Garmin Vivoactive 5 : In-depth Scientific Test (Outshines the Venu 3?)

[@mboiko]

Rob, Vivoactive 5 vs Hospital Telemetry Equipment - Had the very rare opportunity when GF had surgery and was in the hospital last week to compare this Garmin she was wearing against the telemetry monitoring equipment in her room. For what it's worth, both HR and SPO2 were mostly identical as I watched the hospital telemetry screen and she called out the values from her Vivoactive 5 on her left wrist while in bed. I know this is not the same as using it during exercising but I thought it might be important to say, just the same. For $250, 7 day+ battery life plus the Garmin Connect app...for those on Android IMO it's tough to beat for the price. I have a Fitbit Charge 6, and it's also a great value...but it's MUCH easier reading values off the Garmin when you need them.

[@RichardWerbin]

I have a VivoActive 5 and am mostly happy with it. I am 80 years old and do walking & weights. No running or biking. The good: much cheaper than the Venu 3. Similar accuracy. Good display and interesting information. Daily Report on waking and Body Battery that seems more accurate than Sleep Score. The less good - I wake up a lot during night. The V5 often misses the first hour that I sleep. If I edit the start time it has no readings and shows it as light sleep. Some days I have to use a walker to get around. Using a walker it does not count steps since there is no arm swing. With a FitBit Versa 2, I could put the watch in a pants pocket and it would record leg swings as steps. That does not work with V3. Please consider testing on people closer to my age than your age. We have different needs in a watch.

[@Ashley-sd5xn]

A similar issue for me. I am a mom and I am often walking while pushing a stroller. It unfortunately doesn't count the steps then either.

[@RCmies]

I wish my grandparents were sharp enough to be writing comprehensive comments on KZbin

[@samb9728]

i vote for the scanwatch 2 review !! who s with me ?

[@aaakmm1785]

I vote for Xiaomi mi band 8 PRO after European release.

[@Mordotz]

At this point I gave up asking for the scanwatch 2 review haha. But who knows if garmin may be my next watch . Charging solution is terrible on the scanwatch

[@dibidibadibidibou]

It's impossible to find Scanwatch 2 or Scanwatch Nova reviews anywhere. It's crazy!

[@halconfalcon1993]

Yes please! Scanwatch 2 series (with the NOVA)

[@Lasombra08]

How would you even compare it to the other watches? It doesn't track REM sleep.

[@mboiko]

The Garmin Vivoactive 5 (w/Elevate 4 sensor) is a relatively light watch and IMO there is a fit issue depending on the person wearing the watch. Some people get a better fit/interface wrist-to-watch contact than others...and the varying results between Rob and Theresa seem to bear this out.

[@Hortster]

Had my Vivoactive 5 since Nov 23 and think it's a great mid range device for general health tracking. It's not going to win any awards against more expensive feature-rich watches, but I think it's good bang for your buck, the battery lasts around a week, and it works will with the Garmin golf app too.

[@alessandrococo2970]

Hi Rob, you say that the Venu 3 has a better heart rate monitoring than the Vivoactive 5 because of the newer heart rate sensor, but I see the Venu 2 with a higher score than the Venu 3 in your graph. Venu 2 should have the same heart rate sensor than the Vivoactive 5. Can you please explain this?

[@kingmdmr4545]

Wow 😂

[@bojman]

How is it possible that garmin Vivomove smart has better sleep tracking than other Garmins, including vivoactive 5 or Venu 3, even if it has an older generation HR sensor?

[@It-s-me-P]

Rob, the ultrahuman ring soon, please ? Keep up the great work !

[@aaakmm1785]

Thank you for adding more people to your testing procedure. Great and valuable addition. Gives better perspective.

[@cusebike5391]

I have the same HR monitor on my Garmin Venu 2. I have compared it to a chest strap, Apple watch SE & a Polar arm strap (OH1). The Garmin is easily the worst of the group. It's next to useless for weight lifting & rowing but does better for cycling & walking. I have not compared it for running. I'm 188 cm & 77 kg. similar to Rob.

[@dominik3306]

Is the apple watch se the best SmartWatch for tracking in Gym/running?

