Amidst the furore surrounding its controversial new Garmin Connect+ subscription launched in March, Garmin quietly unveiled a brand new model this week – the Vivoactive 6.
The Vivoactive 5 was our best Garmin for users on a budget, thanks to its friendly price tag and well-rounded feature set.
The new Garmin Vivoactive 6 is here, priced at £279.99 (around $360 / AU$ 580, but Garmin has yet to confirm overseas pricing).
With that in mind, what do you get for hard-earned cash? Is it worth upgrading from the Vivoactive 5? And how do you choose between the two? Here are all the new features of the Garmin Vivoactive 6.
1. New colors
The new Vivoactive 6 looks almost indistinguishable from the 5 in terms of design, but there are some new colors. The previous lineup has been replaced with Lunar Gold/Bone, Slate/Black, Metallic Jasper Green, and Metallic Pink Dawn.
2. Smart wake up alarm
After years of user clamour for the feature, the Garmin Vivoactive 6 finally features a smart wake-up alarm. The tool monitors your sleep stages and will wake you up during a pre-selected window when your sleep is at its lightest.
The feature is designed to wake you up more gently rather than rousing you from a very deep slumber. Once you're awake, you'll get the customary morning report.
3. Workout upgrades
The Vivoactive 6 features daily suggested workouts for both walking and running. Generally, the feature provides suggestions for workouts to help you improve or maintain your fitness based on your current stats.
You'll also get Workout Animation and around 50 new activity and sports profiles.
4. Brighter display
While Garmin hasn't disclosed figures, it says the display on the Vivoactive 6 is brighter than the old model. Otherwise, it's the same 390 x 390 1.2-inch AMOLED number.
5. Better running support
Not only does the Vivoactive support more running profiles, but it also adds more extensive running features. You'll now get running dynamics and power, PacePro strategies, and Garmin's race predictor.
6. Onboard storage
The Vivoactive 6 ships with 8GB of onboard storage, double the amount of the 5, so more room for songs and apps.
7. GPS boost
The Vivoactive 6 adds QZSS and BeiDou to its suite of navigation sensors, alongside the GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo features from the previous model, which should make for more precise tracking wherever you are in the world.
Garmin Vivoactive 6: What's not new?
The Garmin Vivoactive 6 boasts some key upgrades over the previous model. However, a lot hasn't changed. Here are some of the key features it shares with the previous model:
- Battery life: 11 days
- Garmin Pay
- Always-On mode
- 5 ATM Water rating
- Chassis materials
- Size (the Vivoactive 6 is .02mm thinner, however)
- Display size and tech
- Heart rate monitoring tech
- Body Battery
- GPS/GLONASS/GALILEO
- Incident detection, assistance, LiveTrack
- Golfing features including yardages, digital scorecard, and AutoShot
- Swimming features
- Cycling features
Anything missing?
While the Garmin Vivoactive 6 web page doesn't mention passcode support, the company has confirmed to TechRadar that this feature is included, just like it was on the Vivoactive 5.
As you can see, the Vivoactive 6 is a fairly muted upgrade, and definitely one aimed at customers moving to Garmin for the first time. All but the most dedicated early adopters will find a reason to move from the Vivoactive 5.
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