Garmin Vivoactive 5 Black

Since this is my first sports watch, I have made a long study of the possibilities. I'm not the type to exercise spontaneously, so I mainly wondered whether a sports watch would motivate me to exercise more? I do not actively participate in sports and my exercise is limited to my daily steps. The types that made my shortlist were the vivoactive 5, the Venu 2 and the Forerunner 255.

My main features were the following: Battery life - Sleep analysis - Heart rate analysis - Breathing analysis - Navigation while walking.

Actually, I first wanted to observe my health status and if the underlying algorithm gets me moving, then that is certainly an added value. After comparing all Garmin types for price and capabilities, I mainly hesitated between the vivoactive 5 and the Venu 2, which is slightly more expensive. What the Venu 2 had more was mainly the altimeter, but since the Garmin Connect App adjusts the altimeters afterwards, I personally didn't think it was worth the extra price.

Also the conclusion that live navigation can easily be solved by installing the komoot app, I did not have to look further for more expensive devices. The Vivoactive 5 gives me more than enough data to monitor my current health and the algorithm also provides a motivational message to exercise on time. And I can still activate the Garmin Coach if I want to achieve sports goals.

As a newcomer to the segment, I notice that I often look at my steps to be achieved, my heart rate, breathing frequency, body battery, stress level and sleep analysis.

The only disadvantage when purchasing was the USB-C charging cable that did not fit into a classic USB charger as standard. But luckily there is a connector piece for that that only costs a few euros in the local trinket shop.

In addition to the pros and cons mentioned, I chose this watch because you could listen to Spotify while running without taking your smartphone with you.

Works without problems, clear menu and operation