Garmin's hot new Vivoactive 5 smartwatch comes with a high-quality screen and great price

Can you believe it's already time for yet another smartwatch announcement from industry veteran Garmin? You probably can if you happened to catch yesterday's incredibly detailed Vivoactive 5 leak, but otherwise, it's certainly a little surprising to see this latest Apple Watch alternative unveiled mere weeks on the heels of the undeniably stylish Venu 3 and Venu 3S and just a few months after the decidedly muscular Epix Pro and Fenix 7 Pro powerhouses.Of course, the Vivoactive 4 and 4S were starting to get a bit long in the tooth, having gone official all the way back in the fall of 2019, so with that in mind, we shouldn't be too shocked that a new member of the affordable "mainstream" smartwatch family is now here with a revised design and vastly improved list of features... at a lower price.

Wait, what?!

It's true, the Garmin Vivoactive 5 is up for grabs in the US at $299.99 in four eye-catching color combinations, remarkably going down from the $349.99 list price of the 45mm Vivoactive 4 and 40mm Vivoactive 4S. 

With a 42mm case, this freshly announced Android and iOS-compatible intelligent timepiece technically slots neatly between its two forerunners, although its overall thickness and product weight are somehow both reduced from those of the smaller Vivoactive 4S.

The reasonably thin and lightweight Vivoactive 5 seems to come with a considerably less pronounced bezel made from anodized aluminum rather than stainless steel, as well as a largely unchanged fiber-reinforced polymer and an always popular, flexible, and reliable silicone band in your choice of black, ivory, navy, and orchid hues.

The straps are made to more or less match the paint jobs of the Vivoactive 5's case and bezel (save for the white band that is paired with a swanky cream gold bezel), and all in all, Garmin appears to have made the impossible possible here, maintaining the family's identity while refining its design and cutting down on unnecessary bulk.

But the most impressive Vivoactive 5 upgrade (especially considering its lower price) is undoubtedly the 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen "inspired" by the Venu roster, which supports optional Always-On technology while sporting a nice resolution of 390 x 390 pixels.

The Vivoactive 5 can last how long?!?

We all know that smartwatches with higher-quality displays generally offer weaker battery life than wearable devices equipped with inferior screen technology, but somehow, that's not the case here, as the Vivoactive 5 actually promises to bump up the Vivoactive 4's already solid 8-day endurance score to an even more astounding 11 days.

That's (way) more than a week of use that you can squeeze out of this bad boy's battery between charges in "smartwatch mode", with GPS connectivity reducing that number to 21 hours, which is still a lot better than what all of the best smartwatches out there from Apple and Samsung are capable of.

Much like the Venu 3 (which is pricier as well), the latest Garmin smartwatch can automatically detect and monitor your naps in addition to your nightly sleep while keeping an eye on everything from your body battery energy to your blood oxygen saturation, stress levels, respiration, hydration, and good old fashioned heart rate around the clock too.

That's not all, mind you, as a new sleep coach feature will go above and beyond to help you get more rest, with a Wheelchair Mode also present to supervise specific activities for a previously ignored category of users. All in all, we're not going to lie or try to downplay how impressed we are by the (apparent) value provided by the Garmin Vivoactive 5 for not a lot of money. It's almost like the Venu 3 has no reason to exist anymore... apart from a slightly more premium design and an admittedly handy built-in speaker and microphone.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.

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