As wearables become more and more popular, manufacturers continue to offer improvements to the technology you wear on your wrist. Two of these smartwatch producers, Garmin and Fitbit, have released their latest offerings, the Vivoactive 3 and the Ionic, respectively.
Both of these devices focus on wellbeing and fitness while giving their users access to features like heart rate monitoring and mobile payments. If you’re in the market for a new wearable the centers on fitness, either of these wearables are solid options.
So which one of these sport-focused wearables is the right one for you? Is the Fitbit Ionic what you need to meet your lifestyle needs, or could the Garmin Vivoactive 3 wind up taking up residence on your wrist?
Fortunately, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you and compared the two. Follow along with us as we dig deeper into what these two wearables have to offer, how they’re similar, and how they differ.
Main Differences Between the Fitbit Ionic and the Garmin Vivoactive
- Battery Life – The Fitbit Ionic battery will last up to four days before you need to charge it, which isn’t bad. However, the Garmin Vivoactive 3 doesn’t need a charge for 8 days. You can go more than a week before you have to plug in your Vivoactive.
- Music – You can store music on your smartwatch with the Fitbit Ionic. Plus, it’ll let you stream Pandora, two things the Vivoactive 3 does not offer.
- Wireless Charging – If you like just laying your smartwatch down on a charger instead of plugging it in, then you’ll like the Fitbit Ionic since it supports wireless charging. The Vivoactive does not support wireless charging.
- Stopwatch – You would think that if you’re wearing a sports smartwatch, it would have a stopwatch feature. However, the Fitbit Ionic does not, while the Garmin Vivoactive 3 does.
Design
The most glaring difference you’ll notice between the Fitbit Ionic and the Garmin Vivoactive 3 is their shape. These two wearables are completely different in this regard. The Fitbit is square, while the Garmin is circular. Outside of that, there are a few differences between the two in the design department.
Ionic
The Fitbit Ionic isn’t very pleasing to the eye, with some people going so far as to call it unattractive. Colors available on the Fitbit Ionic will make you think it’s straight out of a science fiction movie or an episode of Star Trek. Most notable on the device are large bezels with big lugs where you connect the band.
No products found.When it comes to design, the Ionic has chosen to focus on function over form. You’ll get a long battery life, GPS, heart rate monitor, and plenty of other features all jammed into this slim wearable.
However, since you’re getting a slim form factor, Fitbit has to make the device a bit taller and wider to spread out and support all the various technologies.
Vivoactive
The Vivoactive 3, on the other hand, has a completely different look and feel. Its circular face ditches the previous square design that Garmin devices are known for having. It’s a little lighter than the Ionic, while also sporting a less rugged and smaller feel.
Layout
When it comes to the button layout, the Ionic mimics another Fitbit device, the Blaze. There are two buttons located on the right of the device with one more sitting on the left. Additionally, you can swipe the screen to move through workouts and apps as needed.
Comparatively, the Vivoactive 3 only has one button. It also has a small touchpad you can use to scroll through the menu settings and additional options.
Interface
From an interface perspective, the Ionic is intuitive and easy to use. It works with the operating system in a way that makes it simple and straightforward. On the other hand, the Vivoactive 3 interface feels clunky and disjointed. It’s clear when using the Garmin that the operating system needs some work.
Display
The display is another area in which the Fitbit Ionic is better than the Garmin Vivoactive 3. Garmin’s display is not nearly as vibrant and clear as the Ionic’s. However, the Vivoactive does get somewhat of a nod here as it has an always-on display. If you want to see your screen on the Ionic, you’ll have to wiggle your wrist.
While the Ionic does hold the advantage in a few areas, the Vivoactive 3 has the edge when it comes to choosing between the more attractive of the two.
Features
Both of these smartwatches are jam-packed with features. Here are a few that you’ll use frequently along with how the Ionic and Vivoactive 3 compare with one another in each area.
Payments
Payments is a new feature on both the Fitbit Ionic and the Garmin Vivoactive 3. When using the Ionic, you’ll have access to Fitbit Pay, which is already partnering with several banks. One drawback to this feature is that you have to enter your pin code on the watch itself, which can be challenging.
The Vivoactive 3 offers Garmin Pay, which offers a similar experience. You’ll type in your passcode, then swipe through your cards until you find the right one. Hold your watch near the NFC reader so it can charge you. While it’s more convenient than pulling out your wallet, there is room for improvement.
Notifications
Both of these high-quality wearables offer notifications right on your wrist. They’ll provide alerts that include text messages, incoming calls, Twitter responses, or Facebook comments. However, not many of these notifications are actionable.
With the Ionic, you can reject or accept calls, which is basically all you can do. The Vivoactive 3 will let you respond to text messages, however, you can only choose from a list of canned responses, and that’s only if you’re using an Android device.
Along these same lines is Fitbit’s “Gallery” which is a selection of apps…well four to be exact. You can use AccuWeather, Pandora, Starbucks, and Strava on the Fitbit Ionic. The thinking here is that this app store will continue to expand as developers create more content. For now, it’s basically a list of partnerships that offer support for the Fitbit Ionic.
