Skip to main content

Garmin’s $150 Vivosmart 5 fitness band has some stiff competition

The new Garmin Vivosmart 5 fitness tracker follows in the footsteps of the 2018 Vivosmart 4, comes soon after the excellent Garmin Vivomove Sport smartwatch, and is once again aimed at those who trust the Garmin brand but don’t feel they’d get much benefit from one of its more hardcore fitness wearables. However, the high price puts it up against some stiff competition.

Garmin Vivosmart 5 in different colors.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Although the overall design is quite similar to the Vivosmart 4, Garmin has made the screen larger by 66%, so it should make all your fitness data and notifications easier to read at a glance. It’s controlled through touch, and also by using the single hardware button on the front. Inside the tracker is a battery expected to last about seven days before it needs recharging.

Recommended Videos

Garmin expects the Vivosmart 5 to be worn day and night. It tracks all the basics — steps, calories, and exercise intensity — plus your heart rate, pulse oximetry, stress, energy, and breathing rates. It makes use of Garmin’s 24/7 Elevate heart rate monitoring, which checks your pulse multiple times each second for more accurate results. Wear it overnight and it tracks sleep, including data on different sleep stages and movement.

A selection of apps will track different sports, ranging from walking and cycling to yoga and simple cardio routines. There’s no built-in GPS. but it does work with the GPS on your phone. The Vivosmart 5 is water resistant so it can be used when swimming, plus there’s an emergency alert system where your location can be sent to key contacts with a long- press of the button on the front of the wearable.

All data is synced with the Garmin Connect app available for both Android and iOS, and extra modes include women’s health tracking, hydration levels, heart rate alerts, and Garmin’s Body Battery feature to track overall energy levels during the day. One notable hardware change over the previous model is the ability to swap the bands. It’s available in either black, white, or cool mint.

Garmin has set the Vivosmart 5’s price at $150, making it only a little cheaper than the Vivomove Sport watch, but crucially a lot more than various other fitness bands from Xiaomi, Honor, and several other manufacturers. It also faces strong competition from Fitbit, including models like the Fitbit Inspire HR. We have the Garmin Vivosmart 5 ready for review, so you’ll soon be able to see how it compares to the extensive competition.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Does Nothing’s new CMF phone bend or break in durability test?
The CMF Phone 2 Pro undergoes a durability test.

Nothing’s new CMF Phone 2 Pro has been very warmly received since its launch last month, with many loving it for its fun design and decent specs for a handset costing just $279.

A new Android phone like this was always going to attract the attention of YouTuber Zack Nelson -- he of JerryRigEverything -- who’s just dropped a new durability video featuring Nothing’s latest budget device.

Read more
How to watch the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge launch event
Close-up view of the camera module on Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

Samsung is about to launch its most ambitious smartphone in years later this week, one that brings back the fondly remembered “Edge” moniker. The Korean electronics giant’s next offering is the Galaxy S25 Edge, an ultra-slim phone that was first showcased earlier this year and will finally get the full launch treatment. 

The online event kicks off at 5:00pm PT / 8:00pm ET on May 12 for those of you in the US, instead of multiple on-ground events across different regions.

Read more
Honor 400 series phones will turn pictures into fun videos using AI
Person using the cameras on a Honor 400 series phone.

Chinese smartphone brand, Honor, is usually at the helm of camera-centric smartphone innovations and delivering ultra-slim foldable phones. For its next adventure, the company is also embracing a playful side of AI that turns still images into short clips. 

Leveraging the Google Cloud AI stack, the new feature will make its debut on the upcoming Honor 400 series smartphones. Set for an official launch on May 22, the Honor 400 and its Pro trim will come equipped with a massive 200-megapixel AI-enhanced camera, as well.

Read more