Garmin has established itself as a leader in fitness tracking devices, and their Venu series represents their effort to combine serious fitness capabilities with everyday smartwatch features.
The Garmin Venu 3 stands as their latest offering in this space, promising to deliver advanced health insights, impressive battery life, and smart features in a sleek package.
This review dives deep into what makes the Venu 3 tick and whether it deserves a place on your wrist in 2025.
Key Takeaways
- Battery Champion: The Garmin Venu 3 offers exceptional battery life of up to 14 days in smartwatch mode and 26 hours in GPS mode, far outperforming competitors like Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch.
- Sleep Tracking Excellence: Features advanced sleep analysis tools including automatic nap detection, Sleep Coach functionality, and detailed sleep stage tracking with HRV monitoring for recovery insights.
- Comprehensive Health Monitoring: Provides 24/7 health tracking with features like Body Battery energy monitoring, stress tracking, and advanced fitness metrics that give you a complete picture of your wellbeing.
- Premium Design: Built with quality materials including stainless steel bezel and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, the Venu 3 balances durability with an attractive, versatile aesthetic.
- Smart Features With Limitations: While offering call functionality and notifications, the Venu 3 has a more limited app ecosystem compared to Apple or Samsung watches, focusing instead on fitness and health features.
Design and Build Quality
The Garmin Venu 3 makes a strong first impression with its premium build quality. The watch features a stainless steel bezel surrounding a fiber-reinforced polymer case, giving it both durability and a touch of elegance. Available in two sizes—the standard Venu 3 at 45mm and the smaller Venu 3S at 41mm—it caters to different wrist sizes and preferences.
The circular design feels more like a traditional watch than some of its rectangular competitors. This classic approach makes it versatile enough to wear during intense workouts and business meetings alike. The silicone band that comes standard is comfortable for all-day wear and can easily be swapped out with standard quick-release bands if you want to customize your look.
With a weight of only 30 grams for the standard model and 27 grams for the 3S, the watch sits lightly on your wrist without feeling flimsy. Water resistance is rated at 5 ATM, meaning it can handle swimming and showering without concern. The three physical buttons have different tactile feelings, which has been noted by some users, but they provide reliable navigation alongside the responsive touchscreen.
The build feels remarkably solid compared to previous Venu models, with better materials and attention to detail that justify its position as a premium fitness smartwatch. The combination of touchscreen and physical buttons makes for an intuitive user experience that works well even during exercise or in wet conditions.
Display and User Interface
The Venu 3’s standout feature is its vibrant 1.4-inch AMOLED touchscreen display (1.2-inch on the 3S model). With a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels, the screen delivers crisp text and vivid colors that remain visible even in bright outdoor conditions. Protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, the display resists scratches and damage from everyday wear.
Unlike some competitors that struggle with outdoor visibility, the Venu 3’s screen maintains excellent contrast and minimal glare even in direct sunlight. The always-on display option lets you check the time without raising your wrist, though it does impact battery life. The brightness is adjustable, with an auto-brightness feature that works well in varying lighting conditions.
Garmin’s user interface is straightforward and functional rather than flashy. The tile-based system allows you to swipe between different screens showing health metrics, notifications, and quick controls. While not as slick as Apple’s watchOS or Samsung’s Wear OS, it’s responsive and gets the job done efficiently. The learning curve is minimal, with most users becoming comfortable with navigation within hours.
Customization options include different watch faces, widget arrangements, and control over what metrics appear on your main screen. The interface prioritizes quick access to fitness data and health insights, reflecting Garmin’s focus on these aspects over aesthetic polish.
Fitness and Activity Tracking
When it comes to fitness tracking, the Venu 3 truly shines. The watch supports over 30 built-in sports apps covering everything from running and cycling to swimming and strength training. Each mode provides tailored metrics relevant to that activity, giving you detailed insights into your performance.
The GPS performance is exceptional, with quick satellite acquisition and accurate distance tracking across various environments. During testing, the watch maintained consistent tracking even in challenging conditions like dense tree cover and urban canyons. Multi-band GPS support provides even better accuracy for serious outdoor enthusiasts.
For runners, the Venu 3 offers detailed metrics including pace, distance, cadence, and even advanced running dynamics when paired with compatible accessories. Cyclists benefit from speed, distance, and elevation data, while swimmers get stroke detection, SWOLF score, and underwater heart rate monitoring.
Strength training support has improved significantly from previous models. The watch can now track reps automatically and identify exercises with impressive accuracy. You can log weights and create custom workouts, making it a capable gym companion. However, some users note that manually editing sets and weights can still be cumbersome compared to dedicated strength training apps.
