Thanks for your review! I've had the Ionic for 18 months, and it is a great watch, but there is a major deal-breaker that has caused me to put the perfectly-functioning Ionic down and purchase a Garmin VA3. The Ionic has NO heart rate zone alerts, and NO irregular heart rate alerts. For cycling and running, all my workouts are HR-based, and it is insufferable to constantly be looking down, doing a hard flick of the wrist to wake the Ionic screen up, and then read my HR every 30 seconds. I've been following the support forum on the Fitbit website asking for the addition of this feature since the day I bought the watch, and Fitbit has turned a deaf ear to the people pulling their hair out in frustration over the lack of HR zone alerts. If HR zone alerts are important for you, it's a no-brainer - the Vivoactive 3.
I really appreciate this review/opinion. You speak well and have a lot of knowledge. We are not new but trying to step up our fitness game and have been stuck between these two wearables...we are now confidently trading in our Garmin Vivosmart HRs for the VA3!
For those who live outside of the US, check whether Pandora is available in your country or not. I have the Ionic and the Pandora option doesn't even shows up in the watch. PS. I really like your videos! :) subbed!
You really get to the point - so more opinions please. No Spotify = No Fitbitbuy! I'm most interested in build quality, HR accuracy and ease of use with Garmin Vivoactive 3 and their app.
Great talk, thanks. I'm a Fitbit user but somehow I feel like the Vivoactive 3 is the device Fitbit should have made. I'm almost about switching to Garmin based on the pure product. But leaving Fitbit community is a big step and I'm eager to see how the app store and the new hr sensors will evolve on the Ionic.
I stumbled across the Vivoactive 3 while researching the vivo HR a friend had. I want to keep my friends on Garmin Connect so didn't look at any other brand. My daughter is a gym rat who hates bringing her phone so will love the Ionic. Thanks for your reviews!
Sure thing! The 3rd and biggest episode of the VivoActive 3 review is coming out this Friday so I hope it can help you get the most out of the device! Thanks!
The V3 is starting to grow on me. 3rd choice for music and GPS (with about 2 GBs of user storage) are the Samsung Gear Fit 2 and Gear Fit 2 Pro. Thanks
Apparently, with the Ionic, you can write your own apps and share it with your friends and family without going through Fitbit. I wonder how that would work. If you can touch on that a little bit in your official review, it'll be great.
Seriously, I am keep looking at video of vivoactive 3 in gunmetal color while thinking that FR645 should came in that color. Garmin....seriously. They did this intentionally. Because they know gunmetal color FR645 would KILL rest of their model line up. So stupid. I own FR935, but I would sooooo consider getting 645 in gunmetal color.
Good video, liked the fact you shared your opinion based on what someone might be looking for. I've already preordered the garmin one, don't care about music on a watch.
DesFit I agree. People often confuse a review with an opinion. They begin to tell you what they think of the device. I get very irritated by that. All of the big TH-cam names do it. Keep up the good work!
I only bought my Garmin today after having a dilemma between ionic and Garmin but I'm actually really happy with my decision and music isn't a big issue for me (I can still use my iPod 😁) just looking forward to contactless payments and discovering features on Garmin a bit more. Thank you for sharing the video I found it quite helpful as most people were recommending ionic instead of any other watch 😁
+kamila deszcz oh my gosh, who are those people? 🤣 All joking aside the Garmin is way more serious of a device and I heard of a lot of manufacturing issues with the Ionic so I think you made a good choice!
DesFit hi I was just wondering if you had any problems with the stairs you've climbed please ? I was so looking forward to this feature but today it's totally dissapointing 😑🙄
+kamila deszcz check out the Activities episode of the VA3 review series I did for more insight. You must climb 10.5 feet for a floor to register... th-cam.com/video/gwb-JWGYR6I/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for this comparsion. As a Pebble user I was looking forward what fitbit is doing. And it's a shame. :( I'm still using my Peble Time Steel for daily usage and the batterylife is still up to 10 days. For swimming (25m pool) I'm still using the old Garmin Swim and it also still works fine. I think the Vivoactive 3 will be the one who will replace both watches. Just one question. How does the messaging work on the vivoactive 3? Is it similar to the fenix?
+Schumi3XL You're welcome! There isn't any messaging on the Fenix, unless it's from a 3rd party developer. These are most likely "canned" responses but only available on Android. They could be more robust, but that's tough on such a small device without voice dictation.
Now if I was to get a smart watch, it would be phone connectivity and to track my Gym activities plus any daily walking. So as such obviously heart rate measure would be good, but an auto start function would be good. This is because I have activities like hiking and running taken care of by a Suunto , and I have an old reliable Garmin Edge for Cycling.
+Andrew Sturman Edges are still by far the best option for cycling, no doubt. In terms of auto start, I'm actually unsure about Move IQ. I'll have it in hand on Wednesday and will absolutely find out.
+Ben Rex Thanks! I plan to at some point but unfortunately my budget is tied up with the VA3 and Apple Watch 3 at this point. Plus, I’m not a huge fan of the sharp edges so that’s making it not as appealing to me, but maybe in the future!
