Great watch but the training status and training effects is a must feature that it was very easy to apply here. GARMIN makes top fitness trackers and I like most of them but this policy they follow is at least irritating. I'm OK to pay more for new technology in terms of hardware but I'm not OK to have that hardware and the company to downgrade the software in order not to lose sales on other models.... The fact that a fitness watch like this, who carries the best hardware the company has to offer, at the end of the day doesn't have the software to match up with its capabilities, is just disappointing!!! This is even more expensive from the forunner 245/music and it doesn't have that basic feature.... This is unacceptable and so obvious that GARMIN plays games with their costumers!!!!
i have the Tic Watch Pro 3GPS and after a light swim in a pool at surface level, for 10 mins, it overheated and is now fried. Tic Watch won't replace it and are saying it is "man made issue" on my part, even though it is IP68 rated they say it is my fault, and will only offer a replacement for 30% off if I want one. So now I'm looking at a replacement alternate Garmin Vivoactive4, or Instinct Solar, Fenix 6 Solar (probably too much to spend for my needs), or the new Galaxy Watch 4. I liked the Tic Watch, but I guess I need at least a 5ATM rating to be comfortable with my swimming choices going forward.
Thanks for mentioning that sometimes the screen doesn't respond, it can be extremely annoying, now I didn't have to make a bad purchase. And of course, thank you for a good review!
Thank you for your review and going over the differences between the vivoactive and forerunner. Race Predictor is pretty interesting is that directly tied into the Training Status feature and only available on the forerunner series?
Yes, it is directly tied to your training status and your VO2 Max (as measured by the watch). The feature is available on the Forerunner and Fenix series of watches.
I just checked prices and the 245 is just a little more than this watch. I’m into gym based activities but I’m looking into cycling and I don’t really run. Which do you think is better since the price really isn’t a problem.
@@francoisl7663 Well I saw another comparison between vivoactive 4 and VENU so it seems VENU has a way more colorfull screen than vivoactive. So I am confused again... a bit more pricy and with a shorter battery life but the screen colours buys everything.. Have you considered VENU ?
@@Ragelundas Hi Sterling. I did consider the Venu. It depends what you want from the watch. Initially, I wanted a running watch to track my running/progress. Then I started looking and looking. I saw the older forerunner 235 I really liked, but it was “old” and using the old sensor type. I looked at the 245 (didn’t like the look too much), saw the 45, wasn’t too interested. At that point I didn’t have too many choices left. I went with the Vivoactive because it’s still a nice running watch and offers a few smart watch features. I don’t want a full on smart watch like apple, or Samsung. I think the Venu is too in between. The reason I didn’t pick the Venu is because of the screen. It uses way more battery than the special screen garmin uses on the other watches. If you prefer a nicer screen less battery, then the Venu would be the choice. I prefer a “less nice screen” more battery. It works well in the sun unlike your OLED LCD Screens.
Hi I want to purchase my 1st training watch. I like your review on the Garmin Vivo4. However I like details so I would like to track my training stats to monitor my growth. I am 54 and need to train wisely. I cycle and swim mostly and do strength training. What Garmin product will you advise?
On Vivoactive 4 it is not possible to rename an activity profile. This is a major dissapointment. You can change the name after the activity is completed, but you have to do this each time, which is a major downside.
Training effect is good for runners but it sucks for weight lifters like me. It doesn’t find weight lifting workouts as anaerobic which is funny. But that’s First Beat’s fault, not Garmin’s. I’ve been using Forerunner 245 for 2.5 months but i will sell it to replace with vivoactive 4. I’m so content with FR 245, it’s a great watch but too plasticity. My previous device, Vivoactive 3 had better built quality with steel bezel and rear cover.
Is the Vivoactive 4 good for tracking generic workouts? I don't do much running but do a lot of HIIT workouts. Is this device good for tracking HIIT style workouts??
I know this is 3 months old so you’ve probably made up your mind, but I’d say it tracks HIIT pretty well. I use it for lifting but I can tell it’s better suited for HIIT/CrossFit. The interval features specifically would pair well with hiit training
I received the VA4s and immediately returned it to Amazon because the buttons were unresponsive to quick pressing. If I long pressed it would bring up the feature menu but quick press nothing. I also did not like the smaller screen 1.1" vs 1.3". I reordered a VA4 (for $199 Black Friday deal on Amazon). Was I doing something wrong or did I get a defective VA4s?
Can you please tell me if you’re able to put the tide level on this watch or face? I’ve only found 1 or 2 faces that can display tide but nothing that says compatible for the vivo 4
Love this watch but sleep tracker is a major downside. Considering how accurate everything else is, I can't understand how off they are with the sleep tracker. I had fitbits for years which are mega accurate (I even wore the two together a few weeks ago to compare) and they differed massively - the fitbit being very accurate. This said I'm still deciding if this is a deal breaker as everything else about the vivoactive 4 is so good. Also, major plus with this garmin is onboard GPS and onboard downloadable spotify compared with the new fitbit versa 2 which only has connected GPS and connected spotify which makes it so you still have to carry your phone on a run which is what I didn't want. Also (have to say) so wish garmin had put the amoled screen on the vivoactive and not just the venu. The venu is too big (only comes in one size) and whoever decided to put diamond cutting design on the bezel wants sacking, it makes the watch look mega dated (just sayin) 🤷♀️
Thanks for the review. Does it automatically recognise activity like sports or tennis?? Or we have to first start and stop after the activity. I have fitbit, I found autorecognisation of activity in fitbit is very accurate. It automatically record activity and stop also. It's very useful to me
No, I don’t think any Garmin Watch has that option yet. The Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch, and the TicWatch Pro 4g have automatic workout detection, but no Garmin watches have it as far as I am aware.
