Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I had the Garmin Vivosmart HR for about 10 days and am writing this review which I hope might be useful for people who are interested in purchasing the device. If you regularly run outside and need GPS functions, this fitness tracker will not be adequate do for you. The Vivosmart HR is the first of Garmin's devices to offer "Elevate" heart rate monitoring technology; Garmin's own in house tech and not something borrowed from Mio Global like the Forerunner 225. I suspect the Vivosmart HR work on "Smart recording" basis; the HR data is not captured per second but at various points during your workout or run where there could be a change in pace or direction and so on. The HR could be read once per second to even once every 7 seconds. But overall, it forms a good picture of your heart rate trend during the tracked activity. You can check out the picture I attached below of the Vivosmart HR compared against a Polar H7 Smart Bluetooth chest worn HRM. To get an accurate reading, strap up tight and above the wrist bone. Sometimes I wear mine on the inside of the wrist during exercise and it's more convenient to "look" at without having to turn my arm at an awkward angle. HR is also tracked 24/7. The data is then presented in Garmin's mobile Connect app. I'm not too particular about the 24/ HR since I don't strap up tightly when I'm not engaged in work outs. Also you can't pair an ANT+ chest heart rate strap to the Vivosmart HR though you can broadcast HR data via ANT+ from the Vivosmart HR to compatible devices such as Garmin VIRB camera. The fitness device also tracks your daily activities such as steps, calories, distance, sleep, active minutes and stairs climbed. This is like a Fitbit Charge HR but with more functions and smart notifications. In order for stairs climbed to count, the difference in elevation between levels must be at least 10 feet, that's Garmin's benchmark of a flight of stairs. Sleep tracking is automatic but you can manually edit the data if you take naps during the day. During tracked activities such as a run, the Vivosmart HR will estimate your distance covered based on the accelerometer. It's merely an estimate and I would use the distance as a gauge at best. Nevertheless, it's better than nothing. The display is always on and I personally found the display great in the day and a tad dim under low light conditions. The brightness level cannot be adjusted. Thankfully the orientation of the display can be set to horizontal or vertical; that made the fonts appear slightly larger or smaller. There are multiple levels of customisation. For example, you can set the stats you would like to see displayed during workouts and also the orientation of the display. In terms of smart notifications, you will see incoming calls which you can "pick up" from the fitness tracker though you'll still have to speak to the connected mobile device to talk. Notifications from most apps will also appear on the display and can be expanded so you can actually read the entire message without having to take up your smart phone. This feature works most of the time. I've personally encountered situations when I just couldn't expand the message and I have no idea why. And no, you can't reply with pre-set messages. You can also see weather (when connected to mobile device), use the Vivosmart HR as a remote to play music or control VIRB cameras, activate the "Find my phone" function, set alarms or receive "Move" alerts when you've been idle for 1 hour. The strap is non changeable so you have to choose the colours wisely. Battery life lasts up to 5 days and it's about right. It will likely be shorter if you track your exercises quite a bit or have so many incoming notifications that saps the battery due to vibrations. Charging cable is proprietary. Water resistant is rated at 5ATM. I thought Garmin's Vivosmart HR should more than suffice for those who are looking for an all-in-one fitness tracker without GPS capability. Here's the list of features for ease of comparison: Pros: 24/7 activity tracker. Measures steps, distance, calories, heart rate, floors climbed, active minutes Measures heart rate during tracked activity sessions Always-on sunlight readable display with back light Smart notifications Vibration enabled for alarms and move alerts Remote control music on connected mobile device, Garmin VIRB cameras Find my phone function Waterproof to 5 ATM Up to 5 days battery life Autosync Cons: Non changeable strap Dim backlight