Fitbit Air vs Garmin Vivoactive 5 specs comparison
Fitbit Air makes more sense if you want lightweight, screen-free health and sleep tracking and are happy to check everything in the Google Health app. Vivoactive 5 is far more capable as an exercise watch, with built-in GPS, an AMOLED display and much broader on-watch fitness features, plus up to 11 days of battery life.
Full comparison
The full record
74 specifications across 6 areas, with 32 genuine differences.
1. Design & display No clear edge
Fact
Fitbit Air
Garmin Vivoactive 5
Release date
2026-05-26
September 2023
Physical size
34.9 x 17 x 8.3 mm
42.2 x 42.2 x 11.1 mm
Weight
5.2 g without band; 12 g with band
36 g
Material
Housing: recycled polycarbonate and PBT plastics; textile band with stainless steel buckle
Case material: fiber-reinforced polymer; Lens material: Corning Gorilla Glass 3; Bezel material: stainless steel
Water resistance
5 ATM; IP68
5 ATM
Color options
Obsidian band / Matte Black stainless steel buckle, Berry band / Polished Champagne Gold stainless steel buckle, Lavender band / Polished Silver stainless steel buckle, Fog band / Polished Silver stainless steel buckle
Metallic orchid Aluminium bezel with orchid case, Slate aluminium bezel with black case, Cream gold aluminium bezel with ivory case, Metallic navy Aluminium bezel with navy case
Display type
None
AMOLED touchscreen
Display size
None
1.3 inch
Display resolution
None
390 x 390 pixels
2. Battery & charging Garmin Vivoactive 5
Fact
Fitbit Air
Garmin Vivoactive 5
Battery
Rechargeable lithium-polymer battery; 34.5 mAh
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Battery life
Up to 7 days
Up to 11 days smartwatch mode, 5 days always-on display, Battery Saver Smartwatch Mode - up to 21 days, GPS-Only GNSS Mode - up to 21 hours
Charging
USB-C charging cable
USB
3. Sensors & positioning Garmin Vivoactive 5
Fact
Fitbit Air
Garmin Vivoactive 5
GNSS type
Connected GPS
GPS, GLONASS and Galileo
GPS
Connected GPS
Yes
GALILEO
No
Yes
GLONASS
No
Yes
QZSS
No
No
Beidou
No
No
Accelerometer
Yes
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Yes
Barometric altimeter
No
No
Compass
No
Yes
Geomagnetic
No
No
Ambient light sensor
No
Yes
Optical heart rate
Yes
Yes
Electrical heart rate
No
No
SpO2
Yes
Yes
Temperature
Yes
No
Galvanic skin response
No
No
Microphone
No
No
Speakers
No
No
Vibration motor
Yes
Yes
4. Health & activity Fitbit Air
Fact
Fitbit Air
Garmin Vivoactive 5
Steps
Yes
Yes
Distance
Yes
Yes
Calories burned
Yes
Yes
Floors
No
No
Sports tracking
Yes
Yes
Sleep
Yes
Yes
Heart rate
Yes
Yes
HRV
Yes
No
Stress
Yes
Yes
Blood oxygen
Yes
Yes
Respiration rate
Yes
Yes
Skin temperature
Yes
No
ECG
No
No
Blood pressure
No
No
Body composition
No
No
Glucose
No
No
Hydration level
No
No
UV exposure
No
No
Calorie intake
No
No
Hyperglycemia risk assessment
No
No
Arterial stiffness detection
No
No
Pulse wave arrhythmia analysis
Yes
No
5. Smart features Garmin Vivoactive 5
Fact
Fitbit Air
Garmin Vivoactive 5
Smartphone compatibility
Android 11+; iOS 16.4+
Android and iOS
Operating system at launch
FitbitOS
Garmin proprietary
Bluetooth
Yes (5.0)
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Yes
NFC / connected pay
No
Yes
UWB
No
No
Cellular
No
No
Smartphone notifications
No
Yes
Bluetooth calling
No
No
Smartphone music control
No
Yes
On-board music storage
No
Yes
Voice assistant
No
No
6. Navigation & safety Garmin Vivoactive 5
Fact
Fitbit Air
Garmin Vivoactive 5
Maps
No
No
Offline maps
No
No
Navigation
No
Yes
Emergency SOS
No
Yes (paired smartphone)
Satellite SOS
No
No
Fall detection
No
Yes
LED flashlight
No
No
Diving
No
No