... The Garmin program syncs well with Strava. ... "
" ... But it’s awesome to download the workouts and review on your laptop. ... "
" ... Another glitch today, it said I had 4,000 steps on my phone (synced with Garmin connect) but my watch said 2,500. ... Have no connection problem usually between the watch, vivoactive, and my Android phone with the Garmin connect app. ... "
" ... The trick to pairing it is to use the Garmin Connect app on your phone to pair it. ... You go into settings on the phone and bluetooth. ... You connect, and the watch gives you a six digit code to type into your phone and you are done. ... This works with Windows Phone, I Phone, and Android. ... You can use this device with Endomondo too. ... You have to configure Endomondo with you Garmin Connect credentials and it will automatically pull the data in. ... "
" ... It comes with great features and pairing with smart phones is very easy. ... "
" ... It's syncs to your cellphone by Bluetooth using the Garmin app which gives more visuals to see your progress. ... "
Apps
46apps, garmin, garmin connect app, watch, garmin connect
+74%
-26%
" ... With any other smartwatch you might need another app or two to get the functionality. ... "
" ... Good appstore and watch faces available. ... "
" ... Links up with my apps and helps me stay on top of my activity all day! ... "
" ... The Garmin program syncs well with Strava. ... "
" ... Have no connection problem usually between the watch, vivoactive, and my Android phone with the Garmin connect app. ... "
" ... Plus with the Android app you get a read out and you can compare your daily workout. ... "
" ... Find my phone app is incredibly useful. ... "
" ... Lots of features that should be of a help to his fitness program. ... "
GPS
45garmin, garmin vivoactive, accurate, golf, watches
+91%
-9%
" ... The Garmin program syncs well with Strava. ... "
" ... This is a great watch with a built in GPS. ... "
" ... The GPS is accurate and keeps track of my walking and running. ... "
" ... This GPS WATCH by Garmin is exactly what I was looking for. ... Way better than those bike odometer. ... "
" ... Great entry Garmin watch for your first gps watch. ... "
" ... GPS tracking is quick and mostly accurate. ... "
" ... Make sure you are on the real Garmin site. ... "
" ... The Garmin vivoactive watch was just as nice as i expected it to be. ... "
Product Reliability
42year, watch, stopped working, weeks, 6 months
+38%
-62%
" ... I've had to uninstall and reinstall the application on my phone twice this week and power off and power on the the phone once this week because the "transfer failed" message appears on the Garmin Vivoactive at the conclusion of the transfer. ... No such luck. ... "
" ... Please help as the watch stop working and I used it only for 2 months! ... "
" ... Don’t buy it if you swim, says it’s waterproof but it’s not, piece of junk that dies after a couple of months. ... I’ve been through two of them in a year, thought it was anomaly when the first died but the second one did the same thing. ... "
" ... I finally gave up on this little machine after about a year. ... "
" ... Unfortunately the first one died in less than 30 day. ... The second one died after about 3 months. ... "
" ... it only lasted 11 months! ... "
" ... But a month later it broke! ... "
" ... Hasn't worked for several months. ... "
Battery Life
41battery, charge, lasts, week, weeks
+73%
-27%
" ... Impressed with battery life. ... "
" ... It's been like ten days since I got this and I haven't even charged it once. ... Battery life is a beast! ... "
" ... The battery now adays typically lasts me a 2-3 days unless there's a solid long run in which case 2 days is the max. ... On a newer watch, I'm sure the battery will last much longer. ... "
" ... The charge lasts a really long time. ... "
" ... Batter life is good, like two weeks ... "
" ... I love that it lasts two or three weeks between needing to charge it, the tracking and phone connection with notifications and music is just great. ... "
" ... Love that I only have to charge it one a week. ... "
" ... This also holds a battery for a very long time, which I appreciate! ... "
Water Resistance
38water, waterproof, pool, swim, laps
+79%
-21%
" ... I swim with this, walk, and cycle. ... "
" ... It is water resistant and does fine in the shower, though I have not been swimming in it yet. ... "
" ... My daughter uses it for running, bicycling and even swimming. ... "
" ... I did not use this watch for anything beside running and biking so I have no clue what the golf or swimming functions do. ... "
" ... I use the tracking for swimming, biking, and running. ... At least is is waterproof. ... "
" ... Got it for swimming ant it is great. ... "
" ... For the first time, I can track my swimming because it is completely water proof. ... This is not a divers watch, and I wouldn't go too deep with it, but it works fine in the water. ... I run, walk, hike, cycle, swim, and ski with this. ... "
