Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm
Size, specs & wrist fit compared
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Which one fits you
Both need much the same wrist — roughly 44–61mm across the flat of the wrist. Neither will fit where the other won't, so decide on thickness, weight and features instead.
The Garmin Vivoactive 5 and Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm share a near-identical 42.2mm case, so wrist presence comes down to thickness, lug-to-lug and weight.
On the wrist the Garmin Vivoactive 5 feels lighter (23g vs 52g, case only).
The Garmin Vivoactive 5 is thinner than 82% of the 42mm watches we track and the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm than 84% of the 43mm ones — so both wear flatter than their widths suggest.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm is 0.3mm wider, 0.3mm longer, 0.2mm thinner and 29g heavier than the Garmin Vivoactive 5. Both are circular.
Garmin
vívoactive® 5
Samsung
Galaxy Watch6 Classic - Wi-Fi · 43mm
Switch or add watches
Garmin
vívoactive® 5
Samsung
Galaxy Watch6 Classic - Wi-Fi · 43mm
Watch Fit Tool
For sports watches, lug-to-lug (L2L) is what matters most — it decides whether a watch overhangs your wrist. Bulky is fine; overhang is not.
Measure at the point where you wear your watch — typically just below the wrist bone.
Flat width — lay your arm on a table, palm facing up, and measure straight across the top of your wrist with a ruler. Bone to bone; do not follow the curve down the sides.
Around — wrap a tape measure snugly round the wrist. No tape? Wrap a strip of paper, mark the overlap and hold the strip against a ruler.
Width ≠ circumference. They are different numbers — around 170mm is about 64mm across — so set the toggle to whichever one you actually measured before you type it in.
Garmin vívoactive® 5
Case 42.2mm · Lug-to-lug 42.2mm · Thickness 11.1mm · 23g
Balanced Fit
42.2mm on a 55mm wrist
Comfortably inside the edges of your wrist, and it seats and sits low enough to wear without thinking about it.
On a 55mm wrist the sweet spot is 47–53mm lug to lug. This one is 42.2mm, so you could go bigger.
Measure where you wear it, just below the wrist bone. Either of these works — the tool converts between them.
- 1. Flat width — arm flat on a table, palm up. Measure straight across the top of the wrist, bone to bone, ignoring the curve down the sides.
- 2. Around — a tape, or a strip of paper marked and held against a ruler, snug the whole way round.
Leather: Attaches at the lugs, so the case back rests on your skin. Thins and softens with wear. Typical figures, not this model’s own.
Show the measurementsHide the measurements
- Across the wrist6.4mm spare each side
Comfortable, with visible skin either side.
- Off the wrist11.1mm off the skin
Normal sports-watch height for a wrist this size. (11.1mm case, back against the skin)
- How it seats~4.1mm under the rim
Seats well, with the case back following most of the wrist.
- Weight on the wrist23g
Light enough to forget you have it on. (0.4g per mm of wrist)
Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic - Wi-Fi · 43mm
Case 42.5mm · Lug-to-lug 42.5mm · Thickness 10.9mm · 52g
Balanced Fit
42.5mm on a 55mm wrist
Comfortably inside the edges of your wrist, and it seats and sits low enough to wear without thinking about it.
On a 55mm wrist the sweet spot is 47–53mm lug to lug. This one is 42.5mm, so you could go bigger.
Measure where you wear it, just below the wrist bone. Either of these works — the tool converts between them.
- 1. Flat width — arm flat on a table, palm up. Measure straight across the top of the wrist, bone to bone, ignoring the curve down the sides.
- 2. Around — a tape, or a strip of paper marked and held against a ruler, snug the whole way round.
Leather: Attaches at the lugs, so the case back rests on your skin. Thins and softens with wear. Typical figures, not this model’s own.
Show the measurementsHide the measurements
- Across the wrist6.3mm spare each side
Comfortable, with visible skin either side.
- Off the wrist10.9mm off the skin
Normal sports-watch height for a wrist this size. (10.9mm case, back against the skin)
- How it seats~4.2mm under the rim
Seats well, with the case back following most of the wrist.