Unfortunately, I don't own a Samsung phone or I'd definitely be checking them out in a lot more detail. But I'll dive in a little deeper with those and see if I have any thoughts.
@DesFit and @Alan Wei Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro works with any Android phone. I had one but the battery life was atrocious! Samsung claims 3 days and I got a little over a day and a half and that was without doing any work outs, no gps, and even turning off notifications half way through. The display was crisp, the overall look of the device was great, and I liked a lot of its other features but the battery life was a deal breaker for me. I also found its gps accuracy to be a bit questionable the one day I did take it out after charging it again when comparing it to my Fitbit Blaze. @Alan Wei If you're ok with having to charge the device at least every other night and don't mind the gps not being completely 100% accurate (I took both the Pro and Blaze on the same track twice. First time, both said 1.04 miles. Second time, Blaze said 1.06 and Pro said 1.11 and I did back track just few steps a few times the second go so it may have messed with gps signal for both. Not real sure.)then it would definitely be a great choice for you. Basically does everything the Ionic does with more music storage and for 100 dollars less.
Subscribed! Thank you for taking the time to do this video. Ive been devating between the two. Do you know if the garmin va 3 feature of creating your workout so its visible on watch is solely for running? Or can I create one for strength training? Thanks in advance! Can't wait to get one.
+tcabanil Thanks for subscribing! Unfortunately, I'm not sure of those details right now but I already staked my claim on one in the first batch and will find out for you.
DesFit thank you so much for such a quick response. I found the answer on Amazon (you can do it for various types of workouts including weight training and it'll count your reps too!!). I will definitely order one. I wish I could get a gold one! Thanks again. Love your perspective videos!!
I like your video. I personally don't use pandora and I don't like the Ionic design. Therefore out of those two, I would pic the Vivoactive 3. However, I still cannot decide whether to go with the Garmin Vivoactive 3 or the Samsung Gear Sport. They both look similar, they both cost similar, they have similar functions. Just I'm not sure which one is the better device
Thanks for the reply. Can you do a software review? Apple health vs fitbit vs garmin connect (maybe vs google fit or whatever samsung uses) i think would be good. everyone gets so hung up on the hardware but the software is where you analyze the data given to you from the hardware. What does each software let me see? How can I use that software to elevate my fitness level? (hint: fitbit and garmin both have a setting for weight lifting but only one records weight and reps) Sleep tracking: one has better analytics but the other lets me record how i felt after my sleep. Can I put notes down on how I felt for a run? These things are sooo important for athletes, music is not. Then apple... they have good software but what I saw you needed to use 2 or 3 different apps to track your health and progress. Sure, some devices do HRM better than others but do they all do resting HR? What are the polling rates for the resting HR? Once an hour? Once a minute? Who cares if your device has EKG level HRM, if your device has GPS accurate to a milimeter, if your device has a year of battery life, but you can't use that data? I would love to see the software differences but I only have one device. Why are there no videos on the software differences? I can't find any. Do one :D
When you get the VA3, can you see if it would be possible to delete one of the 15 sports profiles and add my own like tennis and have it pop up on the VA3 as tennis? I can add a profile on the VAHR, but it only shows up as Cardio on my watch.
+John Manley hrrrm, that will be interesting to see whether it does the same thing. Just a guess, but I bet it will probably just show up as a generic profile, but honestly I have no idea at this point.
Love the video and quick question have you ever done calories versus calories on Garmin vs Fitbit I just recently went from Fitbit to Garmin and I do feel like there is quite a bit of a difference... Any info you have are much appreciated
I was finding my Fitbit charge HR 2 to be upwards of 500 to 1000 more calories than my Vivoactive 3 at the end of the day :/. I weigh around 200lbs , use to be a bodybuilder now transitioning to endurance sports... Maybe fit bit takes the bodyfat I inputted into account? I noticed Garmin did not have a place for me to put BF%, it just estimated my bmi. Interesting and thank you so much for the feed back!
I never tested the Charge so I can't comment on that device specifically, but those are my findings with the Ionic and the Versa. I still take all those with a grain of salt, however, and generally try to undercut my consumption based on the estimations, just to make sure.
+João Ferreira Ha! Definitely won't claim any expertise in rowing! I only row occasionally but after hearing this I definitely will look into better rowing form! Thanks!
Thanks. Not being able to pair up with the Scosche Rhythm armband is a deal breaker for me as far as the Fitbit is concerned. My Blaze was so inaccurate in the gym. I like the always on screens from Garmin so I know which of the two I am interested. However, both of these companies are like ants compared to Apple. From what I am reading, the Apple Watch 3 will have its own LTE. The new Watch OS is supposed to have lots more sports profiles. The VA3 only has 15 sports profiles. Who will buy either of these new watches when the new Apple Watch comes out?
