Garmin Vivoactive HR - Replacement

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networkn

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#299015 3-Aug-2022 10:26

Hi.

My wife has and loves this wearable, but it's getting pretty old and unreliable now.

She wants something that does everything this one does, plus ECG in a similar form factor (she has smallish wrists).

We were looking at the Huawei Watch D which has a cool Blood Pressure Monitor, but it's apparently not suitable for swimming which she enjoys.

She also really likes the fact she can turn on the GPS when she bikes or walks, and it will then show her a map of her travels and her and her Dad can share that information too through Garmin.

Is anyone able to recommend something suitable?

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#2950101 3-Aug-2022 10:45

My wife has the venu which she likes. Runs with it every day and it syncs up with Strava. The latest model is the venu 2 which looks like the battery has been beefed up.

Looks like there is three models venu 2s (small) venu 2 and venu 2plus (more smart phoney)

https://buy.garmin.com/en-NZ/NZ/catalog/product/compareResult.ep?compareProduct=707572&compareProduct=730659&compareProduct=707538

Heart rate seems accurate, does blood oxygen, has a swim mode. GPS isn't as accurate as my fenix but relatively accurate. Light weight, can add music with a week long battery (when used everyday and gps every second day)

Looks like it is cheapest from amazon at the moment $500NZD

https://www.amazon.com.au/Garmin-Fitness-Smartwatch-Slate-Stainless/dp/B091ZXYQXF/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2COJXDB13VMTY&keywords=venu+2&qid=1659480143&sprefix=venu+2%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-2

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#2950104 3-Aug-2022 10:47

Looks pretty chunky compared to her existing, and no ECG Function?

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#2950110 3-Aug-2022 10:53

Is there a particular reason why she needs ECG? It's an impressive feature from a technical point of view, but if you're not elderly and don't have any history of atrial fibrillation then it's extremely unlikely that you have anything untoward for it to detect.

If you can live without ECG then I would suggest either:

Garmin Forerunner 55 : Transflexive display which is mediocre but gives great battery life. This model has really good sports features and will connect to external heart rate monitors including post-swim syncing of heart rate data.
Garmin Venu : There are a few different variants of this watch at different price points. This has a better display but that means you have to either accept less battery life or use it in 'raise to wake' mode. This isn't as powerful for competitive sports, but it's fine for casual running and swimming.

Sticking with Garmin means that she can maintain her ongoing history in Garmin Connect.

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#2950115 3-Aug-2022 11:01

I don't think any of the garmins do ECG

https://www.amazon.com.au/Garmin-Fitness-Smartwatch-Slate-Stainless/dp/B091ZZVBZ3/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2COJXDB13VMTY&keywords=venu%2B2&qid=1659480143&sprefix=venu%2B2%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-2&th=1 this one looks less bulky (is the 2s)

my wife has pretty small wrists and it doesn't look out of place, but if ECG is a must have then it won't work for you.

My mum has the samsung watch 4 which does have ECG. She likes it (other than having to charge it every day).

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#2958101 23-Aug-2022 09:36

I like Withings. I had the large Scanwatch and currently have the Horizon (bought from France when launched last year, now available in AU). No built-in GPS (need the phone for this) but SpO2 and ECG. For BP I use the Withings BP Connect.

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#2958112 23-Aug-2022 10:41

So wifey is insistent on it having ECG, and GPS and being small enough to fit on her pretty small wrist. BP is a plus but not essential. It's not been easy trying to find something!

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#2958115 23-Aug-2022 11:00

networkn:

So wifey is insistent on it having ECG, and GPS and being small enough to fit on her pretty small wrist. BP is a plus but not essential. It's not been easy trying to find something!

Looks like the garmin venu 2 is capable it just hasn't been implemented.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/03/garmin-watch-ecg-feature-demonstration-clinical-trials-venu2-plus.html

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#2958126 23-Aug-2022 11:24

I would be cautious about that. Ray himself has gone to great lengths to say that there is no firm horizon or any word from Garmin when or even if it will be released to production. I'd also expect that it will be restricted by country based on regulatory submission and approval. If ECG is a must I wouldn't buy a Venu 2 now under the assumption that it will come. I'd wait for an official release from Garmin.

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#2958131 23-Aug-2022 11:40

Senecio:

I would be cautious about that. Ray himself has gone to great lengths to say that there is no firm horizon or any word from Garmin when or even if it will be released to production. I'd also expect that it will be restricted by country based on regulatory submission and approval. If ECG is a must I wouldn't buy a Venu 2 now under the assumption that it will come. I'd wait for an official release from Garmin.

Sorry yes wasn't suggesting OP go for that based on possible future implementation of features that have a good chance of never being implemented.

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#2958149 23-Aug-2022 12:03

Yeah for sure, we want something that works out of the box now. It seems that Garmin are going to implement ECG moving forward, but the timeframes don't look to be compatible. Bit of a shame, she quite likes her Garmin.

The Fitbit sense does seem a little promising. Has ECG and GPS. Shame about the subscription services.

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#2958150 23-Aug-2022 12:17

Also remember sometimes hardware supports something but the company did not apply for the proper NZ health permits - Samsung and their smartwatches for example.

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#2958155 23-Aug-2022 12:26

freitasm: Also remember sometimes hardware supports something but the company did not apply for the proper NZ health permits - Samsung and their smartwatches for example.

Yeah, that's quite annoying.

The Samsung isn't ideal for battery life reasons. Charging every day kinda sucks.