" ... It's a great activity tracker and the fact that it's waterproof sets it apart from other trackers I looked at. ... "
Display Clarity
36dim, screen, dark, brighter, backlight
+56%
-44%
" ... Face can get a little dark at times and the resolution may not be the best compared to other smart watches. ... "
" ... The watch is very slim and sleek, with a very receptive touch screen. ... "
" ... It will see it in devices screen. ... "
" ... The screen is dark but when reflected towards the light it gets brighter. ... "
" ... Plus the big screen helps a lot too. ... "
" ... Big screen, light, waterproof, easy to set up and use, I think it is stylish and I love the app and how it all works together seamlessly ... "
" ... The display is so subtle it seems like a display sticker. ... "
" ... For those concerned about the display brightness, it's ok indoors. ... The numbers are big enough for me to see without my reading glasses, which is a plus. ... "
For Running
31track, swimming, golf, biking, bike
+90%
-10%
" ... I use for running primarily. ... "
" ... I use it for everyday use and running no problems so far! ... "
" ... I mainly got it so I go track my bike riding such as distance, speed and time. ... "
" ... I love that all my running, biking, walking and swimming data automatically download to my phone so I can transfer it to the lose it app and others. ... "
" ... I use the tracking for swimming, biking, and running. ... "
" ... They love it for tracking daily activity as well as for running. ... "
" ... Definitely keeps me motivated for my daily activities, runs, and all other action. ... The outdoors is what I need this for, especially while running. ... I can check the overall pace, along with current pace, allowing me to adjust accordingly during half-marathons. ... "
" ... I use mostly for long runs and on the golf course. ... "
Accuracy
31steps, track, gps, tracking, count
+71%
-29%
" ... I track my runs, walks, use it for golf for distance to the flag and to see who is calling or messaging without having to rummage around in my bag. ... "
" ... The GPS is accurate and keeps track of my walking and running. ... "
" ... Love how accurate it is and keeps me on task to keep moving ... "
" ... GPS tracking is quick and mostly accurate. ... "
" ... It is very accurate, gives good statistics and keeps me motivated. ... "
" ... This does it well, plus tracks other activities as well. ... "
" ... Accurate and takes no time to set up in different environments. ... "
" ... This tracker occasionally leaves off laps, I'm not sure why but most of the time it is fairly accurate. ... "
Comfort
31watch, wrist, wearing, small wrist, wears
+71%
-29%
" ... Clunky but light and stylish on a small wrist. ... "
" ... I have been wearing it for a couple of months now, but have not really bothered to dig deeper into the more advanced uses, like running and biking. ... "
" ... Thought it would be too big because I have very small wrists, but it is light and flat and fits fine. ... "
" ... Felt more secure. ... "
" ... Watch face is larger than the I-watch which makes it look big on my skinny wrist. ... "
" ... The watch itself is very sleek and large so if you feel as though if you have small wrists or are female expect it to fit rather big on you. ... "
" ... Have worn this for over 8 months and it's been fantastic. ... "
" ... It's really simple I go to bed early and don't stay up to late I feel fine. ... Not by much but enough to make it a little more comfortable. ... "
Ease of Use
27easy, easy to set, simple, garmin, user
+89%
-11%
" ... All my stats are in one place and easy to find. ... "
" ... easy to use ... "
" ... It comes with great features and pairing with smart phones is very easy. ... "
" ... Easy to see the screen with lots of options ... "
" ... Easy to use. ... "
" ... Also was really easy to set up with the iPhone. ... "
" ... Simple to adapt and learn from. ... It is very easy to read. ... It is clear and easy to interpret at a glance: Engineering give and take that has produced an admirable and desirable consequence and this is difficult to do with a device this size and price point without being underwhelming when completed or horrifically overpriced. ... It's sturdy, light and has more abilities for user satisfaction than ANY 'smartwatch' I've used yet. ... "
" ... easy to use ... "
Sleep Tracking
22track, steps, tracker, fitness, activity
+100%
" ... Sleep data seems accurate as well as steps. ... "
" ... I am going back to Fitbit - which was much more accurate in steps, activity monitoring, and sleep monitoring. ... "
" ... Also syncs with My fitness pal, to monitor calories and exercise too. ... "
" ... There is so much you can do with it if you want to track your activity. ... "
" ... It monitors sleep as well as steps and exercise. ... "
" ... Great runner's watch and fitness/sleep tracker. ... "