- Weight on the wrist52g
Light enough to forget you have it on. (0.9g per mm of wrist)
2D Dimension Schematics
Every case drawn to scale on a shared centre — from above, and in profile against the wrist.
- Garmin vívoactive® 542.2mm · 11.1mm thick
- Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic - Wi-Fi · 43mm42.5mm · 10.9mm thick
3D preview
Garmin vívoactive® 5 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic - Wi-Fi · 43mm on a wrist
Sized to your own wrist, turned any way you like.
Shapes are built from published measurements, not manufacturer 3D models — accurate proportions, generic dial.
Battery life compared
Furthest apart in Smartwatch mode, where the Garmin Vivoactive 5 lasts 6.9× as long as the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm (11 days against 38.4 hours).
Garmin Vivoactive 5Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm
Smartwatch
11 days1.6 daysGPS
21 hours—
Specifications
The short version
10 key specs| Spec | Garminvívoactive® 5 | SamsungGalaxy Watch6 Classic - Wi-Fi · 43mm |
|---|---|---|
| Case Width | 42.2mm | 42.5mm |
| Thickness | 11.1mm | 10.9mm |
| Weight | 23g | 52g |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Water Resistance | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Display type | OLED/AMOLED | OLED/AMOLED |
| Screen size | 1.2 inches | 1.3 inches |
| Battery life | 11 days | 1.6 days |
| Released | 2023 | 2023 |
Every specification
305 specs| Spec | Garmin vívoactive® 5 | Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic - Wi-Fi · 43mm |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Family | Garmin | — |
| Design | ||
| width | 42.2 | 42.5 |
| height | 42.2 | 42.5 |
| volume | 19.77 cm³ | 19.69 cm³ |
| weight | 36 g | 52 g |
| thickness | 11.1 | 10.9 |
| ATM rating | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| resolution | 390 x 390 px | 432 x 432 px |
| screen size | 1.2 inches | 1.3 inches |
| Display type | OLED/AMOLED | OLED/AMOLED |
| Has a display | Yes | Yes |
| pixel density | 459 ppi | 453 ppi |
| width of band | 20 mm | 20 mm |
| water resistance | Waterproof | Waterproof |
| Always-On Display | Yes | Yes |
| has a touch screen | Yes | Yes |
| is designed for kids | No | No |
| Gorilla Glass version | Gorilla Glass 3 | — |
| waterproof depth rating | 50 m | 50 m |
| Watch band is replaceable | Yes | Yes |
| Has sapphire glass display | No | Yes |
| maximum operating temperature | 60 °C | 35 °C |
| has branded damage-resistant glass | Yes | No |
| lowest potential operating temperature | -20 °C | — |
| maximum altitude | — | 20029 feet |
| Ingress Protection (IP) rating | — | IP68 |
| Battery | ||
| charge time | 1.5 hours | — |
| battery life | 11 days | 1.6 days |
| has wireless charging | No | Yes |
| has a removable battery | No | No |
| battery life with GPS on | 21 hours | — |
| Has a solar power battery | No | No |
| has a rechargeable battery | Yes | Yes |
| battery power | — | 300 mAh |
| General | ||
| Battery life | Smartwatch mode: Up to 11 days (5 days display always-on) Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 21 days GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 21 hours All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 17 hours All-Systems GNSS mode with music: Up to 8 hours See details | — |
| Battery type | Lithium ion | — |
| Display Size | 1.2" (30.4 mm) diameter | — |
| Case material | fiber-reinforced polymer | — |
| Color display | Yes | — |
| Lens Material | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 | — |
| Bezel Material | anodized aluminum | — |
| Memory/History | 4 GB | — |
| Strap material | silicone | — |
| Charging method | Garmin proprietary plug charger | — |
| Large font option | Yes | — |
| Display resolution | 390 x 390 pixels | — |
| Quick Release bands | yes (20 mm, Industry standard) | — |
| Sensors | ||
| GPS | Yes | — |
| Compass | Yes | — |
| GLONASS | Yes | — |
| Galileo | Yes | — |
| has GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Thermometer | yes (tempe™ sensor required) | — |
| Accelerometer | Yes | — |
| has a compass | Yes | Yes |
| Has a barometer | No | Yes |
| has a gyroscope | No | Yes |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | — |
| Has a cadence sensor | No | No |
| has an accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Monitors perspiration | No | No |
| Has a heart rate monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Has a temperature sensor | No | Yes |
| Monitors blood oxygenation levels | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor | Yes | — |
| Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor | Yes | — |
| Features | ||
| RAM | 4GB | 2GB |
| release date | 2023-09-20 | 2023-07-26 |
| Has a stopwatch | Yes | Yes |
| Has smart alarm | No | No |
| warranty period | 1 years | 2 years |
| Has call control | Yes | Yes |
| Has silent alarm | Yes | Yes |
| has HRV tracking | Yes | No |
| internal storage | 4GB | 16GB |
| measures VO2 max | Yes | Yes |
| Has notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Has ECG technology | No | Yes |
| Locates your phone | Yes | Yes |
| has a front camera | No | — |
| has fall detection | Yes | Yes |
| has voice commands | No | Yes |
| Acquires GPS faster | No | No |
| Has vibrating alerts | Yes | Yes |
| shows readiness level | No | No |
| Can be used to answer calls | No | Yes |
| measures resting heart rate | Yes | Yes |
| has irregular heart rate warnings | No | Yes |
| has fast/slow heart rate notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Has a built-in camera remote control function | No | Yes |
| CPU speed | — | 2 x 1.4 GHz |
| Languages | ||
| Device languages | Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (US), Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (EU), Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish (International), Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese | — |
| Connectivity | ||
| has NFC | Yes | Yes |
| supports ANT+ | Yes | No |
| supports Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| supports Galileo | Yes | Yes |
| has a cellular module | No | No |
| Is compatible with iOS | Yes | No |
| Is compatible with Android | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi version | — | Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) |
| Bluetooth version | — | 5.3 |
| Product Info | ||
| Main SKU | 010-02862-11 | — |
| Product ID | 1057989 | — |
| Product Name | vívoactive® 5 | — |
| Release Date | 9/21/2023 | — |
| Product Variation | Cream Gold Aluminum Bezel with Ivory Case and Silicone Band | — |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| has aptX | No | — |
| Has auto pause | Yes | Yes |
| Available on PC | Yes | — |
| Is compatible with Windows | Yes | No |
| Is compatible with Mac OS X | Yes | No |
| has an external memory slot | No | No |
| Compatible with smart scales | Yes | Yes |
| has a battery level indicator | Yes | Yes |
| has a socket for a 3.5 mm audio jack | No | No |
| Compatible with external heart rate monitors | Yes | Yes |
| Has passcode | — | Yes |
| App & Software | ||
| Ad-free | Yes | Yes |
| Free app | Yes | Yes |
| Tracks BMI | Yes | Yes |
| Has coaching | Yes | Yes |
| Includes maps | Yes | Yes |
| Supports routes | Yes | Yes |
| Has achievements | Yes | Yes |
| Has goal setting | Yes | Yes |
| Has live tracking | Yes | — |
| Has exercise diary | Yes | Yes |
| Predicts ovulation | Yes | — |
| Can be personalised | Yes | — |
| Has weight tracking | No | Yes |
| Predicts start date | Yes | Yes |
| Tracks water intake | Yes | Yes |
| Has inactivity alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Has period notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Has temperature tracking | No | Yes |
| Doesn’t require account | No | — |
| Provides activity reports | Yes | Yes |
| Displays fertile window notifications | Yes | — |
| Counts how many calories you've burned | Yes | Yes |
| Clock Features | ||
| Timer | Yes | — |
| Stopwatch | Yes | — |
| Time/date | Yes | — |
| Alarm clock | Yes | — |
| GPS Time Sync | Yes | — |
| Sunrise/sunset times | Yes | — |
| Automatic daylight saving time | Yes | — |
| Gaming Features | ||
| Gaming Activity | Yes | — |
| GameOn™ app compatible | Yes | — |
| Cycling Features | ||
| Compatible with Varia™ lights | Yes | — |
| Speed and cadence sensor support (w/sensor) | yes (using ANT+ or BLE) | — |
| Compatible with Varia™ radar (rear-facing radar) | Yes | — |
| Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories) | Yes | — |
| Golfing Features | ||
| PinPointer | Yes | — |
| Tournament legal | Yes | — |
| Digital scorecard | Yes | — |
| Garmin AutoShot™ | Yes | — |
| Round timer/odometer | Yes | — |
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | Yes | — |
| Hazards and course targets | Yes | — |
| Pairs with Garmin Golf app | Yes | — |
| Green View with manual pin position | Yes | — |
| CT10 Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory) | Yes | — |
| Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green) | Yes | — |
| Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit) | Yes | — |
| Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) | automatic | — |
| Running Features | ||
| Run workouts | Yes | — |
| Foot pod capable | Yes | — |
| Run/Walk/Stand detection | Yes | — |
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | Yes | — |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | Yes | — |
| What You'll Love | ||
| Touchscreen | Yes | — |
| Display type | AMOLED (optional always-on mode) | — |
| Water rating | Swim, 5 ATM | — |
| Garmin Pay™ | Yes | — |
| Music storage | Yes | — |
| Wheelchair mode | Yes | — |
| Pulse Ox blood oxygen | yes (spot-check, and optionally all-day and in sleep) | — |
| Sleep score and insights | Yes | — |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 11 days (5 days display always-on) | — |
| Activity Profiles | ||
| Gym | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Indoor Rowing, Jump Roping | — |
| Swim | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming | — |
| Cycling | Biking, Indoor Biking, eBiking, Handcycling, Indoor Handcycling | — |
| Wellness | Walking, Pilates, Yoga, Indoor Walking | — |
| In the ring | Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts | — |
| Team sports | Basketball, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Football/Soccer, American Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball | — |
| On the Water | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing | — |
| Racket sports | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel, Platform Tennis, Racquetball | — |
| Snow & winter | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Snowshoeing | — |
| Indoor running | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running | — |
| Outdoor running | Running | — |
| Outdoor recreation | Disc Golf | — |
| Activity tracking | ||
| Measures pace | Yes | Yes |
| Tracks distance | Yes | Yes |
| Tracks elevation | No | Yes |
| Designed for golf | Yes | No |
| Tracks your sleep | Yes | Yes |
| Tracks steps taken | Yes | Yes |
| Designed for diving | No | No |
| Has a route tracker | No | Yes |
| Has exercise tagging | Yes | Yes |
| Has multi-sport mode | No | Yes |
| Tracks calorie intake | Yes | Yes |
| Provides sleep reports | Yes | Yes |
| Detects activities automatically | Yes | Yes |
| Has a stroke counter for swimming | Yes | Yes |
| Swimming Features | ||
| Time and distance alerts | Yes | — |
| Auto rest (pool swim only) | Yes | — |
| Underwater wrist-based heart rate | Yes | — |
| Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only) | Yes | — |
| Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only) | Yes | — |
| Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | Yes | — |
| Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | Yes | — |
| Outdoor Recreation | ||
| Back to start | Yes | — |
| Fish forecast | yes (via Connect IQ™) | — |
| Area calculation | yes (via Connect IQ™) | — |
| Sun and moon information | yes (via Connect IQ™) | — |
| Daily Smart Features | ||
| Calendar | Yes | — |
| Passcode | Yes | — |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® | — |
| Find My Phone | Yes | — |
| Find My Watch | Yes | — |
| Morning report | Yes | — |
| Red shift mode | Yes | — |
| Weather forecasts | Yes | — |
| Smart Notifications | Yes | — |
| Smartphone compatibility | iPhone®, Android™ | — |
| Controls smartphone music | Yes | — |
| On-device Connect IQ™ Store | Yes | — |
| Plays and controls watch music | Yes | — |
| Find My Phone during GPS activity | Yes | — |
| Pairs with Garmin Connect™ Mobile | Yes | — |
