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As somebody who does primarily weightlifting and never a lot operating, Garmin smartwatches all the time appeared out of attain to me. They all the time felt like fanatic watches for runners or outdoorsy varieties, neither of which I’m. Moreover, the buttons and complicated UI made them tough to choose up. Nonetheless, the Garmin Vivoactive 6 appears to be a treatment to this, providing a reasonably reasonably priced various with a easy design and a extra user-friendly UI.
The Vivoactive 6 seems like the proper entryway into the world of Garmin watches, particularly if you happen to’re probably not a runner. It’s possible you’ll not get all the newest and best options or specs, as anybody searching for these must spend considerably extra on a watch. Nonetheless, the Vivoactive 6 is nice for getting the fundamentals, monitoring exercises, and retaining you energetic.
Garmin Vivoactive 6: Worth, availability, and specs
The Garmin Vivoactive 6 was announced in April 2025 and went on sale the identical month. The watch retails for $299 and is accessible in a number of colorways: Slate, Lunar Gold, Metallic Jasper Inexperienced, and Metallic Pink Daybreak.
The Vivoactive 6 solely is available in a 42.2mm case measurement and helps 20mm quick-release bands.
|
Class |
Garmin Vivoactive 6 |
|---|---|
|
Measurement |
42.2 x 42.2 x 10.9 mm |
|
Supplies |
Fiber-reinforced polymer case Anodized aluminum bezel Silicon strap |
|
Safety |
Gorilla Glass 3 5ATM |
|
Weight |
36g (with included band) |
|
Show |
1.2-inch (390×390) AMOLED |
|
Reminiscence |
8GB |
|
Battery life |
Smartwatch mode: 11 days Battery saver: 21 days GPS-Solely GNSS mode: 21 days All-Methods GNSS mode: 17 hours All-Methods GNSS mode w/ music: 8 hours |
|
Sensors |
Elevate v4 HR, pulse oximeter, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, exterior thermometer |
|
Monitoring |
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BeiDou |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth, ANT+, NFC |
|
Colours |
Slate, Lunar Gold, Metallic Jasper Inexperienced, Metallic Pink Daybreak |
Garmin Vivoactive 6: What I like
The Vivoactive 6 is a surprisingly well-built smartwatch. It is on the smaller aspect, which can not swimsuit you you probably have bigger wrists, however the plus aspect is that it is neither thick nor heavy. Actually, the watch may be very gentle and comfy to put on. That is nice not solely in on a regular basis use, but additionally when carrying it to mattress, as I hardly discover it is on, not like different smartwatches.
It is pretty powerful, too, though in all probability not as sturdy as pricier fashions. You continue to get stable water safety with 5 ATM, which means the watch could be submerged as much as 50 meters deep, which ought to attraction to informal swimmers. Gorilla Glass 3 safety also needs to assist maintain the show intact, whereas the aluminum bezel and fiber-reinforced polymer case give the watch a mushy really feel.
The OLED show may be very vibrant and pretty simple to maneuver, regardless of the slightly massive bezels. It is extremely responsive and brilliant sufficient to make use of outside. At simply 1.2 inches, I want the show had been bigger, nevertheless it nonetheless serves its objective.
One factor I observed instantly after establishing the Vivoactive 6 is that the UI is a major enchancment over the Venu 3, which is the one different Garmin watch I’ve used. It is not excellent, however menus really feel extra logical, and different UI modifications make extra sense, equivalent to accessing notifications by swiping down from the house display after which Look shortcuts by swiping up. Fast settings are accessible by swiping down, or you may press and maintain the primary energy button. Settings can be accessed by holding the again button.
I feel a part of what makes this simpler to navigate, apart from the revamped software program, is that you just solely have two {hardware} buttons. As I discovered having a 3rd button on the Venu 3 to be complicated, I recognize the simplicity.
Total, the UI feels considerably extra inviting for informal health fanatics and anybody seeking to buy their first Garmin watch.
