Hey EVERYONE! The new successor to this watch is out and it's the Venu 2 with upgraded hardware sensors. Check out my full review here ruclips.net/video/2R8rWeEPDRE/видео.html
I have both, it depends... the sleep score and the live widgets on the venu 2 are very good. The widgets on the vivoactive 4 are static and there is no sleep score. But I LOVE the MIP always on display on the vivoactive 4 way more than the AMOLED on the venu 2. The best watch would be a venu 2 with a MIP display. Looking forward for a new vivoactive 5 with new sensors and live widgets. I do not know which watch I keep. I update this post :D
Been beating my head on the table looking at the Fenix, Forerunner, Vivoactive the last week. Every review gave me tons about how the running and trails and stuff worked and less about the functionality. This review was everything I wanted to decide on what I really needed. Great job.
This is among the very best reviews I've ever seen on RUclips. You were very thorough, very honest, and you provided tons of very useful information. Just an excellent job. Thanks!
Very well done review. I've had my vivoactive 4 for 4 months now and I loved every minute of it. One thing that you do in your video is get upset with its Smartwatch features. For example not being able to use speech. I purchased this watch not for the Smartwatch capabilities like that. I chose Garmin as a GPS first watch with it sport abilities first and it's smart features second. I feel that this watch is not made like a Samsung or an Apple Watch on purpose. I think that the smart features like notifications or accessing anything on your phone is secondary to its ability to track your Fitness or your location or the activity that you're doing. I think that's what sets this watch apart from other smart watches. As much as those features like speech or more access to your phone would be nice I think they would take away from what Garmin is trying to do with the watch like this. That's actually what I tell my friends when I suggest this watch to them is that is that much better because it's not technically a "phone watch", like an iWatch, it's an active watch. Great review thank you for the time you put into this!
I understand what you are saying, whitgoose, but who wants two watches they have to keep swapping out - why can't you have one that does it all (to a high standard)?
@@ASPIRE1355LC fair enough. If you want to spend the coin, they have "better" watches. I think, like all things, it's just a matter of preference. For me, I don't want to be connected to my phone all the time. There is freedom in it being just for me and my workouts/adventures!
Fantastic review. No fluffing about or over dramatic nonsense. Straight, to the point review. Absolutely incredible. Immediate subscription. Keep this up!
Hey I never comment on videos but I wanted to say that you went above and beyond! Totally great review and it definitely let's me know the problems I'm likely to find when I get the watch so it's great to know before I get it!
I was thinking about getting foreRunner 945 looking at that price you can get Venu and vivoactive 4 then you can switch between the two and have no battery problems.
This is the best review i've ever seen. You answered all my questions in one video! Thanks for all the effort you put into this vid. My vivoactive 4 arrives tomorrow. :))
@@rafas3444 i returned it since the touchscreen kept doing random things while using it in the rain or while using it during activities like kayak. I bought a Forerunner 245, and I'm very happy with that one. The Vivoactive is, in my opinion, still one of the most beautifull watches Garmin makes. Also it has a very good price for all the functions it has got. So if you don't plan on using it during watersports and can live with the touch that sometimes is a little wonky, I can definitly recommend the beautifull Vivoactive 4! Let me know if you have any questions. :)
@@JSyntax I have two native-English-speaking friends who pronounce it that way. Both of them had speech therapy as small children, so I've always wondered whether it's a result of speech-therapy techniques. The trick is to put your tongue in the "t" position but cut off the air (do a glottal stop) until you start the "n" so you end up with "but'ns".
The pin for your Garmin Pay is the only security provided. But you only have to enter the pin once (you can do that at your home) unless you took off your watch - then the watch will recognize it and want you to enter the pin again. That's a cool feature preventing someone else to pay with your watch, don't you think? :) I'm at the halfway through your review, as you can tell by the garmin pay I'm mentioning, and so far it's a great review! Your voice is pleasant to hear
Wish WearOS followed this, instead pin is required for any watch usage! Plus one for Garmin, along with between battery light with always on display :D
Usually 45 minutes is too long time for a youtube-video according to me. This time however... It was perfect! Great review! Tanks! (Just what I needed) 👍
This was exactly what I was looking for in a review of the Vivoactive 4S! I really appreciate all the time you took and the depth of detail you provided about this watch and your personal experience using it. Thank you so much!
I realize this video is over 3 years old but i just got a vivo active 4 and I love it so much. Coming from a Fossil HR collider watch that had 2 weeks if battery this vivo4 with 5-6 day battery life is just the right amount of upgrade in features with just a slight hit to battery that I was looking for!
A very professional review in my honest opinion. Thank you a lot for the time and energy you've put into this! It was a long one, but with a lot of useful details. I was looking for something like this.
Incredible review! I'm upgrading from my past to Fitbit Wristbands And I'm excited that I purchased a lightly used Vivo active 4. I was ready to buy a new fitbit due to my silent alarm not working any longer or vibrating. But now you need to pay for paid subscription. I can't yet justify a paid subscription. In a previous life I was a long distance runner and hope to get back in shape. I'm very excited to not have to carry my phone to log my miles on GPS. Thanks again for this awesome review. I look forward to watching your other content.
