Garmin
Venu 3 Smartwatch

I've had it for over a month, and it is by far the best fitness watch I've owned. I'm very happy with the range of data it provides, including the ECG feature, sleep data, and stress monitoring. It provides the perfect balance between cost and features.

My Venu 3 was a replacement for an Apple Watch, and I couldn't be happier. The Apple Watch did a lot, but not much well. My Venu 3 does so much right! I'm really loving the level of detail with fitness metrics. I now have access to more data than I know what to do with. The battery life is stellar, at least 10 days with my configuration, which is a huge improvement. I used to charge my Apple Watch overnight, so I never could see my sleep patterns. Not with my Venu 3! I should also note that the Venu 3 charges so quickly. An hour or two and it jumps from 10 to 100%. Overall a great purchase. I'm glad I switched to Garmin!

My Garmin Vivoqctive HR finally died and Garmin was nice to provide a discount on my next watch but only certain models. I did the research and found the venu 3 to be the best choice for the price. I did see that only the high end Garmin Golf watches used all satellites available where the Venu3 doesn't which was disappointing. Once on the golf course I found it to be a 10-12 yard difference between the Venu3 yardage and the laser range finder and I compared it to other devices some of my playing parters had so it confirmed to be inaccurate. I now regret my purchase since while I wouldn't have purchased the top end Garmin golf watch which is out of my price range but I prob would have chosen a competitor device since accuracy in golf should be garmins top priority.

I've been a Garmin customer for years and have always loved their customer support. After returning 2 Sense models recently due to sensor performance, the venue 3 was suggested. It has been very reliable and consistent

I bought this watch primarily for the health stats it can track, like hear rate, pulse oxy and sleep score. But I can monitor txt, answer calls, so many other thing.

This watch does everything one needs to manage one's fitness program. Plus it has a battery life that is measured in days not hours. Great piece of technology!

Bought Venu 3 as replacement for Apple Watch for longer battery life. Happy with it in general. Accurate gps/tracker, accurate spo2 tracker, a little wonky on sleep but not far off. Would be GREAT if it were just a tad smaller, and watch and selection was larger. Buckle style bands are only "official" Garmin choice, and they are uncomfortable.Bought adequate nylon replacements on Amazon.

Pros:

--Excellent Battery Life.

--Fitness Apps and Amt of Data are accurate and amazing!! Way better than Samsung Watch 6 Classic.

--Great integration with Speed Sensor 2 and Cadence 2. Accurate.

--Heartbeat is accurate.

--Body Battery is great. Coach is good.

--Sleep app is acurrate, but I'm always getting Poor Sleep (that's on me, not Garmin).

--HRV and Recovery is great.

--Way more accurate that Galaxy Watch 6.

--OK integration with smartphone.

--IConnect is faster and more stable than better than Samsung/Wear OS.

---Has OK smartphone abilities.

--Does Emails (via MS Office, and texts notifications).

CONS:

--Venu phone OS is not as polished as Samsung. It's built for button pushing, not for swiping. The OS really needs to be updated to modern times.

--No Whatsapp integration.

--Phone Volume is low.

--Watch faces are OK, but could be better.

Overall:

--If you want a polished smartwatch, go for Samsung. But dont expect accuracy in their fitness areas.

--If you want a semi hardcore fitness watch that does more than average, (not triathlonr/Pro Level, but more than average), and you are willing to trade some of the polish for fitness functionality, have basic smartphone connections, with MP3 player, and Amazing battery life (14 days max no bluetooth or constant on screen, but abt a week with constant bluetooth connections)--this is the watch to get.

I bought the Venu 3 when I was training for my half marathon and didn't love the stats on my Apple Watch. I was worried the Venu 3 would be too big on my wrist going from a 41mm Apple Watch but this watch is 10/10. It is more comfortable than any Apple Watch I've ever worn. The stats and information from workouts is phenomenal as well as the recovery information and sleep coach. There's also not even a close comparison when it comes to the battery life. I used to have to charge my Apple Watch every single night and I can wear my Venu for multiple days and not even be close to needing to charge it. So glad I made the switch.

I've always used the apple watch, but I couldn't monitor my sleep progress because I always had to take it off to charge. The Garmin Venu 3, is a great watch that helps me monitor my overall health, and workout.

I like everything about it except the battery performance. I was promised 15 days, I will be happy with 10 but 3-4 or 7 is sub par.

I've had many Garmin watches and recently tried a Samsung and their hardware/software did not compare. The Venu 3 is accurate for steps, stairs and oxygen sats (compared with hospital oximeter). Expect it will work well with my bike sensors but have not tried yet.