" ... Love the GPS and activity tracker. ... "
" ... I do wear it to bed and in doing so I went on Garmin connect to look at my sleep patterns. ... I sleep well and I sleep walk from time to time. ... "
Charging
22charging, watch, charges, charged, lasts
+68%
-32%
" ... The charge lasts a really long time. ... "
" ... I love that it lasts two or three weeks between needing to charge it, the tracking and phone connection with notifications and music is just great. ... "
" ... Love that I only have to charge it one a week. ... "
" ... Charging base is magnetic and I can literally place the watch in the charging dock in the dark when going to bed. ... Only need to charge it once or twice a week depending on usage. ... "
" ... Hardly ever has to charge it. ... "
" ... It charges remarkably fast too. ... "
" ... I walk to work 2 miles each way and charge it once a week. ... "
" ... It tracks all my activities and has stayed charged when I need it. ... "
For Kids
20got, daughter, son, watch, husband
+95%
-5%
" ... Excellent original packaging - hope my kids will love it ... "
" ... This was for a grandson and he loves it. ... "
" ... We got this as a gift for our active teen. ... "
" ... Both my son and husband own this watch. ... "
" ... Does every daughter wanted. ... "
" ... I gave it to my husband the watch for our anniversary, and he loves it ! ... "
" ... My son got this for Christmas in 2016. ... "
" ... got for son, he loves it ... "
As Gift
20loves, husband, daughter, got, christmas
+100%
" ... My son loved this as we gifted it to him for his 11th birthday. ... "
" ... We got this as a gift for our active teen. ... "
" ... Was a gift for my son, her loved it!!! ... "
" ... This was a gift and she absolutely loves it! ... "
" ... got for son, he loves it ... "
" ... I bought this as a gift for my wife, and she loves it! ... "
" ... Bought it for my daughter for her birthday. ... "
" ... I got this for my husband as a gift and he loves it. ... "
Price
20watch, money, worth, paid, beat
+70%
-30%
" ... I love all the things it can do and the price is reasonable. ... "
" ... But you can't beat the price for a smart watch. ... "
" ... At the price point (and beyond), it absolutely wrecks the competition. ... "
" ... It is reasonably priced. ... "
" ... GOOD QUALITY AND VALUE ... "
" ... They are worth the money new. ... "
" ... For the price you really can't beat it. ... but other than those aesthetics, I think it's a great watch for active people at a good price. ... "
" ... Good watch for the price. ... "
Design
19looks, white, sleek, looks nice, light
+95%
-5%
" ... I actually get compliments on it. ... "
" ... The only real benefit I'm getting over the Vivoactive at this point is aesthetics, and I think the 230 just looks better. ... "
" ... The watch is light but solid. ... "
" ... It is clear and easy to interpret at a glance: Engineering give and take that has produced an admirable and desirable consequence and this is difficult to do with a device this size and price point without being underwhelming when completed or horrifically overpriced. ... Light and sleek. ... "
" ... The good looking watchband is flexible and strong. ... "
" ... Love this product and feel naked without it. ... "
" ... Look no further (or consider their newest upgrade model). ... "
" ... Great watch and design. ... "
Software Platform
18garmin, apps, garmin connect app, android, works
+56%
-44%
" ... With any other smartwatch you might need another app or two to get the functionality. ... "
" ... Plus with the Android app you get a read out and you can compare your daily workout. ... "
" ... Find my phone app is incredibly useful. ... "
" ... You connect, and the watch gives you a six digit code to type into your phone and you are done. ... This works with Windows Phone, I Phone, and Android. ... "
" ... I went to Garmin Express via Google. ... Believing that they were Garmin I gave them access to my computer, dumb, dumb, dumb. ... Once I got on the real Garmin site I downloaded the firmware in a minute and everything works great. ... "
" ... Compatible with several other apps. ... "
" ... 8-11-17 Update: ... "
" ... The Android App is easy to use and provides all the relevant stats for my activities. ... "
Band
18band, strap, wrist, garmin, wear
+72%
-28%
" ... Clunky but light and stylish on a small wrist. ... "
" ... It is a great sport watch!! ... "
" ... Overall it is a nice sport watch. ... "
" ... Watch face is larger than the I-watch which makes it look big on my skinny wrist. ... "
" ... After a month of wearing this, it is safe to say that the white band is holding up well. ... "
" ... this fitness watch. ... "
" ... What it boils down to is I needed a multi-sport watch. ... "
" ... I cleaned the band but must not have gotten it completely clean because within two days of wearing it again the irritation came back. ... "
Controls
17music, pause, menu, watch, swipe
+35%
-65%
