In most cases, we already know what wearables will be released in 2018 as the year draws to a close. There are also many options for smartwatches and fitness trackers.
It might be challenging to choose the ideal device for you or as a gift for a loved one when there are so many options available. Sometimes the variations are just minor design changes or one or two extra functions. But they sometimes hold a lot of significance.
Some of us still favor wearing a fitness band despite the current smartwatch craze. The Fitbit Charge 3 and Garmin vivo sport are two of the alternatives with the most features available that appeal to this market.
Here is a comparison of their differences in case you’re unsure which to choose.
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Garmin vivo sport vs. Fitbit Charge 3:
Design
Fitbit Charge 3, which was introduced about a month ago, doesn’t appear much different from its predecessor. Even though it has a more contemporary appearance, you can still tell that it is a Fitbit wearable. However, the tracker maintains the fashionable and sporty appearance for which the San Francisco maker is renowned.
The tracker’s case is made of aerospace-grade aluminum, and the display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Aluminum that has been anodised makes up the housing and buckle. Charge 3 has a width of 18.3 mm, a depth of 11.8 mm, and a weight of only 29 grams.
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Fitbit Charge 3 vs. Garmin vivo sport: an activity tracker comparison
Additionally, AD vivo sport has a rather sporty appearance. Although it is a tiny bit wider than the Charge 3, it has a smaller screen. On the other hand, Garmin’s tracker is slightly less clumsy with a depth of just 10.9mm. Additionally, it weighs between 24 and 27 grams less (depending on the size that you choose).
The display shows when there are significant differences. A transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) screen with a resolution of 144 × 72 pixels is included with the vivo sport. The precise dimensions are 9.7 mm by 19.3 mm, or around 187 square millimetres. The colour display on this fitness band is a first for Garmin.
Charge 3 is significantly more suited for swiftly scanning your stats because it has a 696 sq mm grayscale OLED screen. In contrast to vivo sport, you will have to flick your wrist or tap the wearable to activate the display.
The Charge 3 has an inductive button on the side, whilst vivo sport has any physical buttons. When switching between the various screens, this is useful. For this, you must only use the touchscreen on the vivo sport. The display was incredibly snappy during our time using it, so the absence of any physical buttons wasn’t an issue.
Rubberized bands are present on both trackers. It comes down to picking a color when making your purchase because there isn’t much you can do to customize Garmin’s watch. The Charge 3 has interchangeable wristbands so you can quickly customize its appearance.
Garmin and Fitbit have done a really good job when it comes to looks. It depends on personal preference, but because of Charge 3’s larger screen, we would give it the edge. vivo sport benefits from an always-on experience and an incredibly small form factor.
The fitness band competition: Fitbit Charge 2 vs. Garmin vivo sport
An optical heart rate monitor, 3-axis accelerometer, altimeter, and vibration motor are shared by the two devices. In addition, the tracker from Garmin has an integrated GPS sensor. This enables you to leave your phone behind while jogging and delivers more accurate data on pace and distance. The Fitbit Charge 3 also has access to this kind of information, but because it uses your phone’s GPS data, it must be nearby.
A pulse oximeter is also located in AD Charge 3. Fitbit intends to employ this shortly, especially in monitoring the caliber of your nocturnal rest, and it has the capacity to measure your blood oxygen. The feature has not yet been made available as of this writing.
Battery life and water resistance between the Fitbit Charge 3 and the Garmin vivo sport
Size, screen resolution, and other factors are always at odds with battery life, which is crucial. Your fitness band shouldn’t need to be charged every night. Apple, are you listening?
The good news is that these devices can both operate for a respectable 7 days on a single charge. This reduces to 8 hours on vivo sport with GPS turned on.
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What distinguishes the Vivosmart 3 from the Garmin vivo sport?
Vivo sport or Vivosmart 3 from Garmin What’s the distinction?
