It's interesting seeing Garmin take the Vivosmart series in a slightly different direction. By shrinking the display down and making it on-demand only, it's going to appeal to a slightly different market than that of the Vivosmart HR (or even HR+).

The Garmin vivosmart 3 is essentially a sleeker vivosmart HR with support for strength training. Unfortunately, this new strength training feature mostly disappoints us. In theory, the VS3 is supposed to quantify your reps, sets, and rest times as well as automatically recognize exercises.

Comfortable and water resistant; Thin; sleek design; Built-in wrist heart rate monitor; Smartphone notifications + control for music and VIRB action camera; Moderate price point

Strength training feature is disappointing; Does not connect with external HRM; Display is average at best

The thinner-and-lighter trend isn't just dominating smartphones and laptops-fitness tech companies are constantly trying to make "the next big thing" as thin and light as they possibly can.

Easy-to-wear design; Good new rep-counting feature; Auto-recording feature and on-device activity menu; New estimated VO2 max and fitness age scores

Cannot change out bands; Heart rate monitor is inconsistent at high BPMs; Sleep tracking isn't as comprehensive as that of the Alta HR; Limited on-band music controls; Garmin Connect badly needs an overhaul

Garmin is turning its attentions back to the fitness tracker with the Garmin Vivosmart 3, with wellness at its heart. It's slightly less focussed on sport than the GPS-toting Garmin Vivosport , with stress tracking, guided breathing exercises and sleep monitoring joining exercise detection, rep...

Lots of features on offer; including VO2 Max; Supports some strength activities; Good price

No GPS; Display can be unresponsive sometimes; Heart rate not the best at high intensity

I had the original Vivosmart and loved it. After I lost it on a hike, I tried several other newcomers throughout the years. The Microsoft Band 1&2, Vivosmart HR, Nike FuelBand, and a FitBit. All failed to fulfill all of my needs.

New fitbands seem to be a dime a dozen but if a brand wants to set themselves apart from the pack they need to come with something different. With the Vivosmart 3, Garmin are attempting to do just that. Any old device can measure steps these days but how many can count reps for you?

If you're a data nerd or an athlete with a casual interest in stats, the Vivosmart 3 is a solid choice. For $140, you get comprehensive metrics, lots of notification options, and good battery life. The downsides are a cloudy display, a lack of interchangeable bands, and a clunky interface.

Comprehensive fitness tracking, including heart rate; Good battery life; Safe for swimming; Comfortable

Cloudy screen; Hard to read in direct sunlight; Finicky interface; No GPS; No interchangeable bands

Exactly what I wanted, talks to my photo software and allows me to measure all the things my photo can't. Comfortable fit and easy to use

The rivalry between today's fitness bands is so fierce that they're cramming in more tech than Inspector Gadget's fedora.

Garmin's Vivosmart 3 activity tracker may not have HR in its naming scheme like its predecessors -- the Vivosmart HR and GPS-enabled Vivosmart HR+ -- but it does include a heart-monitor with 24-7 monitoring and adds new, smarter features while returning to the slimmer design and hidden display of...

The Garmin Vivosmart 3 is slim, very comfortable to wear, has a built-in heart-rate monitor and is fully waterproof; It's loaded with extra features, including stress-level measurements, VO2 Max readings, and a rep counter; It shows notifications from your phone

Some of the features are a little difficult to access on the watch; the display isn't as sharp as some competing models' displays