Garmin Vivoactive 4 / 4s | Full analysis and opinion

Garmin renewed its Vivoactive after the 3 turned 2 years on the market. The model that was presented a month ago, the Garmin Vivoactive 4, comes now with a major change, two sizes availableThe Vivoactive 4 of 45mm and the Vivoactive 4s of 40mm circumference.

It has also come with another version, the Garmin VenuBut that will have its corresponding test in due course. This analysis is solely and exclusively dedicated to the Vivoactive 4.

After making the presentation only a month ago and after a few weeks of testing, it is now that I can tell you all the good things that the new Garmin model offers. But I am also here to tell you the not so good things, because all the devices have their A-side and B-side.

This test unit has been temporarily loaned by Garmin and, once the analysis has been completed, it will be sent back. I want this to be clear because there is no compensation of any kind from Garmin, the test is totally independent. The analyses I carry out are always performed with the utmost objectivity and as impartially as possible. 

If you like this review and find it useful in deciding to buy your next GPS watch, please use the links on this page (well, you can buy that GPS watch you want or anything else, anything goes). You won't pay more than it's worth, but the seller returns a small percentage which helps to cover the cost of hosting the site and, obviously, my work. Or you can become a VIP member..

I do not entertain more, you have come to know all the details you should know about the Vivoactive 4, so let's go directly to the full test.

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Garmin Vivoactive 4 / 4s, new

 

And what's new with the Garmin Vivoactive 4? As always and for your convenience, I'll leave you with a small list. When it comes to making a comparison, it's clear that the Vivoactive 3 is the model to look at.

• Two sizes different: Vivoactive 4 in 45mm and Vivoactive 4s in 40mm
• Sony GNSS chipset (like all the rest of the Garmin and other manufacturers' range)
• Optical heart rate sensor Garmin Elevate v3 with Pulse Ox (pulse oximetry estimation)
• Two buttons control panel in addition to the touch screen (on the Vivoactive 3 there was only one)
• Music playback (previously only for Vivoactive 3 Music, now it is a basic function)
• Garmin Pay (previously present)
• Two new sports profiles: yoga and pilates
• Training sessionsIt shows different strength, cardio, pilates and yoga exercises on screen through on-screen animations. The clock includes a series of training sessions that can be extended with others that you download from Garmin Connect. It is also possible to design yoga and pilates workouts from Garmin Connect
• Body Battery to measure the amount of energy remaining (present in other models, new in Vivoactive)
• Menstrual Cycle Trackingwhich was previously only in the application and will now also appear in the clock
• Hydration monitoringYou can write down when and how much you drink throughout the day (new feature in Garmin)
• Estimated sweat loss after training (new feature in Garmin)
• Breath monitoring throughout the day, at night rest, in the Yoga sport profile and in the guided breathing exercises
• Incident detection It is necessary to have the phone on you and it will activate if it detects a sudden fall, or it can be activated manually to warn that you are in a compromising situation (Already present in other models, new in Vivoactive)

As you can see we have the novelties we could expect in terms of hardware renewal (Sony chipset, music, etc) and the dose we could expect in its software, highlighting the possibility of seeing animations of the different exercises.

Vivoactive 4 at a glance

As I indicated earlier, the Garmin Vivoactive 4 is offered in two sizesI think this is a positive change because the Vivoactive 3, with a little more than 43mm in circumference, was left in no man's land. For some it turned out to be a small watch, and yet others thought just the opposite. 

With the new model you can choose the size that best fits what you are looking for. If you want a small watch you have the Vivoactive 4s, with a fairly small size: only 40mm in circumference.

And if you have a bigger wrist and you want something with a bigger footprint, then you have the Vivoactive 4 with its 45mm. As you can see the 3 stayed right in between, making perhaps not everyone satisfied with its size.

These are the two options available for the Vivoactive 4. But whatever the size of the watch the two of them have the same functions. Even if I refer to the Vivoactive 4 throughout the test, it is the same for the Vivoactive 4s.