As you get more fit, your VO2 max (amount of oxygen your blood can displace) increases. Because of this, the amount of breathes you take in a minute decreases as well because your body is more efficient at moving blood. So, as your Breathes per Minute decreases, the likely the more fit you are.
I'm looking for answers to the question posed about how the watch knows how many breaths you take. Is what you're saying here, that the breaths per minute, is an estimation based on VO2 max? I suppose that factoring in your pulse could make that calculation more accurate, though I suppose that flow factors in as well.
Thanks, that was a very in-depth review. Great that you really went into the nitty gritty of the menus and how things are hidden and less intuitive than they should be. And dividing the videos to different parts ! Some reviewers do a 40 min review and you've to sift through which part manually
I dont usually comment but when you talked about how you have to switch between the bluetooth source for headphones and the phones I wanted to show some appreciation. Real world observation for real people, and helped me between forerunner 245 music vs non music. I find your content really authentic and relateable to how most people use these devices. Thanks for the hard work!
the watch that my dad had, an omega gènevè , is as big as this 4S so it's a masculine size! Things are one could say unisex nowadays and people can chose what fits them the best! Have a great time and a great review!
Best review Ive seen yet! It is clear you understand the watches ins and outs because you actually used it. Most other reviewers buy it, use it for a few days and then give their opinion with whatever generalized information is on the site. Honestly anyone could do something like this so its not helpful. I really wanted to know what the watch would be like for someone who uses it regularly and has an active life so that I can fully grasp the pros and cons as if I owned it myself. I really cant appreciate enough you taking the time to make a stellar, dedicated review! Needless to say definitely ordering the vivoactive 4s after researching a few smartwatches!
Loved the review. Pulse Ox is a normal medical term. Garmin didnt create it. I use it all the time at work. Also Sat (blood oxygen saturation). Just so you are aware. :)
Have just enjoyed listening to your beautifully delivered and very informative Vivoactive 4 video a second time - it’s that good! Thanks very much for producing it.
Just hold down your finger anywhere in music player widget. Pop-up menu appears and there you can select music source. Simple and easy! No need to go through watch settings to change that.
Great review, many thanks. Just to add, the respiration rate is calculated off the changes in you heart rate as you breath in and out, also known as heart rate variability (HRV), the same principle used for Stress tracking and the Body battery function.
Wow, this is extremely helpful! Even though I'm 2-3 years behind, this watch is on sale now and your video helped me feel confident in selecting this watch. Thanks for all your work and the time you put into this video!
Thank you kindly for this exceptionally thorough review. In terms of smart assistants, voice input and such, would require a microphone, and surely heavier software, more CPU power, memory and such, and adding - if nothing else - weight, and battery drainage. I for one, am very excited about the fact that it doesn't offer voice assistants, as I'm creeped out by, and opposed to, all the spying from google, amazon, apple, facebook, etc., and I don't trust that they don't find some way of using data collected on anything they're installed on. I'm happy that devices like this exists; devices that allows you to leave your phone, and all the spying, yet provides you with a lot of the functionality you get in a phone. I know many people says that if you don't have anything to hide, then you shouldn't mind, and I don't have anything to hide - but to me it's about having the choice (sorry for the rant - thought it somewhat relevant to voice a different view, in case Garmin should be taking notes on comments - and also, as you're a developer, it might help you to know these views, too). Anyhow - this watch is perfectly tailored for running, with the features it offers and the ones it doesn't, so based on your review, I'm definitely getting this watch! Again, thank you for the thorough review - never have I seen any, as useful and thorough as this! Hopefully, with updates, it'll become more accurate in terms of detecting training, and hopefully they'll update the UI, with some of your suggestions.
Hey, I loved your review. Ended up ordering one myself and I also prefer the smaller version. So far I am very happy with the watch. My only cons so far are not being able to record naps and a somewhat low battery life when being a heavy user of many features simultaneously.
Great review. First time I have seen one of your reviews. I loved your honesty. You were willing to describe what works for you and what does not matter. Great job. Take Care Be Well Gordon
Wow what an amazingly detailed review. Thanks! I have a Vivoactive 2 and use mine 24 hours too. My most important metric is resting heart rate and with a snoring issue...i am leaning to a Cpap. I will purchase a Vivoactive 4 because of your review. Thanks!
IMHO the PIN is necessary to prevent thief to use your Garmin pay. Apple pay or Google pay relies on the phone authentication for that. Thank you for the very detailed video.
I'm loving this watch. I use the "Glance" watch face and also replaced my band with a titanium matte black, no gap metal bracelet. I am a traditional analog watch guy and have a decent collection of Swiss watches. I rarely use them anymore unless I want to wear something fancy for an occasion.
Finally an in depth review for Vivoactive 4. This is the first! And well documented, quality oriented. I am also very interested in sleep tracking in smartwatches, thanks for covering this with all the infos!
A thorough in-depth review and well researched. Clear, well-articulated, you gave your own personal preference, which is fine, I can take your personal comments to my own usage. Will buy G.V4. Thanks for the hard work!