[@FireOfTheDrgon]

"yeah it's more expensive but...." sorry buddy 150$ is quit a lot for some people, if i had the money i would get the venu 3, but i am a poor student and the vivoactive 5 will do the job :) thanks for the review

[@hunched_monk3279]

Yeah the VA5 is already an expensive device

[@johnjohnson1228]

You shout take price way more into account when comparing watches. This watch literally costs half compared to for example the Apple Watches. Also Garmin has way more reliable interpretation of the data and data metrics (HRV for example) where the Apple Watch relies on 3rd party apps that have no scientific backing at all. Reliable sensor is nice but crappy interpretation of the data makes it worthless anyhow. Around 250€ this is a very very solid all round sports smartwatch. Giving it 3* is a joke and preferring Venu 3 makes sense but it also costs about 150-180€ euros more. Honestly, the added features of the Venu 3 are not really worth it. It still isn’t reliable enough for HR so everyone who want accurate HR has to wear a chest strap anyway. FYI: I don’t own a V5 :)

[@rolanmcdolan2518]

Thank you, could you provide a review for the scanwatch 2? We're all very excited about this watch but would love to know if its accurate!

[@keithw096]

I'd love to see you do Suunto products as well. I have the Suunto 7 and it has some complicated and frustrating features. I wonder if it's even worth it at the end of the day over something like a fitbit inspire 3.

[@mboiko]

I think Rob does a great job...but as time goes on and sensors get better it's becoming more and more obvious that the many factors of watch/wrist fit are now playing an increasing part in the accuracy of ALL these smartwatches. You could have the best sensor tech, data analysis, etc but in the end, you're only as good as the quality of the wrist/sensor interface. We see this when we compare Rob and Theresa's results on the same Vivoactive 5 (Elevate 4)...I suspect the results could very well be even better or worse for someone else. IMO it's not inconceivable that Rob could give 3 stars for one person and 4 stars or more for someone else wearing the SAME smartwatch...all depending on the dynamics and many variables involved in each person's wrist/sensor interface.

[@whyduck9054]

Could you do review of Garmin instinct 2 again? I am wondering if software changes bring some improvements or make this watch more precise.❤

[@aaakmm1785]

A quick retest of Instinct 2 would be nice.

[@Tekz12]

The Instinct 2 has all the same sensors as the Venu 2, so the algorithms are the same, so the performance would be the same.

[@CrasyFingers]

did the charge 5 improve with updates? isn't it the same sensor as charge 6 which was doing better because of AI improvements or something? did they had those to charge 5, (not getting a charge 5, i'm just curious)

[@MoSizzle]

I am looking for a smartwatch for sports, essentially weight lifting, running and teadmill and it seems that I have no other choice that take an apple watch since HR sensors of the garmins (vivoactive 5 and venu 3) are inacurrates. Plus I don't want cardio belt. Thank for your videos

[@Menudaesmiberza]

Thank you for the excellent review once again. I'm not sure if it's feasible, but have you thought about evaluating the accuracy of wearable watches in estimating calorie burn?

[@skullbleeding]

For me the only thing that matters is Sleep Tracking. And after watching so many of your videos, I have decided to buy a Fitbit

[@ninoslavpejcev5913]

after all this, hiawei is actually one of the best choices for android phones. large battery and accurate readings. because I don't carry an iPhone nor would I want to, especially a watch with a battery that you charge every day

[@Sac1811]

Hi, Vivoactive 5 269€, Venu 2 284€. What is better for you. Thanks

[@craigward26]

Some study was carried out and it was found that the apple watch only takes a reading on average every 4 minutes when not doing an activity , I don't know any other device on the list that takes a reading so infrequently

[@Ennoblex]

Could you please review the Withings ScanWatch Nova, if possible? Thank you very much 😇

[@JustifyJustin]

Hey Rob. Love your comprehensive reviews. I was wondering if there's a reason why you have no reviews on Suunto products? Being an established brand competing with Garmin etc, I would have thought it would make it into your rotation?

[@shanebekker]

Will you be reviewing the newer Withing's watches?

[@-peaceful-sky]

Finally!! Thanks for doing this quality review!!!!

[@numinal1]

Can you please test the Suunto Race Titanium? Thanks

[@crucifixionpwns]

Love the video and the effort you put into the analysis. I'd love to see an analysis of the best wearables that have ecg capability and auto detect afib.

[@dessertstorm7476]

which watch has the most accurate sleep tracker

[@lukesps4766]

Thanks for these videos. have you thought about comparing the differences in how many calories the trackers say they are burning vs what is actually being burnt since there is a big difference supposedly I think that would be an interesting addition to these videos

[@toufiqueimam7170]

Another great job again! Thanks for doing the quality review.