Before we go into all the details, I would like to clarify what the difference between Garmin Vivoactive 4 and Garmin VenuThe screen only, while the Vivoactive 4 use the transflective screen typical Garmin, the Venu has a AMOLED screenIn all other functions, both offer the same features. 

Every technology has its advantages and disadvantages. transflective screen of the Vivoactive 4 is perfectly visible in full sun and its consumption of energy is lesserIt also remains always on without a major drain on the battery. But it doesn't reach quality nor contrast of the screen AMOLED of the Venu, whose main problem is the reduced autonomy of the clock due to the consumption of that technology.

The Vivoactive 4 is still a touch screen clock. This is its main form of control, but for the new version we now have two buttons This second button is used to mark laps, go back in the menus or to access the main menu. 

This is a good addition as it makes the menu more natural and having a specific button to mark laps while training is always useful. 

If you come from another Garmin model you'll find the control mode is quite intuitive for what you're used to. From the main screen you can access the different widgets by sliding your finger up or down. You'll find the usual activity widgets, viewing steps, heart rate, calories, etc.

Here we start to see news: now the clock records the breathing rateGarmin had started to integrate this metric into other models, but it used the chest pulse sensor and only during training. I've reserved a section exclusively for the new breath tracking features, so for now I'll just mention it.

This is not the only widget that appears for the first time, there is also another one that will do the hydration monitoringOf course, there is also a specific section below, as it could not be otherwise. That is why you have come to inform yourself on this page.

And to continue with the widgets, the menstrual cycle monitoring (previously only through the app), and also the Body Battery.

Body Battery tells you how much energy you have remaining until the end of the day, and "recharges" at night or at other times of rest. 

It works as if it were the battery of your mobile phone. During the day and depending on your activity (sitting, training, walking ...) the energy available will decrease, being able to see at all times how much you have left available. And if we rest, we will recharge some of that energy.

It will help you to check if you have enough energy for a hard training series, or if you have had a difficult day, think about doing a recovery session.

All the movement on the screens is touch-sensitive, and if you want more information about any of them you can do it by pressing the screen or pressing the top button, to enter the widget. 

In the menu we find another option called "Shortcut". The Vivoactive 4 allows us to have a quick access function by sliding your finger to the right on the main screen. Things like music controls for quick playback or flashlight function with the maximum illumination of the screen, among others. I have selected wallet for direct access to Garmin Pay.

This is in addition to the quick control menu, which you access by pressing and holding the top button for one second and which also allows you to modify the items displayed here.

I take advantage of the fact that I am talking about holding down the top button and I will now comment on the assistance and incident stop function.

They are two very similar functions, but it changes in the way it starts:

AssistanceEmergency Contact: Pressing and holding the top button will activate the countdown to send the warning to the emergency contacts you have chosen. You can activate the function if you have fallen, if you think something is wrong (because you are in an uncomfortable situation), etc.

Incident detectionThe "Running" alarm: similar to the first case, but it starts automatically when it detects an incident while you're running or cycling (you must be training, it's not valid just to wear the watch). Basically a fast deceleration, sign of a fall. If it was a false alarm (because you simply braked in dry but without any accident) you'll have a short time to cancel the warning and not scare anyone unnecessarily.

In both cases, your contacts will receive a notification that you need help, along with a link to LiveTrack to see where you are. Both of these functions depend on your mobile phone to communicate, so you need to have it with you. 

This is all set up, of course, in Garmin Connect.

Lastly, I would like to briefly touch on the smart functions, for it is not for nothing that the Vivoactive series from Garmin boasts of being the "smartwatch option"of the blue triangle brand. These intelligent functions are composed of four things:

• Notifications
• Applications and spheres
• Wireless payments
• Music playback

The Vivoactive 4, like previous Garmin models, allows you to view the smartphone notifications In addition to viewing the notification instantly, you can also view previous notifications from the notification widget itself

You can either delete the notification (which will remove it from pending notifications on the phone) or, if you're an Android user, reply with predefined messages. But there's no microphone to answer messages by voice.

Support for applications and spheres by Connect IQ is complete. If you're already from another Garmin model, you know what it offers, otherwise You should know that it is composed of applications, clock faces, widgets, and data fields, each of which serves a specific purpose, although they are all installed from Garmin's own application store.

