Home » Fitbit » Garmin Vivosmart 4 vs Fitbit Inspire 2: How Do They Compare?

Garmin Vivosmart 4 vs Fitbit Inspire 2: How Do They Compare?

Here is a comparison summary of Garmin Vivosmart 4 vs Fitbit Inspire 2:

SPECIFICATIONSGARMIN VIVOSMART 4FITBIT INSPIRE 2
DisplayMonochrome OLEDMonochrome OLED
Resolution48 x 128 p126 x 36 p
Activity TrackingSleep, running, walking,  heart rate e.tcSleep, running, walking, heart rate e.tc
Companion AppGarmin AppFitbit App
Battery LifeUp to 10 daysUp to 7 days
Water ResistanceUp to 5 AtmospheresUp to 5 Atmospheres
SensorsPulse Ox, SpO2PurePulse Optical HR
PriceGarmin Vivosmart 4
Buy on Amazon
Fitbit inspire 2
Buy on Amazon

Design and Display

Both Vivosmart 4 and Fitbit Inspire 2 come in small sizes that make them lightweight and comfortable to wear for a long time.

Garmin Vivosmart 4 comes with a 6.6mm x 17.7mm OLED screen display that claims a resolution of 48 x 128 pixels.

On the other hand, the Fitbit Inspire 2 features a 1.4-inch monochrome display that has a resolution of 126 x 36 pixels.

Although the two fitness trackers are small, comparing the two, Fitbit Inspire 2 is a bit larger than Garmin Vivosmart 4.

There are also two buttons on Fitbit Inspire 2 that will help you navigate the watch with ease. You can easily swipe the band on Fitbit Inspire 2 with a new one or the band you prefer.

While it is not possible to change the wrist strap on Garmin Vivosmart 4 because it isn’t made changeable.

Sleep Tracking

If you are looking for activity trackers that will be able to track your sleep then try either Garmin Vivosmart 4 or Fitbit Inspire 2.

Both of these smartwatches are able to keep track of your sleep every night and provide you with detailed sleep reports.

Vivosmart 4 offers advanced sleep tracking. The good thing about it is, it is not done with an additional subscription.

Apart from your sleep being outlined in sleep stages; Light, Deep, and REM your blood oxygen saturation will be monitored using the Pulse Ox sensor.

Related Post – Find out if every Fitbit Watch or Garmin Watch tracks sleep.

Active Zone Minutes

Fitbit Inspire 2 monitors the heart and will tell how much you are engaged in an activity and how intense the activity is thanks to the Active Zone Minutes technology.

This technology even allows you to earn 2X when you hit the peak heart rate (cardio) as you work out.

Elevation

The tracker for if you are much into tracking your elevations is the Vivosmart 4. This awesome fitness watch comes built-in with an altimeter responsible for tracking the number of staircases you climb. It is so disappointing that Fitbit Inspire lacks an altimeter.

Blood Oxygen Levels

On Garmin Vivosmart 4 you will find a SpO2 sensor that will reflect light to the skin with the aim of monitoring the intensity of oxygen saturation in your blood.

It takes the watch up to 4 hours while you sleep to come up with your SpO2 levels. Fitbit Inspire 2 does not have the SpO2 sensor to read your ECG or blood oxygen levels. All this data can be accessed from the Garmin companion app or website.

Route and Paces

If you are in search of a tracker that will map your routes independently then Fitbit Inspire 2 and Garmin Vivosmart 4 are not for you.

Both of them do not have built-in GPS instead, they feature shared GPS. When we talk of shared GPS we mean, for the activity tracker to track your location and pace you will need to connect it to your smartphone’s GPS to track your running, cycling, and walking.

If you are a workout enthusiast looking for a Fitbit with built-in GPS go for Fitbit Charge 4 instead or if the Garmin brand is what you want opt for Garmin Forerunner 245.

Also – Find out if cyclists can have the Fitbit Watch on their ankles while cycling their bike.

Companion Apps

The companion app is very important because it is via it you get to see how you are faring with your wellness and fitness activities.

It is also a place where your entire fitness history is stored. Through the companion app, you will be able to update your account by making the necessary changes.

All the watches have companion apps. Apart from accessing Garmin and Fitbit details via their companion app, you can also access them via the website dashboard.

Whatever it is that you can do on Garmin and Fitbit companion App can be done via the website. For example, you will be able to update your account and track and share your fitness insights.

Both app and website dashboards are user-friendly even a Fitbit or Garmin newest user can easily tour through them.

The companion apps can be found in both Google Play and Apple Store which means, you get to use the app whether you use an Android or iOS device.

The Price

The price tag of Garmin Vivosmart 4 and Fitbit Inspire 2 is about the same. Both activity smartwatches go at about $100 and will often offer customers discounts.

If I were to pick between the two depending on the price, I would go for Garmin Vivosmart 4 watch and that is because it comes with an altimeter and a SpO2 sensor, which are important trackers the Fitbit Inspire 2 doesn’t have.

Battery Life

Before settling for either Fitbit Inspire 2 or Garmin Vivosmart 4 as yourself, how good is it at keeping a charge.

Because you want to spend as much time as possible tracking your wellness and workout instead of much time charging your Fitbit or Garmin watch.

Garmin Vivosmart 4 loses at this because it can only offer users up to 7 days of service on complete charge before requesting a charge. On the side, Fitbit Inspire 2 comes with a good battery life of up to 10 days.

It reduces the time you would waste stopping for a charge. And for that reason, the activity smartwatch to go for is battery life in watch matters the most.

It is important to note that, how long either of the two smartwatches keeps charge depends on the intensity of use and the features being used.

Pros of Fitbit Inspire 2

  • Inspire 2 comes with changeable bands that allow users to customize the watch with whichever wristband they find cool.
  • Fitbit Inspire 2 will be able to track your Active Zone Minutes.
  • There are two side buttons and a larger display than that Garmin Vivosmart 4 that makes navigation easy.

Cons of Fitbit Inspire 2

  • There is no altimeter to track the elevation
  • Compared to Vivoactive 4, Inspire 2 doesn’t come with a good battery life
  • The activity tracker lacks a built-in GPS for location tracking.

Pros of Garmin Vivosmart 4

  • Of the two smartwatches, it has the best battery life.
  • Features Pulse Ox and SpO2 sensor to help analyze the blood oxygen levels.
  • There is an altimeter that will track the number of stars you climb.

Cons of Garmin Vivosmart 4

  • Some users claim the display doesn’t respond when subjected to wetness.
  • Like Inspire 2, it lacks a built-in GPS for route and pace tracking.
  • The display is a bit small thus it hard for some users to read through texts and navigate.

Conclusion

Either or both smartwatches are worth investing in. Your choice between the two smartwatches also depends on the features that matter the most.

For us at Jaysonmag, we would go for Garmin Vivosmart 4. Because of a feature like Pulse Ox and SpO2 sensor that tracks blood oxygen level, Fitbit Inspire lacks both of those sensors. All of these are at just about $90.

You may also want to know how Letscom and Fitbit compare.

Leave a Comment