Garmin’s Vivoactive 3 will buy you a post-run milkshake

Smartwatches can sometimes feel a bit like wrist-based drill sergeants, so Garmin has busy adding the fun factor to its latest Vivoactive. The GPS-packing Vivoactive 3 (£280, out winter 2017) is the first one to come with GarminPay, which supports phone-free Visa and Mastercard payments. Yep, that means secret post-run rewards at your local convenience store. With a heart rate monitor, smartphone notifications, eight-day battery life in smartwatch mode, and 15 built-in sports apps (including rep-counting for gym weights machines), it’s shaping up to be the perfect smartwatch for sports dabblers. The Apple Watch and Fitbit Ionic suddenly aren’t looking so imperiously confident.

Mark Wilson Features editor

About

Mark's first review for Stuff was the Nokia N-Gage in 2004. Luckily, his career lasted a little longer than the taco phone, and he's been trying to figure out how gadgets fit back into their boxes ever since. While his 'Extreme Mark Wilson' persona was retired following a Microsoft skydiving incident, this means he can often be spotted in the wilds of South West London testing action cams, drones and smartwatches, and occasionally cursing at them.

Areas of expertise

Smart home tech, cameras, wearables and obscure gadgets from the early 2000s.