Fitness Trackers / Google Fitbit Air (2026) vs Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)
Google Fitbit Air (2026) vs Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)
Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)
Nothing paywalled and the best data export in the category — but the GPS is your phone's.
Wins overall by 0.7 points
Quick Verdict
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) is the stronger all-round pick, ahead by 0.7 points. Nothing paywalled and the best data export in the category — but the GPS is your phone's.
The Google Fitbit Air (2026) and Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) are both closely matched fitness Tracker models, and the Google Fitbit Air (2026) is $50 cheaper than the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) ($99.99 vs $149.99). On Subscription Freedom, the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads (9.5 vs 6.5/10) — the category's trap dimension: how much of what you paid for keeps working without a membership. A 10 means nothing is paywalled; a 1 means the hardware is unusable the moment you stop paying.. On Display & Usability, the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads (6.0 vs 3.0/10) — screen size, brightness and how much you can actually read on the wrist mid-workout.. On Value, the Google Fitbit Air (2026) leads (8.5 vs 6.5/10) — what the first year genuinely costs — purchase price plus any subscription needed for the advertised features.. Overall, the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores 6.9/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 6.2/10 for the Google Fitbit Air (2026). Below, we break down the full spec sheet, category-by-category scores, and exactly who should buy which one.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spec | Google Fitbit Air (2026) | Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99.99 | $149.99 |
| Release Year | 2026 | 2022 |
| GPS | None — no GPS chip. Distance, pace and route come from the paired phone, so no phone means no route | Connected GPS — the band has no GPS chip and uses the paired phone's location for outdoor distance and route |
| Display | None — screenless; there is no way to read a metric off the band itself | OLED touchscreen, 66% larger than the vívosmart 4 (Garmin's press release does not state the panel dimensions) |
| Rated Battery Life ( days) | 7 | 7 |
| What the Battery Claim Assumes | Google claims 'up to one week'. Continuous HR and SpO2 are on by default; there is no always-on display to switch off. Full charge ~90 minutes; a 5-minute top-up gives one day | 'Up to 7 days' in smartwatch mode. Garmin does not publish a separate figure for all-day Pulse Ox enabled, which is the setting that drains it fastest |
| Subscription Model | Optional but the AI half is gated — Google Health Coach (adaptive plans, AI sleep-trend analysis) needs Google Health Premium. Heart rate, sleep stages, recovery guidance and women's health tracking are free. 3-month trial in the box | None for anything on the device. Garmin Connect is free; the optional Garmin Connect+ tier adds AI summaries but gates nothing the vívosmart 5 measures |
| Annual Subscription Cost ($) | 99.99 | 0✓ |
| Water Resistance | Not published in Google's launch materials — the bands are described only as 'sweatproof, wetproof silicone' | 5 ATM — Garmin rates it swim- and shower-proof |
| ECG / AFib & FDA Status | AFib alerts from the PPG sensor. No ECG electrodes, so no on-demand ECG at any price | No ECG hardware and no AFib detection on this model — Garmin's ECG app is limited to its Venu/fenix lines |
| SpO2 Sensor | Yes — dedicated red and infrared SpO2 sensors | Yes — Pulse Ox, spot-check, all-day or overnight |
| Phone Compatibility | iOS and Android | iOS and Android via Garmin Connect |
| Charger | Proprietary magnetic contact charger — lose it and only Google sells the replacement | Proprietary 4-pin Garmin clip charger |
| Data Export | Google Takeout export of the Google Health/Fitbit archive (JSON and CSV bundles) | Garmin Connect exports individual activities as GPX/TCX/CSV, offers a full account data export, and has a documented developer API |
| Warranty | 12 months | 12 months |
| Colors | Obsidian, Fog, Lavender, Berry | Black, White, Cool Mint |
Category Scores
Tracking Accuracy
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 8.0 against 7.5 — a 0.5-point margin on how closely steps, heart rate and sleep match reference devices — and how badly the optical sensor falls apart at high intensity.. If that is what you are buying for, the Google Fitbit Air (2026) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Subscription Freedom
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 9.5 against 6.5 — a 3.0-point margin on the category's trap dimension: how much of what you paid for keeps working without a membership. A 10 means nothing is paywalled; a 1 means the hardware is unusable the moment you stop paying.. If that is what you are buying for, the Google Fitbit Air (2026) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Phone Independence
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 3.0 against 2.0 — a 1.0-point margin on how much the device can do with the phone left at home — a real GPS chip and on-wrist readouts score high, connected-GPS screenless bands score low.. If that is what you are buying for, the Google Fitbit Air (2026) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Battery Life
The Google Fitbit Air (2026) and Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) are level here, at 6.5/10 each. real endurance once continuous heart rate, SpO2 and the always-on display are enabled, not just the headline figure. is not what separates these two — look to the categories where the scores diverge.
Display & Usability
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 6.0 against 3.0 — a 3.0-point margin on screen size, brightness and how much you can actually read on the wrist mid-workout.. If that is what you are buying for, the Google Fitbit Air (2026) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Health Features
The Google Fitbit Air (2026) leads clearly here, 7.5 against 7.0 — a 0.5-point margin on depth of the health sensor suite and how much of it is FDA-cleared and enabled in the US.. If that is what you are buying for, the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) does not close the gap elsewhere.
