Garmin’s VivoFit 2 – Sleep Tracker Review

Jawbone and FitBit are a couple of very popular fitness monitoring devices. They are likened to the Apple Watch and other wearable tech on the market today. Garmin, a GPS manufacturing company, also develops fitness trackers, which come in 5 different models that can be worn around the wrist. This article will review the Vivofit 2 – a sleep and fitness tracker that can be paired with a smartphone app.

Maybe the most outstanding aspect of the Vivofit 2 is the longevity of its battery. Just about all other modern fitness monitors need a recharge every three days or so. This is what makes the Vivofit 2 different than its counterparts – the device can be worn all year without you needing to remove it!

The composition of the Vivofit 2 is quite striking as well, and can be interchanged with other wristbands. The top of the wristband is a bulkier than other wrist monitors, such as the FitBit charge and Jawbone UP, but it remains on your wrist very snugly. Another great aspect of the device is the time display. It should be noted that earlier models didn’t show the time. This is great if you don’t want to wear a watch at the same time as wearing your Vivofit 2.

Sleep Tracking

The Vivofit 2 is flat-out just “OK” at tracking your sleep patterns. It is safe and comfortable to wear to bed, and feels like a thin rubber-band on your wrist. You can adjust the size, so that it won’t be too loose or tight when you’re changing positions during sleep. That said, if you’re someone who doesn’t like wearing things to bed, this will necessitate a mental adjustment on your part. I know that personally, it took me about three nights to get comfortable wearing this to bed. However, after those three days I didn’t even notice it. The Vivofit 2 comes with an app that has an uncluttered interface. It monitors a couple of sleep cycles: light and deep. It displays multiple bar graphs and charts indicating how much time you spent in light and deep sleep. It doesn’t track REM sleep, which is quite difficult to monitor when it comes to wrist-worn sleep trackers in general. It does, however, monitor your motions all night long, and is quite accurate from what I have tested. The most notable aspect of the app and sleep analyses are the intervals and times where you go from light to deep sleep. Sleep experts claim that you go through a few cycles per night, specifically from light sleep to deep sleep to REM sleep.

GARMIN VIVOFIT 2 RATINGS

Comfort 8

Price 9

Sleep Tracking 6

THE GOOD

• Battery life is wonderful - just like a watch.
• Displays the time so you don't have to wear a watch as well.
• Lightweight and comfortable to wear

THE BAD

• Doesn't track heart rate
• Doesn't track REM sleep - sleep tracking seems pretty basic

OVERALL SCORE: 7.7