Since you also used the vivoactive 3 before, is the heart rate tracking the same for you? My 4s is like 20 beats off when I move or do stuff, comparing to the vivoactive 3...
The screen quality in your unit looks kinda better than mine (same watch). Wondering , if you did any setting changes for the screen (other than increasing the backlight brightness)
You only need your watch. You won’t be able to get notifications if you leave your phone behind, but all the fitness aspects of the watch work without your phone.
@@adamazland9595 I hope you will see this. Im not a sportive guy. I want to get a smartwatch for looks and and some other functions. Im deciding between vivoactive 4 or 4s and fossil gen 5 Both are good looking watches. Can the watch itself store music? There are 2 screen modes. One which last 7 days according to them. But this mode makes the screen turn blue. How long does the battery last with always on display on the normal screen? Prefer non dimmed too. And can you also send messages from the watch?
@@Weppo. yes vivoactive 4 can store music. It can sync with your spotify and listen it offline. Im not sure about always on screen battery life as I never try it before. But i think maybe around 2-4 days depending on your usage. As for replying messages, cant think of a smartwatch that can reply messages. Unless it is a stand alone watch with sim card like some android watch. Both fossil gen 5 and vivoactive 4 is a good watch based on looks. But Im not familiar with fossil gen 5. But what i can say is that vivoactive 4 came with many functions that might suit your lifestyle if you are active.
@@adamazland9595 can it also sync to 3th party apps? I don't use spotify but I do own youtube premium. Thanks for the quick reply you helped me out a lot! Last but not least. Can you change the fonts to like a analog watch interface?
can I switch songs on my phone with that watch? I don't use Spotify, I have a lot of music on my iPhone ;) can I connect external pulsometr like Polar H10?
Yes and yes to both questions. It can be used with an external heart rate monitor. As for music, you can transfer your own. It's not an seamless as using a music service like Spotify, but you can still transfer your own music through Garmin Connect.
@@donavonhornbeck so if I don't transfer my songs to watch, I can stil play/pause/skip to next from my watch? I will be playing music iPhone->headphones (BT)
The Forerunner 245 is a very runner focused watch. A lot of the extra features it has aren't necessarily useful for more gym based workouts. Based on what you said I would think that the Vivoactive 4 would make more sense for you.
I found your watchface but I can't seem to get the weather to work on it. How do you get that working? I even paid the $1.99 but it still doesn't work.
The 4s has an always on display. I'm no expert but the screen it uses is MIP which remembers where the pixels should be on the face and uses very little battery. I dont think theres an option to turn off always on display so you won't be able to use wrist gestures to turn on the display. I know this is a late answer but I hope it helped.
@@ConstannisOK great, but I actually bought the watch and returned it. While many things are excellent, such as battery life, pulse, app etc.. a few things are just annoying. For example: Extremely slow sync with Spotify. No navigation like the Apple Watch.
Absolutely. That’s one of the most important features for me. I hate running with my phone, so I like watches that have music that you can play without having to take your phone on the run.
You might have some setting on that is causing it to have poor battery life, because needing to charge it everyday isn’t normal. How long have you owned it?
Anyone managed to get more than 5~6 days of battery life on smart watch mode of their vivoactive 4? Been only getting about 4~5 days on mine with minimal GPS use (2.4km run once a week) :/
I love my active 4 save for one big issue. The sleep tracking seems to be terribly flawed. The accuracy is just terrible compared to my Apple Watch 3, Fitbit versa 2 and the polar ignite (all of which I’ve recently tried.
Thinking of getting this watch. Want to better hit my target goals for weight loss. Which in your opinion is more accurate between Garmin and versa 2 for calorie count and heart rate
Ishmael Hardin if we are looking at heart rate accuracy (which will significantly effect calorie burn numbers) the Vivoactive 4 trumps the versa 2. The versa 2 was the most inaccurate wrist heart rate monitor I’ve ever tried, especially during exercise. It responds far too slowly to changes in heart rate and has way too many drop out issues. Walking around day to day it’s fine but during exercise it’s horrible. Which is a shame because otherwise it’s a nice fitness tracker and smart watch but the poor heart rate sensor was a deal breaker for me.
@@brandonbrotzman9701 thank you I get the feeling that most people also approve of Garmin in these regards as well. I will be looking into Garmin for sure and check the rest of there line up. I am also a bit of a techy so I am going for the most specked out one I can afford. Thanks
For sure. AirPods by default will go to your phone for connection, but they will still definitely work with the Vivoactive 4. I used my AirPods Pro's with the VA4 for quite a while.
It has better battery life than the Apple Watch and more fitness/runner specific features built in, but I’d say in general it is not better than the Apple Watch. It really depends on what features of a watch are most important to you though.