Fantastic review, really appreciate the time and effort you put into this. Wish I'd come across it sooner. I think this review in combination with DCrainmaker's or Techy Agent's covers everything you would want to know before purchase. 👍
Thanks for the review. Very thorough and well explained. My thought about how many people have pointed out that some features are not user friendly because you have to dig deep into the menu to find items is that there’s a lot of functions and at some point something gets buried deep in menus. Several of the items you mentioned, such as needing to go deep into menus to switch from streaming directly from your watch to controlling the music on your phone, that is something I don’t believe I would be bouncing back and forth through often. So with a limited number of fast access functions a decision had to be made to put something in the menus then how far down in the list of menus. Honestly, if every function of that watch was in a quick access screen then nothing would be quick access anymore. You would be swiping all day or memorizing several dozen button/swipe combinations to find the function you want. Still, good review, thanks again.
I'm going to make a video to address this. I found out you can long press the bottom button to access the setting for music provider. I will make a correction video along with a 2020 update.
JSyntax, to be honest I think the touch screen will make navigating much easier. I am looking at this model to upgrade to my Forerunner 235 which is starting to glitch out and is literally nothing but a watch anymore since the thing will no longer sync with any of my devices. I wish so many times it was as simple as touch screen because the four buttons become aggravating when digging into those deep menus. Look forward to the update videos.
Hello. Someone probably already answered this by now. Tracking your respirations can help identify hypopnea otherwise known as decreased respirations. This is extremely helpful in detecting sleep apnea. It can also be used to make settings adjustments to cpap machines. Hope this helps. Thanks for the video. You did a great job.
Great review! I've had my 4s for a couple days now and completely agree with you on what they do great and what needs improvement, specifically the always on display and wishing Garmin would offer data analysis/insight. I just transitioned from a Fitbit versa and I miss the data insight Fitbit provides. I don't find Garmin pay to be as cumbersome as you described though especially since I use it as my shortcut.
Awesome review! Very detail and practical insights. Certainly helps to make an informed buying decision. Keep up the good work and look forward to more of your reviews. Subscribed!
Great review and insight into the features on the watch - I used your review as I have the Venu, because it's the same beast under the hood, just with a slightly larger (43mm) AMOLED screen and an aluminium bezel - the feature I miss from my previous Garmin is the 'always-on' display without it killing the battery. As yet, I haven't had the Venu long enough to comment on the effect of having the screen always-on. To add to your comment about running - Even for semi-serious runners, it's still a good buy as it has plenty of running metrics, but far more all-round features. For me, being able to have music on the watch is a bonus as it means I don't need my smartphone if I want to listen to music whilst I'm out. I use Bose sport headphones which allow multiple devices to be paired, so don't suffer the annoyance of disconnecting and pairing with each device change. Thanks for a comprehensive review.
Great review, thanks really insightful and informative. I completely agree about the Apps and Garmin opening up in general. I believe they will increase sales by improving the number of apps and devices that they communicate with, I for one would really appreciate Garmin watches fully syncing with Concept 2 rowing machines.
Best in depth review of this watch. Keep in mind, what Garmin has done is still better than any other fitness device at this moment. You can pretty much throw all other apps away and use only Garmin which is a plus. I don't care much about not tracking the exercises correctly because, I know what I need to do in the gym. I find that if you preset your workout the tracking because 90%+ more accurate than just going in on a clean slate.
Great review! I am still doubting between the FR 245 and the Vivoactive 4S. What is your wrist size? This will give me some better perspecitve regarding the size. Thanks!
I appreciate the long review. Once in many review i stick arround and watch. You really put some effort to it. Great and complete. I have question. Have you ever max out battery by stop notification? .
From what I noticed the always on display does not actually represent the whole face watch, so it goes into this power saving mode and only showed the clock which defeat the whole purpose. At least that's what I gather from reading
I have the Garmin Venu. It has an always on setting but mine is just a black screen even though I have "always on" selected. I did some research and discovered that this does not work when your battery is low and does not work within your set sleep times but it never works on mine. On the forum I found people who had the Garmin Venu before me. I understood from the messages that the always on setting had worked previously but that an update caused the feature to no longer work. I bought mine less than 2 weeks ago and an update was available immediately. I chose the Venu because the always on setting was important to me. I have ordered the Vivoactive 4 as I'm not prepared to risk waiting to see whether the Venu works the way I had expected. There are a few things I don't like about the display so I have ordered the Garmin Vivoactive 4. I'm not sure whether the one I have is faulty. I'm going to try the Vivoactive 4 first then if I do decide to keep the Venu I will contact Garmin. If I prefer the Vivoactive I'm hoping it will all work as expected and that I won't need to waste time on the help line.
Thank you so much for this review. I have had the watch for about a month and have had a few issues which have all been mitigated because of your review ie. didn’t realise there was an auto activity tracker!! I also have sleep apnea (at age 19) and have found the pulseOX an amazing feature to see how my CPAP therapy helps me. Watched the full 45 mins!! Thanks again :)
Hey @JSyntax. Great review. As for naps, as far as I know, if you activate "Do not disturb" mode (the moon icon) at the beginning, it will track your naps as sleeping time. At least that's the case in other Garmins.
