Hey! I think I will go with a fitness tracker, not with a smart watch. I was checking comments and reviews at digitec, Garmin Vivosmart 5 looks good, and it is also one on the expensive side. Garmin Connect also has a good feedback.
However for many cheaper devices there are often complains that sensors are just not working, and I am not surprised. I can afford to pay more for something that works then less for something that doesn’t work. If anyone has feedback about this model specifically, I would very thankful. But for now I would like to ask you few things.
First thing that I don’t understand and that concerns me is if this device can be used without a permanent connection to the smartphone. Does it log data just fine and transfer them later when there is a connection? So I can go running without a smartphone? I would expect this good device to be able to handle such situations, but would love a confirmation.
Second, how is it to sleep with it? I hope it doesn’t switch on during the night like many cheap devices seem to do and record data reliably.
Many thanks to you and to everyone who contributed to this thread!
Yes, it works and records activities without the phone too.
It will sync according to your settings - whether you keep bluetooth on all the time or you sync it “on demand”.
I believe it should keep at least a few weeks of data on itself without issues, but you can check that.
Note that this one doesn’t have a built-in GPS, so you cannot get the actual track just with it self.
The 4 model is quite smaller than 5, so no issues with comfort in my experience.
You should try the 5 in person to see how it feels for you.
Re. turning on/off - the sensors keep working through the night, maybe at different freq than during day (there is likely a setting for e.g. HR sampling rate).
Regarding the screen - there is a wrist-rotation activation setting, you can switch it off if you think its screen backlight would bother you.
I usually scavenge the few good youtube reviews before deciding on such tech things.
Example:
To be honest I prefer the look and size of the Vivosmart 4, and its simplicity (don’t need much more than it has for a daily driver; such as GPS - but you might).
You could check for them 2nd hand on Fb marketplace or so, they go for 50-60chf.
Potential downside of Vivosmarts - they don’t have replaceable bands; some other trackers do.
Might make a difference in the (very) long run, but shouldn’t be a deal breaker.
If you want to go cheaper, consider Xiaomi/Mi bands - they are likely best value for buck.
I use the Apple Watch, it’s very accurate in terms of distance. I guess I could even buy some kind of waterproof earplugs and listen to something while I swim, but TBH swimming is one of the activities I do where I left my mind “free” to wander, so I am keeping it that way.
At the end, I am going to much cheap version. I do not hold any Apple device yet.
I have been checking with some colleagues and I will go for the forerunner 245 currently 50% discount (as it is not the latest model in OschnerSport).
The only pity is that doesn’t have a mode for open waters, could be a nice feature for summer lake activities.
I recently switched from Apple Watch to Garmin 7X SS, and I am very happy with the decision. It’s a watch that you can use 10+ years probably and the battery lasts 10+ days, it also has solar charging. I recommend the watch if you do regular physical activity and are a sports enthusiast.
I have a Garmin 945, on the wrist pretty much all the time and also for swimming.
It doesn’t track heartrate in the water (you would need a chest strap) but counts the laps. My experience is that it gets confused if you change style in the middle of the pool and counts then too much. For only crawl or a single style, it is usually accurate.
I have an apple watch, I’m generally happy with it except for the (IMO critical) flaw that it locks you into the apple ecosystem as it is only compatible with an iphone.
For me the main use of the watch is general activity tracking - both when I do workouts and just tracking daily movement so I can see trends - and not really at all for any other apps.
If I were to get a new watch I’d go for a Garmin or maybe a pixel watch, depending on how the next model is.
Thank you for the feedback , my colleague mention about the changing style on the middle of the pool, not aware that I do. in theory the 945 and 245 has Underwater wrist-based heart rate, but not sure how accurate it is.
Apologies for being bit lazy and not googling, but what do these watches are capable of tracking and what benefit do you rake?
I know it does heartbeat rate. But is it so beneficial? I do occasional pulse checks in rested stated to know where I am. Probably I don’t need to know my pulse if I do marathon without preparation. Also with age and kids and not being professional I don’t need or can’t keep prolonged exercise in this particular/optimal heartrate range.
I think they still do not do blood pressure?
Do they do now oxygen levels or so? I bet they still don’t to blood sugars or more fancy stuff?
So what’s left is distance/duration, which is pure motivational stuff, right?
By no means this is criticism, just wanted to know if I miss something.
For me the best thing is the fact that it continuously tracks activity throughout the day, so that I can get a reasonable measure of how active or sedentary my lifestyle is.
e.g. I now know that cycling to/from work (which is psychologically easy) is about the same amount of activity as I was doing while working from home, when i would regularly go for walks and the gym to keep active (psychologically difficult)
It’s also handy for tracking heart rate during workouts, so that i get more signal about how hard i am pushing
I reply as a thread starter. For me the motivation was to have a more or less continuous logging of some health parameters, which I can later look at to see how bad I am in fitness.
In combination with other parameters I would say yes. If your heart rate goes ballistic after you climb a staircase, there are clearly problems.
This is exactly my situation and that’s exactly why I want logging to be done automatically.
Some rather expensive one seem to do it.
Yes.
That would be difficult to implement, I already have a big question mark about how these sensors evaluate oxygen saturation.
Long distance swimmer here. Garmin 935. Works great both in the pool and open water.
My technique is good so the tracking is very accurate. Tried Suunto, Apple watch (wouldn’t be an option for me due to battery life) and came nowhere close.
All other sports tracking is good too. I do hiking, cycling, running and skiing.
I purchased my 935 second hand since these things are almost indestructible and saved quite a bit.
You can also check Suunto and Coros (new player on the block).
But plenty of them are way too oversized for my taste (and hardly an “everyday carry”; really more “outdoor” tools).
@Dr.PI Would be good to hear some impressions after you made the purchase and used it for a while - does it fulfill your requirements?
My first impressions (Garmin vívosmart 5) are quite good, but I would rather give feedback after few months if not years, after all the excitement is gone . It is rather small and convenient to wear, also during the night (here speaks a person who didn’t wear anything on a wrist for 20 years or so).
It works fine, logging an amount of data (activity, sleep) and the app provides certain analysis, what is in a good range, what needs to be improved. It is also more motivating to improve sleep and activity if there is immediate feedback (typical human).
Concerning GPS and other advanced functions, after all I have thought that it is actually not a bad idea to delegate them to the app running on the smartphone and to avoid duplicating functionality. And save some money by doing that.
I’ve had smartwatches and gathered many health data points, only to realize that these things mostly don’t really add anything to my life.
The only health points I think are important are weight and waist circumference, and maybe and ECG that could be potentially live-saving. For two of those a smart scale is the much better choice.
A smartwatch in sports can be of use e.g. when timing intervals, or as a music player paired with wireless earbuds e.g. when going on a run.
Got a (cheaper) Fitbit couple of years ago. Couple of months later I knew how my body reacted in several scenarios. I lost the benefit of the Fitbit and switched to a normal watch.
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. It is rather small and convenient to wear, also during the night (here speaks a person who didn’t wear anything on a wrist for 20 years or so).