If you go to a marathon, a running or cycling event, or pretty much any competitive sport, chances are you will see one brand of watches more than others: Garmin.
And while previously the Garmin brand was associated with basic watches which used monochrome displays and did not quite have the functionality of a full-on smartwatch, the latest Garmin Venu 3 aims to change that WHILE keeping Garmin’s big advantage: battery life measured in days rather than hours.
So is the Garmin Venu 3 finally that ultimate smartwatch with one-week battery life that you should get? Let’s find out in our in-depth review.
The Garmin Venu 3 comes in a very simple box and the unboxing experience is barebones to say the least. The packaging feels kind of cheap, and inside the box you have the watch with a strap on it, the proprietary Garmin charging cable (with USB-C on the other end), as well as a user manual.
Before we dive deeper, here is an overview of the most important Venu 3 and Venu 3S specs:
Interestingly, we could not find any information about the processor Garmin uses for these two watches, and if you know something about that, we would love to hear from you in the comments section.
We love that the Garmin Venu 3 comes in two sizes: the 45mm larger Venu 3 model and then the 41mm small Venu 3S (the one we have for review).
Both watches come with a plastic body and only the bezel around the screen is made of stainless steel. That was surprising considering the high price of the watches and the fact that the previous Venu 2 Plus used aluminum. We guess the reason for that is to reduce the weight, but those who prefer the more premium feel of metal might be disappointed.
Some reviewers have mentioned “mushy” buttons, and while that might be the case for some units, the buttons on the watch we have are perfectly good.
Garmin Venu 3 Bands
Your standard spring bar bands
There is a slight difference in the band size for the different Venu 3 models. The larger Venu 3 uses 22mm straps, while the Venu 3S we have uses 18mm straps.
These are your standard spring bar bands, so there are no fancy new ways to swap bands here, but after a while you do get used to it, so this was no big deal to us.
The silicone sport band that comes in the box is also soft and very comfortable, and we have found Garmin bands to be very durable and last for years.
Garmin Venu 3 Software & Features
Rich on features, but the interface feels ancient
Garmin was once known for sports watches that are used mostly by athletes, but with the switch to OLED screens and by adding support for calls and a voice assistant (via the phone), the Garmin Venu 3 aims to be more than that. It aims to be a smartwatch playing in the same leagues as Apple Watches and Galaxy Watches.
So how does it do as a smartwatch?
After reviewing all of the above smartwatches, using the Venu 3 felt like going back in time. The interface lacks essential functionality.
For example, all modern smartwatches support watchfaces with complications. You can raise your wrist and see a ton of data right away. Not only that, you can tap on any complication and go directly to the corresponding app screen.
Navigation gestures are also strange: a swipe right shows you one “widget” that you can customize, but… that’s it! Just one! Why can’t I swipe further to see even more information? And why does nothing happen when I swipe left? These are weird, nonsensical interface design choices.
You access the majority of information by swiping up or down. That works fine, but such an interface would be a perfect fit for a digital crown like you have on Apple Watches and the Pixel Watch.
Dealing with notifications is also a bit of a pain. We love that we can see them full screen, but clearing a notification requires a few taps while it should be much quicker.
I can see how Garmin carries this interface from way back in the day of memory-in-pixel (MiP) displays with no touchscreen support and button-only navigation, but we are not in those days anymore and the interface needs to adjust and adjust quickly.
Sports Tracking
What the Venu 3 lacks in interface chops, it more than compensates for with excellent sports tracking options.
The GPS accuracy has also improved and while you don’t have dual-band GPS support on this watch, we still found it to be extremely accurate in tracking your workouts.
Sleep tracking and nap detection
You can also track your sleep with the Garmin Venu 3 and in fact you really should if you want to have an accurate “Body Battery” score, which is one of the big selling points of this watch.
The idea is that Body Battery shows you a 1%-100% estimate of your supposed energy levels during the day based on how well you slept in the last few nights, your HRV status, as well as how hard and how often have you worked out.
What’s new here is that when you tap on the Body Battery widget you see how exactly particular activities affected your score (we guess this feature will arrive to older watches via a software update).
As for sleep tracking, we found it did a very good job. The watch was able to accurately determine when you fell asleep and when you wake up, and gives you a breakdown of your sleep stages. You also have a sleep coach that uses that information to tell you when you need to catch up on sleep and how many hours you should aim for the next night.
As for nap detection, I was feeling under the weather and took long afternoon naps for two days straight, but the Venu 3 never registered any of them. We will be testing this more, but at least currently that feature does not seem to be working on our end.
Garmin Venu 3 Battery and Charging
Don’t bring a charger for weekend trips!
And while the Garmin Venu 3 falls short when it comes to the interface and watchfaces, it absolutely makes up for that with battery life!
Forget about overnight charging, and constantly worrying whether your watch will last until the next day or if it won’t die midnight and not record your sleep.
While using the always-on display function on the smaller Venu 3S and working out for an average of around an hour every day, we got around five days of use between charges. And you can expect a bit more out of the larger Venu 3 model! That is impressive! And if you turn off the always-on function, you can add a few days more to that. Forgot your Garmin charger on that weekend trip? No need to worry!
A full charge takes just a bit more than an hour on both watches.
Garmin Venu 3 Models and Prices
As we’ve already mentioned, you have two models:
- Garmin Venu 3: 45mm, $450
- Garmin Venu 3S: 41mm, $450
So the price is the same for both.
Garmin watches do NOT offer cellular connectivity and that is one downside you need to account for. Other smartwatches do offer a cellular option with eSIM which allows you to place and get calls, as well as an Internet connection even when your phone is not around. Not on the Garmin.
You can, however, pre-load music on the Venu 3 and you can play music on your run via headphones without bringing your phone.
Garmin Venu 3 Voice Calls, Assistant and Haptics
You have a speaker on the left side of the Garmin Venu 3 and yes, you can place and receive calls on the watch but only when your phone is nearby.
By default, a long press on the middle key of the Venu 3 is programmed to start your phone’s voice assistant (Siri on an iPhone, Google Assistant on Androids), and while that works okay, keep in mind that there is a bit of delay when using that feature. For that reason, I actually used it far less than I would use a voice assistant on other smartwatches, but your mileage may vary.
As for haptics, you can set the strength of the vibration, but the vibration motor itself is not quite as precise and sharp as you get on an Apple Watch, for instance. Still, it gets the job done.
Garmin Venu 3 Competitors
We’ve already talked about the biggest rivals: the Apple Watch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch, and the Google Pixel Watch.
Garmin Venu 3 Summary and Final Verdict
At the end of the day, the Garmin Venu 3S will likely stay on my wrist after this review is done, and I think that is the best testament to its capabilities.
I just hate having to worry about charging a smartwatch every day and I do like to use the sleep tracking feature, which requires an even more careful charging schedule with traditional smartwatches.
Garmin has the workout stats, battery life, comfort and now the screen quality, but it really needs to put the work in optimizing that outdated interface and watchfaces, and if it does that, it has all the chances of beating Apple and Samsung at their own game.