Battery life is sort of stable on the Vivoactive 6. Garmin claims you may stand up to 11 days of battery life per cost, which I do not doubt. I persistently get a full week of battery life, with one or two exercises tracked per day and the show set to gesture activation. You’d get much less battery with the always-on show activated, however I discover the gesture choice to be completely enough.
Garmin Vivoactive 6: Health
The Vivoactive 6 does not include Garmin’s newest Elevate sensor expertise, which means you will not get the improved accuracy discovered on fashions just like the Forerunner 970 and even the Venu 3. That stated, the watch nonetheless gives loads of health options and with sufficient accuracy that the older sensor mustn’t delay informal customers.
I performed two separate step checks, strolling 5,000 steps and evaluating the top outcomes between the Vivoactive 6, Pixel Watch 3, Venu 3, and Oura Ring 4. For the needs of the take a look at, I wore the Pixel and Venu on separate days, and I wore every system on the identical arm in order that they might detect the identical motion whereas I walked. I additionally used a handbook counter, tapping it for every step I took till I reached 5,000.
|
Step counts |
Garmin Vivoactive 6 |
Garmin Venu 3 |
Google Pixel Watch 3 |
Oura Ring 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Day 1 |
4,482 |
✖ |
5,002 |
5,114 |
|
Day 2 |
5,064 |
5,174 |
✖ |
5,294 |
The Vivoactive 6’s step rely was surprisingly low throughout the first take a look at, and I could not decide the reason for this discrepancy. Nonetheless, it carried out a lot better throughout the second take a look at, coming in considerably nearer than the Venu 3 or Oura Ring 4.
I additionally wore the Vivoactive 6 and Venu 3 throughout a number of exercises, primarily to check coronary heart price knowledge. The info is from two HIIT (high-intensity interval coaching) exercises and 500 steps on the stair stepper:
Picture 1 of 3
I observed throughout my exercises that the readings from the Vivoactive 6 would typically keep fairly near these of the Venu, however generally I might see it nonetheless making an attempt to catch up when my coronary heart price rose quickly.
As you may see from the charts, the Vivoactive would have a number of random dips earlier than taking a number of seconds to match the Venu, or it will take longer to register the rise in coronary heart price.
The Morning Report function is much like Morning Temporary on the Pixel Watch, offering a breakdown of the morning, together with climate, sleep rating, and physique battery. It additionally comes with urged exercises, though you will not get far more than urged walks. It is perfect for informal health fanatics and serves as a great way to encourage customers to stand up and transfer all through the day.
I want the urged exercises had been a bit extra diverse, particularly for somebody like me who actively engages in HIIT, weightlifting, and energy yoga six days per week. That stated, it is clear that this watch is extra targeted on encouraging customers to be energetic than on pushing them, which, once more, could be extra attribute of a Forerunner.
The watch options built-in GPS and helps numerous navigational methods, that are fairly correct and helpful for monitoring your route on runs or hikes. Understand that you do not get an altimeter, which is a draw back if you happen to benefit from the outside and mountaineering. You can also’t obtain maps to the watch, which can be a draw back for some.
You do, nonetheless, have entry to exercise movies instantly on the watch, which is useful when following the pre-made exercises created in Garmin Join. You can even curate your personal exercise throughout the app, though this seems like a really time-consuming and tedious activity, and I might stop midway by way of.
If you happen to’re a weightlifter like me, you will seemingly be happy with the exercise monitoring. It could possibly routinely detect reps and relaxation between units. It is not excellent, nevertheless it’s fairly helpful and extra correct than Galaxy smartwatches in my expertise, and considerably extra correct than you will get with a Pixel Watch.
In any other case, the watch comes with a wide range of exercise modes, which ought to please most customers.
Sleep monitoring has been pretty correct, even when in comparison with my Oura Ring 4. The one occasions I’ve observed any misses are once I would get up for a bit and fall again asleep for a number of hours, which my ring would account for however the watch would seemingly ignore.
