Garmin vivosmart 5 – Next generation entry-level fitness tracker
Garmin hasn’t launched the vivosmart 5 yet, but as a non-disclosure agreement with the US regulatory authority FCC has been expired lately, you already get a good overview of the small fitness tracker to come.
Garmin vivosmart 5 (Source: winfuture.de)
The vivosmart 5 is a small fitness band that looks a lot like its predecessor. The monochrome OLED display has been enlarged by 66% compared to the vivosmart 4. It can be brought to life by double-tapping on it or by turning the wrist. To save energy the display switches off again after a short moment. The battery will last up to 7 days.
Once activated, the vivosmart 5 displays one of the watchfaces that you can choose from. These do not only show the time and date but also vital data or statistics of the day.
vivosmart 5 – What’s new?
The photos published by the FCC give the impression that the vivosmart 5 features Garmin’s latest Elevate V4 sensor. The sensor is significantly faster, more accurate, and more power-efficient than its predecessor. Otherwise, the photos do not reveal much about changes in the hardware.
As for the functions offered, the product’s manual provides pretty good information.
Security and tracking functions
The security and tracking functions are certainly among the most important additions to the small wearable. If the vivosmart 5 is paired with a smartphone, you can share your current position with friends and family via the live tracking feature. As the vivosmart 5 does not have a GPS chip on its own, it can use the smartphone to use its GPS signal. So in the end live tracking is not really implemented by the watch but mainly by the smartphone app.
A paired smartphone is also necessary for incident management. While the vivosmart 5 is able to detect falls and automatically triggers sending out notifications to emergency contacts, it still requires the smartphone’s Internet access to do so. Additionally, notifications can be triggered manually by pressing the button.
Morning report
Upon waking, the vivosmart 5 displays a morning report that shows information about sleep, weather, menstrual cycle, and/or pregnancy. The report also lists upcoming appointments to get a quick overview of the day.
Prices and availability
There are some online retailers already listing the Garmin vivosmart 5 for $149.99. In my opinion, this is rather pricey for a fitness band. Sure you get access to Garmin’s powerful Connect platform but I cannot see any features that are worth the surcharge of $60. The vivosmart 4 is on sale for about $50.
In terms of color, you can at least choose between the interchangeable wristbands in black, white and mint green. You may choose between a variants for small and large wrists.
