Depending on your view of features such as Body Battery and music playback, upgrading from the already excellent Vivoactive 3 might not be a huge priority. But what's pleasing is that, in adding Spotify support and improving the watch's aesthetic appeal, Garmin has fixed the small gripes most people...

Excellent fitness tracking features; Attractive design and easy-to-read display; Good price

Lacks in-depth running analysis; New features don't add a great deal

Does everything you could want as a sports watch - Garmin functionality spot on.

awesome

The Vivoactive 4 isn't a giant step forward from the Vivoactive 3, but it remains one of the best mid-tier fitness trackers on the market. Highlights include stellar GPS location tracking, inbuilt storage for music and maps and the ability to track pretty much every sport under the sun.

Can track pretty much every sport you can think of; Looks like an actual watch; Solid battery life; New wellness features work great

More expensive than the competition; App offering could be better

H Samuel has some deep discounts on Garmin wearables

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 puts the tech smarts of the watches used by the ultra-marathon-running elite into a more accessible wearable. You may not get all the pro-style advice of a Forerunner, but you do get the rest.

Great exercise tracking; with full GPS; On-watch music streaming; Stacks of stats

ANT+ HR broadcast mode does not work well yet; No Performance Condition/training load monitoring; Spotify/Deezer integration should be more friendly

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is a solid upgrade to the Vivoactive 3 and 3 Music, and will certainly please those in need of a midrange multisport watch. It's not as flashy as the new Garmin Venu, but that might be a good thing: It has a more readable display and longer battery life.

Garmin Pay support is convenient Music storage is standard Week-long battery life Unique breathwork exercises Accurate fitness and health tracking Useful and accurate sleep tracking

High price

Overall the Vivoactive 4 is a solid upgrade over the Vivoactive 3, if for no other reason than the darn second button. Plus of course the music in all models and the other health bits. But really, that button.

By taking a lot of what's great about the more expensive Fenix and Forerunner devices and compressing that into a compact and far more affordable device, the Vivoactive 4 will be the perfect fitness tracker for many, without breaking the bank.

Significantly improved design; Practical two-button solution; Great value for money; Offline music listening;

Still struggles with HIIT workouts; Display tech means low quality graphics/animations; Garmin Pay not supported by a lot of banks;