Garmin Pay is not a novelty in the Vivoactive 4, already the Vivoactive 3 offered this function. Here you can see the list of supported banks and cardsLittle by little, payment for NFC is being implemented all over the world and it's already a real possibility, and when you make a payment with your watch, they don't look at you funny anymore.

As for the music playbackNote that it is available on any of the Vivoactive 4 models. On the Vivoactive 3 or other models of the brand, it is necessary to opt for the "Music" version to poder enjoy the ability to listen to music directly from the watch without making use of your phone or an external player.

We have 4GB of memory to store musicwhich you can sync directly from your computer or through streaming music services such as Spotify, Amazon Music or DeezerAfter having the music inside the watch, you will simply have to pair a Bluetooth headset and you will be able to listen to music completely autonomously. In addition, it offers the same functions that were already present in the Vivoactive 3 MusicIn that respect nothing has changed.

And after this brief review, let's switch to what we have in sports mode.

Setting up and sports

When it comes to sports, this is where we will see the most differences in the Vivoactive 4, at least if we compare it with the model it replaces. Both in terms of configuration and training possibilities, the new model offers more (although without reaching what a Forerunner offers).

Starting with the data screens, which now offer a more traditional configuration than in the previous model. The maximum per screen you can select is 4 data, but now there are no limitations with the data we want to choose.

We can choose the data we want within the three available screens to configure (this is a limitation with respect to Forerunners), but we no longer have a limited selection with the upper or lower data.

That's how the screen was displayed on the Vivoactive 3, with two data that we could freely choose, and two other much more basic data.

And this is how it looks in the new model, a much more normal display compared to the rest of the brand's watches.

The rest of the options are the usual ones for a watch of this type: alerts, automatic turns and pauses, use of GPS and GLONASS, etc.

Where there is news is when it comes to programming and following training sessions. The Vivoactive 3 allowed to execute advanced trainingsIt did not offer the same features as its brothers the Forerunners: it did not let them set goals (for example, running between 3:45-4:00 or between 160-170 ppm). it is possible do it on the Vivoactive 4.

However, to design these training sessions we must use Garmin Connect, there is no possibility of programming training sessions of any kind from the clock. But the programming of Garmin Connect is very complete, being able to select the different phases, rhythms, objectives and the way to fulfill them. It is easy to carry out and very intuitive. And in the same way, you will be able to synchronize training sessions from the TrainingPeakss, if it's the one you use.

After setting up your training and synchronizing it to your watch, you can select it before you go out to train (or if it is on the calendar it will remind you when you select the corresponding sport profile). On the watch screen you can see at any time where you are in your training and whether you are meeting your target.

Using the example of the previous training, we will have 15 minutes of warm-up without any kind of goal, beyond the jogging pace you want to do. After a minute and a half break, a series of 5 1 kilometer intervals will start, for which there is a set running pace: between 3:35 and 3:45 min/km. If you go over that pace (both above and below) the clock will warn you with vibrations.

After completing the kilometer, there is automatically a two-minute recovery period, after which we return to the interval (and there are "only" four minutes left).

These are not the only trainings you can do, the Vivoactive 4 is also compatible with Garmin Coach adaptive training plansIt's a free training platform that allows you to choose a target distance, to be completed in a given time. Once you select your target, Garmin Coach will ask you which days you want to train and you can even choose one to be the day of the long roll.

This is not a training written in stone; Garmin Coach modifies the plan in case there are variations. If one day you have not trained as you should, it will be taken into account in the following days' training, adapting it to those changes. 

I leave you this gallery so that you can see for yourself what it offers and what you can select.

You know the best part? IT'S TOTALLY FREE!

I have not tried them personally because my main sport is triathlon and my training is guided by my coachso I can't tell you more about how it works. I guess you understand the concept of how it works anyway.

Another area where the Vivoactive 4 stands out is in the number of sports available. The Vivoactive 3 already did, but in the case of the 4 the list is even longer. Of course all basic sports are covered (running, swimming, or cycling), as well as weight training, skiing, rowing sports, elliptical ...

