Garmin’s Vivosmart 5 may finally get the touchscreen right

If there’s one thing Garmin seems to understand better than other wearable companies, it’s that athletes love buttons. And it looks like the company has finally added a handy button to the latest fitness trackerfor $149.99 from Vivosmart 5.

Vivosmart 5 is an updated version of Vivosmart 4 It was first launched in 2018. It keeps much of the same design as the Vivosmart 4, but instead of a sleek look, it opts for a more practical and sporty look. The bar itself has a rounded edge, and there is no longer a metal border surrounding the screen. In its press release, Garmin also confirmed that the screen is 66 percent larger and has larger text so it’s easier to read. But the biggest difference is that the Vivosmart 5 has a convenient button, and the scroll-based touchscreen is much easier to use.

I tested Vivosmart 3 and 4, and both trackers suffered from the same problem: display. The screen on the Vivosmart 3 looked blurry, wasn’t easy to read in sunlight, and swipes weren’t easily registered. Vivosmart 4 fixed the confusion, but the menu “button” did not always work, and the touch screen was not as responsive as it should be. This made starting and ending activities tedious – especially with sweaty fingers.

Photo: Garmin

I’ve been playing with a Vivosmart 5, and Garmin seems to have fixed both of these issues. the button Works And slightly elevated off the screen, making it easy to find by feel. Likewise, I found the touch screen to be more sensitive and easier to use. I still had to put the Vivosmart 5 in its stride, but so far, this is a marked improvement on the biggest problem in the Vivosmart line.

Garmin also addressed another issue with its Vivosmart line. Previous Vivosmart trackers had a unibody design, which means you can’t swap belts. However, Vivosmart introduced 5 interchangeable straps. All you have to do is take out the tracker.

While most of the Vivosmart 5’s changes come from the design, Garmin has also added more software features. Namely, Vivosmart 5 delivers abnormal heart rate alerts to the tracker line. It also includes Garmin’s personal safety features. Pressing the button for a few seconds will trigger an alert with assistance for your emergency contacts. Other than that, the Vivosmart 5 keeps its predecessor’s continuous heart rate monitoring, SpO2 sensors, tethered GPS, stress tracking, and 7-day battery life.

The Garmin Vivosmart 5 is available for $149.99 starting today and is available in black, white, and cool mint.