So I have a bit of a quandary... for over a year now I've been wearing the Garmin vivoactive HR and I really like the device however the touch screen panel has stopped working because of the glue that actually holds the screen on the body has become detached from the plastic casing..... so now I'm looking at the Garmin vivoactive 3 and the Fitbit ionic as potential replacements seeing as how they're both around the same price point I wanted to ask in your professional opinion which one is generally overall a better watch if you're looking more so for metrics as opposed to wanting a smartwatch... With a bit of durability. Thank you to anyone who responds... P.S.... I was looking to get further into either the Garmin ecosystem by buying the index scale or buying the Fitbit Aria 2 depending on which watch I get.
DesFit I definitely have to agree with you about the data.. It is part of the reason why I got the vivoactive HR over the blaze or something like that however the question Still Remains that basically as I believe that you said in a video yourself that the vivoactive hr screen actually broke when you had one and part of me is kind of afraid that that will happen again in another year-and-a-half like what's happening with my watch right now unlike with the Fitbit ionic where the entire housing is made of aluminum...
The reason I bought a 3HR was because my own VAHR’s screen cracked. The VA3 is much higher quality than the VAHR and between the Ionic and the VA3 I don’t there is much difference.
I have a samsung s8+ (big) and I would like to track my runs without carrying it around while still listening music. What do you think is my best option? Also I need it for obstacle runs, any idea which one is more durable? It will take a lot of mud and beatings. thanks!
At this point, your best option may be the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier, from my research. You will have to have a Spotify Premium account to do so. I have not tested this watch so I cannot verify this, but from what I have read, this may be a good contender for you especially since you own a Samsung smartphone.
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Matthias Peeters actually if you really need it right now gear S2 3g its really cheap (105 on Ebay) and has most of S3 features or if you can wait gear sport or gear fit2 pro
I had the vivoActive hr and i used it alot. Especially the app that said FIND PHONE! I broke the watch and the warranty covered me. But they dont have that available anymore. So I got the Fitbit Ionic. Frustrating...because its new. All the apps are dumb. Clock faces etc. Whats up with all those CATS!? it says i made so many steps but im sitting! And you HAVE TO UPGRADE TO PANDORA PLUS to use it. I dont think Im liking it.
I really want the Vivoactive 3 but the only problem is the music storage. Is there any alternatives to not have to bring your phone and listen to music with it? Like earphones with built in storage or other Watch just for music? I assume there is disadvantages to the Ionic over the Vivoactive? Any advice you have would be really appreciated. Thanks!
DesFit oh, really sorry. Thought it was another watch. Really appreciate all these replies. They are so helpful and BTW I love your videos. They really help a lot of people out there😊
+Justin O'Hagan I really appreciate that, Justin. I really do want to help people get the most out of their fitness wearables and also hopefully help them achieve their fitness goals. And I apologize...I first mentioned headphones then I mentioned the AW3 smart watch. I can see how that would be confusing.
You didn't compare the apps. Is the vivo waterproof? Ionic is. The round design for a smart watch is crap.. The point of a smart watch is information. Round limits this and makes app dev more difficult. When comparing don't just compare what you want to. Compare it all. You seem a little bias in favor of Garmin.
+Tommy I am only comparing what stood out to me, you can see other channels for full comparisons. Just giving my perspective. It's not fair to compare the apps until I have both devices in hand. VA3 is waterproof (it does indoor swimming). I DO like Garmin quite a bit because I've been using them for years and I thought they were the best. But with that being said, I have found flaws with the VA3 which I'll detail in a video soon.
I'm still wondering how come I have had so much patience with this product and the this company: Fitbit!... So, me and my wife had the charge 2, and the Alta, and we didn't have any major problems, but the ioinic...THE WORST product ever! 1. To SET IT UP the first time took me over 4 hours, 3 or 4 phone calls to fitbit, and my Sunday ruined. And I had to do it 2 more times because of the bugs. 2.To put MUSIC on device is one of the horrible experiences with the watch: beside the fact they put to pay for Pandora, you cannot put the music you want..the watch selects it for you, so you don't really have a choice about the station, and the songs, and the phone changes the music every time you charge the phone! So, the music on this device it is not worth It! 3. ACCURACY: counts steps in my sleep and when I wash my hands, the heart rate during the work outs it is at least 30 to 40 bpm off, and if I don't wear it for couple hours said that I was asleep....:) 4. APPS: very few watch faces, not even 10 apps totally, and when I went through all that, I felt that for $300... I was a ripped of! CUSTOMER SERVICE: MY WATCH STOPPED WORKING after 3 weeks after I purchased it, and I could not return it, because Best Buy's policy is 2 weeks for returns! Figures! So, Fitbit told me to send it back to them, and they will send me a new one in 5 to 10 business days..all lies! I sent it back 10 days ago, and when I called to see the status, they told me that will take another 3-4 days till they receive it!!! And another 5 business days AFTER they receive it to send me a new one...if they are not lying to me again!! And another 5 days to receive the product...that is almost one month!!! Every time I call I stay with them 20 to 40 min..for nothing! They tell me a different story every time!!! Horrible customer service...waste of time! So, in THE END I decide to try to sell the product (if I can!), and I bought a Garmin Vivoavtive 3!! Gourgeus look and very accurate: steps, heart rate; always on display, easy to navigate, so many things on it : histroy in detail of the work outs, BMR adjusting every day, because we improve trough diet and work outs, and no lagging going through the menu and no bugs...(Ionic was full of bugs and was lagging a lot!) FOLKS: ionic is not worthing your time and your money...be smart and don't suffer like me! :(
Josh there is so much trash coming out from your mouth, maybe u r a butthurt garmin fan. I have garmin 920xt and fitbit charge hr2 and Im a man, I use both which depends on type of usage. The fitbit software/app is indeed better than garmin.