But in this model we have two new profiles: yoga and pilatesThe first one is the "Exercise Animation", with the possibility of showing exercise animations, something that I will talk about later in its own section.

What do we not have in the Vivoactive 4 compared to the Forerunner models? Training and route navigation metrics. Of the advanced metrics that are available thanks to Firstbeat only the VO2Max estimate has exceeded the cut-off.

Finally, remember that the Vivoactive 4 is compatible with external sensors. You can connect any sensor you can think of, whether ANT+ or Bluetooth, with the exception of cycling potentiometers (you can use Stryd, because it does so through a Connect IQ application). This includes chest sensors, speed and/or cadence sensors and even radar Garmin Varia for cycling.

New features in the Vivoactive 4

What we find in the Garmin Vivoactive 4 are mainly features from other models in the range, but it also has some things we haven't had the chance to see in any other model so far.

At the moment I will briefly detail the smaller or less important news, leaving a specific section for video-guided training, the newest feature to be released in Vivoactive 4. 

Breathing and exercise rate

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With the Vivoactive 4 we will have the breathing rate by using the watch's own integrated optical sensor, and it will also record it during the daily activity, which we can see as part of the physical statistics widget.

As is natural with all these types of metrics, that data is synchronised with Garmin Connect, where you can see more complete graphs and details than those included in the clock so you can see how the day or several days are progressing.

In addition to the monitoring of the breathing rate, the Vivoactive 4 adds a new series of breathing exercises. You might think that this is something we have seen before in other brands with simple relaxation exercises... but no, Breathwork (which is what the activity is called) is something quite different. It actually has its own application in the activity menu.

When it comes to breathing, we must choose what type of breathing exercise we want to do by selecting the technique.

Each one of them has a different purpose: to de-stress before going to sleep, to relax and concentrate, etc.

Think of these techniques as a training series. On the clock display you can see what you have to do in each exercise and the number of repetitions. In general, these are quite long exercises, as I say it is not the typical 3 minute exercise.

Once you have started the exercise you can follow the instructions on the clock display, where it will indicate whether you need to breathe in, breathe out or hold your breath.

You might wonder how it works when recording the breathing rate. Well, it's surprisingly accurate. I've done the test by counting the breaths in one of the exercises and the clock makes a correct measurement. Maybe when it's time to do averages (because it indicates breaths per minute) it dances a breath up or down, but the overall result is good.

Monitoring of hydration and sweating

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Another small innovation that is present in the Vivoactive 4 is the hydration monitoring, which is done through a new widget that you can turn on or off from the clock options. 

You can select the usual amount you drink; by default it is 250ml, 500ml and 750ml, but you can change it in different amounts. Every time you drink a glass or a bottle you make a note of it.

As with the activity steps or others, you can also set reminders and a daily goal, although in this case it's more of a reminder to write down what you've drunk than a reminder to drink.

You can set your target zone manually or automatically (again, as with the steps). If you choose automatic target zone, the watch will vary your target zone on the days when there is most activity, in order to compensate for fluid loss during training.

However, the updated target is not displayed in the input widget, but in Garmin Connect it is.

Because that's another new feature of the watch, which now includes an estimate of fluid loss through sweating during workouts. It's a step up from what was presented with the Edges, where you could add at the end of the activity how much fluid you had ingested (and it made recommendations as to when and how much you should drink).

When you complete an activity you will have a new field, which is the estimated amount of fluid you have consumed. 

Where does this estimate come from? From the different data the watch has such as weight, temperature, pace and distance, training intensity, etc. This is then used for the automatic target which I have told you about earlier.

As for the accuracy of the data, being based on an algorithm and given the physiological differences between all of us - regardless of weight, age, height... some people sweat more than others - for some it will be closer than for others.

In my case I am a "big sweater". Category "river". I've done tests in the past to do the calculations for hydration and nutrition strategies (basically, weighing yourself before and after a workout and adjusting with the amount of fluid ingested) and what the Vivoactive 4 estimates falls short of what I usually need. 