BUT, I wear it gently, never when doing anything manual yet the face has 3 scratches already. Per the Garmin website I have not tried anything aside from a microfiber cloth but still they are there. Not sure if I received a defective device or they all have this problem. Aside from this it is a great watch but regretting my decision now.

I have owned almost every Garmin watch over the years (fenix' and venus and others) and much prefer them to any other fitness/smart watch brand. They are more durable and offer way way better batter life than the apple watch - I even had the ultra. (I'm a toal tech nerd) I've tried polar and suunto and others as well and always end up back at Garmin. My current go to is the Epix 2 and althoug I like the Venu, I prefer the Epix - for me it has more analysis features and maps compared to the Venu 3. But like I said, for most users the data and features of the Venu 3 are going to be plenty!! It has great battery life, amazing screen and tons of features!! Garmin wins the world of fitness/smart wearables hands down every time! Believe me, I've tried them all!!

The watch is very good. The tracking of sleep and sleep coach is very excellent. The display got a new feel.

The voice assistant and taking calls on the watch is very good.

I was skeptical that my Venue would replace everything that I liked about my Apple Watch. I've been presently surprised that there is nothing I really miss from my old watch and many things I really like about it. I really like the Battery Life!, better screen, looks, comfort (much lighter in my opinion) training and activities, challenges etc. What it doesn't do that the apple does that I don't miss: Apple wallet. Don't really need to use my watch for boarding passes etc. always have my phone anyway. maps, frankly I always hated that when navigating it killed my battery life.

I definitely love my new garmin venu 3 watch! The display is beautiful and it comes with a lot of features and activities.

seems to work just as required. I am still learning all it can do.

I've had this about a month so far. It's been amazing. It helps me keep my fitness goals on track and the golf app is really nice. Very comfortable to wear and lite weight.

I bought the watch back at the Beginning of February 2024. Currently I still have not got the ecg app to show a finish setup like it directs on the website. I have talked with Garmin and was emailing back and trying everything we could to get it to work. The ecg app never showed up after spending a lot of money on this watch it is basically like my old watch now with no new feature. I wonder why Garmin couldn't get it to work.

No matter how good Garmin watches are on release, the fact that they don't get feature upgrades will always hold them back. Most every platform improves the experience of their devices throughout their lifespan -- except Garmin. Although they do release some (presumably) bug fixes -- I never saw a changelog. I noticed one weird inconsistency on my Venu 1 that never got fixed.

Otherwise, a solid improvement over my Venu, although a more modern design would be appreciated.

Very good watch everthing is easy and perfect everyday watch

I love all the features available on the watch.

It's my first Garmin watch as I previously used Polar and Apple Watch to track my activities. Both watches allowed me to see messages and pause activities. The Garmin watch allows me to see my text message at the expense that I have to disable privacy settings. Hopefully this can be fixed in the future.

I wanted a do-it-all watch to that could function like my Fitbit Charge 5 as well as my Garmin Approach S42. The smartwatch functionality is great for my needs and I didn't want an Apple/Pixel watch that I had to charge every day.

The quoted 14 day battery life is probably a bit optimistic, but if I could get a week as I do with my Fitbit, I'd be happy. This is probably 10 days and that's enough for me. It provides much more info than the Fitbit does with no subscription required, and the golf functionality is as good as the S42 (minus having to download courses). Overall I'm extremely happy with this watch.

Lock screen dosnt disable touch so it wastes battery displaying a lock when wearing long sleeves. Ringer dosnt work for incoming calls and support is no help at all. Less than a year old and speaker sounds like garbage

I bought my Garmin Venus 3 about a month ago. I am speechless on what to say. I'm still learning the options and functional buttons. Having the ability to stay active and restful with the monitoring a healthy life. Get this watch and monitor your health better with me and many more Smart Watch users.

When I bought this is was mostly to keep track of my O2 while I was asleep but it has been so much more . I walk more just to see the numbers go up.

Garmin known for it accuracy sensor, this watch having the ecg option is the best bargain as all others cost double...very comfortable on hand and great screen, speaker is great as well for calls while mobile is a bit far away//highly recommended

Have been a fitbit user and never really liked it, switched to Venu and love the fit, feel, look, data and screen.

I bought through Garmin directly. I had a forerunner 45 and I was happy with it. I wanted to upgrade with sleeping app and it wet on sale and bought it. It has a larger face, better band and a few more tools, I may never use. It's been about a month and no issues.

The Venue 3nis the perfect compliment to my Edge 1040 Solar. Tracks off bike activities and wellness. Got it to assist with altitude acclimation tracking as well as HRV.

Great size and I like that it accepts different style bands. Would recommend if this is the niche you're looking to fill.

So far so good, However, the sleep score can be off by as much 1hr or so. Also, having problems w/connecting to Amazon music. FYI...I do have an account w/them.