I finally returned my VA 3 and figured I try the Ionic. Wow, what a disaster the Ionic is. So laggy and many things don' work. Step counting is terrible. This is far worse than the VA3.
It looks good :) I should have my review out in about a week and although I don't think it's a disaster, it needs some work and even with the issues that the VA3 has, at the end of the day it's probably a better device.
The Charge 2 was actually usable. 2 hard resets. On Day 1. Saw several reviews on REI where customers returned the same day. Meanwhile, there are 5 star reviews. So everyone will have their own experience. Mine was definitely not good.
DesFit--I finally was able to finally set up the Ionic, including the long process of transferring 200+ songs. It would be nice if you could direct transfer vs using your WiFi to move over 2GB, but it's better than the VA3 without a music option. I also opened a case with iHeart to see if the 645 will support standalone use of the iHeartRadio app. They said only Android Wear 2.0 devices will do this. So for me, since I won't upgrade to the $12.99 per month iHeart, there's less reason to spend $450. It would be game changer if they could support using the free app which I do now on phone. If you have the patience to deal with the Ionic, it can actually be pretty solid. The VA3 has a much more elegant and refined OS, complete with a beautiful HR Gauge. But the Ionic is more accurate for HR during weight training, counts floors well, is accurate for steps and slightly better for measuring my treadmill runs. I also like how the touch screen does not go off in the shower or with other contact. The watch it still quite laggy, but the #1 thing I wanted was accuracy which this delivers. I also like how it gives you fitness score without using GPS. As a gym rat, I do not spend very much time running outside. For $270 on sale, it's not that bad after all. Garmin should be rolling out a VA3-S to include music and increase accuracy. haha!
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Thanks for your review! I've had the Ionic for 18 months, and it is a great watch, but there is a major deal-breaker that has caused me to put the perfectly-functioning Ionic down and purchase a Garmin VA3. The Ionic has NO heart rate zone alerts, and NO irregular heart rate alerts.
For cycling and running, all my workouts are HR-based, and it is insufferable to constantly be looking down, doing a hard flick of the wrist to wake the Ionic screen up, and then read my HR every 30 seconds. I've been following the support forum on the Fitbit website asking for the addition of this feature since the day I bought the watch, and Fitbit has turned a deaf ear to the people pulling their hair out in frustration over the lack of HR zone alerts.
If HR zone alerts are important for you, it's a no-brainer - the Vivoactive 3.
Because of your honesty in the title ("Not a review"), you got a sub 👍🏼
Thanks so much! Unboxing of the VA3 coming REALLY soon (probably later today!)
I also find the Ionic too big for my wrist! I am a Fitbit fan, but the Garmin design is very good!!
Agreed!
I really appreciate this review/opinion. You speak well and have a lot of knowledge. We are not new but trying to step up our fitness game and have been stuck between these two wearables...we are now confidently trading in our Garmin Vivosmart HRs for the VA3!
Thanks so much! Enjoy!
For those who live outside of the US, check whether Pandora is available in your country or not. I have the Ionic and the Pandora option doesn't even shows up in the watch. PS. I really like your videos! :) subbed!
Thanks a bunch! And thanks for sharing the tip!
You really get to the point - so more opinions please. No Spotify = No Fitbitbuy! I'm most interested in build quality, HR accuracy and ease of use with Garmin Vivoactive 3 and their app.
+mashfour Sounds good! Review is coming next week. And another opinion coming tonight/tomorrow! Thanks!
Great comp vid! +1 here on the GV3 ..... in my hands & on my wrist in 5days!
Great talk, thanks. I'm a Fitbit user but somehow I feel like the Vivoactive 3 is the device Fitbit should have made. I'm almost about switching to Garmin based on the pure product. But leaving Fitbit community is a big step and I'm eager to see how the app store and the new hr sensors will evolve on the Ionic.
I stumbled across the Vivoactive 3 while researching the vivo HR a friend had. I want to keep my friends on Garmin Connect so didn't look at any other brand. My daughter is a gym rat who hates bringing her phone so will love the Ionic. Thanks for your reviews!
Sure thing! The 3rd and biggest episode of the VivoActive 3 review is coming out this Friday so I hope it can help you get the most out of the device! Thanks!
Vivoactive 3 Music edition to be announced any day now. So glad I held off on the regular version and never went to the Fitbit as a consolation prize.
