Garmin's own product webpage highlights the biggest problem with Garmin.[0] They have too many options, with very little distinguishing features. Instead of making hardware to justify the number of models, they cripple watches in various ways using software.

For example, on my Vivoactive 4, recording a "Hike" activity is impossible. Instead, I have to record all my hikes as "Walks".

They should trim their offerings down to fewer than 10 models instead of the 28 currently listed.

0: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/wearables-smartwatches/?curre...

My Garmin 965 lasts about a month, I can't believe it compared to my pixel watch which is flat in a day. Haven't touched it since.

Vivoactive doesn't have the best heart tracking, especially compared to Apple watches which are the gold standard for it. Someone who can afford an Apple watch should probably go for Garmin Venu 3. Same hybrid model benefits with a better sensor.

Whats wrong with it? It seems to be very high resolution, continuous, and accurate whenever I've compared it.

I follow The Quantified Scientist on YouTube and he's reviewed both I believe. I think the Vivoactive has the older HR sensor and that's why it performed a bit worse in that category.