- Garmin Support Center is where you will find answers to frequently asked questions and resources to help with all of your Garmin products.
- The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is available in two sizes: normal and S. The classic version weighs 50 g with a 22 mm wide strap. The S (small) model weighs 40 g with an 18 mm wide strap. In comparison, the Vivoactive 4 is larger than the Garmin Forerunner 645. If you are looking for a discreet watch on your wrist, the S version may be a good solution.
Amazfit Stratos: Good Value. The Amazfit Stratos is the first to come out in the. Vivoactive 4 is a fitness and sports watch designed for the one who wants a good looking and elegant sports watch that can be used for everything – no matter if you are running, biking, swimming, going to the gym, doing yoga, or doing Pilates. Garmin Vivoactive 4 is the successor to the incredibly popular Vivoactive.
Garmin created the best alternative to the Apple Watch when it came out with the Vivoactive 3 Music. For 2019, Garmin has updated that device with the Vivoactive 4 series, which includes the 45mm Vivoactive 4 and the 40mm Vivoactive 4s. Minor hardware changes accompany equally minor smartwatch software changes in this device, but that's because new fitness features steal the show.
Garmin added a ton of fitness improvements to this watch, including optional all-day pulse ox measurements, hydration tracking, new breathing exercises (that don't suck), new custom workouts, on-screen animations, and more. Unsurprisingly, all those improvements add up to the Vivoactive 4's $349 starting price, which is at least $100 more than what the Vivoactive 3 Music goes for nowadays.
Those features add a lot of value and push the Vivoactive 4 ahead of even the Apple Watch in terms of fitness, but I still have a soft spot for the Vivoactive 3 series—and plenty of happy users may skip this upgrade.
New hardware
I tested the 40mm Vivoactive 4s and immediately noticed the newly added sleek-and-shiny touches on the watch's case. The circumference now has a thin casing of metal, and the two side buttons are metal as well. The Vivoactive 4s includes an additional side button for lap, back, and menu access. While it took a few tries to get used to the new input method, I was able to navigate the watch using that side button, the other side button, and the color touchscreen fairly easily.
The display itself is a backlit, transflective memory-in-pixel panel, which, in comparison to LCD panels, uses technology that allows it to consume less power. That's one of the hardware factors that lets the Vivoactive 4s get up to seven days of battery life (by Garmin's estimation). It has essentially the same quality as previous Vivoactive displays, so the watch face is always visible, and you won't have trouble reading it while running outside in the sun.
While familiar, this display is in stark contrast to the AMOLED panel on the new Garmin Venu smartwatch, which was announced at the same time as the Vivoactive 4 series. That device, however, starts at $399 due not only to its AMOLED panel, but also for some additional features that aren't present on Vivoactive 4 devices (keep an eye out for Ars' review of the Venu in the coming weeks). Thanks to that big hardware difference, the Venu will more closely compare to the Apple Watch Series 5.
AdvertisementGarmin Vivoactive 4
The Vivoactive 4s is packed full of fitness-tracking sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter, optical heart rate monitor, onboard GPS/Galileo/GLONASS, pulse ox, compass, and a thermometer. Both the heart rate monitor and the GPS have been updated with new sensors, so they should be even more accurate and more efficient than those in previous Garmin wearables. There's also storage space on the Vivoactive 4s for music, and all Vivoactive 4 smartwatches have onboard music storage as a standard feature. That means you won't pay extra for it like you had to when Garmin first introduced the Vivoactive 3 Music after the Vivoactive 3 had been available for a little while.
Garmin has improved its devices significantly over the past year or two when it comes to music storage. I had a 'better late than never' attitude when Garmin finally added music storage to some of its wearables, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the desktop interface for transferring tracks wasn't as horrid as those of other smartwatch makers. Since then, Garmin has added support for downloading tracks and playlists from Deezer, iHeartRadio, Spotify, and Amazon Prime Music, so paying subscribers can download music to listen to while running (and using a pair of connected Bluetooth headphones) without their smartphones present.