The V3 is starting to grow on me. 3rd choice for music and GPS (with about 2 GBs of user storage) are the Samsung Gear Fit 2 and Gear Fit 2 Pro. Thanks
Awesome review. Your facts and commonsense are on point.
I use the ionic mostly for running and as you said it fits the bill perfectly.
This video just made my decision to knock the ionic off my list of which wearable to get next. Thank you for this video.
I have a fitbit ionic. I use it to run with GPS, heart rating and music and it is lasting to 3 and half hours only.
Looking forward to your VA3 review!
Vivoactive 3 ANY day 👍🏻
Thank you 🙏 this helped me decide!
Sure thing!
Wonderful comparison video! ❤👍
+Jennslife09 Thanks again Jenns
Apparently, with the Ionic, you can write your own apps and share it with your friends and family without going through Fitbit. I wonder how that would work. If you can touch on that a little bit in your official review, it'll be great.
Seriously, I am keep looking at video of vivoactive 3 in gunmetal color while thinking that FR645 should came in that color. Garmin....seriously. They did this intentionally. Because they know gunmetal color FR645 would KILL rest of their model line up. So stupid. I own FR935, but I would sooooo consider getting 645 in gunmetal color.
Good video, liked the fact you shared your opinion based on what someone might be looking for. I've already preordered the garmin one, don't care about music on a watch.
+R Rahman Nice! Release date is Sept. 15, so hopefully you get yours soon!
I love the fact that you called this an opinion. Most don't do that.
Ya it’s kind of frustrating that people use the word “review” a bit haphazardly. Thanks!
DesFit I agree. People often confuse a review with an opinion. They begin to tell you what they think of the device. I get very irritated by that. All of the big TH-cam names do it. Keep up the good work!
Unfortunately, I’m fairly sure people are using the term “review” on purpose. 🤥 But thanks so much
Great piece. I have an under armour band that's about to croak so these videos are very helpful
Thank you... it was very useful
Sure thing!
But I'm just wondering... If the ionic has the interval running programs like the Garmin
I only bought my Garmin today after having a dilemma between ionic and Garmin but I'm actually really happy with my decision and music isn't a big issue for me (I can still use my iPod 😁) just looking forward to contactless payments and discovering features on Garmin a bit more. Thank you for sharing the video I found it quite helpful as most people were recommending ionic instead of any other watch 😁
+kamila deszcz oh my gosh, who are those people? 🤣 All joking aside the Garmin is way more serious of a device and I heard of a lot of manufacturing issues with the Ionic so I think you made a good choice!
I hope so 😁😂
DesFit hi I was just wondering if you had any problems with the stairs you've climbed please ? I was so looking forward to this feature but today it's totally dissapointing 😑🙄
+kamila deszcz check out the Activities episode of the VA3 review series I did for more insight. You must climb 10.5 feet for a floor to register... th-cam.com/video/gwb-JWGYR6I/w-d-xo.html
What are your thoughts on Fitbit Coach vs. Garmin's training plans? As in which one is simpler to use, which one is more versatile etc.
Liked the comparison!
Can they count manually laps with these watches? For running I use the FR 620 and daily use the Charge 2.
Thanks for this comparsion. As a Pebble user I was looking forward what fitbit is doing. And it's a shame. :(
I'm still using my Peble Time Steel for daily usage and the batterylife is still up to 10 days. For swimming (25m pool) I'm still using the old Garmin Swim and it also still works fine. I think the Vivoactive 3 will be the one who will replace both watches. Just one question. How does the messaging work on the vivoactive 3? Is it similar to the fenix?
+Schumi3XL You're welcome! There isn't any messaging on the Fenix, unless it's from a 3rd party developer. These are most likely "canned" responses but only available on Android. They could be more robust, but that's tough on such a small device without voice dictation.
Now if I was to get a smart watch, it would be phone connectivity and to track my Gym activities plus any daily walking. So as such obviously heart rate measure would be good, but an auto start function would be good. This is because I have activities like hiking and running taken care of by a Suunto , and I have an old reliable Garmin Edge for Cycling.
+Andrew Sturman Edges are still by far the best option for cycling, no doubt. In terms of auto start, I'm actually unsure about Move IQ. I'll have it in hand on Wednesday and will absolutely find out.
Love the videos, are you going to do a full review/comparison on the Fitbit Ionic and Vivoavtive 3 ? Is there a review on the Fitbit Ionic ?
+Ben Rex Thanks! I plan to at some point but unfortunately my budget is tied up with the VA3 and Apple Watch 3 at this point. Plus, I’m not a huge fan of the sharp edges so that’s making it not as appealing to me, but maybe in the future!
Iconic gps is not as accurate as Garmin. Fitbits are toys.
You totally nailed it with this one. Thx!Do u know when VA3 is coming out ??
I believe in about 2-3 weeks. Already have my name on one and can't wait to see what it can do!
Any possibility to review/comments for Gear sport/Fit2 Pro ?
Unfortunately, I don't own a Samsung phone or I'd definitely be checking them out in a lot more detail. But I'll dive in a little deeper with those and see if I have any thoughts.