The Body Battery feature deserves special attention. It combines heart rate variability, stress levels, activity, and sleep quality to estimate your energy levels throughout the day. This holistic approach helps you understand when to push hard in workouts and when your body needs recovery time, providing genuinely useful insights rather than just raw data.
Health Monitoring and Sleep Tracking
Health monitoring on the Venu 3 extends far beyond simple step counting. The watch provides 24/7 heart rate monitoring with alerts for unusually high or low readings. Stress tracking uses heart rate variability to estimate your stress levels throughout the day, complemented by guided breathing exercises to help manage stress when needed.
Blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring helps track your oxygen levels during sleep or at high altitudes. While not a medical device, it provides useful data points for overall wellness monitoring. The watch also tracks respiration rate, offering another window into your physiological state.
Women’s health tracking features allow users to log menstrual cycles and symptoms, with the option to receive predictions for periods and fertility windows. These features integrate with other health metrics to provide a more complete picture of overall wellbeing.
The sleep tracking capabilities of the Venu 3 represent a significant upgrade from previous models. The watch automatically detects when you fall asleep and monitors various sleep stages including light, deep, and REM sleep. It also tracks movements and interruptions to give you a comprehensive sleep score each morning.
New to the Venu 3 is automatic nap detection, which recognizes shorter sleep periods during the day and factors them into your overall recovery needs. The Sleep Coach feature provides personalized recommendations based on your sleep data, activity levels, and HRV status. This helps you understand not just how you slept, but what you can do to improve your sleep quality.
The evening Daily Summary feature complements the Morning Report, giving you insights into how your day went and what to expect for sleep. HRV status tracking during sleep provides deeper insights into your recovery and stress levels, helping you make informed decisions about training intensity.
Smart Features and Connectivity
While fitness remains Garmin’s primary focus, the Venu 3 includes various smart features to compete with mainstream smartwatches. You can receive notifications from your smartphone, including texts, calls, calendar alerts, and app notifications. The watch allows you to accept or reject calls directly and even take calls from your wrist thanks to the built-in speaker and microphone.
Voice assistant support lets you interact with your phone’s assistant (Siri, Google Assistant, or Bixby) through the watch. Music lovers will appreciate the ability to store up to 2,000 songs directly on the watch and connect to Bluetooth headphones for phone-free listening. Supported services include Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer.
Garmin Pay enables contactless payments from your wrist, though bank support varies by region. The Connect IQ store offers additional apps, watch faces, and data fields, though the selection is more limited than what you’ll find on Apple or Samsung platforms.
The connection with your smartphone happens through the Garmin Connect app, which serves as a comprehensive dashboard for all your health and fitness data. The app is well-designed and intuitive, offering detailed analysis of your activities and health metrics. Syncing is reliable, though occasionally slower than some competitors.
While the smart features are competent, they don’t match the polish and depth of Apple’s or Samsung’s offerings. Text responses are limited to preset messages, and the app ecosystem is fitness-focused rather than broad. For those primarily interested in health and fitness with basic smart functionality, this trade-off is well worth the extended battery life.
Battery Life and Charging
Perhaps the most impressive feature of the Garmin Venu 3 is its outstanding battery life. The standard model boasts up to 14 days of use in smartwatch mode and 26 hours with GPS active. The smaller Venu 3S still manages up to 10 days in smartwatch mode and 21 hours of GPS use.
These numbers represent a significant advantage over competitors like the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch, which typically require daily charging. Even with features like always-on display and continuous heart rate monitoring enabled, most users report getting at least a week of use between charges.
The actual battery performance varies based on your usage patterns. Heavy GPS use, music playback, and frequent interaction with the screen will reduce battery life. However, even with regular workouts tracked, the Venu 3 easily lasts multiple days without needing a charge—a rare feat in the smartwatch world.
Charging happens via a proprietary USB cable that attaches magnetically to the back of the watch. A full charge takes about two hours, though you can get significant battery life from shorter charging sessions. The lack of wireless charging is a minor disappointment, but the extended battery life more than makes up for this omission.
Software and Ecosystem
The Garmin Connect ecosystem provides a comprehensive platform for tracking and analyzing your health and fitness data. The mobile app serves as your main interface, offering detailed graphs and insights for everything from steps and sleep to workout performance and training load.
Advanced features like Training Status help you understand if you’re training productively, while Training Load shows how hard you’ve been working over time. The Training Effect metric breaks down how your workouts impact aerobic and anaerobic fitness, helping you maintain a balanced training approach.
For more serious athletes, Garmin Connect offers training plans for various goals like completing a 5K or marathon. These plans adapt based on your performance and integrate directly with your watch for guided workouts.
Social features allow you to connect with friends, participate in challenges, and share activities. While not as robust as dedicated social fitness platforms like Strava, it provides enough community engagement to keep many users motivated.
