Garmin, the maker of our favorite fitness trackers, has several series of entry-level hybrid trackers. Sorting through them can be confusing. The Venu series is the most expensive, the premium tracker with more smartwatch features (full-screen AMOLED, microphone, etc.). The Vivomove series has a hidden display and no onboard GPS. Right in the middle sits the Vivoactive series. The latest Vivoactive 6 has an AMOLED display, about a week of battery life, and of course, access to Garmin’s top-of-the-line fitness software.

I wrote previously that the $100 Amazfit Active 2 (6/10, WIRED Recommends) made me rethink what a fitness tracker’s value proposition should be, and $300 now seems very expensive for an entry-level tracker. However, unlike Amazfit’s, Garmin’s trackers and software actually work. In an unsurprising turn of events, I tried Garmin’s new AI-powered Active Intelligence, and it’s the first AI-powered fitness service that provided me with useful insights. So far, Garmin's supremacy remains unvanquished.

Old Faithful

Like all of Garmin’s lifestyle lines, the Vivoactive 6 is easy to wear, with a silicone strap, an aluminum bezel, and a light, 42-mm polymer case. It's not actually lighter than my Apple Watch Series 10, but it feels lighter, because it's plastic. The display is a touchscreen AMOLED that I found readable in daylight and responsive to my touch, although it was easy to print the screen with my sunscreen-y fingers. There are two buttons on the side of the case, an activity butto...