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Vivoactive 4: Can we get some upgrades please!

4904960
over 3 years ago

Was Looking at the Venu 2 and other smartwatches just for fun to see what kind of upgrades and features were available:

Can the Vivoactive 4 add any of these features? I'm sure 95% of the information is already there (maybe somebody more tecky can verify)... just has not been added as display options.
Smart watches have had these features and capabilities for years.

-Health Snapshot screen

-Heart Rate Variability

-Sleep score

HEALTH SNAPSHOTTm FEATURE

Log a 2-minute session to record key stats, including heart rate2, heart rate variability, Pulse Ox3, respiration and stress. Then generate a report with those stats via the Garmin ConnectTm app on your compatible smartphone to share.

WRIST-BASED HEART RATE

The watch constantly samples your heart rate2 and will alert you if it stays too high or too low while you’re at rest. It also helps gauge how hard you work during activities — even while swimming.

SLEEP SCORE AND ADVANCED SLEEP MONITORING

Get a score for your sleep’s quality and insights on how you can do better. Even keep track of the different sleep stages as well as heart rate, stress, Pulse Ox3 and respiration.

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    We already have wrist based heart rate. 

    If I had a choice to wish for an upgrade, I would rather have support for the Garmin HRM-Run chest strap.

  • 0 over 3 years ago
    4904960 said:
    -Health Snapshot screen

    That's new feature which no other device in Garmin universe has yet, even Fenix unless they rolled out new firmware upgrade in the meantime. So changes this would came to our device is rather minimal.

    4904960 said:
    -Heart Rate Variability

    It would be cool to have, and I've already submitted request for it a while ago https://www.garmin.com/en-US/forms/ideas/ you can do the same.

    For now I'm solving this problem using CIQ app https://apps.garmin.com/nl-NL/apps/1214076f-6114-4c9e-9e11-d66ad078cfe2

    4904960 said:
    -Sleep score

    That's probably one feature I'm missing the most in this device and although sleep tracking seems to be a bit better lately I'm really frustrated that I can't see how long have I slept on my watch. We can try to create request like Venu users has a while ago, maybe it will come to our watch unless there is Vivoactive 5 on the horizon and they would like to keep that feature for it.

    ovekvam said:
    We already have wrist based heart rate. 

    They copied a wrong description, it was supposed to be HRV not HR.

    ovekvam said:
    If I had a choice to wish for an upgrade, I would rather have support for the Garmin HRM-Run chest strap.

    Yeah, having running dynamics would be cool, but I've a feeling that they want to keep it for Forerunner and premium lines i.e. Fenix, Marq solely. In fact I've submitted a request for this one too.

    I'm also missing "Resume later" feature https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/healthandwellness/f/vivoactive-4-series/271678/can-we-have-resume-later-functionality-on-our-watch which seems to be present on nearly any watch except Vivo and Venu. 

    Anyway, it would be interesting to see how many of us want some upgrades, and which ones, let's share them in here.


    Maybe it will also help Garmin to tailor future devices more for the audience which actually own and actively using their watches.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to ovekvam
    ovekvam said:
    I would rather have support for the Garmin HRM-Run chest strap.

    It should be supported with the exception of some of the advanced featured related to running dynamics

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

    I know you can use the HRM-Run strap to read heart rate only, but I would have liked to log the running dynamics. Maybe not on the watch itself, but for analysis in the phone app or web app. 

    I would also like the mentioned "resume later" feature, and a trash can folder for discarded activities, to keep them at least 24 hours before actually deleting them.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to ovekvam
    ovekvam said:
    I know you can use the HRM-Run strap to read heart rate only, but I would have liked to log the running dynamics. Maybe not on the watch itself, but for analysis in the phone app or web app. 

    Exactly, I don't want to switch to Forerunner or Fenix just to have running dynamics as none of them have touch screen. Vivoactive line is unique so I'm not sure why Garmin makes it inferior comparing to Forerunner as they don't have touchscreens on any premium watches.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to sensovision

    The venu/va devices are not "running" watches.  they are meant to be general purpose/lifestyle.

    The last touch forerunner was the fr 630, and was not that well accepted.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to jim_m_58
    jim_m_58 said:
    The last touch forerunner was the fr 630, and was not that well accepted.

    I know that, and it's sad that it wasn't well accepted back then, I guess it's because back then Garmin's users were mostly accommodated to buttons interface but things have changed since then and if you check Reddit there will be plenty of users who want Fenix with touchscreen and/or AMOLED.

    jim_m_58 said:
    The venu/va devices are not "running" watches.  they are meant to be general purpose/lifestyle.

    Yes I know, but personally I find the way how Garmin split products unwise, and I'm sure that fitness oriented people wouldn't mind having extra feature they may not use at the same time the line can attract new users who don't want button interface but want more sport oriented watch. Of course that's just my guesses and I could be deadly wrong, but who tells that me or don't have a right to wish for our watch to be a bit better?

    And since you mentioned general purpose/lifestyle or fitness watch, like Garmin itself calls it on their site, then they surely should have better sleeping experience and provide insights and not Forerunner watches which are for "runners".

    To be clear, I'll probably give a try to button interface at some point but for now I would like to improve the watch I'm already using.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to sensovision

    The runners I know didn't like the touch interface as it was too easy to mess things with pulling back sleeves or if it was raining, etc.  I myself started with the original vivoactive and have used others (venu, forerunners, fenix), and find buttons preferable.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

    Yeah, I could find buttons superior as well, but for now most of my workouts are indoors and run is just complimentary to them, yes as a person driven by numbers I'd love to have those metrics on the device I own now.

    I find touch screen very fast in dealing with timers for example as I set and change them constantly throughout a day and they are the key to my productivity so I'm not sure I'd like to trade that to Fenix where I have to do more moves for something as simple as tapping few numbers. I'd love some Fenix to have both interfaces so I can use any which works the best for situation.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to sensovision

    The "indoor" part also works much better with AMOLED, but are really hard to see in bright light (sun).  MIP displays (like on the va4, forerunners and Fenix devices) are far superior in bright sun.  When you start looking at forerunners and fenix, you'll also find things like recovery time that you won't see on va/venu device, native support of power meters, support for multi-sport, open water swim, etc.

    I find that setting timers with touch or buttons really isn't that different