App & Data Portability
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 9.0 against 8.0 — a 1.0-point margin on quality of the companion app and whether you can get your own data out in a documented format.. If that is what you are buying for, the Google Fitbit Air (2026) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Value
The Google Fitbit Air (2026) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 6.5 — a 2.0-point margin on what the first year genuinely costs — purchase price plus any subscription needed for the advertised features.. If that is what you are buying for, the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Best For
Choose the Google Fitbit Air (2026) if…
- • Value matters most to you — the Google Fitbit Air (2026) scores 8.5/10 here (what the first year genuinely costs — purchase price plus any subscription needed for the advertised features.).
- • You want to spend less — it's $50 cheaper.
- • Your main use case is screenless.
Choose the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) if…
- • Subscription Freedom matters most to you — the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores 9.5/10 here (the category's trap dimension: how much of what you paid for keeps working without a membership. A 10 means nothing is paywalled; a 1 means the hardware is unusable the moment you stop paying.).
- • Display & Usability matters most to you — the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores 6.0/10 here (screen size, brightness and how much you can actually read on the wrist mid-workout.).
- • Phone Independence matters most to you — the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores 3.0/10 here (how much the device can do with the phone left at home — a real GPS chip and on-wrist readouts score high, connected-GPS screenless bands score low.).
- • App & Data Portability matters most to you — the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores 9.0/10 here (quality of the companion app and whether you can get your own data out in a documented format.).
- • Your main use case is no-subscription.
Pros & Cons
Google Fitbit Air (2026)
Pros
- +$99.99 buys the whole feature set — unlike Whoop there is no membership standing between you and the hardware
- +Tom's Guide measured a full 7 days with 15% left after a dozen workouts
- +Heart rate held up against Garmin's entry-level watch in independent side-by-side testing
- +5-minute charge for a day of use removes the usual 'flat band, lost night of sleep data' problem
Cons
- −No GPS chip and no screen: leave your phone behind on a run and you get no route, no pace and nothing to glance at
- −Google Health Coach — the AI coaching the launch was built around — costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year after the 3-month trial
- −Replacement bands start at $34.99 from Google and no third-party straps have appeared yet
- −Auto-detection needs 15+ minutes of activity, and only 41 exercise modes are supported
- −Google does not publish a water-resistance rating for the device in its launch materials
Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)
Pros
- +Nothing it measures is paywalled — Body Battery, stress, sleep and Pulse Ox are all free, forever
- +Best data portability in the category: per-activity GPX/TCX/CSV plus a documented API
- +Bands are genuinely user-replaceable and come in two wrist sizes
- +Garmin Connect's training and sleep history is deeper than anything Fitbit gives away free
Cons
- −$149.99 for connected GPS only — the $159.95 Fitbit Charge 6 has a real GPS chip for $10 more
- −Four years old with no successor, and the screen is small and dim next to a $52 Xiaomi band
- −Garmin does not publish what all-day Pulse Ox does to the 7-day battery claim
- −No ECG, no AFib detection, no exercise-equipment heart-rate broadcast
- −Yet another proprietary clip charger
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the Google Fitbit Air (2026) or Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) comes out ahead overall. See the full breakdown in the scores section above — the right pick still depends on which categories matter most for your use case.
Which is better for Subscription Freedom, the Google Fitbit Air (2026) or the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores higher on Subscription Freedom (9.5/10 vs 6.5/10) — the category's trap dimension: how much of what you paid for keeps working without a membership. A 10 means nothing is paywalled; a 1 means the hardware is unusable the moment you stop paying..
Which is better for Display & Usability, the Google Fitbit Air (2026) or the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores higher on Display & Usability (6.0/10 vs 3.0/10) — screen size, brightness and how much you can actually read on the wrist mid-workout..
Which is better for Value, the Google Fitbit Air (2026) or the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Google Fitbit Air (2026) scores higher on Value (8.5/10 vs 6.5/10) — what the first year genuinely costs — purchase price plus any subscription needed for the advertised features..
Which is better for Phone Independence, the Google Fitbit Air (2026) or the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores higher on Phone Independence (3.0/10 vs 2.0/10) — how much the device can do with the phone left at home — a real GPS chip and on-wrist readouts score high, connected-GPS screenless bands score low..
Is the Google Fitbit Air (2026) worth the price difference over the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Google Fitbit Air (2026) is the cheaper option at $99.99 versus $149.99. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Subscription Freedom.
Which is better suited to my use case?+
The Google Fitbit Air (2026) is the better fit if you mainly care about screenless. The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) is the better fit for no-subscription.
What's the warranty on the Google Fitbit Air (2026) vs the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Google Fitbit Air (2026) ships with a 12-month warranty; the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) ships with a 12-month warranty. Always confirm current terms on the manufacturer's site before buying.
Should I wait for the next model instead of buying either of these?+
If either model is more than two years old, a successor may be close — check the "Latest Model" link on each product page. Otherwise, both are current, well-supported options and there's no strong reason to wait.
Cheaper Option
Fitbit Inspire 3 (2022) — $99.95
Premium Option
Fitbit Charge 6 (2023) — $159.95
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.