Garmin Venu 3 Review: Finally, a smartwatch with one-week battery life!،
If you participate in a marathon, a running or cycling event, or any competitive sport, there’s a good chance you’ll see one watch brand more than others: Garmin.
And while previously the Garmin brand was associated with basic watches that used monochrome screens and didn’t quite have the functionality of a full smartwatch, the latest Garmin Venu 3 aims to change that WHILE retaining the big advantage of Garmin: battery life is measured in days. only hours.
So, is the Garmin Venu 3 finally the ultimate smartwatch with week-long 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 simple to say the least. The packaging looks pretty cheap, and inside the box you’ll find the watch with a strap, Garmin’s proprietary charging cable (with USB-C on the other end), and a user manual. use.
Before we dig deeper, here’s a look at the most important Venu 3 and Venu 3S specs:
Interestingly, we couldn’t find any information on which processor Garmin uses for these two watches, and if you know anything about it, we’d love to hear from you in the comments section.
We like that the Garmin Venu 3 comes in two sizes: the larger 45mm Venu 3 model, and then the smaller 41mm Venu 3S (the one we have for review).
Both watches have a plastic body and only the bezel around the screen is stainless steel. This was surprising considering the high price of the watches and the fact that the previous Venu 2 Plus used aluminum. We suspect the reason for this is to reduce weight, but those who prefer the more premium feel of metal might be disappointed.
Some reviewers have mentioned “mushy” buttons, and while that may be the case for some units, the watch buttons we have are perfectly good.
Garmin Venu 3 Bands
Your standard spring bands
There is a slight difference in strap size for 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 bands, so there aren’t any fancy new ways to swap the bands here, but after a while you get used to it, so it wasn’t a big deal for us.
The silicone sports band that comes in the box is also soft and very comfortable, and we’ve found that Garmin bands are very durable and last for years.
Garmin Venu 3 Software and Features
Feature-rich, but the interface feels old
Garmin was once known for its sports watches primarily used by athletes, but with the move to OLED displays and adding call support 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 work as a smartwatch?
After reviewing all the smartwatches above, using the Venu 3 was like stepping back in time. The interface lacks essential features.
For example, all modern smartwatches support complication watch faces. You can raise your wrist and immediately see a ton of data. Additionally, you can tap on any complication and go directly to the corresponding app screen.
The navigation gestures are also strange: a swipe to the right shows you a “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 strange and absurd interface design choices.
You access the majority of information by swiping your finger up or down. It works well, but such an interface would be a great fit for a digital crown like the one you have on Apple Watches and the Pixel Watch.
Managing notifications is also a bit of a pain. We like being able to see them in full screen, but clearing a notification requires a few clicks when it should be much quicker.
I can see how Garmin has been offering this interface since the days of Memory Pixel (MiP) displays without touchscreen support and button-only navigation, but we’re not in those days anymore and the interface must adjust and adjust. quickly.
Sports tracking
What the Venu 3 lacks in interface, it more than makes up for with excellent sports tracking options.
GPS accuracy has also improved and while this watch doesn’t support dual-band GPS, 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 get an accurate “Body Battery” score, which is one of this watch’s biggest selling points.
The idea is that Body Battery shows you a 1-100% estimate of your assumed energy levels during the day based on your sleep over the past few nights, your HRV status, and intensity and the frequency of your work. out.
What’s new here is that when you tap the Body Battery widget, you see exactly how particular activities affected your score (we assume this feature will come to older watches via a software update).
As for the sleep tracking, we found that it did a very good job. The watch was able to accurately determine when you fell asleep and when you woke up, and gives you a breakdown of your sleep stages. You also have a sleep coach who uses this information to tell you when you need to catch up and how many hours you should aim for the next night.
As for detecting naps, I didn’t feel good and took long afternoon naps for two days straight, but the Venu 3 never registered any. We’ll test this further, but at least for now this feature doesn’t seem to work 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 interface and dials, it absolutely makes up for it in battery life!
Forget nightly charging and the constant worry of whether your watch will last until the next day or whether it won’t turn off at midnight and record your sleep.
Using the always-on display feature on the smaller Venu 3S and working on average about an hour per day, we got about five days of use between charges. And you can expect a little more from the larger Venu 3 model! It’s impressive! And if you turn off the permanent feature, you can add a few extra days to it. Did you forget your Garmin charger this weekend? No need to worry!
A full charge takes just over an hour on both watches.
Garmin Venu 3 models and prices
As we already mentioned, you have two models:
- Garmin Venu 3: 45mm, $450
- Garmin Venu 3S: 41mm, $450
The price is therefore the same for both.
Garmin watches do NOT offer cellular connectivity and this is a downside you need to consider. Other smartwatches offer a cellular option with eSIM that lets you make and receive calls, as well as an internet connection even when your phone isn’t nearby. Not on the Garmin.
You can, however, preload music on the Venu 3 and listen to music during your run through 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 make and receive calls on the watch but only when your phone is nearby.
By default, a long press of the Venu 3’s center key is programmed to start your phone’s voice assistant (Siri on iPhone, Google Assistant on Android), and while this works well, keep in mind that it there’s a bit of a delay. when using this feature. For this reason, I actually used it a lot less than I would use a voice assistant on other smartwatches, but your mileage may vary.
As for the haptics, you can adjust the strength of the vibration, but the vibration motor itself is not as precise and precise as that of an Apple Watch, for example. 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
Ultimately, the Garmin Venu 3S will likely stay on my wrist after this review is over, and I think that’s the best testament to its capabilities.
I simply hate having to worry about charging a smartwatch every day and love using 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 screen quality, but it really needs to work on optimizing that outdated interface and dials, and if it does, it’s got every chance of beating Apple and Samsung at their level. own game.