Additionally water-friendly, the wearables. You can submerge Charge 3 and vivo sport to a depth of 50 meters thanks to their outstanding 5 ATM water resistance certification. Additionally, they will automatically track swimming workouts, albeit with minimal information.
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Fitbit Charge 3 vs. Garmin vivo sport comparison
You’ll discover pretty much everything that is currently available for 24/7 activity tracking, as you might anticipate. This includes enhanced sleep tracking, steps, distance, floors climbed, active minutes, and heart rate monitoring throughout the day (with information on current, resting, and heart rate zones). Additionally, there are move reminders, automatic activity recognition, and some more sophisticated performance metrics like VO2 Max.This aspect of the situation is well-understood by Garmin and Fitbit. Since these are both established businesses with an excellent track record, there should be minimal variation in the quality of the data.
Both businesses also provide a sophisticated software platform with a mobile app and online dashboard. Although Garmin Connect is more complete, the Fitbit app is probably simpler to use.
You can wear the bands as a watch because they display the time by default. vivo sport has an always-on screen, making this a little more practical.
The fitness band competition: Fitbit Charge 2 vs. Garmin vivo sport
Now for the distinctions.
The most obvious one to discuss first is screen size. While the small, always-on screen of the Vivo sport may be appealing to some, the Charge 3 makes it much simpler to read everything. If you’re on the go, this is especially true.
The oxygen sensor (which has not yet been enabled) and Fitbit’s Female Health Tracking feature are two further significant fitness-related differences that work in the company’s favor. This enables women to observe how their periods affect all facets of their lives, including everything from activity levels to sleep.
The device made by Garmin has a lot of advantages. The integrated GPS is the most crucial component. This enables phone-free riding and running while providing the most accurate stats. As previously stated, if you wish to take advantage of the GPS signal when using Charge 3, you must bring your phone with you.
Stress monitoring is an innovative function that is included on vivo sport but absent on Charge 3. By monitoring heart-rate variability, the tracker achieves this. You may determine how much of your day is spent under stress by giving yourself a score between 0 and 100.
You can also have calming mindfulness experiences with deep breathing exercises to put you in a peaceful state. Charge 3 has the same feature as well.
For those who love the gym, vivo sport also offers Garmin’s Strength Training activity. This combines manual activity marking with mechanical rep counting. The gadget also records and graphs your heart rate information during such workouts.
The non-fitness related activities now. These are fitness bands, yet they have some features that are also on smartwatches.
To keep you connected while on the road, both display basic notifications. But to view the texts completely, you’ll need to use your phone.
Additionally, the Charge 3 offers the choice to accept or decline calls as well as to react to messages (for Android users). Additionally, it is offered in a Special Edition version that costs extra money and features an NFC chip for contactless payments.
The conclusion
If you’re looking for a fitness band, Charge 3 and Vivo sport are two of your finest choices. This aspect of the situation is well-understood by Garmin and Fitbit at this point. But there are a few variations to be aware of.
While the small, always-on screen of the Vivo sport may be appealing to some, the Charge 3 makes it much simpler to read everything. The design is quite identical aside from that.
Under the hood, both devices have essentially the same sensors, but Charge 3 also has a SpO2 sensor, which Fitbit expects to utilize soon. The built-in GPS is vivo sport’s greatest asset, which cyclists and runners will value. On Charge 3, you will be limited to Connected GPS, which means that in order to get the satellite signal, the band must be in communication with your smartphone.
On the Garmin device, you’ll also get some other statistics, such as strength training activities for gym rats and continuous stress monitoring. The Female Health Tracking feature is included with the Fitbit gadget.
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Making a decision between the two is difficult. Both have fantastic software systems and a tonne of features. So, ultimately, it comes down to preference. We advise choosing Charge 3 if you don’t require the built-in GPS. We prefer Fitbit’s device because of the larger screen. However, Garmin’s device won’t let you down if you require the extra features and don’t mind spending an extra $20 or so.