Variety of accessories to individualize my watch even more.

Bought it a few weeks ago, it's helpful with fitness goals, which is what I primarily got it for but it is also a capable smartwatch with texting and calling and the whole deal. Good purchase

I am a longtime Garmin user having different models from top end to vivo's. I love the design & how its feel on the hand, great big screen compare to the top end which are heavy & bulky. You added almost all the features most appreciated. The Watch face must have more options like adding the date, temp....

I owned a Fitbit before and are very happy a switched for a Garmin. It takes a little, after 3 years Fitbit, to find my way around in the menus, but it's ok now. Statistics for heartbeats, HRV, stress and body battery are great and better then Fitbit in my opinion.Also some activities are there now that I missed in the past. I did not check the golf app but looks promising. I still are discovering new nice features. I would by a Garmin again.

Best: no monthly charge for all features.

The first months of using this watch was wonderful. Then all the sudden i was getting connection failed and shortly connection established. This has been going on for several weeks with no apparent reason since many of the time connection is lost the phone is right beside the watch. Now the phone and watch will not pair at all. VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH GARMIN.

Purchased this watch to monitor heart beat, calories burned while doing my daily walks. Amazingly, this watch monitors your various exercise activities and as a plus, also connects with your online music app. Love it!

I bought the Venu 3 because of the features not available on my Garmin Vivomove Luxe, including afib detention and hrv status, as well as being able to answer calls. Exceeded my expectations. Easy to use and a beautiful display, plus with Garmin Connect IQ you can create your own watch faces.

Awesome watch to help keep track of all your fitness, sleep, and health. I really use it to help record my progress for fitness, tennis, and golf and tracking my results. The only complaint I have is wishing the Bluetooth could connect a little farther. It seems to only go about 25ft and alerts you every time you disconnect or connect when you are at that distance. Other than that it's a solid overall watch!

Most multi functional watch I've ever had. Great for the sports I love, i:e: Running Golf, Biking, Hiking. Does it all quite well with ease. And great battery life compared to my other Garmins.

Brought this about a month ago.Really enjoyed the featuresThe one downside is that the battery only lasts about a week,not 14 days.

I mainly use the watch for running and sleep tracking. I'm not too concerned about the accuracy of the measurements, but it is reasonable and in line with my previous measurements on other devices. The battery life is great, since I don't have to worry about it being out of battery every day. I do charge it once every few days during the time I shower, so I'm not too sure about the exact battery length without charging. The watch is also stylish, and overall, I don't have anything bad to say about it :P

I'm a long time Garmin fitness tracker / smart watch user, the Venu3 is my 4th Garmin. This is by far the best. The screen is bright and easy to use. The fitness tracking is easy to use and very effective. Integration with my iphone is great. I love that this watch has a speaker. Battery life is amazing.

I have a Garmin VivoActive4 Fitness watch that I purchased in 2019. It was my first Garmin Fitness watch and have been very pleased with it. It was way ahead of any prior fitness watch brand I had previously owned. But the battery was fading at 4 years of use. So I first purchased a Garmin VivoActive5 to replace it. The VivoActive5 was a disappointing experience. Inaccurate heart rate and sleep data and totally different from my VivoActive4. I went from meeting fitness and sleep goals to not even being close. Only difference was the Fitness watch. My fitness activities and sleep routines had not changed. I returned the VivoActive5 and purchased a Gamin Venu3. While there are still differences in heart rate and sleep data in comparison to my VivoActive4 they are more accurate than the VivoActive5. The Venu3 has later generation sensors, step capability, ECG and other features the VivoActive5 does not have. The OLED display is awesome. The battery charge is better but 11 days as stated in the Specs unless you turn off many of the features you use on a Fitness Watch. But overall a much better choice as a successor to my Garmin VivoActve4. Garmin offers the best value and choices for fitness watches. I would not go back to any of the previous brands I owned.

Great activities, apps, and sensors. Needs more app support, specifically for me, YouTube Music.

I've had the Fenix, Epix and now the Venu3. What I love about the Venu is the simplicity of the screens. The great image it has and the variety of apps. Easy to use and really customizable with the Garmin connect app.

What I wish it was a little dressier. The watch looks and feels a little plasticky despite the metal bezel. Which allows for an EEG which I really like.

I'd pay slightly more for this watch if it looked nicer. Also I'd like the side buttons to be a little more substantial, not plastic. The bottom button is not as responsive as it should be. Overall it's know my go to Garmin watch as it has a nice small profile vs. the Epic and Fenix

Updated my watch from the venu 2 Plus to the new Venu 3 and really really pleased. The screen is still amazing and really vibrant, easy to read, and works great!

