Garmin Venu 3 Review: Finally, A Smartwatch With Oneweek Battery Life!
If you're participating in a marathon, running or cycling event, or any other competitive sport, you'll likely see one brand of watch more than another: Garmin.
And while the Garmin brand was previously associated with basic watches that used monochrome screens and lacked full smartwatch features, the latest Garmin Venu 3 aims to change that while still retaining Garmin's big advantage: battery life. battery is measured in days instead of days. of hours.
Is the Garmin Venu 3 finally the perfect smartwatch with a week of battery life? Let's find out in our in-depth review.
The Garmin Venu 3 comes in a very basic box and the unboxing experience is simple to say the least. The packaging looks quite cheap and inside the box you get a wristwatch, Garmin's charging cable (with USB-C on the other end) and a user manual.
Before we dig deeper, here's a look at the key features of the Venu 3 and Venu 3S:
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, and then the smaller 41mm Venu 3S (the model we have for review).
Both watches have a plastic case and only the ring surrounding the display is stainless steel. This was surprising given the high prices of the watches and the fact that the previous Venu 2 Plus used aluminum. We think it's to reduce weight, but those who prefer a premium metallic look might be disappointed.
Some reviewers mentioned "spongy" buttons, and while that can be the case with some units, the watch buttons we had were fine.
Garmin Fino 3 Bands
Your standard jump bars
There is a slight difference in strap size between the different Venu 3 models. The larger Venu 3 uses 22mm tires while our Venu 3S uses 18mm tires.
These are your standard sprung tires, so there's no new way to change tires here, but you get used to it after a while, so it wasn't a big deal for us.
The silicone sports band that comes in the box is also very soft and comfortable, and we've found that Garmin bands are very durable and last for years.
Garmin Fino 3 apps and features
Feature-rich but interface feels outdated
Garmin was once known for its sports watches primarily used by athletes, but with the move to OLED displays and the addition of call and voice assistant (via phone) support, the Garmin Venu 3 aims to be much more than that. It wants to be a smartwatch that plays in the same leagues as the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch.
How does it work as a smart watch?
After checking out all the smartwatches above, using the Venu 3 was like stepping back in time. The interface lacks basic functionality.
For example, all modern smartwatches support watch complications. You can raise your wrist and instantly see tons of data. Additionally, you can tap on any complication and go directly to the corresponding app screen.
The navigation gestures are also strange. swiping to the right brings up a "widget" that you can customize, but... that's it. just one! Why can't I scroll further to see more information? And why does nothing happen when I swipe left? These are strange and illogical interface design choices.
You can access most information by scrolling up or down. It works well, but an interface like this would be perfect for a digital crown like the one on the Apple Watch and Pixel Watch .
Managing notifications is also a bit of a pain. We'd like to see it full screen, but it takes a few clicks to clear a notification when it should be much faster.
I can see Garmin bringing this interface back from the days of Memory Pixel Displays (MiP) without touchscreen support and button-only navigation, but we're not in those days anymore and the interface needs to be adapt and adapt 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 been improved, and while this watch doesn't support dual-band GPS, we still find it very accurate for tracking your workouts.
Sleep monitoring and sleep detection
You can also track your sleep with the Garmin Venu 3, and you really should if you want an accurate body battery count, which is one of this watch's biggest selling points.The idea is that Body Battery gives you a 1-100% estimate of your estimated energy level for the day, based on your sleep over the past few nights, your heart rate, your exercise intensity and how you exercise. do you exercise often? .
What's new is that when you tap the Body Battery widget, you can see how certain activities affect your score (we assume this feature will be available for older watches via a software update).
As for the sleep tracking, we found it to work well. The watch can accurately determine when to sleep and when to wake up and display your sleep stages. You also have a sleep coach who uses this information to tell you when to track your sleep and how many hours to aim for the next night.
As for sleep tracking, I was sick and slept long for two days straight, but the Venu 3 never registered. We'll test it later, but at least for now this feature doesn't work for us.
Garmin Fino 3 battery and charger
Don't bring a charger for weekend trips.
And while the Garmin Venu 3 lacks in interface and buttons, it makes up for it in battery life.
Forget about charging overnight and constantly worrying if the watch will last until the next day or if it won't turn off in the middle of the night and record your sleep.
Using the always-on display feature on the smaller Venu 3S and averaging an hour of exercise per day, we got about five days of use between charges. And you can expect more from the larger Venu 3 model. It's impressive. If you turn off the always-on feature, you can add a few extra days. Did you forget your Garmin charger this weekend? Don't worry!
Garmin Fino 3 device models and prices
As mentioned before, you have two models.
- Garmin Fino 3: 45mm, $450
- Garmin Fino 3S: 41mm, $450
The price is therefore the same for both.
Garmin watches don't offer cellular connectivity, and that's a drawback you should consider. Other smartwatches offer a cellular option with an eSIM that lets you make and receive calls and connect to the internet even when your phone is out of range. Not on Garmin.
However, you can preload music on the Venu 3 and listen to music through headphones without holding the phone.
Garmin Venu 3 for voice, assistant and touch calls
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 on the central button on the Venu 3 is programmed to launch the phone's voice assistant (Siri on iPhone, Google Assistant on Android), and while this works well, be aware that there is some lag when using feature: . For this reason, I actually used it a lot less than the voice assistant on other smartwatches, but your mileage may vary.
As for the tactile sensation, you can adjust the intensity of the vibration, but the vibration motor itself is not as precise and crisp as, say, the Apple Watch. Still, it gets the job done.
Garmin Fino 3 Competitors
We have already mentioned the biggest competitors: Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch and Google Pixel Watch .
Garmin Venu 3 Summary and Final Verdict
After all, the Garmin Venu 3S will probably still be on my wrist when I finish this review, and I think that's the best testament to its capabilities.
I hate having to worry about charging a smartwatch every day and love using the sleep tracking feature which requires more precise charging timing with traditional smartwatches.
Garmin has the workout stats, battery life, comfort and screen quality, but it still has a long way to go to improve the outdated interface and keys, and if so , it will have every chance of beating Apple and Samsung. own domain. Special game.
