garmin vivoactive 3 in depth review
As a giant in the global GPS watch industry, Garmin's product quality has always been at the leading level among similar products, and correspondingly, the speed of its product updates and iterations is also at the forefront of the industry.
In September 2017, at the IFA in Berlin, Garmin released six new products in one go, the most eye-catching of which was the Garmin Vivoactive 3 smart sports watch.
Recently, I got the opportunity to test this watch through the Codoon app, and I would like to express my gratitude for this trust. The product was received before the New Year, and after a month of experience, I am now quite familiar with its operation. Today, I am sharing this with fellow runners to help you make a purchase decision.
Garmin Vivoactive 3 standard style
Name: Garmin Vivoactive 3
Positioning: GPS smart sports payment watch
Dimensions: 43.4 x 43.4 x 11.7 mm
Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Weight: 43g
Heart rate type: Wrist-based optical heart rate
GPS: High-precision GPS+GLONASS
Connectivity: Bluetooth protocol, ANT+
Water resistance: 50m
Official price: 2180 yuan
The official launch of this watch includes three color options: Ivory White, Cool Black, and Void Black (PVD coating). The one here is the Cool Black color.
The outer packaging box of Garmin products is always treasure box-style, with a relatively textured print.
The full set of this product includes the watch, a manual, a data cable, and a few brand stickers.
Overall feel of the front and back
Overall feel of the sides
The first impression of this watch is that it is not just a sports watch. From its appearance, it seems to focus more on daily casual use. The overall design style of the watch is simple yet fashionable.
High-definition close-up of the front of the dial, factory settings are in pointer design.
Back of the dial.
The black circular part in the middle is the watch's optical heart rate sensor, with three indicator lights arranged in a triangular shape.
Above the heart rate sensor is the charging port. Since the Fenix 5 series, Garmin has used this charging port for products like the FR93 and the Vivosport band launched at the same time as this watch. The charging cable is also the same, finally solving the problem of inconsistent data cables that had been criticized before.
On the left, right, and below the heart rate sensor are laser-printed related protocols, product name, and S/N number.
The state of the heart rate sensor when idle and when working.
The optical heart rate sensor uses the latest generation Elevate heart rate sensor (same as the Fenix 5), with a 3 LED structure, almost flush with the back cover, avoiding wrist indentations (slightly raised smoothly).
The design of this generation of heart rate sensors is a breakthrough improvement. Besides being more suitable for wearing in terms of physical structure, the power consumption strategy has also been optimized. For example, it automatically adjusts brightness based on the distance to the skin; it also quickly detects the skin, turning the heart rate sensor on or off very promptly.
The only button on the entire watch is the power button on the right side of the dial, which looks very simple and clear.
This button has two operation modes: 1. Short press to start or end an activity, or jump directly to the initial dial from any interface; 2. Long press to access the quick function interface.
On the left side of the watch dial, there is a side slide control bar with a concave-convex groove design.
This Vivoactive 3 has three interaction methods: 1.Touchscreen operation, which is the method I use the most. Swipe up and down, tap the screen to turn pages and select, long press to enter the settings menu, simple, quick, and accurate; 2. The aforementionedPhysical button, combining long and short presses, can achieve most operations; 3.Side slide touch bar, swipe up and down to select the desired operation, also very convenient.
The standard strap is a black silicone strap, which is very skin-friendly.
Quick-release strap design
The connection between the strap and the watch adopts a relatively common quick-release structure, which is not as convenient as the QuickFit quick-release used in the Fenix 5 series. However, this also aligns with the positioning of the Vivo series, as it cannot be compared to the high-end Fenix series.
After receiving this watch, I tested it separately, compared it with the high-end product of the same brandFenix 5Xandcompared it witha famous American brand GPS watchto experience its performance.
Due to space limitations and the fact that this watch is considered a "stripped-down version" of the Garmin Fenix 5 series, this articlemainly presents its functions and operations through a comparison with the Fenix 5X..
First, let's look at the design differences between the two watches. Unless otherwise specified, the comparison images
show the Vivoactive 3 on the left (hereinafter referred to as V3) and the Fenix 5X on the right (hereinafter referred to as F5X)..
When the two watches are placed together, the size difference is immediately apparent. The F5X exudes a "pillar of the nation" vibe, being a top-tier outdoor product; while the V3 feels more "delicate and elegant," refined and graceful.
Front view of the watches. The F5X has a noticeably larger dial area than the V3; in terms of button design, the V3's single-button design is much simpler, while the F5X's distinctive "three on the left, two on the right" design looks more robust.
Back view of the watches. The heart rate sensor parts of both watches are basically the same, with only slight differences in layout; the quick-release design of the watches shows a very obvious difference, with the F5X looking much more high-end.
Side thickness comparison, the F5X is undoubtedly much thicker.
Next, let's take a detailed look at the comparison of usage and functionality of this watch.
The first startup requires various settings, includinglanguage, data units, etc., but the operation is very simple, just follow the prompts to enter. Once completed, you can start using it.
