You also miss out on the Venu's built-in mic and speaker, though you still have NFC tap-to-pay and music storage. Like the Venu, the Vivoactive 5 has more generalized Garmin software, without the more focused sporting tools you'd get on other 2023 Garmin watches like the Forerunner 265 (running) or Instinct 2X Solar (adventuring). Also, unfortunately, the Vivoactive 5 loses two key sensors compared to its predecessor: a gyroscope for more accurate wrist movement tracking and an altimeter for judging your efforts at high elevations.īecause of these downgrades, Garmin was able to lower the price of the Vivoactive 5 to just $299, $50 less than the Vivoactive 4 and $150 less than the Venu 3. That gives you a more accurate option, but not the best tracking available. Instead of 7–8 days, you get a respectable 11 days, and the 21 hours of GPS-tracked activity is a slight boost over the 4 (15–18 hours).Īlso like the Venu 3, the Vivoactive 5 will have All-Systems GNSS tracking, but not dual-frequency GPS. Beyond aesthetics, Vivoactive 4 owners will appreciate the switch to AMOLED while still getting improved battery life.