| Compatible with Garmin Messenger app | Yes | — |
| Battery saver (customizable low power watch) | Yes | — |
| Realtime settings sync with Garmin Connect™ mobile | Yes | — |
| View images from notifications on watch (Android™ only) | Yes | — |
| Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only) | Yes | — |
| Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields and apps) | Yes | — |
| Activity Tracking Features | ||
| TrueUp™ | Yes | — |
| Move IQ™ | Yes | — |
| Push tracker | Yes | — |
| Step counter | Yes | — |
| Calories burned | Yes | — |
| Distance traveled | Yes | — |
| Intensity minutes | Yes | — |
| Weight shift alert | Yes | — |
| Automatic rep counting | Yes | — |
| Garmin Connect™ Challenges app | Yes | — |
| Move alerts (displays on device after a period of inactivity) | Yes | — |
| Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) | Yes | — |
| Workout and Training Plans | ||
| HIIT workouts | Yes | — |
| Yoga workouts | Yes | — |
| Cardio workouts | Yes | — |
| Pilates workouts | Yes | — |
| Strength workouts | Yes | — |
| Garmin Running Coach Experts | Yes | — |
| On-screen workout muscle maps | Yes | — |
| Workouts for wheelchair users | Yes | — |
| Health & Wellness Monitoring | ||
| Sleep | yes (advanced) | — |
| Hydration | Yes | — |
| Breathwork | Yes | — |
| Meditation | Yes | — |
| Fitness age | Yes | — |
| Sleep coach | Yes | — |
| Nap detection | Yes | — |
| All-day stress | Yes | — |
| Women's health | Yes | — |
| Health snapshot | Yes | — |
| Respiration rate | Yes | — |
| Resting heart rate | Yes | — |
| Breathing variations | Yes | — |
| Relaxation reminders | Yes | — |
| Abnormal heart rate alerts | yes (high and low) | — |
| Relaxation breathing timer | Yes | — |
| Body Battery™ energy monitor | Yes | — |
| Wrist-based heart rate (constant, every second) | Yes | — |
| Safety and Tracking Features | ||
| Assistance | Yes | — |
| Incident Detection during select activities | Yes | — |
| Incident detection alert on phone for wearables | Yes | — |
| Training, Planning and Analysis Features | ||
| % HR max | Yes | — |
| HR zones | Yes | — |
| HR alerts | Yes | — |
| HRV status | Yes | — |
| Manual lap | Yes | — |
| Auto scroll | Yes | — |
| HR calories | Yes | — |
| Voice alerts | Yes | — |
| Physio TrueUp | Yes | — |
| Recovery time | Yes | — |
| VO2 Max (Run) | Yes | — |
| Workout benefit | Yes | — |
| Advanced workouts | Yes | — |
| Interval training | Yes | — |
| GPS speed and distance | Yes | — |
| Improved recovery time | yes (limited) | — |
| Customizable data pages | Yes | — |
| Touch and/or button lock | Yes | — |
| Activity history on watch | Yes | — |
| Downloadable training plans | Yes | — |
| HRM running pace and distance | Yes | — |
| Customizable activity profiles | Yes | — |
| Auto Pause® automatic timer halt | Yes | — |
| Respiration rate (during exercise) | yoga, breathwork and meditation only | — |
| Auto Lap® interval tracking feature | Yes | — |
| HR broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+® to paired devices) | yes (using ANT+ or BLE) | — |
| Improved interval (includes open repeats, intervals data page, rest screen and auto detection) | Yes | — |
Wrist Fit
Garmin Vivoactive 5
Sits best on wrists ~44–60mm wide (≈ 11.7–16.0cm circumference).
Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm
Sits best on wrists ~45–61mm wide (≈ 12.0–16.3cm circumference).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Garmin Vivoactive 5 bigger than the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm?
The Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm is bigger — 42.5mm vs 42.2mm case width.
Which fits a smaller wrist better, the Garmin Vivoactive 5 or the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm?
The Garmin Vivoactive 5 suits wrists around 44–60mm wide, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm around 45–61mm. The one with the smaller lower bound is the safer pick for a small wrist.
Can I see the Garmin Vivoactive 5 and Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Wi-Fi 43mm side by side at true scale?
Yes — the schematics and photos above show both watches at matched scale, and our fit tool overlays each on your wrist width.