I've been really satisfied with the extra training features but the most important ones have been the sleep and recovery enhancements that did not appear on the venu 2 plus. I'm not sure if they would have but I was happy to do the upgrade to the new model and work with the new features as a whole. The HR monitor was worth the jump too as it incorporates the new sensor that should be more accurate as well as offer more features to the watch then just your basic HR monitoring.

As far as the smart watch features go, it is cool that I can still take calls on my wrist with the watch although I rarely do. Seeing text messages was the biggest thing and although this is not different from my Venu 2 Plus, it is a nice feature to have. I think there needs to be a little more custimazation to the notification in general so that I can tailor my watch to show me the notifications I want like say texts, calls, certain app notifications, and other items. But for not its pretty much all app notifications or just the basic notifications of calls and texts. It works for me but something I would like to see down the line with the Venu series where you can customize your watch to notify you of certain things. I know other smart watches in the market are able to do this so I would love to see that in here eventually but not a deal breaker at all. In fact, it is such a small category item in comparison to all the other items that you get in this watch when it comes to training and day to day function.

Last thing is about battery life. Really amazing battery life on this device. I've been able to get around 7ish days of battery all while logging at least one one hour training sessions 6/7 days of the week. This is all while using the watch in the smart watch mode and not the "always on" display.

Really satisfied with this and happy to have made the jump to the newer model! Tons of great features I have not really even used here as well that I look forward to exploring down the line.

It's been close to a month now with this beast of a watch and it's amazing. Watch history was apple watch which was great but battery is a no no for me till about 8 months ago. Then moved to a amazfit watch (gts 4) which fixed the battery problem but lacked some more smart watch features since there was close to none there till last month. No fast forward to now and I found the perfect mix. Good battery, good smart watch functions, great fitness tracking capabilities. I have AOD for about 15 hours of the day and that lasts me about 4 days and I use the fitness tracking for about an hour and a half a of which is not what was promised but still great to me which is better than 1 day. It is helping keep better track of my training plus my own body. 10/10

I've had my Venu3 a few weeks. Before this I had a Fenix7 and also have an old Vivoactive 3music. The Venu3 has been great for the weight and thinner width. Good all-rounder..I can save music to the device, has big easy to read screen but not thick, has golf activity which I use all summer, and the newer sensor for better health metrics. I put on an elastic nylon band and it works great, whereas it might not with a heavier watch. I have had Afib so the ECG ability is great. Other than that I can't really tell any difference in the new sensor over the Fenix. HR seems a bit slow to respond compared to a chest strap but are super accurate once things stabilize. As Afib sufferers know... watch optical HR sensors are all but useless when you are actually in arrhythmia...you need a chest strap. But other than that they match up well in my tests. Venu3 has a unique sleep coach which is a neat feature and Sleep scoring has improved over time with Garmin, although I still wouldn't bank on it exclusively if sleep tracking is vital for you. I do find the new nap detection has worked well. Nowhere near the Fenix bells and whistles in the Venu3...simplicity has its pros and cons...things I personally wish the Venu3 had: Trail Running activity (I just use Hiking when I do a trail run, which is ok...I still think adding basic Trail Running should be available..cmon Garmin). I also wish the Golf features were more up to Fenix standard, but they are not. Just the basics, but glad to have them. I found I wasn't using the built in Fenix maps much at all so I don't miss that feature as much as I thought i would really, though some of the Hill and Endurance features were fun. The Venu3 is more health and daily driver functional and not the uber outdoor watch. Running has been fine and I appreciate the lighter weight... luckily the reaction time of the wrist gesture has gotten better with these amoled screens, so you shouldn't run into poles waiting for the display to light up to useable levels. That said, the MIP is probably always going to be more consistent there. Overall I have loved the brighter Amoled screen and has been worth the tradeoff in battery. For me, width of the watch is a biggie as I wear it all day and overnight. The 12mm is a nice compromise in size and functions/battery life. As Garmin gets better battery tech and bigger watches slim down, I may look at diff models down the road. I don't mind bigger screens at all.. it's the thickness that tends to bother me over time. I'm glad battery life tech has been a priority for Garmin as it makes it a front runner for me over the Pixel watches and such for now.

Good:

The display is clear and bright.

The setup was relatively easy.

Poor:

The only good watch faces are from 3rd party apps who want all sorts of access to my watch which in turn has access to all sorts of things from my phone ... Security issue.

The watch doesn't automatically change from one time zone to another leading to missing appointments.

The sleep data is way off ... someone is just guessing.

The phone app does menu options you don't have on the watch and the watch has some menu options you don't have on the app. They should match.

The screen-on-when-you-gesture only works about 75% of the time.

The 3 buttons on the side are completely unintuitive .. which is "in" which is "out" which is "next" ... complete guess situation by situation.