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Apple - Watch SE 3 vs Garmin - vívoactive 5

Last updated · How Mars Score works
Watch SE 3APPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
Watch SE 3
56.1/ 100D
Health & Fitness· 32%
Battery & Connectivity36· 30%
Display78· 22%
Design· 16%
vívoactive 5GARMINRENDER
Probe B
Garmin
vívoactive 5
53.3/ 100D
Health & Fitness· 32%
Battery & Connectivity60· 30%
Display43· 22%
Design· 16%
Quick verdict

Between the Watch SE 3 and vívoactive 5, the Watch SE 3 comes out ahead in display size and cellular, while the vívoactive 5 wins on battery life and weight. Overall, the Watch SE 3 scores 56.1 and the vívoactive 5 scores 53.3 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (56.1 vs 53.3). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.

Pick the Watch SE 3 if you care most about display size and cellular. The biggest gaps in its favor are display size, cellular.

Pick the vívoactive 5 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are battery life, weight, spo2.

Both ship with comparable ecg, water resistance, peak brightness, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.

Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.

Why Apple - Watch SE 3 wins

  • Display size — 48.33% more. 1.78 " vs 1.2 ".
  • Has Cellular.

Why Garmin - vívoactive 5 wins

  • Battery life — 1366.67% more. 264 h vs 18 h.
  • Weight — 7.00 g less. 26 vs 33.
  • Has SpO2.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Design

SpecApple - Watch SE 3Garmin - vívoactive 5
Case size44 mmlead42 mm
Weight33 g26 glead
Case materialaluminumpolymer
Water resistance5 ATM5 ATM

Display

SpecApple - Watch SE 3Garmin - vívoactive 5
Display size1.78 "lead1.2 "
Always-on displayfalsetruelead
Peak brightness1000 nits1000 nits

Health & Fitness

SpecApple - Watch SE 3Garmin - vívoactive 5
ECGfalsefalse
SpO2falsetruelead
Temperature sensorfalsefalse
Sleep trackingtruetrue
Blood pressurefalsefalse

Battery & Connectivity

SpecApple - Watch SE 3Garmin - vívoactive 5
Battery life18 h264 hlead
GPStruetrue
Cellulartrueleadfalse
NFCtruetrue
OSwatchOSGarmin OSlead
Reader questions

Frequently asked

Which has longer battery life, Watch SE 3 or vívoactive 5?+

vívoactive 5 lasts 264h vs 18h.

Do Watch SE 3 or vívoactive 5 support ECG?+

Neither supports ECG.

Which has cellular, Watch SE 3 or vívoactive 5?+

Watch SE 3 offers a cellular variant; vívoactive 5 is Wi-Fi only.

Drill down

Spec-level deep dives

By manufacturer

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