So yes, there are other more chic watches that will do some of the same things. For a few quid either side of ￡200 though, depending where you shop, the understated Vivoactive HR is packed to the gills with long-lasting easy-to-use and rewarding fitness cleverness.

Five day battery life; Tracks a variety of activities; Leave your phone at home: it's got GPS

ASBO bracelet chic; Few downloadable apps

For me, Garmin's Edge remains a delight but while the Vivoactive hasn't won me over, it's an affordable and attractive option for swimmers, runners and golfers. There are better 'general' activity trackers, and it's a shame that Garmin didn't integrate a heart-rate monitor.

Most smartwatches aren't all that great for people who actually exercise: runners, swimmers and cyclists. Without GPS, a watch is just left guessing your speed and distance based on how fast you move your arms. Even the ones that currently have GPS don't often make great use of it.

When researching smart watches, this received good reviews (always a good starting point!) I didnu2019t know 100% what I was looking for in a smart watch but 2 features that really appealed were it had built in GPS and its waterproof which many rivals around this price level donu2019t offer.Iu2019ve...

Considering it is essentially what they do, Garmin were pretty late to the party when it comes to the fitness tracker market. They have done GPS running, cycling and swimming watches for years but for some reason they have only recently started offering an integrated step counter and heart rate...

Tracks swimming ; no waiting for satellites

Not elegant; no swimming GPS

Impeccable , montre conviviale , belle qualité , facile à comprendre

Being able to track your daily level of activity is the first step towards maintaining a healthy (or healthier) lifestyle. Gadgets such as a simple Fitbit are a good entry point because they can measure steps in real-time and allow you to set daily goals, providing motivation to move.

GPS tracking; Comfortable to wear; Lots of metrics to digest

App and Web interface could stand to be a little clearer; Step count was a little off

I bought this watch in May 2016. It has many impressive features and apps but it is unreliable and flakey. For example, it constantly resets the units from my selected metric and 24 hour time format to miles and yards and 12 hour time.

Garmin vivofit Review Garmin vivosmart Review Watch My GPS - Activity Watch Roundup It's safe to say that the ever-growing realm of smartwatches is still looking for its champion.

Lightweight and comfortable design; Long lasting battery performance; Precise activity measurements

A tad expensive; Straps attract dirt and dust; Requires additional hear rate strap

The Garmin vivoactive HR is the flagship mid-range sport watch from Garmin. Think of it as the fenix 3 HR Lite. It supports running (indoor/out), cycling (indoor/out), swimming (open water only), golf, snowboarding, skiing, and you can create your own sport profiles for activities like yoga,...

Affordable price; Full-color; sunlight-readable display; Optical HR sensor with ability to pair to external HR monitor; GPS-built in with nearly all sport profiles as well as custom profiles; Supports stored and streamed music

Durability concerns due to plastic casing; HR sensor is not great for dynamic movements; Does not pair with HRM Tri or HRM Swim; Lacks some of the training features of other GPS watches (VO2 max; etc.