Thanks, what if by outdoor cycling mainly, which one you recommended?
+Alan Wei Probably the Garmin, but without trying the actual modes, that's going to be hard to determine at this point.
@DesFit and @Alan Wei Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro works with any Android phone. I had one but the battery life was atrocious! Samsung claims 3 days and I got a little over a day and a half and that was without doing any work outs, no gps, and even turning off notifications half way through. The display was crisp, the overall look of the device was great, and I liked a lot of its other features but the battery life was a deal breaker for me. I also found its gps accuracy to be a bit questionable the one day I did take it out after charging it again when comparing it to my Fitbit Blaze. @Alan Wei If you're ok with having to charge the device at least every other night and don't mind the gps not being completely 100% accurate (I took both the Pro and Blaze on the same track twice. First time, both said 1.04 miles. Second time, Blaze said 1.06 and Pro said 1.11 and I did back track just few steps a few times the second go so it may have messed with gps signal for both. Not real sure.)then it would definitely be a great choice for you. Basically does everything the Ionic does with more music storage and for 100 dollars less.
Subscribed! Thank you for taking the time to do this video. Ive been devating between the two. Do you know if the garmin va 3 feature of creating your workout so its visible on watch is solely for running? Or can I create one for strength training? Thanks in advance! Can't wait to get one.
+tcabanil Thanks for subscribing! Unfortunately, I'm not sure of those details right now but I already staked my claim on one in the first batch and will find out for you.
DesFit thank you so much for such a quick response. I found the answer on Amazon (you can do it for various types of workouts including weight training and it'll count your reps too!!). I will definitely order one. I wish I could get a gold one! Thanks again. Love your perspective videos!!
+tcabanil sure thing!
Sir. can you do a comparison/review for fitbit ionic vs forerunner 245 music?
I like your video. I personally don't use pandora and I don't like the Ionic design. Therefore out of those two, I would pic the Vivoactive 3. However, I still cannot decide whether to go with the Garmin Vivoactive 3 or the Samsung Gear Sport. They both look similar, they both cost similar, they have similar functions. Just I'm not sure which one is the better device
+Joberg If you have a Samsung smartphone, the Gear Sport is a great option. Otherwise, I, as well prefer the VA3. Review coming soon!
I have got Xiomi phone and it works great with my Gear S3 :-)
Hello I was wondering which device (in your opinion) has a better GPS feature?
good content bud, keep it up!
+AhSchit Thanks!
Thanks for the reply. Can you do a software review? Apple health vs fitbit vs garmin connect (maybe vs google fit or whatever samsung uses) i think would be good. everyone gets so hung up on the hardware but the software is where you analyze the data given to you from the hardware. What does each software let me see? How can I use that software to elevate my fitness level? (hint: fitbit and garmin both have a setting for weight lifting but only one records weight and reps) Sleep tracking: one has better analytics but the other lets me record how i felt after my sleep. Can I put notes down on how I felt for a run? These things are sooo important for athletes, music is not. Then apple... they have good software but what I saw you needed to use 2 or 3 different apps to track your health and progress. Sure, some devices do HRM better than others but do they all do resting HR? What are the polling rates for the resting HR? Once an hour? Once a minute? Who cares if your device has EKG level HRM, if your device has GPS accurate to a milimeter, if your device has a year of battery life, but you can't use that data?
I would love to see the software differences but I only have one device. Why are there no videos on the software differences? I can't find any. Do one :D
hi man, love ur videos. i would like to ask ur recommendation on the best weightlifting sportwatch
When you get the VA3, can you see if it would be possible to delete one of the 15 sports profiles and add my own like tennis and have it pop up on the VA3 as tennis? I can add a profile on the VAHR, but it only shows up as Cardio on my watch.
+John Manley hrrrm, that will be interesting to see whether it does the same thing. Just a guess, but I bet it will probably just show up as a generic profile, but honestly I have no idea at this point.
DesFit Thanks. Maybe you can give it a shot when you get a chance
+John Manley sure thing
Love the video and quick question have you ever done calories versus calories on Garmin vs Fitbit I just recently went from Fitbit to Garmin and I do feel like there is quite a bit of a difference... Any info you have are much appreciated
I’ve found my Garmin to be a tad high and the FitBit to be pretty realistic overall. What kind of results are you getting?
I was finding my Fitbit charge HR 2 to be upwards of 500 to 1000 more calories than my Vivoactive 3 at the end of the day :/. I weigh around 200lbs , use to be a bodybuilder now transitioning to endurance sports... Maybe fit bit takes the bodyfat I inputted into account? I noticed Garmin did not have a place for me to put BF%, it just estimated my bmi. Interesting and thank you so much for the feed back!
I never tested the Charge so I can't comment on that device specifically, but those are my findings with the Ionic and the Versa. I still take all those with a grain of salt, however, and generally try to undercut my consumption based on the estimations, just to make sure.
@Coach Jason Noel - you in Denver?
Yes sir! I just moved to Arvada from South Florida :) loving me some Mountains!!
