Garmin’s newest fitness-focused smartwatch, the Vivoactive 6. Announced on April 1st, 2025, this $299 wearable represents Garmin’s answer to the Apple Watch SE, offering a balanced mix of fitness tracking, wellness features, and smart functionality at a competitive price point. While it might look similar to its predecessor at first glance, several meaningful upgrades make this a compelling option for health-conscious consumers. Let’s explore the three major aspects that define this new release.
Refined Design with Practical Improvements
The Vivoactive 6 maintains the clean aesthetic of the previous model while making subtle refinements. Garmin has trimmed 2mm from the case depth, creating an even more comfortable fit for all-day wear. The 42mm case houses a vibrant 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen, complemented by two physical buttons for easy navigation. The upper button has been redesigned with a more prominent shape to improve tactile feedback – addressing a common complaint about the stiff buttons on the Vivoactive 5.
Available in four appealing colors (Black/Slate, Bone/Lunar Gold, Pink Dawn, and Jasper Green), the watch features a premium aluminum bezel that adds a touch of elegance. Despite its slim profile, the Vivoactive 6 doesn’t compromise on battery life, offering an impressive 11 days in smartwatch mode and 21 hours with GPS tracking activated. For active users who hate charging their devices frequently, this extended battery life remains one of Garmin’s strongest selling points against competitors.
Enhanced Tracking and Training Features
While the exterior changes might be subtle, Garmin has packed significant improvements under the hood. Storage capacity has doubled from 4GB to 8GB, allowing you to store more music for phone-free workouts. The addition of a gyroscope improves movement tracking accuracy for steps and activities, while upgraded GPS provides more precise location data during outdoor exercises.
For runners, the Vivoactive 6 now includes premium features previously found only in higher-end Garmin models: Running Dynamics for detailed stride analysis, Running Power metrics, PacePro for optimized pacing strategies, and race time predictions to help you set realistic goals. Even if running isn’t your thing, the watch now offers guided walking workouts alongside strength training suggestions, challenging you to maintain specific paces or incorporate interval training into your walks.
With support for 80 different workout types, Body Battery energy monitoring, daily Morning Reports, and access to Garmin Coach, the Vivoactive 6 serves as both fitness tracker and personal trainer on your wrist. While it lacks the ECG and skin temperature sensors found in premium models, it still monitors heart rate, stress, blood oxygen levels, and heart rate variability – an impressive suite of health metrics for a sub-$300 wearable.
Smart Alarm: A Game-Changer for Sleep
Perhaps the most exciting innovation in the Vivoactive 6 is the introduction of Garmin’s Smart Alarm feature. Similar to Fitbit’s smart wake alarm but without requiring a subscription, this intelligent function monitors your sleep stages during a pre-selected window to determine the optimal moment to wake you up. Using gentle vibrations on your wrist, the watch aims to rouse you during lighter sleep stages, helping you avoid the grogginess that comes from being jolted awake during deep sleep or REM cycles.
The Smart Alarm builds upon Garmin’s already comprehensive sleep tracking capabilities, which include monitoring heart rate variability and body movement throughout the night. Each morning, users receive an easy-to-understand sleep report with a Sleep Score out of 100 and updated Body Battery reading that reflects how well your body has recovered. The Vivoactive 6 even detects and records daytime naps, giving you a complete picture of your rest patterns.
For anyone who struggles with morning fatigue or relies on multiple snoozed alarms to get out of bed, this feature alone could be worth the upgrade. While currently exclusive to the Vivoactive 6, this technology will likely appear in other Garmin models through future firmware updates, further enhancing their lineup of the best smartwatches with advanced features.
