With the Vivoactive 4, Garmin presents a fitness tracker that leaves little to be desired in the test. With its abundance of features, it even surpasses its already very well-equipped predecessor Vivoactive 3.
Garmin Vivoactive 4 Review
Garmin can also improve its measurement accuracy, as our test shows. Overall, an excellent fitness tracker, but its quality is expensive. What you should look out for when buying fitness trackers.
Test data for Garmin Vivoactive 4 Specification:
| App for iOS: | Yes |
| Web app: | Yes |
| Display: | LCD (MIP, color) |
| Pedometer (on the device): | Yes |
| App for Android: | Yes |
| Waterproof: | Yes |
| App for Windows Phone: | Yes |
| Display: Quality: | very good |
| Product: | Garmin Vivoactive 4 |
| Distance display (on the device): | No |
| GPS sensor: | Yes |
| Mobile Payment: | Yes |
| Vibration motor: | Yes |
| Pulse measurement: | Yes |
| Accuracy: Steps: | 98.9 percent |
| Weight: | 51 grams |
| Bracelet length: | 135-200 mm |
| integrated audio player: | Yes |
| Sleep analysis: | Yes |
| Charging port: | Proprietary charging cable |
| Runtime measurement: | 8.0 days |
| Record activity (on the device): | Yes |
| Display: readability sunlight: | very good |
| Interchangeable bracelet: | Yes |
| Duration according to the manufacturer: | 8 days |
Garmin Vivoactive 4: test values
The Garmin Vivoactive 4 fitness tracker comes with new sensors and thus with a number of new functions. Among other things, the Pulse-Ox function is now used to measure the oxygen content in the blood during your sleep and the Index Body Battery gives recommendations regarding your stress level, your heart rate or your sleep quality.
You can couple additional sensors for more precise heart rate measurement, cadence and outside temperature using the ANT + radio standard. You also have an overview of your water consumption, your menstrual cycle if necessary, and you can now also measure your heart rate while swimming. The tracker is waterproof up to 5 bar.
With the functions, you can not only choose from different sports such as golf (including golf database), swimming, rowing and many more, but the tracker even automatically recognizes sports based on your movement.
There are variable daily goals, training programs, logs of the last seven activities and in addition to the preinstalled apps, you can add more. There is also a collaboration with the calorie counter app MyFitnessPal.
The Vivoactive 4 also has a music player, a chest strap is included and the colored LC display is easy to read even in the sun. Small flaw in the form of a bug: In the current firmware, the loud / quiet symbols are displayed when the brightness is set.
Top value (grade 1.1) in our best list is the accuracy of the steps with a measured 98.9 percent. We also liked the 8-day battery life. The bracelet supplied is 135 to 200 millimeters long and is not suitable for thick arms, but it can be changed. The price of around 300 euros is steep. Alternatively, there is also a new S version of the Vivoactive 4 in a size of 40 millimeters.
Alternative with a good price-performance ratio
The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro fitness tracker does only marginally worse in the overall rating, but costs a lot less at around 120 euros. In terms of equipment, almost everything is available. The running time is also shorter with a measured 3.4 days. Two bracelet lengths are included for this purpose.
Advantage:
- Top equipment
- Waterproof
- Pre-configurable reply messages
Disadvantage:
- Expensive
- Bracelet length too short for thick arms