As a rower I can say your rowing technique sucks. But as a consumer, great video as usual👌
+João Ferreira Ha! Definitely won't claim any expertise in rowing! I only row occasionally but after hearing this I definitely will look into better rowing form! Thanks!
Hello ...can i pair the ionic or vivoactive 3 with polar h10 heart rate and the milestone footpod at the same time ???
Music storage IS a deal breaker, every sports watch should have it.
yea but it doesnt rly work on ionic not the best bt connections
Thanks. Not being able to pair up with the Scosche Rhythm armband is a deal breaker for me as far as the Fitbit is concerned. My Blaze was so inaccurate in the gym. I like the always on screens from Garmin so I know which of the two I am interested. However, both of these companies are like ants compared to Apple. From what I am reading, the Apple Watch 3 will have its own LTE. The new Watch OS is supposed to have lots more sports profiles. The VA3 only has 15 sports profiles. Who will buy either of these new watches when the new Apple Watch comes out?
+John Manley Easy: people who don't have an iPhone. Plus, the new Apple Watch is going to be easily more expensive than these two.
DesFit That is true. Thanks
Plastic vs Metal....your choice. Thanks !
Fabricio Luna which one is made out of plastic?
Can either of them use an external hr sensor?
So I have a bit of a quandary... for over a year now I've been wearing the Garmin vivoactive HR and I really like the device however the touch screen panel has stopped working because of the glue that actually holds the screen on the body has become detached from the plastic casing..... so now I'm looking at the Garmin vivoactive 3 and the Fitbit ionic as potential replacements seeing as how they're both around the same price point I wanted to ask in your professional opinion which one is generally overall a better watch if you're looking more so for metrics as opposed to wanting a smartwatch... With a bit of durability. Thank you to anyone who responds... P.S.... I was looking to get further into either the Garmin ecosystem by buying the index scale or buying the Fitbit Aria 2 depending on which watch I get.
Get the VA3. Ionic is really not bad at all, but Garmin will hands down provide more data. Durability may be a wash between the two.
DesFit I definitely have to agree with you about the data.. It is part of the reason why I got the vivoactive HR over the blaze or something like that however the question Still Remains that basically as I believe that you said in a video yourself that the vivoactive hr screen actually broke when you had one and part of me is kind of afraid that that will happen again in another year-and-a-half like what's happening with my watch right now unlike with the Fitbit ionic where the entire housing is made of aluminum...
DesFit thank you for the reply
The reason I bought a 3HR was because my own VAHR’s screen cracked. The VA3 is much higher quality than the VAHR and between the Ionic and the VA3 I don’t there is much difference.
Oh sorry, didn’t see that last comment. Thanks!
I have a samsung s8+ (big) and I would like to track my runs without carrying it around while still listening music.
What do you think is my best option? Also I need it for obstacle runs, any idea which one is more durable? It will take a lot of mud and beatings. thanks!
At this point, your best option may be the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier, from my research. You will have to have a Spotify Premium account to do so. I have not tested this watch so I cannot verify this, but from what I have read, this may be a good contender for you especially since you own a Samsung smartphone.
Matthias Peeters actually if you really need it right now gear S2 3g its really cheap (105 on Ebay) and has most of S3 features or if you can wait gear sport or gear fit2 pro
Thanks, never looked at this as an option! Thought it was more like an hyped up accessorie for a phone. Big helps Desfit!!
Thanks Diego! I can wait a bit so I'm going to look up the gear sport and gear fit 2! :)
+Matthias Peeters sure thing!
I had the vivoActive hr and i used it alot. Especially the app that said FIND PHONE!
I broke the watch and the warranty covered me. But they dont have that available anymore.
So I got the Fitbit Ionic.
Frustrating...because its new.
All the apps are dumb. Clock faces etc. Whats up with all those CATS!?
it says i made so many steps but im sitting!
And you HAVE TO UPGRADE TO PANDORA PLUS to use it.
I dont think Im liking it.
Good video but you were talking so fast I found it hard to understand what was being said.
+TFTRW thanks and appreciate the feedback. I get all excited and just start going fast.
I really want the Vivoactive 3 but the only problem is the music storage. Is there any alternatives to not have to bring your phone and listen to music with it? Like earphones with built in storage or other Watch just for music? I assume there is disadvantages to the Ionic over the Vivoactive? Any advice you have would be really appreciated. Thanks!
+Justin O'Hagan I believe the Samsung Icon X had music storage and playback and the new Apple Watch Series 3 does as well.
DesFit thanks but is there any earphones with built in storage you know of?
+Justin O'Hagan Samsung Icon X
DesFit oh, really sorry. Thought it was another watch. Really appreciate all these replies. They are so helpful and BTW I love your videos. They really help a lot of people out there😊
+Justin O'Hagan I really appreciate that, Justin. I really do want to help people get the most out of their fitness wearables and also hopefully help them achieve their fitness goals. And I apologize...I first mentioned headphones then I mentioned the AW3 smart watch. I can see how that would be confusing.
