My first GPS multi-sport watch was the Garmin Forerunner 910xt, Its a great training tool, but it is a BEAST! its huge! and its really quite heavy when running. The 910 was replaced earlier in the year by the 920xt, which is more like a regular everyday watch which you wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear in public ;) The 920 however is a bit expensive and still a bit chunky (ugly colours too).

The VivoActive on the other hand is a feather weight, its ridiculously light! It actually feels quite flimsy.

In the box is the VivoActive, yet another charging cradle and the manual.

The watch is super light and thin, its amazing to think that this is a full GPS watch.

The charging cradle is magnetic and the watch spans into place quite snugly .

Set up and sync was pretty straight forward with the Garmin Connect iOS app.

Garmin even sell watch bands separately. I bought a nice blue strap which I thinks looks much nicer than the all black look.

Pictures by Aniko Towers

This thing is amazing

It feels cheap and flimsy and it doesn’t look like it will last long, but its proving to be pretty resilient, I’ve bashed it off all sorts of hard objects and so far it fine. The GPS is excellent! very quick to pick up satellites

I’ve used it for running and Its so ridiculously light that you don’t notice its there, it also paired up flawlessly with my Garmin foot pod and HRM. I’ve also used it for indoor swimming too, again, you can’t feel it and it reported back pretty much what I would get out of my 910xt!

The vibrating alarm wakes me up and not my wife, perfect!

The display is always on and its clear enough to read in daylight, a quick press of the right side button activates the back light.

I’m really surprised. When I took it out of the box, I felt I had made a mistake, but no, this thing is perfect.

(from Garmin UK)

Smart Notifications

The vívoactive gently vibrates to alert you to incoming calls, texts, email and calendar reminders from your compatible Bluetooth phone. Simply touch and swipe the screen to read more, or clear the screen with the press of a button.

Custom Apps and Watch Faces

You can personalise the vívoactive with free downloads from Connect IQ on Garmin Connect. Add data fields and widgets that provide stats at a glance, boost functionality with additional apps and customise the display with a variety of watch face designs.

From Work to Workout

Lightweight and ultra-thin, vívoactive looks as appropriate in the office as on a run. The rechargeable battery lasts through all your activities with up to 3 weeks in watch/activity-tracking mode or up to 10 hours using GPS, keeping the watch on your wrist and not on the charger. Water-resistance lets you sweat, swim and shower with it on.

At Garmin Connect, you can track your progress, and earn virtual badges for extra motivation. You can also join online challenges and connect, compete and compare with friends and family around the world.

Show your true colours

Vívoactive is available in basic black or white to match your philosophy of style.

Additional bands – which can be swapped out – come in 5 colours. Dress up your device with the leather option available in both black and white.

Physical & Performance

Physical dimensions1.72" x 1.52" x 0.32" (43.8 mm x 38.5 mm x 8.0 mm)

Display size, WxH1.13" x 0.80" (28.6 mm x 20.7 mm)

Display resolution, WxH205 x 148 pixels

Touchscreen

Color display

WeightWithout bands: 0.63 oz (18.0 g) With bands: 1.34 oz (38.0 g)

BatteryRechargeable lithium battery

Battery lifeUp to 3 weeks (10 hours in GPS mode)

Water rating - 5 ATM

GPS-enabled + GLONASS

Smart notifications (displays email, text and other alerts when paired with your compatible phone)

Vibration alert

Music control

Find my phone

VIRB® control

Running Features

Accelerometer (calculates distance for indoor workouts, without need for a foot pod)

Cycling Features

Bike speed/cadence sensor compatible

Performance Features

Heart rate monitor compatible

Pace alert (triggers alarm if you vary from preset pace)

Heart rate-based calorie computation

Calculates calories burned

Swimming Features

Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count/rate, calories)

NO OPEN WATER TRACKING

Activity Tracking Features

Step counter

Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal)

Move bar (displays on device after a period of inactivity; walk for a couple of minutes to reset it)

Sleep monitoring (monitors total sleep and periods of movement or restful sleep)

Automatic sync (automatically transfers data to your computer)

Additional

Pairs with your smartphone to gently vibrate and display alerts for incoming calls, texts, emails and calendar items plus notifications from social media and other mobile apps
On-device data fields/screens: Daily step count, goal countdown, inactivity timer, distance, calories, time of day/date, heart rate, bike speed, VIRB® action camera/remote, music player controls
Supports heart rate and heart rate zone: (when used with an ANT+ heart rate monitor)