When comparing Garmin Vivofit 3 vs Jawbone UP2, the Slant community recommends Garmin Vivofit 3 for most people. In the question“What are the best fitness trackers?” Garmin Vivofit 3 is ranked 18th while Jawbone UP2 is ranked 29th. The most important reason people chose Garmin Vivofit 3 is:
The Vivofit 3 is waterproof up to 50 meters. You can confidently take it swimming, or wear it in the shower without risk of damaging the tracker.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Completely safe for swimming and showering
The Vivofit 3 is waterproof up to 50 meters. You can confidently take it swimming, or wear it in the shower without risk of damaging the tracker.
Pro No need to recharge the tracker
The Vivofit 3 runs on battery so there is no need to worry about keeping it charged.
With a battery life of up to 1 year, it can go longer without a battery change than most other fitness trackers.
Pro Attractive tracker that looks more like a bracelet
The UP2 has a sleek design and thin profile that looks more like a bracelet than a tracker. The attractive design means it won't look out of place at a variety of different occasions.
Cons
Con Too unreliable for the cost
The Vivofit 3 has multiple serious issues impacting its reliability which means you're taking a gamble by purchasing it. At $80, you can get trackers with much better build qualities and a similar set of features.
Con Software that detects different activity often doesn't work
The "Move IQ" software in the tracker, which is supposed to detect different types of exercise, often doesn't work. Either it will track everything as walking, or will not start tracking them all.
Con It's easy to lose the watch because of the weak clasp
The clasp frequently comes undone during physical activity because of its poor design. If you aren't constantly paying attention to it or add re-enforcement to the clip, it would be easy to lose the tracker.
Con Syncs with a limited number of devices
Con Not for people with small wrists
The tracker is available in two sizes, regular or extra large. The regular band is too long for people with below average sized wrists.
Con There is no customer-service to help you if the UP2 has problems
The Jawbone UP2 frequently has quality issues and with Jawbone not having customer service, your only option is to return it to the place your purchased it from.
In September 2016, Jawbone was forced to end their deal with the customer-service agency due to non-payment. You can read more here.
Con Poor build quality causes it to break easily and quickly look worn
It can appear quite grubby looking after only a few weeks of wear and is extremely difficult to clean. The band has been known to break after short periods of time, and the device has a history of not working after only a month or two.
Jawbone will not honor the warranty if you purchased the device through Amazon.
Con Requires a smart phone to see your stats
Since the UP2 has no display screen, you have to use the smartphone app in order to see any of your activity stats.