Garmin vívoactive 5: Why it's better than the vívoactive 4

The Garmin vívoactive 4 was my first-ever Garmin. My first leap away from a Fitbit into what felt like more serious running watch territory. It was love at first sight, but it wasn't long before I noticed its shortcomings.

Then came the Garmin vívoactive 5 — a completely different watch packed with all the features the vívoactive 4 felt like it was missing. The vívoactive 4 has since been discontinued (RIP to my first Garmin love). That's unsurprising given how far the lineup has come, now with the vívoactive 6 leading the way.

For me the vívoactive 5 feels like the natural evolution, finally delivering the fitness tools the vívoactive 4 always seemed to lack.

Style-wise, the vívoactive 5 is much less clunky than the vívoactive 4. It feels like it closes the gap between fitness tracker and stylish smartwatch much better than the 4. It's sleek and bright, and definitely feels like the best of both worlds. In this way, I feel like it resembles the Venu 3.

The 5 is also a great option for battery life, lasting up to 11 days in smartwatch mode and around 18 hours with continuous GPS. This follows the trend of some of Garmin's higher-end watches, like the Forerunner range, and makes daily use so much easier without constant charging.

And as you'd expect from Garmin, the stats and tracking features are next level. And it offers an advanced range of health metrics, including heart rate, SpO2, stress levels, and detailed sleep analysis. The watch also provides smart notifications, music controls, and contactless payments.

So, is the Garmin vívoactive 5 worth the upgrade?

In short, yes. This isn't to say to throw your perfectly working vívoactive 4 in the trash, but when the time comes, the vívoactive 5 is 100% worthy of your cash. Several Amazon reviews even claim to "love it" as an upgrade from their vívoactive 4.

The most obvious reason? The new AMOLED display. Now, I'm a big believer in not needing an AMOLED display on a fitness tracker; in fact, my favorite Garmin has an MIP screen. But the age and hardware of the vívoactive 4 means it's not the brightest or most colorful MIP screen, so immediately the vívoactive 5 feels like a massive upgrade on the eyes.

But one of the major additions that I think makes the Garmin vívoactive 5 a better watch is the several advanced recovery and fitness tools that were previously saved for Garmin’s higher-end models.

Training Readiness stands out in particular, one of my favorite Garmin metrics. This data combines your sleep quality, HRV status, recent activity, recovery time, and stress levels to give you a daily score showing how ready your body is to train. Of course, working out to feel is far more important than a number on a watch, but this feature helps you avoid overtraining and make smarter decisions about when to push and when to rest. This is a feature I always missed on my vívoactive 4, and what ultimately led to my upgrade.

The Vivoactive 5 also includes Workout Benefit (which tells you whether your session improved endurance, strength, etc.) and Recovery Time. Again, always listen to your body first over a Garmin, but the Recovery Time helps you visualize the impact training and rest have had on your body so far. This is particularly useful when you kick training up a notch for a marathon or triathlon. It reminds you that rest is OK, and very much needed.

The Vivoactive 4 lacks these key features. Combined with HRV status, Sleep Coach, nap detection, and more detailed Body Battery insights, the vívoactive 5 feels like a much more serious fitness watch, and these tools alone make it worthy of upgrade consideration.

What the Garmin vívoactive 5 doesn't have

It's not all sunshine and daisies with the vívoactive 5. There's one thing it lacks that the vívoactive 4 does not: an altimeter. An altimeter is a sensor that measures elevation, essentially how high you are above sea level. In fitness trackers, it helps count how many floors you’ve climbed or tracks the elevation you've gained in hikes or runs.

This is a surprising omission from Garmin, especially with the addition of high-end training metrics that makes it feel like an advanced option. The altimeter is especially important for trail runners, where elevation really matters. Yes, the built-in GPS will monitor the elevation to some degree, but it is famously not as accurate. It's a disappointing step down from the vívoactive 4.

If an altimeter is something you really want, check out the Garmin Forerunner 955 or even the Fitbit Versa 4, but if totally accurate elevation stats aren't important to you, we still think the vívoactive 5 is a great watch.

Where to buy the Garmin vívoactive 5

You can find the Garmin vívoactive 5 at many retailers. At Amazon and Walmart, you can find it priced at $189.99. At Best Buy, it is priced at $249.95. Keep an eye out for discounts and sales, as this model is regularly reduced.