Within the first 10 mins I was convinced to purchase VivoActive 4, wish I had watched your review before purchasing the VivoSmart 4. After 1/2 a day of wearing VivoSmart 4 I realized I did not make a smart purchase. Great review!
@@JSyntax I'm still within the return period for the VivoSmart 4 so as soon as stores open up it's going back. The VivoActive 4 arrives in 5 days. Can't wait! I also agree with you on naps, they are the best. Take care!
when you compared the two devices for the oxygen saturation, the Vivoactive seems to be lower than the Lookee device. Would you say the Vivoactive is less accurate than the Lockee?
Its always been lower, even on other Garmin watches I tested. It's more of a relative change and trends that I'm looking at! Lookee may be more accurate since it's more secure on your finger than wrist which can move.
8:05 Lol "I don't think people run for 5 hours" You're right, try 12-30 hrs of running. I do 6-8 hrs on just training days. Good to know this isn't targeted for the ultra running community.
Respect for posting such a thorough and detailed review, tragic that you don't have the subscribers to reflect such hardwork meanwhile the dime a dozen trashcan tech reviewers who spend 10 minutes telling the viewer nothing useful have hundreds of thousands.
Idk you getting pissed about security features being inconvenient makes the future of wearables scary if they listen to people complaining about that. You can make pay a short cut with a simple swipe left and the pin code helps prevent someone from using your cards from a stolen watch...
Hey EVERYONE! The new successor to this watch is out and it's the Venu 2 with upgraded hardware sensors. Check out my full review here ruclips.net/video/2R8rWeEPDRE/видео.html
Hey so which one is better venu 2 or Vivoactive 4?
@@janelbertfelipe3803 vivoactive 4
The successor? It costs €400... The Vivoactive 4s is 240 euros.
I have both, it depends... the sleep score and the live widgets on the venu 2 are very good. The widgets on the vivoactive 4 are static and there is no sleep score. But I LOVE the MIP always on display on the vivoactive 4 way more than the AMOLED on the venu 2. The best watch would be a venu 2 with a MIP display. Looking forward for a new vivoactive 5 with new sensors and live widgets. I do not know which watch I keep. I update this post :D
Pulse Ox is accurate , I was just released from hospital and compared my Garmin to hospital results and the two were identical.
Been beating my head on the table looking at the Fenix, Forerunner, Vivoactive the last week. Every review gave me tons about how the running and trails and stuff worked and less about the functionality. This review was everything I wanted to decide on what I really needed. Great job.
Glad to have helped!
This is among the very best reviews I've ever seen on RUclips. You were very thorough, very honest, and you provided tons of very useful information. Just an excellent job. Thanks!
Thank you very much!
Very well done review. I've had my vivoactive 4 for 4 months now and I loved every minute of it. One thing that you do in your video is get upset with its Smartwatch features. For example not being able to use speech. I purchased this watch not for the Smartwatch capabilities like that. I chose Garmin as a GPS first watch with it sport abilities first and it's smart features second. I feel that this watch is not made like a Samsung or an Apple Watch on purpose. I think that the smart features like notifications or accessing anything on your phone is secondary to its ability to track your Fitness or your location or the activity that you're doing. I think that's what sets this watch apart from other smart watches. As much as those features like speech or more access to your phone would be nice I think they would take away from what Garmin is trying to do with the watch like this. That's actually what I tell my friends when I suggest this watch to them is that is that much better because it's not technically a "phone watch", like an iWatch, it's an active watch. Great review thank you for the time you put into this!
Thank you so much for your detailed comment it's very interesting and you have a lot of insights
I understand what you are saying, whitgoose, but who wants two watches they have to keep swapping out - why can't you have one that does it all (to a high standard)?
@@ASPIRE1355LC fair enough. If you want to spend the coin, they have "better" watches. I think, like all things, it's just a matter of preference. For me, I don't want to be connected to my phone all the time. There is freedom in it being just for me and my workouts/adventures!
Fantastic review. No fluffing about or over dramatic nonsense. Straight, to the point review. Absolutely incredible. Immediate subscription. Keep this up!
Hey I never comment on videos but I wanted to say that you went above and beyond! Totally great review and it definitely let's me know the problems I'm likely to find when I get the watch so it's great to know before I get it!
Thanks so much, your comment made the days of effort worth it! :)
I was thinking about getting foreRunner 945 looking at that price you can get Venu and vivoactive 4 then you can switch between the two and have no battery problems.
+1
This is the best review i've ever seen. You answered all my questions in one video! Thanks for all the effort you put into this vid. My vivoactive 4 arrives tomorrow. :))
And what are your impressions after a year of use?