[@Fitandover40]

Why do you always mention the wrist tension? Does that influence the performance of the watches? Thanks

[@TannerDuran]

Is the step testing portion of the videos no longer being done? 😢

[@MrMorton]

Great video! I was wondering if you ever get manufacturer feedback after a review. Seems like Garmin has been on the struggle bus lately. Very pricey for that level of performance.

[@BillFalck]

Another excellent analysis. Thank you!

[@n1cl4s]

Can you please do the Scanwatch 2 next? :)

[@dantemele1894]

Hi Rob - when will you present the complete Pixel Watch 2 review?

[@yehudaschupper4016]

I bought this watch in December, and while it's a great bang for your buck, I literally JUST found out that this watch is NOT compatible with the IQ Connect NPE RUNN app. NPE RUNN is a sensor you fit onto a dumber treadmill and can report speed pace and incline back to the Garmin watch. The Vivoactive 5 is the only watch NOT on there :P - kinda crazy.

[@SrinivasArnepalli]

please test ultrahuman ring and the new withings scanwatch 2!!

[@bcl8226]

For mainly sleep tracking do you believe that FitBit Inspire 3 is better than Vivoactive 5?

[@chrisbaylis4733]

Easy way to fix this, use the h10 with the watch. That's why I bought it, having traded in my galaxy watch.

[@neillai4096]

Can you review the Casio Gshock 5600 not exactly a smart watch but keen to know how polar’s health tracking stacks against a the rest

[@tudosoiuconstructii]

Please, can you test Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro?

[@HasikaBalabhadra]

Following you channel from the last one year,any chance of doing test on ultrahuman ring air as I stay in India

[@OrbitingOpposite]

Do you have any input on which fitness tracker, apple watch, garmin, polar, would be best for someone who has tattoos? Do you think having tattoos interferes with the data tracking? Would it be possible for you to one day do a collaboration with someone that has tattoo to see if there is interference? I am taking my health more seriously these days, but I just figured with my tattoos it would be pointless to buy one of these watches. Any and all suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

[@sebaikaofficial]

Hello, want a feedback on TicWatch Pro 5, its a good one ? worth to buy ? thanks dude, best channel for connected watch.

[@cecilia.lanchote]

When the full review of the Pixel Watch 2 is coming out?

[@VikasDubey2014]

Could you please review the Oneplus Watch 2? I am looking forward to your latest review on this.

[@youngsuk3329]

Tks for all the sophisticated and dedicated test😁😁 could u pls review the new released redmi watch 4? It's quite cheap but not sure if it's promising or not

[@Someone-iv3cj]

Hello, I have been watching some of your videos because I want to buy a smart watch. Are you gonna to review the redmi watch 4? I heard it has pretty good tracking and I would be happy to know your opinion too!

[@Aditya-cd2lv]

Please make video on latest launched SAMSUNG GALAXY FIT 3 fitness band

[@greatunz67]

I bought the Vivoactive 5. The sleep detector is way off, as is the heartbeat monitor a lot of the time. Also, it appears their target audience is men with skinny girly arms, because i'm a big guy and the band barely makes it around my wrist enough to attach it on the last hole.

[@hornsteinhof7592]

Great review! Garmin is making questionable choices lately. Every new device is A LOT more expensive than its predecessor. The Venu 3 and forerunner 265 are almost the same watch. All while the coros pace 3 is just sitting there, higher in the accuracy charts, chilling at 250 euro. What is going on Garmin? Either we need a performance that is better than the competition to justify the price or a lower price to consider its lower ranking compared to the competition. Right now its like an older watch plus OLED fee.

[@gabbu297]

Glad I bought the Charge 6 and not this. Not much life expectancy, but hopefully the Garmins from 2 years away will be better at sleep tracking.

[@TerenceGrier]

Damn, I went the other route and bought a used Vivoactive 5 for $170 It was between the Charge 6 and the VIVo

[@troublemaker948]

how has it been with the charge 6 so far ?

[@gabbu297]

@@troublemaker948 Sleep tracking seems quite accurate. HR tracking too, except during running, where it overestimates. GPS is bad, so don't count on it accurately measuring distance. 10-20% error range. No altitude either. Tends to count random arm movements as steps, changing the setting to "wearing on dominant hand" (I'm not) helps with this. It's small enough to not bother me for most of the day. The app is a bit wonky. Like have to tap sync multiple times to work, doesn't have dark mode, things like this. The screen is not highly customizable, you have several exact styles and that's it. It's a fitness band, not a watch after all.

[@george6252]

Newer versions watered down from previous ? That's what Google did to Fitbit upon acquisition. Who is buying out Garmin ?