Nor did I expect absolute reliability, it is an algorithm that must be adjusted to all users.

Training sessions at Vivoactive 4

Without a doubt the most important new feature of Vivoactive 4 is the new animated guided training sessions. You've already seen that there are other new features present, but this is the one that Garmin gives most importance to. 

These guided workouts are available in the sports profiles where having a guide makes sense: strength training, cardio, yoga and pilates. Although once the platform is up and running, I would suggest Garmin add running or swimming technique exercises, two sports that could benefit very well from this new feature.

Dissecting what guided training consists of, is basically the same concept as the interval training we can create for other sports (the ones we have seen before), but in this case it comes predefined and with small videos that show how you should perform the exercise.

On the one hand we have the training sessions themselves. Each sport profile has a series of training sessions that are previously loaded in memory and which you can access from the sport menu of the watch, before starting the activity.

Let's say you want to do strength training, you must go to a certain profile and select it to get to the screen before starting the activity.

Before you start training, you need to slide your finger from bottom to top (in the direction of the arrow on the screen) to show the additional options. This is where you will find the training sessions.

Here is a list of exercises that are already loaded on the clock.

Each sport profile has 3 different workouts (although they may seem more, right now they are repeated because the same exercise appears with a name in English and Spanish).

Don't think they're just any old thing, there are exercises with a lot of different steps that take quite a while, like this yoga exercise that has no less than 77 steps.

In addition to those 3 exercises for each cardio, strength, yoga and pilates profile; from the Garmin Connect application you can download a number of additional exercises.

The catalogue is very complete. We have a total of 57 different exercises (for the 4 sports in which it is available). When searching we can use several filters to find what we need: type of activity, muscle groups to work, objectives, duration or difficulty.

So not only do you have the ones that appear on the watch, you can download any of the ones that appear in the "catalog". Don't like any of the ones shown? Don't worry, you can create one of your own with the exercises that you find convenient.

However, these trainings that we create manually are not accompanied by videos, at least for the moment. The only ones that incorporate videos are those that we can download completely.

It is precisely this possibility of seeing the animations of the exercises that makes this function special. How does it look on the clock? Let me show you.

Once you have selected your training and started the activity, you will first be presented with the name of the exercise you need to do, along with the number of repetitions.

Then the animation of the exercise to be performed will appear.

Remember that Garmin watches, in the force profiles, can count the reps and the type of exercise. This also applies to this type of workout, so if you are being sent 8 reps the watch will count them down one by one, you would not need to press any buttons to indicate that you are done.

If instead of strength training you are doing yoga or pilates exercises where you have a specific time to do the exercise, this is the one that will appear on the screen.

You can also see it on the screen where it tells you the exercise to do. On the outside of the sphere you can see a circle that is eliminated as time goes by.

By sliding the screen down we will find the data screens that you can configure with the data you prefer. 

And here it is worth mentioning that in the yoga and pilates profiles we have two new data: breathing frequency and stress.

Garmin has worked on this function quite a bit. You have seen that it is not a simple function where you have added 2 or 3 exercises of each to cross out one more box in the feature list. 

The best thing the Vivoactive 4 has to offer is precisely the wide density in the number of workouts available. There are currently more than 50 you can download to the clock, and that number will probably increase in the future.

Optical pulse sensor and Pulse Ox

As with all recent Garmin models, the Vivoactive 4 is equipped with the brand's latest optical pulse sensor, the Garmin Elevate v3.

This is the same sensor that we can see in the most expensive Garmin watches, such as the Fenix 6, Forerunner 945 or the MARQ of thousands of euros.

This sensor includes pulse oximetry estimation which, unlike models such as the Forerunner 245If we can use it throughout the day to make regular blood oxygen estimation measurements.

However, this will be at the expense of the full autonomy of the watch, since it is a function with a high battery consumption. You can also use it only at night, helping the watch to identify the different phases of sleep.

Let's talk directly about the optical pulse sensor while playing sports, which is ultimately what someone buys a watch like this Garmin Vivoactive 4 for. But before I show you comparisons of different sensors, I would like to remind you of some basics of optical sensors.