@@rafas3444 i returned it since the touchscreen kept doing random things while using it in the rain or while using it during activities like kayak. I bought a Forerunner 245, and I'm very happy with that one. The Vivoactive is, in my opinion, still one of the most beautifull watches Garmin makes. Also it has a very good price for all the functions it has got. So if you don't plan on using it during watersports and can live with the touch that sometimes is a little wonky, I can definitly recommend the beautifull Vivoactive 4! Let me know if you have any questions. :)
7:03 i like how you say “buttons” 😆
i've been called out on this, and it really sucks that i cant pronounce it correctly. i dont know how tbh. eng is my native languuage too :(
You pronounce it better than 99% of people 😄
@@JSyntax Noooo don't say that. It sounds reaaally cute the way you say it. Buttons. So cute :D
@@JSyntax I have two native-English-speaking friends who pronounce it that way. Both of them had speech therapy as small children, so I've always wondered whether it's a result of speech-therapy techniques. The trick is to put your tongue in the "t" position but cut off the air (do a glottal stop) until you start the "n" so you end up with "but'ns".
@@total-rando wow thank you so much now I can pronounce it more appropriately now thinks the instructions
The pin for your Garmin Pay is the only security provided. But you only have to enter the pin once (you can do that at your home) unless you took off your watch - then the watch will recognize it and want you to enter the pin again. That's a cool feature preventing someone else to pay with your watch, don't you think? :)
I'm at the halfway through your review, as you can tell by the garmin pay I'm mentioning, and so far it's a great review! Your voice is pleasant to hear
Wish WearOS followed this, instead pin is required for any watch usage!
Plus one for Garmin, along with between battery light with always on display :D
Usually 45 minutes is too long time for a youtube-video according to me. This time however... It was perfect!
Great review! Tanks! (Just what I needed) 👍
Wow... 45min? It's so long haha. Thanks tho for your support
This was exactly what I was looking for in a review of the Vivoactive 4S! I really appreciate all the time you took and the depth of detail you provided about this watch and your personal experience using it. Thank you so much!
Thank you for your kind words!
I realize this video is over 3 years old but i just got a vivo active 4 and I love it so much. Coming from a Fossil HR collider watch that had 2 weeks if battery this vivo4 with 5-6 day battery life is just the right amount of upgrade in features with just a slight hit to battery that I was looking for!
Absolutely agreed. Best value smartwatch. It just works.
A very professional review in my honest opinion. Thank you a lot for the time and energy you've put into this! It was a long one, but with a lot of useful details. I was looking for something like this.
Wow thank you so much for your kind words
Incredible review! I'm upgrading from my past to Fitbit Wristbands And I'm excited that I purchased a lightly used Vivo active 4.
I was ready to buy a new fitbit due to my silent alarm not working any longer or vibrating. But now you need to pay for paid subscription. I can't yet justify a paid subscription.
In a previous life I was a long distance runner and hope to get back in shape. I'm very excited to not have to carry my phone to log my miles on GPS. Thanks again for this awesome review. I look forward to watching your other content.
This is the most detailed review of any product Ive seen so far on youtube. Amazing work! Currently waiting for my brand new VivoActive4s.
Thank you, it took so long to make but it's my passion
As you get more fit, your VO2 max (amount of oxygen your blood can displace) increases. Because of this, the amount of breathes you take in a minute decreases as well because your body is more efficient at moving blood.
So, as your Breathes per Minute decreases, the likely the more fit you are.
I'm looking for answers to the question posed about how the watch knows how many breaths you take. Is what you're saying here, that the breaths per minute, is an estimation based on VO2 max?
I suppose that factoring in your pulse could make that calculation more accurate, though I suppose that flow factors in as well.
Class review, and probably the most in depth one I have found. Top work!
Don't normally comment, just wanted to say boss level review with enormous amount of detail and 'drill downs' into features. Cheers for the content!
Thanks, that was a very in-depth review. Great that you really went into the nitty gritty of the menus and how things are hidden and less intuitive than they should be. And dividing the videos to different parts ! Some reviewers do a 40 min review and you've to sift through which part manually
I dont usually comment but when you talked about how you have to switch between the bluetooth source for headphones and the phones I wanted to show some appreciation. Real world observation for real people, and helped me between forerunner 245 music vs non music. I find your content really authentic and relateable to how most people use these devices. Thanks for the hard work!
In a latest update they make it easier to switch between headphones sources so I might have been a little too harsh on this aspect
@@JSyntax so would you say forerunner 245 music is worth the extra money, no finicking with switching bluetooth headphone connectivity?
I like how this guy pronounces but'ten
Ravi. bhawan
I was thinking the exact same thing 😂
Lol I thought I was the only 🤣
It's so cute! We love it! 🙂
little smiles in the middle of words too, Canadians have a certain charm a'boat themselves
the watch that my dad had, an omega gènevè , is as big as this 4S so it's a masculine size! Things are one could say unisex nowadays and people can chose what fits them the best! Have a great time and a great review!
agreed! i love a smaller watch to be less instrusive
Dude, I cant imagine anything not looking good on you ;)
And thanks for the long and detailed vid!
Best review Ive seen yet! It is clear you understand the watches ins and outs because you actually used it. Most other reviewers buy it, use it for a few days and then give their opinion with whatever generalized information is on the site. Honestly anyone could do something like this so its not helpful. I really wanted to know what the watch would be like for someone who uses it regularly and has an active life so that I can fully grasp the pros and cons as if I owned it myself. I really cant appreciate enough you taking the time to make a stellar, dedicated review!
Needless to say definitely ordering the vivoactive 4s after researching a few smartwatches!