" ... You can't wear it on your right hand, especially when biking, because of the buttons. ... Also, the auto-pause pauses INSTANTLY and takes forever to resume. ... You can customize this or just manually pause, but it's a pain in the ass and never works right. ... "
" ... Product no display and cannot be switch on and off. ... "
" ... The next track, pause/play, or previous track do not work so I am sending it back. ... Music controls do not work properly with Samsung Galaxy S8+. ... "
" ... Today the 29th of May after charging my garmin it just went crazy and entered the forced test mode, and since the key activation button is not working there is no way to exit this mode, so i can't even use my garmin as a normal watch GREAT! ... "
" ... Control buttons don't work consistently. ... "
" ... It will not turn back on by pressing the power button. ... "
Heartrate
15monitor, heart rate, hr, garmin vivoactive, vivoactive hr
+67%
-33%
" ... This watch/fitness monitor is great. ... "
" ... I don't have the heart rate monitor because I wasn't interested in it but it does come with one if one wants one. ... "
" ... Otherwise, go for the new version, which detects swimming styles, has Heart Rate and a brighter display. ... "
" ... You can also pair other devices with the watch such as the Garmin heart rate monitor. ... "
" ... ), a good activity monitor or smart watch is indispensable. ... I do not know if the Vivoactive HR is any better than the Vivoactive, but it could not be any worse. ... "
" ... I highly recommend the Garmin vivoactive to anyone looking to track activity. ... "
" ... I bought this for myself after I bought my girlfriend the VivoActive w/ HR. ... This is the first fitness tracker I have ever owned but I have to say, it is growing on my quickly. ... "
" ... I perhaps do not need heart rate meter because my cycling style is easygoing not war. ... "
Features
14light, feature, back light, watch, smartwatch
+86%
-14%
" ... (Meaning: you have to have your cell phone with you to use the LiveTrack feature). ... "
" ... I love all of the features. ... "
" ... The back light works wonderful. ... "
" ... So many options! ... "
" ... Like the features, especially fins your phone, lol. ... "
" ... I did go for a few runs and it works just fine for that feature. ... "
" ... The watch is light but solid. ... "
" ... Light and sleek. ... "
Marketplace
13picture, thanks, exactly, actual, watch
+62%
-38%
" ... amazon did make it good! ... "
" ... Was a great but for me and the price was right on Amazon. ... "
" ... Look at picture its in new condition. ... "
" ... Does exactly what it says. ... "
" ... Again, my sincere thanks! ... "
" ... tk's to amazon (who had the best delivery and price ... "
Bluetooth
12watch, pairing, vivoactive, reconnect, garmin connect
+33%
-67%
" ... Now, few month later, Bluetooth connection does not work anymore. ... "
" ... Also, the max battery life with everything like Bluetooth disabled is only 5 hours, not 10 as advertised, you it won't work for all day rides. ... "
" ... The Bluetooth connection is a little "glitchy", and it has trouble pairing sometimes. ... "
" ... All other features work on the watch but without bluetooth you can't link to your Garmin Connect account and for my purposes of using the watch it's useless if I can't do that. ... After around two weeks or so of the bluetooth not working I tried to power down the phone to fix the issue. ... The bluetooth would continue to disconnect and not reconnect. ... But after powering the phone all the way down and power up it would reconnect. ... If I leave it up stairs and disconnected from bluetooth all night it won't reconnect. ... "
" ... Somewhere between home and the shopping center the Garmin vivoactive lost Bluetooth connectivity to the mobile app and was locked into a perpetual state of seeking a connection to my iPhone. ... "
" ... It would constantly buzz because it would disconnect from Bluetooth. ... It interfered badly with my Bluetooth in the car. ... "
" ... Now it will not pair up with my phone. ... No matter what I do, it will not pair. ... "
Build Quality
10broke, face, durable, white, strap
+70%
-30%
" ... It works well and doesn't feel heavy. ... "
" ... Felt more secure. ... "
" ... It probably can't hold up to much abuse but for the most part it's a good watch for all the basic needs to track your fitness and if you can get it for $100 or less I would recommend getting one. ... If you have a labor intensive job and or are really hard on watches it would be best to look for something more durable or try the tempered screen protector. ... "
" ... The watch is light but solid. ... "
" ... The good looking watchband is flexible and strong. ... "
" ... Then add all of the other functionality, top notch. ... "
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Specifications
Body
Size: 10 meters
Connectivity
GPS: Yes
Recommendations
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