Keep in mind that a wrist heart rate monitor does not work the same way on all bodies. We're all different, and if we put things in the equation like skin tone, tattoos, body hair... the difference from person to person can be quite big.

In my tests it is not that the spectrum of users is very broad: it is me, myself and I. So what works well for me might not do it for someone else, or it might be better.

But the most important thing to keep in mind is that you have to follow some guidelines to wear the sensor. It should be tight (but not cut off your circulation), enough to keep the watch from moving freely on your wrist, leaving a separation of approximately one finger from the wrist bone. By following these details you will ensure that you get the best results that your conditions can offer.

Let's go with the training. I'm going to focus on 4 different types of training, which are the most frequent ones you're going to do.

I will start with the simplest thing for the optical pulse sensor, a training at a constant pace. Accompanying the Vivoactive 4 I carry a Suunto 9 on the right wrist along with a Garmin Forerunner 935 paired with the sensor HRM-Tri. Not for any particular reason, simply because they are the ones I had on battery that day.

As you can see there is not much to highlight in a training of this kind. The two optical sensors and the chest sensor go perfectly together.

Suunto 9 has three wrong peaks in the first 10-12 minutes of training, but it recovers quickly.

The training is very smooth and there is only a slight change in intensity on the last stretch, as it is uphill, but here too there is no problem with the sensor of the Vivoactive 4.

We're going to increase the difficulty level a little bit. Now I'm going to show you a training with fartlek type rhythm changes.

This time the comparison partners change, but not the chest sensor which is still Garmin's HRM-Tri. But in this case it is paired with the Garmin Forerunner 945while the watch I'm wearing on my right wrist is the Polar Vantage M.

In this case the graph we have to pay more attention to is the blue one, which is the one that corresponds to the Vivoactive 4, with the FR945 and Vantage M in green and red respectively.

At first glance it seems that the overall result is good for most of the training, although there are areas where the blue graph stands out slightly, starting with the first minute and a half where you can see that the Vivoactive 4 has a somewhat complicated start. However, it recovers soon and at the first change of pace it is perfectly on par with the chest sensor.

There is a bit of a delay in both the upstroke and the downstroke, but it is much shorter than that shown by the Vantage M, which does have a more pronounced delay in the intensity changes.

It is a behavior that is repeated in the second and third intervals. A slight delay, but less than in the case of Vantage M.

However, it is somewhat more erratic in the fourth interval, where it has three wrong peaks.

But already in the fifth he behaves as he should. 

We now move on to pure series training. This time it's Fenix 6 which is part of the comparison, which already includes the latest update of the optical pulse sensor.

The intervals are shown perfectly defined and are perfectly coincident with the data shown from the chest sensor.

However, the measurement is not perfect. Both optical sensors show the usual behaviour with the typical slight delay not shown by the chest sensor.

Here you can see the second and third interval enlarged.

You can see how the graph of the FR945 reacts much faster when stopping than the two optical sensors. Even in the case of the Vivoactive 4, in the second interval it is somewhat slower than the Fenix 6.

However, this is the behavior we can expect from an optical sensor on the wrist, at least for the time being. It doesn't mean it's the desired behavior, but it's where we have one of the Achilles' heels.

What's the other one? Cycling.

It's far from perfect, but this type of graph has improved a lot in the last few years. A few years ago, if the graphs were the same, it was just a coincidence, but right now there is quite a lot of similarity.

The start of the training is totally erratic for the two optical sensors, although as the pace increases they all catch up. The next noticeable error does not occur again until the 28th minute, which is when I stop to mount the front light on the bike.

As soon as I return to training, I go back to "normal" with the optical sensors. Does this mean that I would be comfortable using only the optical sensor for cycling training? Well, if I have no choice, 1TP10I would trust the data it provides. But given the choice, I would always opt for the chest sensor.

Garmin has been doing a good job with the optical sensor for some time now, and it's with the Garmin Elevate v3 with the sensor that I'm getting the best performance, especially on hard workouts like series days.