Like the F5X, the V3supports GPS+GLONASS dual-star positioning. The first satellite search is still very time-consuming, but according to time statistics, the V3's first satellite search is much faster than the F5X's first satellite search back then, although both are slower than other brands' watches (this point also surprised me).
To perform a detailed analysis and understanding of the data collected by the watch,the watch must be paired with an app to better analyze on the app or PC end.
Garmin has designed an app specifically for its products called Garmin Connect, as shown in the picture above.
Many sports apps in China, including Codoon, also support binding Garmin products, but Garmin Connect must be used as an intermediary. So if you haven't installed it, you need to install the app on your phone in advance. The installation process is also very simple, so I won't go into detail here.
The entire process of binding the V3 with Garmin Connect Mobile is actually very simple.
The two most critical operations here are: the phone's Bluetooth must be turned on; and the pairing code must be accurately entered during pairing.
Once bound, you can start exercising and scientifically analyzing. As mentioned earlier, the three interaction methods of this watch, my favorite is thetouchscreenone. You can view all the data by swiping the screen directly on the main page.
By swiping up and down, you can see 12 different interfaces displaying the corresponding data.
Daily wear can record dailyexercise and sleep data in real-time, including steps, distance, heart rate, calorie consumption, floors climbed, high-intensity activity time, all-day stress score, sedentary reminderand more. Additionally, after binding with the phone, you can also see music, weather, calendar, smart notifications, and other data, which is very comprehensive.
In terms ofsports monitoring, this watch is still very professional (after all, it is called the stripped-down version of the F5X). The hardware configuration includesGPS+GLONASS dual-mode positioning, optical heart rate sensor, barometer, electronic compass, altimeter, supporting more than 15 sports modes including running, swimming, golf. Users can choose some commonly used sports based on their daily habits to avoid wasting time flipping through each mode every time.
I chose the most frequently exercised activity—running for data analysis.
This set of data is the V3's test data, with the segments on the right side of the graph measured in miles.
This set of data is the F5X's test data, with the segments on the right side of the graph measured in kilometers.
The detailed data comparison of the two watches, with the V3 data on the left and the F5X data on the right.
It can be seen that most of the data collected by the two watches are the same, with only slight differences. This indicates that there is not much difference in the module configuration and performance of the watches.
All Garmin products also support binding with the Codoon app, as shown in the picture above.
After synchronizing the data, you can see the historical records with a note "Data from Garmin" below. Clicking the arrow behind it, you can see detailed data.
After binding, all data uploaded to Garmin Connect through the Garmin watch will be synchronized on the Codoon app (in other words, whatever is on Garmin Connect will be on the Codoon app), allowing for continuous data analysis, making it convenient for runners to keep track of their data.
This is a record of a certain race data synchronized with Codoon, including very detailed pace and heart rate data.
In addition, this watch has many other functions, such aschanging watch facesand other personalized operations, which are quite rich. Runners can explore them on their own.
Changing the watch face, the watch face in the lower right corner is the current state of my watch.
The operation process is actually very simple: with the phone bound to Garmin Connect, start the Garmin Connect mobile app, click to enter the "Garmin Connect IQ App Store," then filter "watch faces," choose your favorite watch face to download, and then synchronize the watch data.
Additionally, this watch is equipped with Garmin's own mobile payment system, Garmin Pay, which is said to allow direct payment through the watch. Since this application was not yet available in China during my review period, I will not comment on it here. You can try it yourself later.
Having used this watch for over 100KM of cumulative exercise across various modes, I am now very familiar with its functions. Here, I will review its features to give runners the most objective understanding.
1. Weight: 9 points. Its design is determined by its positioning. Since it also considers fashion, it cannot be too large or heavy, which is well controlled.
2. Texture: 8 points. Although the main body is made of plastic, the bright metal design around the dial adds a lot to the overall watch.
3. Style: 8 points. This watch almost gathers most of the functions of the F5X, yet also considers a casual style. The design of the style is quite good.
4. Function: 7 points
Satellite search speed: 7 points, better than the Garmin Fenix 5X, but still worse than other watches, needs improvement;
Standby time: 6 points, much worse than expected. With a full charge, after two 10KM runs, it only has 11% left, which is a bit worrying for a marathon;
Heart rate reading: 7 points, standard;
Charging efficiency: 7 points, low charging efficiency;
Daily functions: 8 points, more than enough for daily functions compared to casual sports watches;
Control performance: 8 points, the three interaction modes can be chosen at will, overall feeling is quite good.
5. Price: 8 points. The official price of 2180 yuan is comparable to other brands' mid-to-high-end products, but considering the price of other Garmin products, it is quite good.
6. Cost performance: 8 points. Based on the current performance and market price, it is worth recommending.
Summary:This watch is recognized as Garmin's attempt to transition from the previous "high-end, professional" image to "mass consumption." Judging by the current market response, this step has been relatively successful. If Garmin can solve the standby issue, its products will reach a higher level.