When comparing Fitbit Surge vs Garmin Vivoactive HR, the Slant community recommends Fitbit Surge for most people. In the question“What are the best fitness trackers?” Fitbit Surge is ranked 6th while Garmin Vivoactive HR is ranked 19th. The most important reason people chose Fitbit Surge is:
The Fitbit Surge fitness tracker has automatic, continuous, wrist based heart rate tracking. Heart rate data is stored at one second intervals during exercise, and at five second intervals during non-exercise activities.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Continuous heart rate tracking eliminates risk of forgetting to activate the feature
The Fitbit Surge fitness tracker has automatic, continuous, wrist based heart rate tracking. Heart rate data is stored at one second intervals during exercise, and at five second intervals during non-exercise activities.
Pro LCD screen that can display multiple stats without the need of using the app
Similar fitness trackers depend on Bluetooth in order to relay info to a smartphone. Fitbit Surge can display information locally on the display which is far more convenient.

Pro Lets users log meals by voice
Users can tell Surge what was eaten, and a database will be used to match the entry with nutritional information.
Pro Does not need to be recharged frequently
The battery lasts 5-7 days which is one of the longer lasting options for rechargeable fitness trackers.

Pro Easy to operate compared to display-less options
While Surge easily syncs with iOS, Android, and Windows phones, it does not depend on them for functionality. The touch screen and physical buttons are a huge step up from display-less models.
Pro Good display
The fitness tracker has a large backlit full-color touch-display that's sunlight-readable and responsive.
Pro Easy to use
The fitness tracker has two buttons, a back button that also locks the device and a start button that also enters settings, and an intuitive touch interface that is controlled with swipes and taps. The learning curve is close to nonexistant.
Pro Step, stairs, heart monitoring
Cons
Con Might cause skin irritation for some
A number of people are reporting the Surge causes skin irritation. According to the company it's a very small percentage of customers.
Con Screen prone to inadvertent touches
It's really easy to accidentally brush up against the fitness tracker's watch and end up on screens that the user wasn't intending to navigate to. This forces you to swipe back to the correct screen.
Con Fairly big investment
While it's one of the most advanced trackers that Fitbit offers, it comes with a hefty price tag.
Con HR monitoring does not work during swimming
The fitness tracker's heart rate monitoring gets turned off during swimming.
Con No sleep monitor
