The fitness tracker most amateur athletes should buy

After three weeks with Garmin’s newest Vivoactive 6, I’m fairly convinced it’s the fitness tracking watch most amateur athletes should buy. Not because it does everything, but because it does exactly what matters, without overcomplicating your wrist (or torching your wallet). The brand’s higher-end wearables like the Fenix and Epix lines come packed with maps, metrics, and battery stats to withstand a multi-week expedition, but unless you’re training for a back-country sabbatical, the Vivoactive 6 is lighter, more comfortable, and every bit as reliable.

The Vivoactive 5 was a major leap over the 4, introducing an AMOLED display and new health features. The Vivoactive 6 continues that momentum with a more polished interface, expanded workout tools, and thoughtful refinements that make it an even better fit for everyday athletes.

The most immediately apparent change is the device’s completely revamped user interface. Garmin redesigned the settings, controls, and overall navigation system to be more intuitive, giving the Vivoactive line a smoother, more modern feel. If you’re new to Garmin devices, you’ll likely appreciate the layout. However, if you’ve been using Garmin watches for years like I have, you might feel a bit thrown off as your muscle memory adjusts.

To be honest, I found the changes frustrating at first, and while I’ve mostly adjusted, I still occasionally fumble for old shortcuts that no longer exist. I am only now getting used to a long press not taking me to my settings.

Cosmetically, the Vivoactive 6 stuck to the 5’s single 42mm case size (instead of going back to two options like the 4), which is disappointing. Fortunately, it’s a comfortable middle ground for most wrist sizes; not too oversized or too petite. The build itself is sleek and minimalist, with a tweaked button design I really like. Overall, the device is slightly more casual than the Venu 3’s upscale look without going too cheap. It is available in four colors, including the Jasper Green pictured above, a soft pink, and two neutrals. For all-day wear, I found the watch very comfortable and incredibly lightweight (just 23g) compared to almost every other watch I own, especially during workouts.

On that front, Garmin expanded the device’s sport profile options, adding about 50 new workout types. This gives the Vivoactive family more versatility, even if it isn’t an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink lineup. Garmin also improved the device’s customizable data pages so you can now add up to eight data fields per screen instead of just four. I was personally excited to see animated workouts return to the lineup, which I like to use for HIIT sessions.

Meanwhile, for avid runners, the watch now supports the brand’s PacePro and Running Dynamics (ground contact time, stride length, etc.). These features are readily available on Garmin’s higher-end models, so it’s nice to see them trickle down to the Vivoactive series. I dipped into the device’s added navigation options for following routes (breadcrumb style), which are useful albeit simple. Like the Venu series, there are still no maps here.

For walkers, the watch adds Daily suggested workouts, though I found these often underestimated what I was up for doing each day. Then again, I love to walk excessively and maybe Garmin knows better what is actually a healthy amount. Notably, the watch does not feature a barometric altimeter, so if you want to track altitude on your hikes, you’ll need something higher up in Garmin’s range.

Finally, for sleeping off more grueling workouts I was excited by the addition of Smart Wake Alarm, which is relatively new to the Garmin ecosystem. The watch uses sleep data to wake users during a lighter stage of sleep within a set window (up to 30 minutes before your chosen alarm time). It may sound like a subtle feature, but it can make a real difference in how rested you feel when you wake up. You also can choose to use the feature or not from alarm to alarm. Compared to a regular alarm in your list, one with Smart Wake enabled features a star icon.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get many nights of adequate sleep during this review, so Garmin rarely saw fit to wake me earlier than the last possible moment (my set time). Still, I appreciated the personalized approach and look forward to more restful nights ahead. For now, the alarm haptics weren’t too jarring while managing to wake me up without disturbing my partner.

As always, features are fairly meaningless without accuracy. While some features, like perceived exertion or even sleep stages, are either subjective or hard to verify, others are quite straightforward.

On the heart rate tracking front, I was disappointed to see the watch land without Garmin’s latest Elevated heart rate sensor. This means we don’t get ECG support like on the Venu 3, and also just simply don’t get the most powerful heart rate tracking tech available. That might not matter to most casual users, but if you’re interested in ECG functionality or need more advanced heart metrics for medical or training purposes, this could be a dealbreaker. It also keeps the Vivoactive 6 and 5 more similar than I was hoping.

I tested the device’s heart rate tracking in a variety of conditions including everything from long outdoor runs to high-intensity interval training, and for the most part, it consistently delivered accurate data. However, it did occasionally struggle during weight lifting and rowing, both of which can put more strain on your wrist. You can see in the graph above where the watch dropped off rather than keeping up with my dedicated chest strap. This was surprising to me as I’ve always found Garmin devices largely very reliable. It is possible it could be a fit issue, however, and I’m keen to continue testing.

Likewise, GPS accuracy is another Vivoactive 6 highlight. I tested the watch on a mix of city runs, trail hikes, and suburban loops, and tracking was consistently spot-on. Its signal locked on quickly and without issue. According to its specs, the watch features updated GPS, (adding Beidou & QZSS), but I didn’t notice any significant change.

It still does not feature dual frequency like Garmin’s pricier models, and though it generally performs as well as devices that do, there might be some cases where it won’t. In that map above, for example, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 traced my actual route, a tree-lined neighborhood run, while the Vivoactive 6 recorded me slightly off my route and at one point, on the wrong side of the road.

The Vivoactive 6 excels as a fitness-first device for athletes who want a reliable, comfortable workout companion at a good price. As a smartwatch, the Vivoactive 6 keeps things minimal. You get smart notifications, music storage, and contactless payments, which is enough for me to head out without my phone or wallet. There’s still no speaker or mic onboard for phone calls or voice assistants and certainly no LTE support like I was hoping.

Yet, call me fickle, but I actually found that to be a plus. The stripped-down approach keeps me focused on what Garmin does best (tracking my fitness) without layering on distractions or features I rarely use. I didn’t miss the temptation to fire off elaborate texts, or the ability to answer calls from my wrist. In fact, I appreciated the sense of separation when heading out for a run.

Additionally, without power-hungry smart features like voice assistants or LTE, battery life holds steady, offering the same 11 days in smartwatch mode and up to 21 hours with GPS as the previous generation. Those are impressive specs when you consider the device’s bright AMOLED display. In testing, the watch averaged closer to five days with always-on mode enabled and daily GPS workouts, putting my Pixel Watch 3 and Apple Watch Series 10 to shame.

I started this review stating that the Vivoactive 6 is the Garmin tracker most athletes should buy, and I stand by it. It nails the basics, skips the fluff, and helps me focus on fitness mid-workout. It’s also light, comfortable, and packed with just enough smart features to keep things convenient without draining battery. It’s not a full-on smartwatch, but I didn’t miss silencing phone calls at the gym or getting distracted by apps. What I got instead was a reliable training partner that packs in many of Garmin’s best tools. For $299, that’s not bad.

If you’re chasing serious trail maps or want a wrist-based assistant, Garmin’s more full-featured lines will serve you better. The Venu 3 ($449.99 at Amazon) packs in a few more smart features and ECG support. The latest Fenix 8 ($999.99 at Amazon) comes loaded with advanced training features and detailed mapping. There are also a variety of Forerunner models to consider. In other words, Garmin’s stable is a crowded one.

Outside the house of Garmin, the Apple Watch SE ($269.99 at Amazon) is a great pick for iOS users who want a few more smart features while still accessing accurate fitness tracking. Google’s Pixel Watch 3 ($349.99 at Amazon) is a pricier, but equally solid smartwatch option for Android phone users.