Music
The Ionic does a good job with music as well. You can store music on the device itself or stream through Pandora if you prefer. Garmin’s Vivoactive will let you control the music, but only from your phone, so it’s kind of a pointless feature to have.
From a features standpoint, the Fitbit Ionic bears all the features you would expect to have in a smartwatch. The Vivoactive 3 has smart features, but it feels like Garmin could have done more in this area.
Tracking
The core of these wearables focuses on fitness tracking. You’ll still get your basics when it comes to these devices. Features like heart rate monitoring and step tracking are available on both the Ionic and the Vivoactive 3. Some other tracking functionalities you’ll discover with these devices include the following:
GPS
These two smartwatches are very similar when it comes to GPS. Fitbit makes it known that its devices offer superior GPS functionality and the Ionic’s performance follows through. Garmin, being a GPS company, can match the Ionic’s performance. The difference between the two in terms of GPS are negligible.
Sport Mode
When it comes to sport mode, you’ll get the typical capabilities in tracking running, swimming, and cycling. The Vivoactive 3, however, also allows you to customize your workout. You can create data points and goals you want to meet. You also have the ability to download additional workouts through the Garmin Connect platform. That means you’re getting more variety from the Vivoactive 3 than you do from the Ionic.
No products found.Heart Rate Monitoring
In this area, Garmin once again takes it to Fitbit. The Vivoactive 3 tracks your heart rate during the entire day, then links to a stress rating while ranking both. This gives you a solid idea of ways you can improve your heart rate.
The Fitbit, on the other hand, offers a breathing meditation app to help you lower your stress levels. Unfortunately, it’s not going to show you how your heart rate was impacted throughout the day.
Sleep Tracking
Fitbit’s Ionic pushes back in sleep tracking. While you sleep, the Fitbit Ionic tracks your behavior and can tell you how much time you spend in REM, light, and deep sleep. For the money, it’s easily one of the best sleep trackers on the market.
Unfortunately, the Garmin just doesn’t stack up in the category, oftentimes it will mistake your resting for sleep, which doesn’t give you a good indicator of how much actual shut-eye you’re getting.
Third-Party Support
If you want a device that works with third-party devices, the Vivoactive 3 is the way to go. For example, the Garmin works with a strap for your chest so you can get a more accurate reading of your heart rate.
While Fitbit does fall short in this area, the smartwatch does work with Dexcom. This gives diabetics a way to track and monitor their glucose. The data can be sent right to the Fitbit, so users know exactly where their levels are throughout the day.
In regards to fitness tracking, the Fitbit Ionic and the Garmin Vivoactive 3 are two of the best devices available. It’s really a question of how forward-looking you want your wearable to be. Do you want something more well-rounded? Then you’ll probably want to go with the Vivoactive 3. It’s customizable, has a solid heart rate performance, good GPS, and a Connect platform which is getting better every day.
However, if you want something that will do a better job of tracking you during the day and night, then you might consider the Fitbit Ionic. It has all the features you want in a smartwatch, plus the added advantage of being a great fitness tracker.
Battery
We touched on this earlier, but the clear winner when it comes to the battery is the Garmin Vivoactive 3. With the Vivoactive 3, you’ll get nearly eight days of use with the GPS continuously in use. Comparatively, the Fitbit Ionic will only give you four with continuous GPS.
The challenge here is that the comparison isn’t entirely accurate. For example, the Ionic runs a better, brighter display, which is sure to use up more battery life. Plus, it streams music through Pandora, which also drains the battery when in use.
Neither of those options are available on the Vivoactive 3, which means it’s not putting out as much energy to control either the display or streaming music. If it did, then perhaps the batter life would be closer to even.
Comparison Chart
Manufacturer |
Fitbit |
Garmin |
Internal Memory |
2.5 GB |
N/A |
GPS |
Yes |
Yes |
Vibration Alert |
Yes |
Yes |
Bluetooth |
Yes |
Yes |
Wifi |
Yes |
No |
NFC |
Yes |
No |
Battery Life |
4 days |
8 days |
Gyroscope |
Yes |
Yes |
Compass |
No |
Yes |
Stopwatch |
No |
Yes |
Accelerometer |
Yes |
Yes |
Streaming Music |
Yes |
No |
Hours Slept |
Yes |
No |
Which Smart Wearable Stands Out?
At first glance, one would think that the Fitbit Ionic and the Garmin Vivoactive 3 would have more in common than they actually do. However, something to keep in mind is that these two devices have differing priorities.
The Ionic is built for the future of wearables, supporting features that users will want to have over the long-term. On the other hand, the Vivoactive 3 is designed for those who want a solid fitness tracker now.
No products found.Additionally, the Ionic feels like a smartwatch with smart features. It offers a more well-rounded experience, as opposed to the Vivoactive 3, which can sometimes feel like a smartwatch dipping its toe into the fitness tracker arena.
When it comes to looks, the Vivoactive 3 is hands down the winner, and it offers more customization for users as well. If you want a good sports watch, the Vivoactive 3 is a great option and will definitely fit your needs.
However, if you want to get in on the cutting edge of wearable and fitness tracking technology, the Ionic is the way to go. It offers some good smartwatch features, but focuses on your health and well being.
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