The Vivoactive 3 is Garmin's first sports watch to include the company's contactless payment system – Garmin Pay – designed to rival the likes of Apple Pay, Google Pay and Fitbit Pay.

Easy-to-read display; Accurate distance tracking; Good heart rate monitor; Long battery life

Feels a little plasticky; Limited coaching elements; Garmin Pay isn't widely available; No onboard music storage

In keeping with Garmin's sports tech legacy, the Garmin Vivoactive 3 has a heart rate sensor, GPS tracking and a selection of built-in apps dedicated to keeping tabs on a range of sports activities, from running and indoor cycling to skiing and snowboarding.

Subtle; circular; stylish design; Good GPS and heart rate monitor; Tracks a range of activities

Can't choose which apps get alerts; iOS users can't respond to texts; Base model can't support music playback

If you've been following the Garmin story, the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music should pretty much explain itself. The latest sports watch from the fitness powerhouse takes the Vivoactive 3 we know and love and bestows on it the gift of song, letting you play your tunes from your watch instead of your...

New design looks the part; Music works like a breeze; Packed to the gills with sports modes

Lacking in design options; Only one music service; Basic health stuff behind the competition

I have had this watch for about a month now. To replace a Fitbit Charge2 and forerunner 10 Pros: Great for running and Swimming. You can change your data fields to customise it. The screen is always on, really nice to look at in bright sunshine, though quite dim in with less ambient light, but then...

This watch has been great. The battery life is fantastic and alll of the features make it a must for anyone into exercise. The detail it provides is in-depth and easy to access on the watch face as well as on the accompanying phone app. It can be customised to look great too.

Garmin are the market leader in GPS hardware and are steadily creating a stronger foothold in the activity tracking market for themselves with some solid hardware choices. The Vivoactive 3 is a step outside the standard activity trackers that are on the market, into a casual watch that has all the...

The Garmin Vivoactive 3 is light, comfy and packed with features - what's not to like

Garmin's fitness bands have almost always been large, even massive, smartwatches. In fact, we nicknamed them BBWs - or big, burly, watches. With the new Vivoactive 3, Garmin left the big behind and delivered a GPS multisport smartwatch that's smaller, more refined, and a nice reminder that watches...

Connects to ANT+ sensors; Smart Notifications; Garmin Pay

Weak vibration alert; Easy to miss notifications

"The Vivoactive 3 is an activity tracker that's perfect for the rider who's not necessarily interested in picking apart data with a fine-toothed comb but wants to keep track of their rides and monitor fitness"

Built-in sensors; Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity; battery life

Optical HR struggles riding on bumpy surfaces; app integration could be improved

It was about time for Garmin to enter the market with a touchscreen fitness/smart watch. Tracking is accurate so far. A lot of preloaded activities. You can also create your own. Some improvements can be made in the strength training but I understand is kind of hard to track all exercises in a gym.