Loved the review.
Pulse Ox is a normal medical term. Garmin didnt create it. I use it all the time at work. Also Sat (blood oxygen saturation). Just so you are aware. :)
Have just enjoyed listening to your beautifully delivered and very informative Vivoactive 4 video a second time - it’s that good! Thanks very much for producing it.
This was the best review I found! Many thanks and greetings from Cologne, Germany!
One of the best reviews on a product i have seen.
Well done.
Just hold down your finger anywhere in music player widget. Pop-up menu appears and there you can select music source. Simple and easy! No need to go through watch settings to change that.
Was this changed? Don't see the popup on the 4s
A lot of work went in to making this review. Thank you so much. You got a new subscriber!
Great review, many thanks. Just to add, the respiration rate is calculated off the changes in you heart rate as you breath in and out, also known as heart rate variability (HRV), the same principle used for Stress tracking and the Body battery function.
just keep on posting bruh. there are still people like us who want to see your videos. thank you for the efforts. 🔥💪💪💪👍👍👍👍
Thank you so much for this review! It was really helpful, detailed and actually, I could watch this all day. :) Thank you!
You are welcome! Thanks for commenting!
Hands down one of the best reviews! Answered all my questions.
That's some of the nicest thing I ever heard in my life
Osom review, Mate! I always do a "full scan" of stuff that I'm buying, and this review is all that is needed before buying gadgets for this price.
Wow, this is extremely helpful! Even though I'm 2-3 years behind, this watch is on sale now and your video helped me feel confident in selecting this watch. Thanks for all your work and the time you put into this video!
You're very welcome!
Now that's how to do a review. Top Class
excellent review. very helpful. my fitbit literally broke apart while I was swimming last week. Buying the 4s.
Nice!
Thank you kindly for this exceptionally thorough review.
In terms of smart assistants, voice input and such, would require a microphone, and surely heavier software, more CPU power, memory and such, and adding - if nothing else - weight, and battery drainage.
I for one, am very excited about the fact that it doesn't offer voice assistants, as I'm creeped out by, and opposed to, all the spying from google, amazon, apple, facebook, etc., and I don't trust that they don't find some way of using data collected on anything they're installed on. I'm happy that devices like this exists; devices that allows you to leave your phone, and all the spying, yet provides you with a lot of the functionality you get in a phone. I know many people says that if you don't have anything to hide, then you shouldn't mind, and I don't have anything to hide - but to me it's about having the choice (sorry for the rant - thought it somewhat relevant to voice a different view, in case Garmin should be taking notes on comments - and also, as you're a developer, it might help you to know these views, too).
Anyhow - this watch is perfectly tailored for running, with the features it offers and the ones it doesn't, so based on your review, I'm definitely getting this watch! Again, thank you for the thorough review - never have I seen any, as useful and thorough as this!
Hopefully, with updates, it'll become more accurate in terms of detecting training, and hopefully they'll update the UI, with some of your suggestions.
Amen to this rant!
This is the most complete review I've seen. Thanks!
Hey, I loved your review. Ended up ordering one myself and I also prefer the smaller version. So far I am very happy with the watch. My only cons so far are not being able to record naps and a somewhat low battery life when being a heavy user of many features simultaneously.
Yes lack of naps is a little disappointing but I stopped napping because it was very bad for my sleep schedule and health.
Love the insights ! The effort to review reflects honesty about the product. Already bought it. Thanks for the review !
Great review. First time I have seen one of your reviews. I loved your honesty. You were willing to describe what works for you and what does not matter. Great job. Take Care Be Well Gordon
The Garmin is having a sale for christmas. I just ordered mine for $215. Thanks for all the info. Excited to receive this.
Woot!
This is an absolutely brilliant review. Thank you so much for taking your time to make such an insightful review
Wow what an amazingly detailed review. Thanks! I have a Vivoactive 2 and use mine 24 hours too. My most important metric is resting heart rate and with a snoring issue...i am leaning to a Cpap. I will purchase a Vivoactive 4 because of your review. Thanks!
Enjoy! What size tho ?
IMHO the PIN is necessary to prevent thief to use your Garmin pay. Apple pay or Google pay relies on the phone authentication for that. Thank you for the very detailed video.
I'm loving this watch. I use the "Glance" watch face and also replaced my band with a titanium matte black, no gap metal bracelet. I am a traditional analog watch guy and have a decent collection of Swiss watches. I rarely use them anymore unless I want to wear something fancy for an occasion.
Most informative and useful review on the VA4 I have seen well done !
The larger version is surprisingly light on the wrist and easy to read .
Finally an in depth review for Vivoactive 4. This is the first! And well documented, quality oriented. I am also very interested in sleep tracking in smartwatches, thanks for covering this with all the infos!
Just bought the vivoactive 4 get it in a few days only cost £209 can't wait to try it out. Great review
Awesome
Awesome review!! Best one I’ve seen so far 🤓 thank you! The only thing that would make this better would be to see it on a female wrist 🙋♀️
I have seen 10 mins of this video, and you already made me wanna buy this one!
Right on!
You are absolute pro rewiever.