[@JEYMS]

Fitbit being a subscription based brand, the price of the watch is in fact quite more expensive than what it looks at first after 2-3 years of use. This has to be considered when comparing the price of the watches. If all of this is considered, a fitbit which was supposed to be cheap at first is coming close to an Apple watch or a more premium Garmin watch in the end.

[@shafayettuhin3963]

Please do a indepth video of Honor Choice Band...

[@fallawishelewi]

Bro ur the best one .. thank u ❤

[@mortenvinther8940]

Garmins elevate sensors, both 4 and 5 never been good on you Rob - Theresa on the other hand its great especially elevate 5

[@Jose-og909]

Can you review the Oneplus watch 2, comes with wearos 4 and dual band gps.

[@yousefhussien728]

Can you please make a video for huwawei ultimate watch?

[@sotiriskef]

why you havent done a review in amazfit t rex 2

[@UMS9695]

I don't get this. With the same HR sensor how come the HR tracking of this watch is significantly worse than that of Venu 2? What could be the possible reason(s)?

[@craigward26]

It could be due to weight

[@mboiko]

I literally had someone after surgery put a Vivoactive 5 on in the Hospital and she called out both SPO2 and HR while moving around the room with telemetry hooked up and laying down in bed and in all cases, the values I saw on the Hospital telemetry system was spot on to the Vivoactive 5. As you can see in this video there does appear to be a "fit issue" depending on the person wearing it. aka your mileage may vary...

[@UMS9695]

I too think so. I have Venu 2 and it has an excellent value of 0.97. The position on the wrist, how snugly it fit and other factors like sweat, etc. could have caused the variance.

[@mboiko]

@@UMS9695 I think Rob does a great job...but as time goes on and sensors get better it's becoming more and more obvious the many factors of watch/wrist fit are now playing an increasing part in the accuracy of ALL these smartwatches. You could have the best sensor tech, data analysis, etc but in the end, you're only as good as the quality of the wrist/sensor interface. We see this when we compare Rob and Theresa's results on the same Vivoactive 5...I suspect the results could very well be even better or worse for someone else. IMO it's not inconceivable that Rob could give 3 stars for one person and 4 stars or more for someone else wearing the same smartwatch...all depending on the dynamics and many variables involved in each person's wrist/sensor interface.

[@samiraid8639]

Hi could you please test the Ice ring ?

[@codak29]

Great video. I've been really enjoying my Venu 3s.

[@PeterPan-fk5nq]

Nicely done! Many thx!

[@zsozsek91]

Thank you! Super useful video

[@Shrinidhihv]

Charge 6 is still the only value for money accurate fitness tracker

[@angelgamie718]

hi could you review the fossil gen 6 smartwatch?

[@vigneshkrishnamoorthy6267]

I want you to review the samsung galaxy FIT 3.

[@TheDude-m2n]

Hey. You need to do Fenix 7 Pro with its new HRM

[@aaakmm1785]

Can you test new Samsung Fit3 ?

[@AlexX-ny2md]

Could you do a test of the Oppo smart watches for sleep accuracy? I love Oppo phones so I'd be curious to see how well their watches perform.

[@brucelin5842]

Is this Watch worth it?

[@degenplanet]

why pixel watch 2 not there

[@ШоуРум-в4о]

Overall : the most oldest and cheapest (about 10-11 times) Huawei Band7 works better (excluding the sleep) than this "professional" device. Another great thanks for Rob!

[@TuGordoBello]

Thanks for the video. Please try TicWatch Pro 5

[@GadgetyMV]

Rob, I really appreciate your rigorous testing and thoroughness. For weight training I would appreciate your adding other metrics than HRM as this is a secondary metric for the modality. Accurate rep counting, time under tension, possibility to enter weights, and length of breaks are more important. A lot of the watches are really poor at this, some don't even have the feature while there is a massive amount of people working out with weights. Since it's not evaluated it skews the comparison. How do you track your own weight training workouts? EDIT: @MarcoPolo82 I've replied three times but my reply keeps disappearing. There are watches that do this, for example Samsung's Galaxy watch, but to varying degrees, and with varying quality, which is why it needs to be tested. What gets measured gets done.

[@MarcoPolo82]

There is any watch capable of doing this?