You didn't compare the apps. Is the vivo waterproof? Ionic is. The round design for a smart watch is crap.. The point of a smart watch is information. Round limits this and makes app dev more difficult. When comparing don't just compare what you want to. Compare it all. You seem a little bias in favor of Garmin.
+Tommy I am only comparing what stood out to me, you can see other channels for full comparisons. Just giving my perspective. It's not fair to compare the apps until I have both devices in hand. VA3 is waterproof (it does indoor swimming). I DO like Garmin quite a bit because I've been using them for years and I thought they were the best. But with that being said, I have found flaws with the VA3 which I'll detail in a video soon.
I'm still wondering how come I have had so much patience with this product and the this company: Fitbit!...
So, me and my wife had the charge 2, and the Alta, and we didn't have any major problems, but the ioinic...THE WORST product ever!
1. To SET IT UP the first time took me over 4 hours, 3 or 4 phone calls to fitbit, and my Sunday ruined. And I had to do it 2 more times because of the bugs.
2.To put MUSIC on device is one of the horrible experiences with the watch: beside the fact they put to pay for Pandora, you cannot put the music you want..the watch selects it for you, so you don't really have a choice about the station, and the songs, and the phone changes the music every time you charge the phone! So, the music on this device it is not worth It!
3. ACCURACY: counts steps in my sleep and when I wash my hands, the heart rate during the work outs it is at least 30 to 40 bpm off, and if I don't wear it for couple hours said that I was asleep....:)
4. APPS: very few watch faces, not even 10 apps totally, and when I went through all that, I felt that for $300... I was a ripped of!
CUSTOMER SERVICE: MY WATCH STOPPED WORKING after 3 weeks after I purchased it, and I could not return it, because Best Buy's policy is 2 weeks for returns! Figures!
So, Fitbit told me to send it back to them, and they will send me a new one in 5 to 10 business days..all lies! I sent it back 10 days ago, and when I called to see the status, they told me that will take another 3-4 days till they receive it!!! And another 5 business days AFTER they receive it to send me a new one...if they are not lying to me again!! And another 5 days to receive the product...that is almost one month!!! Every time I call I stay with them 20 to 40 min..for nothing! They tell me a different story every time!!! Horrible customer service...waste of time!
So, in THE END I decide to try to sell the product (if I can!), and I bought a Garmin Vivoavtive 3!! Gourgeus look and very accurate: steps, heart rate; always on display, easy to navigate, so many things on it : histroy in detail of the work outs, BMR adjusting every day, because we improve trough diet and work outs, and no lagging going through the menu and no bugs...(Ionic was full of bugs and was lagging a lot!)
FOLKS: ionic is not worthing your time and your money...be smart and don't suffer like me! :(
Fitbit is a toy, Garmin is a tool
Garmin >
+Rob Erickson ya most likely :)
Garmin app n software are crap.
The new beta dashboard is a big improvement. Enable it in settings.
Josh sexist much, im a guy and I wear a FitBit.
Josh there is so much trash coming out from your mouth, maybe u r a butthurt garmin fan. I have garmin 920xt and fitbit charge hr2 and Im a man, I use both which depends on type of usage. The fitbit software/app is indeed better than garmin.
haro wilson I love the Garmin app
Fitbit is a toy, Garmin is a tool
I finally returned my VA 3 and figured I try the Ionic. Wow, what a disaster the Ionic is. So laggy and many things don' work. Step counting is terrible. This is far worse than the VA3.
It looks good :) I should have my review out in about a week and although I don't think it's a disaster, it needs some work and even with the issues that the VA3 has, at the end of the day it's probably a better device.
The Charge 2 was actually usable. 2 hard resets. On Day 1. Saw several reviews on REI where customers returned the same day. Meanwhile, there are 5 star reviews. So everyone will have their own experience. Mine was definitely not good.
DesFit--I finally was able to finally set up the Ionic, including the long process of transferring 200+ songs. It would be nice if you could direct transfer vs using your WiFi to move over 2GB, but it's better than the VA3 without a music option. I also opened a case with iHeart to see if the 645 will support standalone use of the iHeartRadio app. They said only Android Wear 2.0 devices will do this. So for me, since I won't upgrade to the $12.99 per month iHeart, there's less reason to spend $450. It would be game changer if they could support using the free app which I do now on phone.
If you have the patience to deal with the Ionic, it can actually be pretty solid. The VA3 has a much more elegant and refined OS, complete with a beautiful HR Gauge. But the Ionic is more accurate for HR during weight training, counts floors well, is accurate for steps and slightly better for measuring my treadmill runs. I also like how the touch screen does not go off in the shower or with other contact. The watch it still quite laggy, but the #1 thing I wanted was accuracy which this delivers. I also like how it gives you fitness score without using GPS. As a gym rat, I do not spend very much time running outside. For $270 on sale, it's not that bad after all. Garmin should be rolling out a VA3-S to include music and increase accuracy. haha!
Horrible review. You said ABSOLUTELY nothing about the Vivoactive 3.
Are you serious bud? The title says NOT A REVIEW
Fitbit products are ALL GARBAGES! Btw.