Garmin Vivofit 4 Review

Active Gear Review is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The Garmin vivofit 4 is a daily activity tracker with an incredible 1+ year battery life – no charging necessary! It has a built in sunlight-readable, always-on color display, designed for 24/7 wearability. The vivofit 4 is swim and shower safe and features a sleek, comfortable band. It is ready to go right out of the box, and can be paired with a smartphone for additional features.

“An activity tracker is only as effective as how often you wear it, and this is where the vivofit 4 really shines – you can set it and forget it,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “It’s the ideal device for customers who want something reliable that they don’t need to hassle with or take off to recharge.”

Easy to Setup

Right out of the box, the vivofit 4 starts tracking steps, distance, and calories burned. It encourages you to stay active with a colored move bar that fills up to alert you when you have been stationary for too long. Which is easily reset by walking for a couple of minutes. It also assigns daily step goals based on current activity levels which automatically adjust daily, gradually nudging you toward a healthier, more active lifestyle.

Garmin Connect

While the vivofit 4 does not come equipped with a built in GPS. You can go beyond basic activity tracking by pairing the vivofit 4 with a smartphone, adding even more functionality and options through the Garmin Connect App, such as tracking sleep, intensity minutes and more.

Statistically comparing the vivofit 4 to the GPS enabled Fenix 3 HR; the step counts, intensity minutes, distance traveled and calories burned were always within a 1 to 5 percent margin of difference. Which in my opinion is more than acceptable considering the vivofit 4 has no GPS or heart rate monitor.

Within Connect it is easier than ever to get an at-a-glance look at important stats like steps and sleep. Scroll down to easily compare today’s totals to past results, or tap in for more detailed information. Activities and other health measurements recorded by the device are presented in vivid detail. You can also filter and customize data so that you only see what is most relevant. Within Connect you can also connect with friends and family to motivate one another, join challenges, engage in friendly competitions and more. And speaking of competitions, vivofit 4 users with children who own vivofit jr. 2 devices can compete against one another using the Toe-to-Toe timed step competition feature to determine just who has the fastest feet.

Through the Garmin Connect app, you can also customize the vivofit 4 with various watch faces, color themes and personalized text, such as an emergency contact or motivational phrase. And if you want to take it one step further, interchangeable accessory bands (sold separately) make it easy to switch up colors and styles to match any mood or outfit.

The vivofit 4 periodically syncs through Bluetooth with Garmin Connect throughout the day. And should you forget to start or stop a timed activity? Move IQ which is incorporated into the vivofit 4 has your back, it is able to detect changes in movement and automatically capture and classify activities such as walking, running, biking, swimming and using an elliptical.

Garmin Connect is available on desktops and compatible mobile device.

Wearability

The vivofit 4 can be used as an everyday watch, complete with a countdown timer, stopwatch and multiple alarms. Also included is a weather widget that gives a quick illustrated look at the day’s weather. The vivofit 4 even includes Find My Phone for those who need a little extra help keeping track of their smartphone.

Not only is there no downtime for charging, the vivofit 4 is also safe for the pool and shower. It’s even comfortable enough for sleeping and features an always-on display that’s easy to see in the dark or in bright sunlight. It is designed to be worn 24/7 and is comfortable enough to be put on right out of the box and worn right up until that one year battery needs to be replaced.

Specifications