[@GadgetyMV]

In varying degrees. @@MarcoPolo82

[@GadgetyMV]

Oddly my reply hasn't appeared. The answer is to varying degree, which is why testing is warranted.@@MarcoPolo82

[@GadgetyMV]

To varying degrees. Which is why it needs to be tested. What gets measured gets done. BTW this is the third time I reply but my reply has mysteriously disappeared. @@MarcoPolo82

[@GadgetyMV]

I've replied three times but each time my reply disappears.There are watches that do this, for example Samsung's Galaxy watch, but to varying degrees, and with varying quality, which is why it needs to be tested. What gets measured gets done. @@MarcoPolo82

[@mgoodlin1]

can you review the garmin forerunner 165?

[@chasingmymarbles]

Um, as a postdoc, shouldn't you be questioning your first round of data on the Vivoactive 5, since it *improved* accuracy when running, which you admit adds noise? Devices don't increase accuracy as you introduce noise, unless there is another factor that isn't accounted for...and I can't think of one. Also, you noted that the Vivo Active 3 did better "because of a better sensor" yet it scores substantially below the Vivo Active 2. It feels like you're enjoying the existence of data more than really leaning into what it means here...

[@jazz229]

Please review the OnePlus watch 2

[@yassenhesham892]

Can u do amazefit bip 5 and kiselect ks 2

[@TerminatriX86]

Wiered in my opionion... garmin watches doesnt work really good on you rob. Your other test persons always have much better test results with garmin watches. 😅

[@forgetmyname5166]

Waiting for Redmi watch 4 review. It got 1 month of battery life 😉

[@joabelacerda8141]

Please, test the amazfit Trex 2

[@erwinyulista]

Hi, please do review the xiaomi watch S1 active, thanks

[@MithunChakrazabortom]

Please do Mi Band 8 Pro!

[@enadalnawaiseh6688]

can u do the new xiaomi watch 4

[@GK-qc5ry]

Considering Garmin is a major smartwatch manufacturer their health accuracy needs some work. They shouldn't be that far from Apple, Fitbit, Huawei.

[@yutubabe]

Hmmm, should treat you a cup of coffee somewhere around Zentrum or Schottentor just to get the better insight of the best HR rate smartwatch from YOU😅😅

[@Chanoey333]

If anyone wants the vivoactive 5 for £199 I have a discount code but its only valid till end of 11th Feb

[@carloareaser]

Test the Mi Band 8 please!

[@gammelgemse]

He already did.

[@carloareaser]

@@gammelgemse I know, but that test is really underwhelming and done on the chinese version or whatever. The results can not be that bad.. worse than mi band 6? something is not right, I'm not sure if he's got something against xiaomi or just bad testing.

[@demimascot]

@@carloareaser Do you check what you say? The reviewer has 'smth against' and 'bad tasting' because the device you want 'can not be that bad'? 1) 'he has smth against' that is why mibands where called good price\performance ratio for multiple times. 2)'bad testing' that is why you watch this channel and use other devices as comparison? 3)'or whatever' shows that you have experience and knowledge about differences between china and global versions. How can be so many things wrong within one comment?

[@Shurtug]

I just recently got my Garmin vívoactive 5 but Im already realising a lot of problems for me personally. Pros: The sleep tracking seems quite accurate The distances travelled are correct on the app The Handling of the watch is responsive and intuitive Cons: No altimeter. Yes, it can show the height in the app but for some (for me not understandable) reason, it's not able to take it into account for anything. It doesn't use the height measurements for calorie tracking (so running on a flat track is the same as running up a hill calorie wise) It is not able to track Skiing accurately, there are apps that can do this with just GPS. But for some reason Garmin is not able to distinguish between lift rides and skiing down. There's no way to track ski touring. So for me there's just no point in owning a watch that basically only tracks me running on a flat track, or am I missing something?

[@mboiko]

I totally understand your situation but my bet is that for the majority of people, the things you mentioned would most likely not be deal-breakers. Especially for a $250 smartwatch whose battery lasts a week or more (without GPS) and is generally pretty accurate.

[@Shurtug]

@@mboiko I guess. It's still very frustrating that they can't just use the data they have in the app anyways to calculate correctly. I'm currently looking for another watch but it's hard to find...

[@Dallas-klay]

Thanks

[@Zakneteur]

I will give you a reason to buy the vivoactive 5 : It's half the price of the Venu 3.

[@mashfour]

Buddy you would get so many more views if you indicated your videos are timestamped in your video title 👍

[@uniwersytetczasu]

Garmin might be this

[@adrianrazvanbc87]

Te rog să poati traduce clipurile și în limba romană 🇹🇩

[@chopmail2862]

I bought a samsung 6 watch. Awful