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Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business Insider
Garmin Venu 3 review: A great fitness tracker, but it falls short as a smartwatch
For the last four months, I've been testing the best Garmin watches available. The Venu 3 is Garmin's most advanced smartwatch yet, and it's built on the same top-tier fitness foundation the brand is known for. In addition to having a built-in microphone and speaker, it has best-in-class GPS, industry-leading heart rate tracking, and deep recovery metrics. During testing, I found the ability to answer calls and texts from my wrist was nice, but the advantages felt pretty limited in this model. Moreover, if your goal is to track workouts, stay on top of your stress and sleep, and see who's texting or emailing you without your phone nearby, I think the Vivoactive 6 is going to be a better pick — at a better price — for the majority of people looking for a smart fitness watch. (Check out our full Vivoactive 6 review.) While the Venu 3 is all-in-all a solid watch, after testing it for the last few months, I don't think it's the best value for your money. Here's why. What I found after 3 months of testing It's built on Garmin's fitness tracking power. Garmin has some of the best fitness tracking technology, based on a long-standing foundation of very accurate GPS and heart rate detection. With this core, the Venu 3 has a lot of the same features and abilities that make Garmin's other lifestyle watches great for fitness devotees: it tracks your steps, sleep, and stress automatically; has 30 pre-loaded activity profiles you can manually use to track workouts with helpful in-the-moment stats like heart rate, pace, and distance; it uses your health and activity data to determine your "body battery" energy and recovery levels throughout the day; and it has a digital coach for training and improving your sleep. Every morning, the Venu 3 delivers a morning report with sleep quality, body battery, and a daily suggested workout. And, like most every Garmin watch, the face and data fields are fully customizable in the app so you can tweak the watch to match your needs. It's sleek, intuitive, and has a great battery life. The Venu 3, like most Garmin models, has many other perks than the foundational tech: It has an exceptionally long battery life (14 days in smartwatch mode, or 26 hours in GPS mode), which means you can more continuously track sleep and daytime stress, and you can leave your charger behind for short travels. The AMOLED display is crisp and vivid, the interface intuitive, and the case design more refined than past Garmin watches (though it looks very similar to the Vivoactive 6). You can customize the watch face so it looks as sporty or as sleek as you prefer. I also appreciate that it comes in two sizes, the smaller Venu 3S with a 41mm screen and the Venu 3 with a 45mm screen. It's a smarter watch…sort of. The biggest headline that sets the Venu 3 apart from Garmin's other watches is that it has a built-in microphone and speaker. This means you can take calls and use your phone's voice assistant directly from your wrist — something the Vivoactive 6 and Garmin's less-smart watches can't do. On one hand, I found this feature genuinely convenient during moments like taking quick "need anything on my way home" calls from my husband, or replying to a text while hands-deep in pie crust. A quick voice reply definitely beats tracking down my phone for a short answer or trying to swipe with messy fingers. I also found the voice-to-text feature worked just as well (if not better) than using Siri to dictate. That said, there's a big catch: your phone has to be unlocked for you to do anything beyond responding to an incoming text or answering a call. Unlike with, say, an Apple Watch, the Venu 3 can't initiate a text to someone, reply to a text from earlier in the day, or even add something to your Notes app without your phone being unlocked first. I found this to be quite frustrating; this limitation really narrowed how often the on-wrist reply function was actually usable. The voice assistant access was also finicky — sometimes I'd press and hold the middle button and it would say "connecting to voice assistant," only to immediately go back to the home screen. In short, it's not quite the seamless smart assistant experience you get from an Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch. If you're an Android user, you have a little more to work with: You can access quick-reply features, and these only need Bluetooth, not voice assistant, so you can shoot a pre-set canned reply even if your phone is locked. Why it's not worth $150 more than the Garmin Vivoactive 6 Having tested both of these watches over the last three months, I can tell you Garmin's two smartwatches are very, very similar. The main difference: The Venu 3 is slightly smarter but also significantly more expensive than the Vivoactive 6. Here's what $150 more will get you with the Venu 3: Ability to take phone calls on-wrist. Ability to use voice assistant and reply to incoming texts on-wrist. Ability to initiate pre-set texts on an Android on-wrist. 14 days of battery life vs. 11 days in the Vivoactive 6. 