Thanks for your grate job 👍👍👍
Thank you mg
A thorough in-depth review and well researched. Clear, well-articulated, you gave your own personal preference, which is fine, I can take your personal comments to my own usage. Will buy G.V4. Thanks for the hard work!
Thank you! Congrats. I think it's the best smartwatch as of now. You will love it.
Fantastic review, really appreciate the time and effort you put into this. Wish I'd come across it sooner. I think this review in combination with DCrainmaker's or Techy Agent's covers everything you would want to know before purchase. 👍
Thank you so much! Those RUclipsrs do great reviews but I try to cover spectrum of topics from them, as you mentioned.
Thanks for the review. Very thorough and well explained. My thought about how many people have pointed out that some features are not user friendly because you have to dig deep into the menu to find items is that there’s a lot of functions and at some point something gets buried deep in menus. Several of the items you mentioned, such as needing to go deep into menus to switch from streaming directly from your watch to controlling the music on your phone, that is something I don’t believe I would be bouncing back and forth through often. So with a limited number of fast access functions a decision had to be made to put something in the menus then how far down in the list of menus. Honestly, if every function of that watch was in a quick access screen then nothing would be quick access anymore. You would be swiping all day or memorizing several dozen button/swipe combinations to find the function you want. Still, good review, thanks again.
I'm going to make a video to address this. I found out you can long press the bottom button to access the setting for music provider. I will make a correction video along with a 2020 update.
JSyntax, to be honest I think the touch screen will make navigating much easier. I am looking at this model to upgrade to my Forerunner 235 which is starting to glitch out and is literally nothing but a watch anymore since the thing will no longer sync with any of my devices. I wish so many times it was as simple as touch screen because the four buttons become aggravating when digging into those deep menus. Look forward to the update videos.
your review is the best i have ever seen !! Keep goging ! one question vivoavtive 4 or huawei gt2 ?
Hello. Someone probably already answered this by now. Tracking your respirations can help identify hypopnea otherwise known as decreased respirations. This is extremely helpful in detecting sleep apnea. It can also be used to make settings adjustments to cpap machines. Hope this helps. Thanks for the video. You did a great job.
I really appreciate that! I will reconsider the importance of respiration!
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this truly detailed review!!
I'd like to thank my wonderful wife for getting me the 4s, amazing watch ! Great review, very insightful, hoping auto set feature gets an update
Right on!
Great review so far (I'm only half way through) cheers
Great walkthrough, it was very helpful. Thanks!
glad to hear
Great review! I've had my 4s for a couple days now and completely agree with you on what they do great and what needs improvement, specifically the always on display and wishing Garmin would offer data analysis/insight. I just transitioned from a Fitbit versa and I miss the data insight Fitbit provides. I don't find Garmin pay to be as cumbersome as you described though especially since I use it as my shortcut.
Just bought the Vivoactive 4S. Thanks for this review!
Awesome!
Awesome review! Very detail and practical insights. Certainly helps to make an informed buying decision. Keep up the good work and look forward to more of your reviews. Subscribed!
Great review and insight into the features on the watch - I used your review as I have the Venu, because it's the same beast under the hood, just with a slightly larger (43mm) AMOLED screen and an aluminium bezel - the feature I miss from my previous Garmin is the 'always-on' display without it killing the battery. As yet, I haven't had the Venu long enough to comment on the effect of having the screen always-on. To add to your comment about running - Even for semi-serious runners, it's still a good buy as it has plenty of running metrics, but far more all-round features. For me, being able to have music on the watch is a bonus as it means I don't need my smartphone if I want to listen to music whilst I'm out. I use Bose sport headphones which allow multiple devices to be paired, so don't suffer the annoyance of disconnecting and pairing with each device change.
Thanks for a comprehensive review.
Damn, I'm jealous of your headphones. I can't find earbuds with multi point! Thanks for your comment, the always on display is clutch
Great review, thanks really insightful and informative. I completely agree about the Apps and Garmin opening up in general. I believe they will increase sales by improving the number of apps and devices that they communicate with, I for one would really appreciate Garmin watches fully syncing with Concept 2 rowing machines.
Best in depth review of this watch. Keep in mind, what Garmin has done is still better than any other fitness device at this moment. You can pretty much throw all other apps away and use only Garmin which is a plus. I don't care much about not tracking the exercises correctly because, I know what I need to do in the gym. I find that if you preset your workout the tracking because 90%+ more accurate than just going in on a clean slate.
Yes! More or less I use it to just finish my workout
Great review! I am still doubting between the FR 245 and the Vivoactive 4S. What is your wrist size? This will give me some better perspecitve regarding the size. Thanks!
I appreciate the long review. Once in many review i stick arround and watch. You really put some effort to it. Great and complete. I have question. Have you ever max out battery by stop notification? .
Glad it was helpful! I never tried that, sorry, i cant say.
Hey, great review. One question, has it got a vibration only (silent) alarm mode?
Once again, a very comprehensive review and covers almost all key characteristics. Well done again sir.
Thank you for your kind words
Best review I've seen yet for this. What are your thoughts on the Venu? It has an always on option so the main sacrifice would be the battery.