The Connect IQ store lets you extend your watch’s functionality with additional apps, watch faces, and data fields. While the selection is more limited than the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, it focuses on useful fitness and outdoor tools rather than novelty apps.
Value and Pricing
With a retail price of $449.99 for both the Venu 3 and the smaller Venu 3S, this watch sits in the premium segment of the fitness smartwatch market. While not inexpensive, the pricing is competitive with similar offerings from Apple and Samsung, especially considering the extended battery life and comprehensive fitness features.
The value proposition depends largely on your priorities. If you’re primarily looking for a smartwatch with occasional fitness tracking, products from Apple or Samsung might offer better integration with your smartphone and a richer app ecosystem. However, if your focus is on fitness and health monitoring with basic smart features, the Venu 3 provides excellent value for the price.
When considering the total cost of ownership, the Venu 3’s battery life becomes an economic factor. While competitors might need replacement after 2-3 years of daily charging cycles, the Garmin’s less frequent charging may extend its useful life. Additionally, Garmin has a strong track record of supporting older devices with software updates for many years.
Comparison to Competitors
When compared to the Apple Watch Series 9 or Ultra 2, the Venu 3 offers significantly better battery life and more comprehensive fitness tracking, but fewer smart features and a more limited app ecosystem. The Apple Watch integrates better with iPhones but requires daily charging.
Against the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, the Venu 3 again wins on battery life and fitness metrics but falls behind on smart functionality and display resolution. The Galaxy Watch offers better integration with Android phones but struggles to last more than a day or two between charges.
Compared to Fitbit models like the Sense 2, the Venu 3 provides more robust sports tracking features and a more premium build, though at a higher price point. The Fitbit may offer slightly better sleep tracking but lacks many of the advanced training metrics found on the Garmin.
The Garmin Venu 3 sits in a sweet spot for those who prioritize fitness features and battery life over cutting-edge smart functionality. Its closest competition might actually be other Garmin models like the Forerunner 265, which offers similar features in a less premium package, or the Fenix series, which provides even more advanced features at a higher price point.
Who Should Buy the Garmin Venu 3?
The Garmin Venu 3 is ideal for active individuals who want comprehensive health and fitness tracking without sacrificing basic smart features. It’s particularly well-suited for:
- Fitness enthusiasts who engage in multiple sports and want detailed tracking for each
- People who dislike frequent charging and value multi-day battery life
- Those who prioritize health insights like sleep quality, stress levels, and energy monitoring
- Individuals who want a smartwatch that looks good in both athletic and professional settings
- Users who need basic smart features like notifications and music but don’t need a rich app ecosystem
The watch may be less suitable for:
- Those deeply invested in the Apple or Samsung ecosystem who want tight integration with their smartphones
- Users who prioritize cutting-edge smart features over fitness tracking
- People looking for budget fitness tracking options
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Garmin Venu 3 work with iPhones and Android?
Yes, the Garmin Venu 3 is compatible with both iOS and Android devices through the Garmin Connect app.
Can it track my sleep accurately?
The sleep tracking on the Venu 3 is highly accurate, monitoring sleep stages, movement, and even automatic nap detection.
Is the Garmin Venu 3 waterproof?
The watch has a 5 ATM water resistance rating, making it suitable for swimming and showering.
Does it have built-in GPS?
Yes, the Venu 3 features built-in GPS with impressive accuracy and quick satellite acquisition.
How long does the battery last?
The standard Venu 3 lasts up to 14 days in smartwatch mode and 26 hours with GPS active. The smaller Venu 3S offers up to 10 days in smartwatch mode.
Can I make calls from the watch?
Yes, the Venu 3 allows you to accept and make calls directly from your wrist when connected to your smartphone.
What sports can it track?
The watch includes over 30 built-in sports apps covering running, cycling, swimming, strength training, golf, and many more activities.
Does it have music storage?
Yes, you can store up to 2,000 songs directly on the watch and connect to Bluetooth headphones.
Conclusion
The Garmin Venu 3 represents an impressive balance of fitness capabilities, health monitoring, and smart features wrapped in an attractive, durable package. Its standout battery life and comprehensive health tracking make it a compelling option for active individuals who want detailed insights without constant charging.
While it doesn’t match the smart functionality of Apple or Samsung watches, it excels at what matters most to fitness enthusiasts: accurate tracking, useful insights, and reliable performance. The premium build quality and versatile design ensure it works as well in professional settings as it does during workouts.
For those willing to invest in a quality fitness smartwatch that will last for years, the Garmin Venu 3 offers excellent value despite its premium price tag. It continues Garmin’s tradition of creating reliable, feature-rich devices that genuinely improve your understanding of your health and fitness.