30 preloaded activity profiles vs. 80 in the Vivoactive 6. Slightly higher display resolution. A built-in barometric altimeter for more accurate elevation tracking. In my opinion, unless you take quick phone calls a lot or use voice assistant all the time (and have your phone unlocked to do so), the Vivoactive 6 is a much better value for your money. How it compares to other smart watches If you are more interested in having a great smartwatch that does a good-enough job at tracking workouts, then your decision is really between the Garmin Venu 3, the Apple Watch Series 10, and the Google Pixel Watch 3. (After testing the Fitbit Versa 4, I can confirm it doesn't have a seat at this table.) All three watches are a similar price ($400 to $500), have a sleek and clean design, and have an intense, visually rich display (the Venu 3 and Pixel 3 use AMOLED, while the Apple Watch 10 uses retina OLED). The Venu 3 has a significantly longer battery life (14 days vs. 18-24 hours), a far more accurate GPS, and far more accurate heart rate sensor than either competitor. Overall, this means the Venu 3 is going to be better at tracking your health and fitness and delivering deeper, more insightful metrics than the Apple Watch Series 10, including personalized coaching for free in the Garmin app. That said, the Apple Watch Series 10 does a good enough job at tracking workouts for most people (and auto-tracks them, which Garmins do not), is very good at analyzing sleep, and is way better at being a smartwatch for iPhone users compared to the Venu 3. The Apple Watch integrates better with the iPhone ecosystem, so you have more apps on-wrist (including navigation from Apple Maps), access to Siri, and voice control without needing to unlock your phone. You will have to charge it every 1-2 days, though. The Pixel Watch 3, meanwhile, integrates much better with the Android ecosystem than the Venu 3 — you can access more apps and Google Assistant from your wrist versus just receiving notifications and responding to texts and phone calls. The Pixel Watch is built on Fitbit's technology, so its workout and sleep tracking are pretty good, though it can't compete with Garmin's GPS or recovery insights. And, like the Apple Watches, the Pixel 3 needs to be charged every 1-2 days versus the Venu 3's 14-day battery life. For more picks, check out our guide to the best smartwatches and best fitness trackers. The bottom line The Venu 3 may be Garmin's most advanced smartwatch, but it's not $150 smarter than the Vivoactive 6. While it's nice to have an on-wrist speaker and mic sometimes, the need to unlock your phone for access is too much of a limitation for us to justify spending $450 on this watch. If fitness is your priority, the Vivoactive 6 is a great wearable with basic smartwatch functions (e.g., on-wrist notifications, Garmin Pay, music control) and way more activity profiles, all at a more affordable price than Apple or Google watches. However, if an advanced smartwatch is your priority, you may be happier with an Apple Watch Series 10 or Google Pixel 3 for a similar price to the Venu 3.
Phone Arena
24-06-2025
- Phone Arena
The Garmin Venu 3S is a hit at its lowest price on Amazon
Galaxy and Apple watches might boast a great design and many features, but they all fail in one crucial area: battery life. If multi-day endurance is your top priority, you're better off getting a Garmin watch. One standout pick is the Venu 3S. This bad boy packs a 10-day battery life and a beautiful OLED touchscreen. Plus, it's now on sale at Amazon, allowing you to get it at a more affordable of nearly $450, the GPS watch now goes for about $350, saving you a tempting $100. That's its lowest price so far, too, though we've seen the same promo in the past. Nevertheless, with neither Walmart nor Best Buy currently matching this price cut, Amazon is your best chance at scoring a rather tempting discount on this impressive wearable. $100 off (22%) The Garmin Venu 3S is an excellent choice for active users, offering up to 10 days of battery life and multiple workout features. On top of that, you can currently buy it at its lowest price on Amazon, as the 41mm variant with a Sage Gray case is $100 off. Buy at Amazon In our experience, the Garmin Venu 3S really packs a punch, making it a solid pick for active users. The touchscreen is lovely, heart rate measurements are exceptionally accurate, and so is GPS accuracy. Want more details? Check out our Garmin Venu 3 review. But here are the basics: this fella offers Body Battery energy monitoring, advanced sleep tracking, multiple preloaded activity profiles (including wheelchair mode), and nap detection. It also features a microphone and, unlike many Garmin watches, allows you to take phone calls from your wrist. Other standout extras include morning reports, fitness age, workout benefits, and more. What's more, the Venu 3S lets you download and store music on your wrist, a welcome extra many users appreciate. Additionally, the timepiece is compatible with Android phones and iPhones. However, you can only text from your wrist when the unit is connected to an Android phone . As you can see, the Garmin Venu 3S checks a lot of boxes. Although it's a bit pricey at its standard price, the model is far more attractive at $100 off. Grab yours at Amazon and save. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase This offer is not available in your area.