From what I noticed the always on display does not actually represent the whole face watch, so it goes into this power saving mode and only showed the clock which defeat the whole purpose. At least that's what I gather from reading
I have the Garmin Venu. It has an always on setting but mine is just a black screen even though I have "always on" selected. I did some research and discovered that this does not work when your battery is low and does not work within your set sleep times but it never works on mine. On the forum I found people who had the Garmin Venu before me. I understood from the messages that the always on setting had worked previously but that an update caused the feature to no longer work. I bought mine less than 2 weeks ago and an update was available immediately.
I chose the Venu because the always on setting was important to me. I have ordered the Vivoactive 4 as I'm not prepared to risk waiting to see whether the Venu works the way I had expected. There are a few things I don't like about the display so I have ordered the Garmin Vivoactive 4. I'm not sure whether the one I have is faulty. I'm going to try the Vivoactive 4 first then if I do decide to keep the Venu I will contact Garmin. If I prefer the Vivoactive I'm hoping it will all work as expected and that I won't need to waste time on the help line.
@@GigglingStar have you gone back to it or stuck with the 4, I'm still stuck between which to get
Thank you so much for this review. I have had the watch for about a month and have had a few issues which have all been mitigated because of your review ie. didn’t realise there was an auto activity tracker!! I also have sleep apnea (at age 19) and have found the pulseOX an amazing feature to see how my CPAP therapy helps me. Watched the full 45 mins!! Thanks again :)
Wow full 45 minutes I'm very impressed
Really great review! Please do more.
Hey @JSyntax. Great review. As for naps, as far as I know, if you activate "Do not disturb" mode (the moon icon) at the beginning, it will track your naps as sleeping time. At least that's the case in other Garmins.
WOW. What a nice person. What a nice / proffessional review. I love it. Subscribed. Greetings from Turkey.
Thank you, I will keep you posted
Just bought one! Excellent info - thank you!
Hope you enjoy it!
Best review ever!
I have a question: How many watchfaces/apps can be installed, ie. how much storage space is allocated to that?
Wow, thanks so much man! and about 3.4 gigs for music storage. I never tried overloading watchfaces, so I had over 6 watchfaces on my watch at a time.
On Garmin Forerunner 245 - 32 Faces. You can this Info seen in App -IQ Connect- then Right Top - Watches.
@@JSyntax Hi, I like the watch face in the clip, may I ask where you get it from? And how do I find nice watchfaces?
@@thangnhoc07 the watch face is called "skytracker"
@@thangnhoc07 its called sky tracker! Get it on iq connect app. Search watch faces.
Within the first 10 mins I was convinced to purchase VivoActive 4, wish I had watched your review before purchasing the VivoSmart 4. After 1/2 a day of wearing VivoSmart 4 I realized I did not make a smart purchase. Great review!
Do you think you can just return it or exchange it for the other one? It's on sale
@@JSyntax I'm still within the return period for the VivoSmart 4 so as soon as stores open up it's going back. The VivoActive 4 arrives in 5 days. Can't wait! I also agree with you on naps, they are the best. Take care!
Good stuff, instant sub!
Great insight on the sleep tracking, as I suffer from apnoe as well.
Ty!
Do you think the forerunner 245 will get the pulse ox as update?
Thanks for taking the time to provide such a thorough review. Excellent
Thank you! 🙏
when you compared the two devices for the oxygen saturation, the Vivoactive seems to be lower than the Lookee device. Would you say the Vivoactive is less accurate than the Lockee?
Its always been lower, even on other Garmin watches I tested. It's more of a relative change and trends that I'm looking at! Lookee may be more accurate since it's more secure on your finger than wrist which can move.
A very nice, clearly spoken and well presented review. Thumbs up!
I pressed the subscribe button when he said "I nap during the day time".
Insightful and detail, Garmin should pay you for this holistic review
I'm 6'6" 250, and I have the 4S also.
Right on
The best review . I got all information what I needed. Thanks a lot !
Thank you!
Will you test it the Amazfit stratos or stratos 3?
Great review. Didn’t think I would watch it all but I was hooked haha
8:05 Lol "I don't think people run for 5 hours"
You're right, try 12-30 hrs of running. I do 6-8 hrs on just training days. Good to know this isn't targeted for the ultra running community.
what he meant was, that normal people dont run for 5 hours. You must be seriously "sick" to actually do so.
Respect for posting such a thorough and detailed review, tragic that you don't have the subscribers to reflect such hardwork meanwhile the dime a dozen trashcan tech reviewers who spend 10 minutes telling the viewer nothing useful have hundreds of thousands.
Great review! You do seem to complain a lot about little things haha.
Yes, but the devil is the details ;)
This was such a good review. Instant subscribe!!!!
Idk you getting pissed about security features being inconvenient makes the future of wearables scary if they listen to people complaining about that. You can make pay a short cut with a simple swipe left and the pin code helps prevent someone from using your cards from a stolen watch...
Excellent review. Thanks for taking the time to do this, you've been super helpful!
Thank you for the kind comments!
Why is having a pin code a negative? I want my wallet to be secure...
Finger print is a lot easier, if you are used to that.