Garmin has announced the mid-range Vivoactive 6 health fitness smartwatch, the successor to its Vivoactive 5. But is the 2025 upgrade a worthy newcomer to the range?
The Vivoactive range is more affordable than Venu and Forerunner best running watches, and is a little more akin to the Apple Watch SE 2.
Traditionally, it has been a great option for those operating in the mid-range so let’s see how it compares to the Vivoactive 5, which launched in September 2023 – 18 months ago.
It’s mainly focused on bringing in the latest software features that have been available on other Garmin devices in the range and so much of the hardware is the same. The battery life, for example, remains at 11 days and still has the Elevate V4 sensor. That’s unfortunate because there’s no ECG or skin temperature support.
The price is the same out of the gate at $299/£279, although you can now get the Vivoactive 5 much cheaper. The Vivoactive 6 is available from April 4.
Same screen, very similar design
Garmin has kept the 1.2-inch AMOLED display in tact with 390 x 390 resolution, retaining the pixel density of 325 PPI and a 42.2mm case size. Garmin does say the display is brighter but isn’t disclosing the nit value.
All in all, it still weighs 36g with the strap. It is fractionally thinner though, by 0.2mm (10.9mm vs 11.1mm). Colours have changed a little too. There’s Black and Bone remain, as standard, but the new colours of Jasper Green and Pink Dawn join the array.
New Smart Wake Alarm
Smart alarms are designed to wake you within a window, at a lighter point in the sleep cycle in order to wake you a little more gently and not jolt you out of REM or deep sleep, which can leave you feeling fatigued. You’re in charge of the wake window so it works on your schedule.
Better running metrics
Garmin is adding some running data popular on some of its more expensive watches. Users will be able to track cadence, stride length and ground contact time. It’ll also record running power.
There are also new outdoor track and trail running modes. The PacePro guide offers grade adjusted pacing guidance based on course elevation and personal pacing preferences. There’s also the Race Predictor too, which has become a reliable indicator of your time if all the stars align with nutrition, training and more.
Overall there are around 50 new sport profiles and apps.
Walking suggestions
The workout suggestions, based on a number of factors, now include walking workouts where users will be asked to pick up the pace for more workouts.
Double the storage
Garmin is doubling the onboard storage for the watch, with 8GB now on board instead of 4GB. That means more music to guide you through the more gruelling of workouts.
A gyroscope
Garmin has added a gyroscope with this iteration, which should ensure you’re getting a better experience for tracking activity from the wrist.