Telegraph
24-03-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Garmin Venu 3S review: is this the best fitness tracker for most people?
£355.97 Buy now Price at Amazon What is the Garmin Venu 3S? This fitness tracker is the 41mm version of the Garmin Venu 3, which is slightly bigger at 45mm. Launched in August 2023, it follows the brand's Venu 1 and 2 watches, with upgrades including a slightly larger display and new health features such as heart rate variability (HRV), which helps to better determine your sleep quality and fitness levels. An all-rounder watch, the Venu 3S tracks your vitals, fitness and sleep – giving you a fuller picture of your health. It's also our Best Buy in our guide to the best fitness trackers. Why you can trust Telegraph Recommended Our thorough, real-world tests will always help you find the best product. No manufacturer ever sees copy before publication and we do not accept payment in exchange for favourable reviews. Visit our Who We Are page to learn more. How we test fitness trackers I wore the Garmin Venu 3S day and night for more than a month, testing as many of the fitness tracking features as I could, to see if it could help me create better health habits. I assessed how well it worked when I ran, cycled and stretched. I also wore it while I slept, testing the accuracy of the sleep tracking and coach functionality. I tracked the battery life too, and considered how easy it was to use and incorporate into my daily life. Set-up and usability: 8/10 It was easy to set up straight out of the box, taking me through a quick process that included setting goals and giving it access to my health data and other apps such as Strava. There's also the option to connect to your contacts, which is useful if you're using it to text or make phone calls. The watch works differently to the Apple Watch and Fitbit, with three buttons on the side and a touchscreen. It took me a week to figure out how to use it properly, which included turning to Google for help on how to switch off notifications – turns out you have to turn them off on both your phone and watch. It does, however, connect easily to the Garmin Connect app, finding your watch via Bluetooth, which takes you through to your dashboard. Here, you'll find more detail on your activity metrics and sleep data, as well as a body battery feature that tells you about your daily energy levels. This is particularly helpful on days where you feel drained and want to know why. Design and display: 10/10 You shouldn't have to sacrifice on looks when investing in a fitness tracker. I don't want anything chunky on my wrist, which can be difficult to find in this category. Thankfully, the Garmin watch is just right. The flat design of the watch face means it sits neatly on the wrist, while its clear colour touchscreen display, with silver trimmings, gives it a well-polished finish. The watch is light, at just 40g, while the silicone strap is comfortable and comes in nine colours, ranging from pink to black. I tested the off-white colour, which stayed fairly clean despite using it daily to track sweaty HIIT classes and runs. The touchscreen display is 'always on' and you literally have to move your wrist slightly to see the date and time, while reminders (to move or when you're active) aren't too obtrusive. There is a lot of colour on the watch, which gives it a vibrant look and makes the data stand out as you scroll, and it reacts easily to touch – unlike cheaper competitor watches. Health and fitness features: 9/10 If, like me, you're into your fitness or take part in a variety of sports, you'll be impressed by how the watch tracks your activity and pulls in data to the app. By pressing the top right button, you can quickly find the sport you want to track and from there, all it takes is a few taps to begin. In the past, I've found other Garmin watches, such as the Lily 2, more complicated to start the tracking, which can feel frustrating. I took the watch out on multiple runs and it was quick to find GPS too, which made my mileage more accurate. It also showed various statistics throughout my run, such as pace, distance and power, and notified me when I'd completed each mile. After a couple of weeks (and a bit more research on Google), I was also able to change the settings, meaning when I stopped running it automatically paused – a feature runners will appreciate, especially if you're doing laps on a track. Although I found it accurate and useful, it's not a dedicated running watch. I would have loved more running options, such as for trail running and intervals, so if you need more detailed stats, consider the Forerunner range instead. I also used the watch to track a 12-mile cycle and loved the stats provided, which included a map of the route, calories burned and average speed – informing me that, thankfully, my hard work wasn't for nothing. The watch is also waterproof, with a five ATM water resistance rating (meaning you can wear it for 10 minutes in 50m deep water), so I used it to track an open water swim. I also tracked a few Pilates and strength classes, however, for these modes it counts sets and reps, meaning you have to tell the watch when you're doing