There is not any physique temperature sensor, which is probably going a cost-cutting measure, though I am unable to say I miss it. There’s additionally no ECG, however you will get nearly each different well being monitoring function that one ought to anticipate on a smartwatch.
Garmin Vivoactive 6: What I do not like
The UI on the Vivoactive 3 is way improved, nevertheless it nonetheless comes with some quirks that I really feel are typical for Garmin. Notifications can typically take up all the display, which could be fairly annoying while you’re really making an attempt to do one thing on the watch. Moreover, the vibration depth cannot be altered, so you will get a fairly jarring buzz until you flip the vibration off.
Talking of vibrations, the watch includes a Good Alarm that makes use of sleep monitoring to wake you up on the optimum time, so you’re feeling much less groggy. It sounds nice in principle, however I’ve discovered this function fairly ineffective or annoying. Oftentimes, I get up forward of my set alarm, so the Vivoactive finally ends up simply being late to the celebration when the good alarm lastly goes off. It additionally solely has a 30-minute window, which does not seem to be sufficient time to reap the benefits of a function like this, particularly in case your sleep schedule is as erratic as mine.
The Vivoenergetic additionally has Transfer Break alerts to remind you to stand up and transfer, which is sensible. Nonetheless, I will be actively standing and shifting round or cooking, and the watch will nonetheless buzz me with a transfer alert, which I discover annoying.
Lastly, regardless of the improved UI, Garmin nonetheless appears to cover options and settings below a mountain of menus, making it tough to find sure issues. That is whether or not you are on the watch or within the app. Utilizing the Garmin Join app could be overwhelming, and I typically needed to discuss with Android Central senior editor and wearables professional Michael Hicks to determine tips on how to do issues on the watch or within the app.
The smartwatch UI is a major step in the appropriate course, however I really feel that the app might use some enchancment.
Bonus: I briefly used the Connect Plus subscription whereas testing the Vivoactive 6, however truthfully didn’t discover it helpful sufficient to warrant sticking with it. A reside view of my exercise coronary heart price was neat, as had been a few of the AI-based insights, however I do not assume it is price paying for.
Garmin Vivoactive 6: Competitors
On this worth vary, one other watch you could wish to think about is the Pixel Watch 3. It includes a extra streamlined UI, quite a few apps, and a improbable design, together with LTE help for many who require it. That stated, health monitoring is probably not fairly on par, battery life is not as nice, and the bottom mannequin will value extra.
The Galaxy Watch 7 is one other smartwatch price contemplating at this worth. It additionally runs Put on OS, so you will get lots of the identical perks because the Pixel Watch with some Samsung aptitude. That stated, it additionally comes with the identical downsides, regardless of its fairly sturdy Samsung Well being app.
Garmin Vivoactive 6: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase this if…
- You are new to Garmin.
- You are an informal fitness-goer.
- You desire a smartwatch with lengthy battery life.
You should not purchase this if…
- You are a critical runner or biker.
- You desire a smartwatch expertise that is simple to make use of.
- You desire a watch that pushes you to do extra.
The Vivoactive 6 has been a surprisingly refreshing expertise for me after coming from the Venu 3. Certain, it isn’t precisely a premium watch, and also you miss out on some options and specs, nevertheless it will get you a lot of what you’d anticipate from a Garmin system with out the worth tag related to watches just like the Fenix 8.
Since I am not a runner or biker, this seems like an ideal watch for somebody like me, who simply desires to trace my exercises. The Vivoactive 6 will not push you to do something you do not wish to do, however it can ensure you’re not less than staying energetic, which is nice sufficient for many people.
This is a perfect smartwatch for anybody occupied with Garmin however involved about what it entails, and it is platform-agnostic, so each Android and iOS customers are welcome.
Keep energetic
The Garmin Vivoactive 6 is a superb smartwatch for anybody new to the Garmin ecosystem and beginning their health journey.
