GarminGarmin vívoactive® 6, Health and Fitness GPS Smartwatch, AMOLED Display, Up to 11 Days of Battery, Metallic Jasper Green with Jasper Green Band

What I liked in the VA6:New UX ImprovementsFully redesigned UI/UX that feels modern and premium — more in line with 2025 standards.Notification center with "Clear All" option (finally!).Control center similar to Android/iOS.Built-in Compass app.Revamped UI/UX for several existing apps.Smart alarm (haven’t tried it yet).Adjustable font size.Calendar app that shows all future events — unlike V3, which only shows today and tomorrow.Custom Workout CreationYou can create fully custom workouts on VA6, which the V3 doesn’t support.Course/Route SyncingAbility to send training courses or routes directly to the watch.Improved HapticsThe vibration motor feels noticeably better than the one in V3.Premium StrapThe strap feels more refined and premium than what comes with the V3....and I’m sure there’s more I’ll uncover over time.One thing worth noting: although the watch has a UI that's quite feature-rich and visually heavy, I initially expected it to lag. But after using it for a week, I haven't experienced a single hiccup — it's been smooth throughout.The main reason I switched to Garmin is that Apple Watch—even the Ultra—doesn't really provide actionable health insights.What impressed me about Garmin is the level of actionable insights it offers without requiring a subscription. Some of the highlights:Sleep Score and Sleep CoachStress trackingBody BatteryRecovery insightsCustom workouts and Garmin Coach...and probably more features I’ll discover as I continue using the VA6.Most of the core health tracking features are similar to the Apple Watch, but Garmin seems to go a step further with its detailed insights. So overall, Garmin feels like a more complete fitness-focused smartwatch to me.

This is my first Garmin. Honestly, I really, really enjoy this watch more than any Apple watch or Fitbit I've had. It was very easy to set up. You get a ton of stats (like steps, activities, sleep, stress/body battery).. and smart alerts. Let me tell you about the smart alerts. Smart alerts are THE BEST. I stopped setting alarms on my phone because they work so well. It's the right amount of vibration that it'll wake me up, but not my boyfriend. If I ever have a problem with the watch, I'm definitely getting another. Quality purchase.

I had the vivoactive 3 and needed an upgrade. This newer model is great, it is a lot lighter on my arm. There are more features in the 6, which I did not have on the 3. I like the details on the sleep tracking, I have been using this watch for 3 weeks now and have not had an issues with any of the functions.

Great battery life (10+ days)Feels sturdy with a lot of features.The watch is bright enough even in bright sunlight.I haven't encountered any issues or things I'm unhappy about yet.I like the body battery feature a lot. It prevents me from overexercising. Other brands don't seem to have this.

This watch has everything I wanted.- The display is crisp and vibrant- The alarms are highly customizable- Awesome UI and tons of sports tracking- On-board music storage and Bluetooth connection to my earbuds allows for running without my phone- Extremely lightweight and comfortable to wear day and nightEven though this watch checks off every box, I have had repeated issues with it locking up (usually during workouts). It's extremely frustrating to be crushing a run and have it shutdown. I have had numerous chats with Garmin and updated to the latest firmware. This watch would easily be a 5-star if it can fix the software bugs.

Watch was working great for 10 days, but then the watch began to experience a rapid battery drain (so says Garmins customer service). The battery went from 100% to dead in 6 hrs. Their solution was to try a beta fix. Not a great start to a brand new watch. Additionally, while I was doing a mixed martial arts exercise, the boxing glove I was wearing was selecting buttons on the watch during the workout. Pretty frustrating to have the touch screen active during workouts.

I am disappointed with Garmin Vivoactive 6 and Garmin Connect App not connecting weight tracking with any other smart scale or other fitness apps! Unless you purchase a Garmin scale your only option is manual entry. I have confirmed this with Garmin support. This is very shortsighted of Garmin. Lots of customers already have/use other scales and apps so why aren’t they playing nicely with them to attract converts to Garmin? I have happily used my current smart scale with both Apple Watch/health app and Fitbit for years. Now with trying to transition to Garmin for many of its far superior fitness tracking features to both of those platforms one of the most important features (weight tracking & management) suddenly requires manual entries! This is a major disadvantage and may cause me to return the Germin that I’m otherwise very happy with. 😤

As someone with a ~4yr old Garmin Instinct, this is a huge "upgrade". I am keeping my Instinct for rugged outdoor activities, but the customizability, extra sensors, and light footprint is all very welcome when performing exercises and other activities. I briefly owner a Vivoactive 5, but returned it due to the missing altitude/barometric sensor. The 6 has definitely improved in software. I don't understand the screen brightness complaints, it seems perfect. I'm very pleased overall.