Overall, I'd argue Garmin has a better system for downloading and playing music from a smartwatch than Apple has and, therefore, the rest of the competition as well. While Apple makes it incredibly easy to pick tracks to sync and play music on its watches, you're limited to the music and other audio you have in your iTunes account and Apple Music (if you subscribe to the latter). LTE-equipped Apple Watches also make it easy to stream Apple Music playlists while working out. But users aren't locked into one ecosystem with Garmin, and I'll always prefer that flexibility over the alternative. Unfortunately, though, that means we will likely wait a long time for Apple Music integration to arrive on Garmin smartwatches—if it ever happens at all.
New software
All-day pulse ox
There are a lot of new fitness features on the Vivoactive 4s, but let's start by talking about one that directly affects battery life: optional all-day pulse ox. The pulse ox sensor inside the Vivoactive 4s allows it to measure the level of oxygen in your blood based off of the heart rate and breathing data it collects. Most healthy people will see a pulse ox percentage close to 100 in the Garmin Connect app after the pulse ox sensors gather enough data, but percentages dramatically lower than that could signal health problems. Like most consumer wearables on the market today, the Vivoactive 4s isn't a medical device, but it can capture useful information that users can share with their doctors who can then decide if there's a problem that needs to be addressed.
AdvertisementPrevious versions of Garmin devices like the Vivosmart 4 could measure pulse ox on the fly or during sleep to capture more data over the course of the night. Now, if you enable continued, all-day pulse ox measurements, the Vivoactive 4 will periodically take readings throughout the day.
But this constant monitoring will dramatically reduce battery life, and unless you have a known problem with your blood oxygen levels that you want to monitor in a new way, I wouldn't recommend it. For the first few days of testing the Vivoactive 4s, I enabled pulse ox during sleep, and I got roughly four days and four nights of battery life out of the smartwatch. That's a little more than half of Garmin's estimated battery life for the device in smartwatch mode (up to seven days). It's still a good battery life for a wearable by normal standards, but you will have to charge the Vivoactive 4s about twice a week if you choose to enable pulse ox while sleeping.
I still believe pulse ox information isn't necessary for most users, but it's encouraging to see Garmin include a pulse ox sensor in nearly all of its new wearables and actually use it. Fitbit has been touting the pulse ox sensor found in almost all of its wearables introduced since the Ionic, but the sensor isn't active in any Fitbit devices—and there's no telling when Fitbit will put it to use.
Overview
The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is the latest in the brand’s mid-range offering. Sure, it sits beneath the stylish Garmin Venu and triathlete-focussed Fenix 6, but that’s because it’s geared toward semi-serious fitness enthusiasts.
It offers decent fitness tracking and smartwatch features inside a design that resembles the latter more than the former. But, ultimately, it’s a great middle-ground piece for those who are serious about training but don’t want to change their watch to go back to the office after a session.
Now, the downside is that the screen is a little fiddly to use if you get it wet; which may put some outdoor-types off. Plus, Garmin’s app ecosystem leaves a little to be desired. So it has the good looks, but it doesn’t stand up against the likes of the new Apple Watch 6, for example.
Garmin 010-02174-01 Vivoactive 4, GPS Smartwatch, Features Music, Body Energy Monitoring, Animated Workouts,...- Keeps track of your energy levels, Pulse Ox (this is not a medical device and is not intended for...
- Easily download songs to your watch, including playlists from Spotify, Amazon music or Deezer (may...
- Record all the ways to move with more than 20 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps, including yoga,...
Design
When switched off, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Garmin Vivioactive 4 was a Venu. Which isn’t a criticism, as it has a rounded metallic face which gives it a premium look. Unlike its chunky sibling, the Fenix 6.
The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is tough and usable. With options of a 40mm or 45mm case and many different straps to choose from, it’s easily customisable to suit your environment.
Also, it’s 5ATM water-resistant and has Gorilla Glass 3 on its Chroma screen. Meaning, it’ll stay with you in some underwater adventures and will survive the odd bump.
Inside
Inside the Garmin Vivoactive 4 are some pleasant surprises. For one, it comes with built-in storage for 500 songs. Plus the UI has had an update to make navigation easier using the touchscreen.