Not that the others are bad, they are more or less on par, but the Garmin sensor stands out because it is the one with the least delay in the intensity changes (although the delay still exists).

GPS Performance

I think it is already becoming repetitive, and I suppose I will continue to remember it in all the races ahead in this year 2019, but I have to add it once more.

The Vivoactive 4 incorporates the Latest GNSS chipset by SonyThis is not something special, as it is the same chipset that mounts almost all (or even all) of the devices that have come to market since the end of 2018.

The reason for Sony's dominance is simple: its low battery consumption is key to providing the hours of battery life that all watches offer right now, at least when it comes to use with GPS on.

This chipset includes the possibility of using the combination of satellites that we choose: GPS only, GPS + GLONASS or GPS + GalileoAt the moment the recommendation is to use the GPS + GLONASS option, it is the option that Garmin has worked hardest on and the one that should offer the best results. However, soon the GPS + Galileo option should be equal or more satisfactory.

Just like the optical sensor tests you saw earlier, the GPS comparisons are done the same way: with the watches accompanying me in my regular workouts.

Taking both the Vivoactive 4 and other models, and checking where the problems appear, I have no defined route to establish a score for the simple reason that there are other external factors that we should never forget.

Things like clouds, leaves on trees or simply the satellite position can alter the GPS results from one day to the next, which is why I prefer to do this type of comparison instead of having a predefined path and assess it from there.  

I start the comparison with this series training with roundtrip on the same segment of the promenade (well, really from the road area of the promenade).

I liked this workout not because of the differences that can be seen, but because of the consistency at all times. There are three Garmin models I'm using, all three with the same Sony chipset (and the Fenix 6 with the latest GPS update available) and on a very repetitive track. 

In the descent there is a slight error, but at the marked point where some pass over the houses had not yet reached the kilometer of activity, so they had not yet obtained the best possible signal. 

However, in the area where I have done the series of roundtrips there has not been a single moment in which any of the three have made an incorrect track.

It doesn't mean it's perfect, because if you look at all the return tracks (18 in total) two lanes of road are being covered, which means that in some return there has been a couple of meters of deviation, but it fits perfectly into the margin of error that we can expect from any GPS clock.

Little more to say about that workout except that there is no excursion outside of the passing zone. So we go with a different one, a smooth workout without excessive pace. At lower speeds the GPS finds more problems to show a good track.

Before enlarging the image we can already see that there are a couple of points where you can see differences, so we're going to start zooming in to see what the differences are.

In this image I have pointed out two different things. Firstly the graph of the Suunto 9 It's not that I made the perfect measurement, on the contrary. I hadn't used the clock for a long time, so the satellite cache was not updated and it took a long time to get a signal. I clearly didn't have more than 4 satellites because as soon as I started the training the problems came. Not that I had any problems, I just would have needed more time.

I have also pointed out a small error in the Vivoactive 4, moving several meters off the actual path, although it quickly rejoins the other two that are measuring correctly.

But from that point onwards things are perfectly normalised in all three models.

This point is good to appreciate differences in behavior. In a short space I make very pronounced turns and the area of passage is very limited, so you can see perfectly if one has gone outside the correct area.

This time the Vivoactive 4 has been the most successful, except for the arrival at the bridge crossing, where it goes slightly long, the rest of the turns are the most successful, being the Suunto 9 the one that shows a little more irregular.

On the way back I put them in a somewhat more compromising situation, running under a fairly lush row of trees, something that makes signal reception difficult.

This is where Suunto 9 suffers a lot, but it's been misleading since before (since it left the promenade), while both Garmin behave more or less correctly, with some zigzagging due to the difficulty of the area.

From that point on everything works quite correctly between the three watches.

Let's go with another different day in which I do a quite similar tour, but with an interesting point that I will show you later.

Different day, but same bridge crossing. This time the Vivoactive 4 has been slightly imprecise at the entrance to the bridge, as has the Vantage M which has also gone quite far from the climb to the crossing. At that point it is the FR945 that has made it perfect. Once crossed there is some zigzagging, but overall the results are good from all three.