another set, which is not easy to do in a class situation. The watch and app also has detailed sleep tracking and data, giving you a sleep score when you wake up. I found the sleep coach section useful too, as it personalises how much sleep you need every night by assessing your activity and sleep debt. If you love the stats, the app allows you to delve into more detailed information about the quality of your sleep, which I found useful when wanting to know if I should be going to bed earlier. However, the sleep tracking was slightly off when I compared it to my Whoop. As well as the basics, such as step counting, calorie burn and notifications, I also appreciated the morning report, which flashed up on my watch once night mode was switched off, giving me a summary of my sleep and my body battery. Other lifestyle features and app: 8/10 The Garmin Connect app has everything in its 'at a glance' section, from body battery to steps and calories burned. Body battery, similar to your recovery score on the Whoop, estimates your energy levels based on heart rate, stress, sleep and how much activity you've done. It creates a score between five and 100, with anything below 33 being low. My body battery tended to sit around average, declining as the day went on due to movement or exercise. I really liked this measurement, as it gives you a realistic look at how your day should pan out, in terms of movement and what time you should contemplate going to bed. It also calculates your fitness age, which is something I hadn't seen before on a smartwatch, measuring your BMI against how much you exercised. In order to reach your target age, it also gives you recommendations, which is a great incentive. The watch measures your Vo2 max, which is the maximum rate at which your body can consume oxygen during intense exercise, and can assess stats like how your stress levels change and how activity impacts your body battery and heart rate zones. Overall, it's a well laid-out app and I appreciated how it detailed your progress over the week, month and year. You can also take calls from your wrist (with its built-in microphone), set up menstrual tracking, listen to music, view photos and set up Garmin Pay. Battery life and charging: 9/10 Garmin claims the battery life for this smartwatch is up to 10 days. I found at most it lasted for six days, particularly if you're running the battery down with lots of activity and wearing it as you sleep. Six days is impressive for a smartwatch though, especially if you're used to an Apple Watch which needs charging every 24 hours. The watch comes with a USB-C charging cable that attaches to the back of the watch. It's quite tricky to attach at first, but charging only took around an hour before it was back up to 100 per cent. Technical specifications How does the Garmin Venu 3S compare to the Apple Watch Series 10? Although they are similar in price, they differ when it comes to battery life and sports tracking. Telegraph verdict: 9/10 I'm a Garmin convert. Having been attached to my Apple Watch since I got it, the Garmin Venu 3S is just as good, if not better. With a longer battery life, I didn't have to worry about taking it off at night to charge, like I do with my Apple Watch, while the fitness tracking, style of the watch and activity reminders were all spot on. I did find it tricky to navigate at first, which is important when considering ease of use, but once you've conquered this you'll love the functionality. The morning report was particularly useful, while the running and HIIT class stats helped me improve my performance from week to week. It has over 30 preloaded sports and activities and although I didn't try them all, I appreciated the choice. Some of the ones I did try worked better than others, though. If you're a dedicated runner and want running-specific data then this may not be the smartwatch for you. Instead, we'd advise a Garmin Forerunner watch, which will provide a more in-depth look and wider variety of different running stats. The sleep tracking was slightly off by a few minutes but I liked the extra features, such as the sleep coach and advice on how much sleep I needed. The app is easy to navigate and gives you detailed data on sleep, activity and other health metrics. It doesn't come cheap. At nearly £400, it's over double the price of a Fitbit smartwatch, similarly priced to the Apple Watch 10 and more expensive than Garmin's other models (such as the 9 or SE). Most importantly though, it helped me to create realistic goals and maintain good habits over the month I tested it. It didn't hurt that it looked and felt great on my wrist. Garmin Venu 3S FAQs What is the difference between the Garmin Venu 3 and the Venu 3S? The Venu 3 is 4mm bigger in diameter that the Venu 3S and it has a longer battery life at 14 days. Can I reply to texts on the Garmin Venu 3s? Only Android users can reply to texts on the Garmin Venu 3S – including the use of preset replies and voice commands. If you're an iPhone user, you won't be able to send texts from the watch. Can I listen to music on the Garmin Venu 3S? Yes, you can listen to music via Spotify and Deezer, plus download music to listen when you're offline.
