When is the Vivosmart 5 expected to come out?

Being honest the VS4 doesn’t remotely compare to the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch is 100x better, more capable than a VS4 could be. Comparing the Apple Watch to a Fenix is the better comparison 

I complement my apple watch with a vs4, to get body battery, pulse ox, live hr on phone (without buying a subscription based app), steps in garmin connect etc. Despite peoples criticism of garmin sleep tracking, it works well for me. I do sleep tracking with apple watch too, but never bother to look. I wear then both. It works well. However the hr sensor is much better on apple watch and I use it for all activity tracking. I will say, that vs4 or 5 cannot replace apple watch, but add some missing features. 

Also the Vivosmart 4 came out two years ago this December so a Vivosmart 5 has to be right around the corner 

That is not true. It launched late september 2018. So it is little more than a year old. I also wonder why people are so focused on a Vivosmart 5, while it is newest model i Garmin's fitnessband line-up afaik. 

You are correct. I was wrong about the release date. What are you however talking about with I Garmin fitness band....

Afaik Vivosport, Vivifit 4 and Vivo jr are all older than VivoSmart 4 and what I describe as fitness-bands rather than watches.

And yet he cited the slender form factor as the reason for considering a switch. I can totally relate. I'm still using my vivosmart 3 because I hardly notice I''m wearing it and that to me is far more relevant than having a ton of features I can get by reching into my pocket

I agree with the people saying the Vivosmart 4 is great because it does many things other devices do not do and, most importantly to me, it is comfortable to wear, especially at night. It is so light, I don't notice it (most watch-like devices are too heavy). Occasionally, I do get a red area on my wrist underside, but I move the band around or loosen it to mitigate that. The sleep tracking is very informative and, I think, accurate for me. The PulseOx is okay, but I think it undercounts O2 concentration in my blood regularly. I say this because when that is checked in the doctor's office, it's always 100%, but the Vivosmart rarely reads that high (usually mid 90's). I use the Body Battery function a lot now, to help me decide if another workout that day is a good idea, or not. Most importantly to me, the step count is spot on; I calibrated my steps and I sometimes double check the number as I walk, and it's never wrong. The Vivosmart helps me get more active; that's the main reason I bought it. 

I have an Apple Watch in the drawer, I think. Much prefer the vivosmart 4 form factor and the minimalist design. The firmware and Garmin Connect app need some refinement, but I can't imagine really needing a vivosmart 5, except maybe a spec bump, if anything (4s anyone?) . I'd like a brighter screen, enough battery life to support an always-on display, and of course there's always room for improvement on the sensors. I only want a fitness tracker. It is my first fitness tracker though. Got sick of the Apple Watch. I just want a way to collect my health data.

Like others have suggested, one cannot really compare the two. One is a smart watch, and the other is a fitness tracker. Apples and oranges. I purchased my Apple Watch used so it was relatively cheap. Single day battery life really drove me up the wall, too. The vivosmart 4 apparently lasts a week... you just can't book a Uber or whatever people buy their smart watches for.

Completely agree!  Vivosmart 4 is close to perfect for what it is intended for compared to other trackers in the market.  

Personally I would like a flatter slightly wider version. Right now it is very bulbous and makes it hard to keep balanced on your wrist (ie: having the optical sensor placed right).    

Screen needs to be a better quality especially in low-light.      

I have literally never used the Vivosmart for anything but fitness tracking.  The music feature for example would be silly to try and negotiate.   

I'm sure with the right engineering and manufacturing effort the Vivosmart 5 could be a sleek compact thing, but its probably not worth Garmin's effort for a cheapy $100 item.