Further on it is the Vivoactive 4 that gets slightly lost, making the route in the first arrow above the garden of one of the urbanizations and being the only one of the three that does it.

At the second mark, the Vivoactive 4 is again slightly inaccurate, and is carried by the FR945 (both on the left wrist/hand), but it is the Vantage that is almost 100% accurate.

The correct route is the one marked by the Vantage M, while both Garmin watches are lost, and the Vivoactive 4 deviates considerably further when it reaches the roundabout.

Here I show you the most interesting part of the training. Here I cross the road by a lower passage, so the satellite signal is totally lost. The interesting thing is to see how long it takes for the watches to recover the signal after having lost it at one point and appearing seconds later several meters from where they lost it.

I have marked the actual route with the orange line, showing which is the entrance to the underground passage (the direction of travel is from right to left). 

You can see that the FR945 has been lost for a while before entering the passage, so it's not to take much notice of what its route says... But the Vivoactive 4 also brings me to this point by running over the trees for a while before reaching the crossing point, something that is not normal from what we have been seeing so far.

Up to the point of entry in the small tunnel the most precise has been the Vantage M. At the time of the exit? The three take a few seconds to recover the signal, I calculate that about 4 or 5. But the three do it quickly and correctly, without making strange triangulations that deviate us from the retal route tens or hundreds of meters, which is what can totally distort the data of a training (because I add 300 meters more in losses of satellite of this type).

In short, the three watches have performed well in recovering the satellite signal, regardless of whether one has done so one second before the other.

Finally, I would like to comment briefly on a cycling training session.

As usual there is no major problem when riding a bike, the speed is much higher, so the graphs are much more accurate as there is less zigzagging. 

There will always be some points where there will be small discrepancies of one meter to the left or right, but it also has to be seen whether the watch goes on the left or right wrist. There is already a difference of almost 50cm, which adding a small error of 20 or 30cm means that we are about one meter apart. And yet, in almost all the training the graphs are perfectly superimposed.

In general the graphics we have been seeing so far is similar to everything I have been seeing in other trainings with Vivoactive 4.

Most of the time the results are good. There are points where there are slight errors, but I don't see recurrent errors or big failures. The typical route exit, but with quick return to the real route, including in complicated areas with buildings or trees. 

But I think that for the vast majority of users the result obtained is more than acceptable.

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Opinion Garmin Vivoactive 4

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is a small evolution of the 3. And I emphasize the evolution, because there are no big changes in the clock. It is true that now there are two sizes that will make you find a version that fits better to what you are looking for, and that all versions include music, but none of its main claims is a major jump from the previous model.

It doesn't mean it's a bad clock, far from it. In fact, when looking for negative points to include in the summary, I couldn't find many, beyond the battery problems I had at rest and that Garmin solved after a software update.

Your main competitor will be in your own home, and when choosing, many will surely hesitate to opt for the Vivoactive 4 or the Forerunner 245It is a legitimate doubt, because both have a very similar price and in some aspects the Vivoactive 4 is superior: it has an altimeter (not only for activities but also for counting ascended floors), sweat and hydration metrics, breathing rate, Garmin Pay...

So what does the Vivoactive 4 not have that is present in the FR245? Well, mainly all the advanced training metrics (race dynamics, training status, Training Effect, etc.) and route navigation.

So if you are a user who is primarily looking for sports performance, the FR245 has that extra set of features not available in the Vivoactive 4. But otherwise you will find more interesting features for your day-to-day life in this new model of Vivoactive.

Anyway I think Garmin has managed to place the Vivoactive 4 in the exact spot for which you are looking for a watch of this type. It is a model that will satisfy the vast majority of people who do sport (whether running, cycling or whatever) but do not train with the aim of competing. The GPS performance is good in any use and the optical pulse sensor shows very good graphics (with slight errors, but very valid at all times).

And all this without forgetting that this is a smart (or slightly smart) clock with good autonomy, a screen that is always on and the ability to play music or sync with platforms such as Spotify and Amazon.

You know that if you have any other questions not answered in the test, you have the comments below. And with that... thanks for reading!