Furthermore, the UI changes are all positive. As with previous Vivo watches, you can scroll up and down your customised screens and get instant access to data such as your health stats, workout information, music controls and any other apps you have installed.
If you’re into hybrid watches you should know that, sadly, the Garmin IQ store is a little lacking, if any negatives need to be pointed out in the name of fairness. Meaning, outside of the dedicated Garmin Connect app, the app library has a limited offering, especially considering non-fitness apps. Even those apps that do work can feel a bit laggy compared to Fitbit apps, say; Nevermind the experience you get with an Apple Watch. If notifications and music controls are enough for you, then this is still a great shout.
Tracking
Fortunately, the Garmin Vivoactive 4 has great fitness tracking capability and that makes up for any smart feature shortcomings.
Vivoactive 4 Deezer Pro
Of course, you get all the standard features that you would expect on a fitness tracker which includes accurate GPS and multiple activity tracking from jogging to yoga and skiing.
As for the more basic tracking, the Garmin Vivoactive 4 effortlessly matches the standard you should expect from a Garmin watch. Subsequently, the heart rate monitoring offers a decent breakdown of your intensity minutes during your workout.
Garmin Vivoactive Features
Activities
What’s useful is the new guided workout animations for things like free weights and yoga. Similar to Fitbit, you get a graphical guide showing you how to do certain exercises. To access this, simply download it to the Connect app.
Extra Metrics and Sensors
Garmin Vivoactive 4 Manual
Following this, there are some additional metrics that have been added by Garmin. Particularly, the ability to see your estimated sweat loss, pulse OX and respiration rate.
Firstly, when they say estimated sweat loss, it’s actually really hard to measure, but it does a decent job. You get this alongside a host of post-workout statistics, including a gauge of how well you performed, your heart rate zones and a recommendation for recovery times.
Secondly, the pulse OX sensor is a key update for the health-conscious out there. This will tell you how much oxygen is in your blood, which is a great indicator of your overall current health. And experiencing a significant drop can indicate a problem. Now, this is common on Fitbit models nowadays so it’s not only special to the Vivoactive range.
Finally, respiration tracking goes great with the guided breathing exercises. Liken to the Fitbit Sense, the Garmin Vivoactive 4 is interested in your stress levels and wellbeing and judges this based on your elevated heart rate. On the whole, this feature works pretty well and provides better data than the Fitbit can.
Battery life
The Garmin Vivoactive 4 claims to offer up to 8 days between charges and reports from users say this is true to life. However, to achieve this, you need to limit the use of the pulse OX tracking.
Specifically, you can happily track a 30 – 45 minute work out whilst listening to music and check your health metrics a few times – every day, for those 8 days.
As you’d expect, using the pulse OX and GPS will zap the battery down to maybe 3-5 days. In fact, that’s actually really good considering.
Garmin 010-02172-21 Vivoactive 4S, Smaller-Sized GPS Smartwatch, Features Music, Body Energy Monitoring,...- Keeps track of your energy levels, Pulse Ox (this is not a medical device and is not intended for...
- Easily download songs to your watch, including playlists from Spotify, Amazon music or Deezer (may...
- Record all the ways to move with more than 20 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps, including yoga,...
Should I buy the Garmin Vivoactive 4?
The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is not a cheap watch; sitting comfortably in the mid-range level. However, if you’re after a decent fitness tracker with in-depth metrics, a few smart features and a sleek design to boot, then it’s a solid choice.
The GPS is accurate and it serves runners and outdoor enthusiasts very well.
If a downside has to be pointed out, its that the app library is not a patch on competitors. So more casual users who are seeking a smartwatch with fitness features will be disappointed. If you’re such a user, head to our review of the Fitbit Versa 3 or Apple Watch SE, both in a similar price range.
Final say
The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is not a revolution from the Vivoactive 3 but it’s still a solid mid-range fitness tracker with smart features.
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Last Updated on December 22, 2020
Maygen is a multifaceted writer, proofreader and an experienced smartwatch industry writing and editing professional.