Garmin Vivofit 4 vs Vivofit 3 – What’s The Difference?

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garmin vivofit 3 vs vivofit 4

Garmin Vivofit 4 vs Vivofit 3

Garmin know how to make electronics and their fitness trackers are some of the best on the market, even rivalling FitBit!

The Vivofit series is now in its fourth version – Vivofit 4, so below I have compared how it has improved over the Vivofit 3. The new model is only slightly more expensive, but you can save a few dollars with the older model. 

Is is worth getting the Vivofit4 vs Vivofit 3? Let’s find out…

The Differences Between
Garmin Vivofit 3 vs Vivofit 4

There are two main differences between the Vivofit 3 and the Vivofit 4. First, the Vivofit 4 has an improved display, which is a little larger and comes with 8 colors. Also, it has some extra functions such as stopwatch, timer as well as a quick weather display.

Below you can see all the differences compared and quickly jump to Amazon to see the latest prices.

Garmin vivofit 3, Activity Tracker with 1+ Year Battery Life, Sleep Monitoring and Auto Activity Detection, Black
Garmin vívofit 4 activity tracker with 1+ year battery life and color display. Small/Medium, Black. 010-01847-00, 0.61 inches
Battery Life
Up to 1 year (1 x CR1632 user-replaceable)
1+ year depending on usage (2 x SR43 user replaceable)
Display
Greyscale, 0.39″ x 0.39″ (10 x 10 mm) – 64 x 64 pixels
8 Color display, 0.43″ x 0.43″ (11 x 11 mm), 88 x 88 pixels
Weight
0.9oz / 26g
0.9oz / 25g
Strap
Silicone
Black bands – TPU, White and Speckle bands – Silicone
Water Resistance
Can Swim With It
Can Swim With It
Fitness Features
Step Counter, Calorie Counter, Intensity Tracker, Sleep Tracker, Auto Goal Setting
Step Counter, Calorie Counter, Intensity Tracker, Sleep Tracker, Auto Goal Setting
Sleep Tracking
GPS
None
None
Other Features
Date/Time, Alarm
Weather, Date/Time, Alarm, Daylight saving, Stopwatch, Timer
Smartwatch Features
Syncs with Garmin Connect App on Phone
Syncs with Garmin Connect App on Phone
Garmin vivofit 3, Activity Tracker with 1+ Year Battery Life, Sleep Monitoring and Auto Activity Detection, Black
Battery Life
Up to 1 year (1 x CR1632 user-replaceable)
Display
Greyscale, 0.39″ x 0.39″ (10 x 10 mm) – 64 x 64 pixels
Weight
0.9oz / 26g
Strap
Silicone
Water Resistance
Can Swim With It
Fitness Features
Step Counter, Calorie Counter, Intensity Tracker, Sleep Tracker, Auto Goal Setting
Sleep Tracking
GPS
None
Other Features
Date/Time, Alarm
Smartwatch Features
Syncs with Garmin Connect App on Phone
Garmin vívofit 4 activity tracker with 1+ year battery life and color display. Small/Medium, Black. 010-01847-00, 0.61 inches
Battery Life
1+ year depending on usage (2 x SR43 user replaceable)
Display
8 Color display, 0.43″ x 0.43″ (11 x 11 mm), 88 x 88 pixels
Weight
0.9oz / 25g
Strap
Black bands – TPU, White and Speckle bands – Silicone
Water Resistance
Can Swim With It
Fitness Features
Step Counter, Calorie Counter, Intensity Tracker, Sleep Tracker, Auto Goal Setting
Sleep Tracking
GPS
None
Other Features
Weather, Date/Time, Alarm, Daylight saving, Stopwatch, Timer
Smartwatch Features
Syncs with Garmin Connect App on Phone

The Screen & Battery Life

Garmin have added an improved screen on the Vivofit 4, which comes with 8 colors (that you can choose from) as well as a slightly larger and higher resolution screen. The difference is not significant, only that the Vivofit 3 had a greyscale screen.

The battery life is also similar, with the Vivofit 3 lasting around a year with a standard button style battery – CR1632.

The Vivofit 4 now claims to have a slightly longer life, and uses another replaceable battery – the SR43.

Garmin Vivofit 3

Garmin Vivofit 4

The Straps & Overall Fit

Garmin has modified and improved the fit of the Vivofit 4, making the watch more comfortable to wear, because it curves more to your wrist. On top of that, they have moved to a standard buckle instead of the plastic one they had on the original model. This makes it easier to remove and less of a learning curve for you when you first wear it.

The Vivofit 3 has more choice from Garmin, and you can see some of the fun options they have below.

vivofit 3 bands
Vivofit 3 bands
vivofit 3 bands
Vivofit 3 bands

Whereas Garmin has not offered as many strap color choices for the Vivofit 4, you can still find a lot of replacement bands online, so in the end it is probably not a deal breaker for most of you.

vivofit 4 bands
Vivofit 4 bands

Fitness Features

Both the Vivofit 3 and Vivofit 4 are focused on basic fitness functions. This means they come with a step counter, calorie counter, auto-goals (adjusting as it learns what you can do) and a sleep tracker.

There are some other additional competitions and similar functions on the app which you can explore, but in essence, these watches are very similar.

Other Features

Garmin are continuously improving their fitness trackers and they have added some extra functions to the Vivofit 4.
  • Stopwatch & Timer
  • Auto Daylight savings adjustment
  • Weather update
  • Find my phone – use it to make a tone on your phone via the Garmin Connect App
So, if these kinds of functions are important or useful to you, they are only on the latest Vivofit.
 

Battery Life

There might be a slightly longer battery life on the Vivofit 4 if you takes Garmin’s specs to the letter, but in reality it won’t be a huge difference for most people. You can expect to change the battery at least once a year.

Which Should You Buy?
The Vivofit 3 or Vivofit 4

Ultimately, for the extra $10-20 or so you have to pay, the Vivofit 4 has a lot more features, an improved screen and fit and a few more related functions you can use (weather, find your phone, timer/stopwatch). However, if you don’t care about those things, then you could just as easily live with the Vivofit 3 and save a few bucks!

Garmin Vivofit 3

Garmin Vivofit 4

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