Garmin Vivosmart HR vs. Vivoactive HR – What Are The Differences?
We have seen many manufacturers pushing smart bands and smartwatches in the market that claims to have a heart rate sensor.
While many will have an actual built-in sensor, the inaccurate nature of most of those sensors makes them pretty much useless.
Well, that is where Garmin stepped in with their dedicated HR lineup. As you have guessed by now, the HR stands for the built-in heart rate sensor that these boasts.
And while people talk about that lineup, one of the most common topics is the Garmin vivosmart hr and vivoactive hr.
People fall in a dilemma between those two devices quite often. And we are here to make choosing one of them a bit easier by providing an in-depth review of both and plotting out the differences that lie in between them.
Garmin Vivosmart HR vs Vivoactive HR Smartwatch?
Now that you have gone through the review sections, you would want to know if there are any differences between them or not.
Well, yes, they do have many differences. The major ones that set them apart are:
Design
When it comes to design, both of them are at a different level. The Vivosmart HR carried on the design of the previous Vivosmart, which was more of a smart band than of a smartwatch.
It has a low-profile band that attaches on to the screen, and the screen is more like capsule-shaped.
On the other hand, the Vivoactive HR has almost the same design as the standalone Vivoactive that the manufacturer released a while back.
It has a boxy-shape, which makes it look more like a watch than the Vivosmart HR. Keeping that in mind, we think that the Vivoactive HR looks more premium than the Vivosmart HR.
Display
One of the significant differences that lie in between the devices is the display.
While the Vivosmart HR has an OLED monochrome panel, the Vivoactive HR has a colorful LCD panel. Even the pixel count and the size of the display is higher for the Vivoactive HR.
The thing that both have in common is the touchscreen interface on their display. It will allow you to navigate through the UI smoothly.
However, according to us, the touch response of the Vivoactive HR is better than the Vivosmart HR.
Customizability
On the note of customizability, the Vivosmart HR does not have any of the options. You are stuck with what comes in the UI because there is no option for it to connect to the ConnectIq store for modifying the system.
However, with the Vivoactive HR, you can connect to the ConnectIq store and modify the watch faces, apps, widgets, and customize other factors of the watch.
Garmin Vivosmart HR
The Vivosmart lineup that Garmin has is basically full of fitness bands. While most of them had a heart rate measuring capability, so they required a particular type of band for that.
Well, that requirement of a dedicated band got eliminated with the Vivosmart HR lineup.
To begin with, it comes with a reasonably advanced heart rate sensor. That sensor allows the device to measure heartbeats without needing extra accessories.
Because of that, you can measure and view the heart rate at any given time.
Apart from just the heart rate sensor, it comes with a plethora of other sensors too.
It has an accelerometer that will allow it to count steps and distance accurately. With that data, it can also show the calories burnt for a specific walking or running session.
It even comes with an altimeter that enables it to measure the height climbed.
There is an activity intensity feature that shows how active the user is throughout the day. It will give you frequent reminders to remain active if the level is relatively low.
The display that it sports is a monochrome panel. It has a resolution of 160 x 68 pixels, and because of the memory-in-pixel technology, it is highly readable even after being under direct sunlight.
And as it is a touchscreen panel, navigating through the UI will feel a lot smoother.
Because of the integration of ANT+ and a Bluetooth chip, you can connect it with your smartphone. After joining, it will show you the notifications that your phone is receiving.
Lastly, the device is capable of operating for about 5 days with the battery it comes with.
And as it is waterproof to about 5 ATM, you will not have to worry about a thing in carrying out activities in the rain.
PROS
CONS
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Garmin Vivoactive HR
Ever since Garmin debuted their Vivoactive lineup, the one thing that most of the people desired is a fitness tracking device that has an accurate heart rate monitor.
And the manufacturer delivered that by introducing the VivoactiveHR lineup.
Design-wise, it is not that different from the pioneer of the Vivoactive lineup.
It has the same boxy design and two buttons at the front. However, instead of a capacitive touch button, this has a physical button on the face. Apart from that, almost all the footprint is identical.
The screen that it boasts is the same LCD panel that Garmin has been using for quite a while now.
It has a resolution of 205 x 148 pixels and has integrated memory-in-pixel technology.
That enables the screen to get intensely bright, which results in being highly readable under direct sunlight.
As the screen has a touchscreen digitizer in it, navigating through the UI will be a breeze. On that note, the UI is highly customizable.
After connecting the device to the ConnectIq store, you can modify the watch faces, apps, adjust widgets, and do many other customizations.
It packs a lot of sensors too.
The star of the show is the heart rate sensor that it displays. It remains active 24/7 and will provide your accurate data about the beats per minute.
Apart from that, it also has a GPS sensor integrated that will enable it to offer location services.
After connecting it to your smartphone, you can receive smart notifications directly on the watch. It will show incoming texts, emails, calls, and social media push notifications.
The battery that it packs can make it operate for about 8 days in the watch mode and up to 13 hours in the GPS mode. Also, the device is waterproof to 5 ATM.
PROS
CONS
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Frequently Asked Questions
Will I be able to control the audio using the Vivosmart HR?
After connecting the smart band to your smartphone using Bluetooth, you will be able to control the audio track that is playing on the phone.
However, the band does not have any internal storage; neither does it have any speakers. That means you can not play any audio directly on it.
Does the Vivosmart HR have location services?
The Vivosmart HR does not have any GPS or GLONASS sensor.
That means it will not be able to locate itself. Therefore, it can not offer the location or navigation services that most smart bands can offer.
Is there any band options available for the Vivosmart HR?
Yes, there are two different options for the band. You can choose from the extra-large band and the regular band.
The regular one weighs about 29.6 grams while the extra-large one weighs 29.6 grams.
Is the Vivoactive HR waterproof?
The Vivoactive HR does have a waterproof rating that is up to 5 ATM.
That means you can wear it and do swimming or do other activities in the rain without having to worry too much.
How can I enhance the battery life of the Vivoactive HR?
To extend the battery life a bit more, you can try to turn off the GPS when you do not require any location services.
You can also enhance battery life by not leaving it connected to your phone.
Conclusion
Now that you have a general idea about the topic Garmin vivosmart hr or vivoactive hr, choosing one should be easy for you.
With that being said, we would like to conclude here by wishing you good luck and hoping that you can get the most out of your fitness device to stay healthy and fit.