- Garmin/ Pocket-lint
Garmin Venu 3
Top choiceThe Garmin Venu 3 takes all that's good about the Garmin Venu 2 and adds to it. New features include voice support for Siri and Google Assistant, a new sleep coach including nap detection, improved battery life, and wheelchair support. The smaller bezels also allow for a larger 1.4-inch touchscreen in the same dimensions as the Garmin Venu 2.
Pros- Voice control with Google Assistant or Siri
- Nap detection
- Longer battery life
Cons- More expensive
- Same price for smaller model
- No kid activity tracking features
- Garmin/Pocket-lint
Garmin Venu 2
Best value$340 $400 Save $60The Garmin Venu 2 is a great all-rounder, with a 1.3-inch AMOLED touch display, and sensors for measuring heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, stress levels, sleep, and fitness. There's also a built-in GPS, altimeter, compass, gyroscope, and accelerometer for tracking your workouts and activities.
Pros- Lower price
- Similar design and size to Venu 3
- Kids activity tracking features
Cons- No voice control
- Smaller screen and thicker bezels
- No nap detection
Garmin Epix Gen 2
Garmin makes some of the best fitness wearables out there, and Prime Day makes the company's new Epix Gen 2 the most affordable it's been to date. This massive $250 discount won't be around for long, so act now to get one today.
Key Takeaways
- The Garmin Venu 3 is priced at $449.99 and offers new features like voice control, nap detection, wheelchair support, and heart rate variability.
- The Garmin Venu 2, priced at $399.99, is a more affordable alternative with similar features but lacks voice control and some of the new additions.
- Both models have similar designs and dimensions, with the Garmin Venu 3 featuring slightly smaller bezels and a larger display for a more stylish look.
Garmin produces a wide range of wearables and fitness products, many of which are tailored for specific activities. The Garmin Forerunner 965, for example, is aimed squarely at runners, with products like the Garmin Edge bike computer built for cyclists. The company also produces smartwatches that are broader in appeal. This includes the top-of-the-range Fenix series, and the more affordable Venu smartwatches.
With a new version of the Garmin Venu hitting the market, we compare it to the previous model to see what's changed. Here's all you need to know about the Garmin Venu 3 vs Garmin Venu 2.
Price and availability
The 45mm Garmin Venu 3 is currently available direct from Garmin for $449.99/£449.99 with a silicone band. It's also available in the UK only with a leather band for £499.99. The Garmin Venu 3S, a smaller 41mm version of the Garmin Venu 3 with a 1.2-inch display, is available from Garmin at the same $449.99/£449.99 price point.
The 45mm Garmin Venu 2 launched back in April 2021, and is available at $399.99/£349.99 from Garmin and can currently be found on Amazon for $349.99. It's also available in the UK with a leather strap for £399.99. The smaller 40mm Garmin Venu 2S is available from Garmin for $399.99/£349.99 or can be found on Amazon for $349.99. There's also a 43mm Venu 2 Plus that adds voice functionality which is available for $449.99/£399.99 from Garmin, or from $379.99 on Amazon.
Taking a look at the specs for both models, you can see that there's very little difference between them externally.
Garmin Venu 3 Garmin Venu 2 Heart Rate Monitor Yes Yes Battery Life 14 days 11 Days Onboard GPS Yes Yes Offline Media Storage Yes Yes Health sensors Yes Yes Dimensions 45 x 45 x 12mm, 47g 45.40 x 45.40 x 12.20mm, 49g Audio Offline music support Offline Music Support Mobile payments Garmin Pay Garmin Pay
Design and build
The dimensions of both models are almost identical, with the Garmin Venu 2 being a fraction of a millimetre larger in every direction. Both models are designed to fit wrist circumferences from 135 to 200mm. Both the Garmin Venu 3 and Garmin Venu 2 are also available in smaller sizes. The Garmin Venu 3S is 41 x 41 x 12mm and designed for wrist sizes between 110 and 175mm. The Garmin Venu 2S is 40.4 x 40.4 x 12.1mm and also fits wrists in the 110-175mm range.
Other than the sizing, the S models are almost identical, with a smaller screen (for obvious reasons) and a slightly lower resolution to match. The battery life on the S models is also a little shorter.
All the models feature stainless steel bezels with a fibre-reinforced polymer case and Gorilla Glass 3 for the watch face. They're all waterproof to 5ATM (50m) water and use industry-standard quick release bands at 22mm for the standard models or 18mm for the Venu 3S and Venu 2S.
There's one key physical difference between the Garmin Venu 3 and Garmin Venu 2, however. The Garmin Venu 3 features a third button on the right-hand side of the watch that doesn't appear on the Garmin Venu 2. This button activates the built-in speaker in the Garmin Venu 3 which isn't available in the Garmin Venu 2, although it is found on the Garmin Venu 2 Plus. It allows the newer model to offer additional features which we'll learn more about later in the article.
Display
Despite the dimensions of the Garmin Venu 2 and the Garmin Venu 3 being almost identical, the newer model manages to pack in a slightly larger display thanks to its smaller bezels. The Venu 3 has a 1.4-inch (35.4mm) display compared to the 1.3-inch (33mm) display in the Venu 2.
The Venu 2 Plus has the same 1.3-inch display size as the Venu 2. The smaller Venu 3S has a 1.2-inch display, with the Venu 2S having a slightly smaller 1.1-inch display.
The Venu 3 also has a slightly higher display resolution, at 454 x 454 pixels compared to 416 x 416 pixels on the Venu 2 and Venu 2 Plus. The Venu 3S has a 390 x 390 pixel display, with the Venu 2S a little lower again at 360 x 360 pixels. The pixel density is much the same across all the devices, however. All the models have AMOLED touchscreen displays with optional always-on modes.
Whilst the extra screen real estate isn't huge, the smaller bezels do give the Garmin Venu 3 a more stylish look.
Functionality
As you would expect, a lot of the key features of the Garmin Venu 2 are found in the Garmin Venu 3 too, such as Body Battery energy monitoring, stress and heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen saturation measurement, hydration tracking, and fitness age measurement. Both watches also offer many of the same sports tracking apps, including running, walking, swimming, cycling, strength training, HIIT, and more.
The most notable physical difference between the Garmin Venu 3 and the Garmin Venu 2 is the addition of a third button, and this is the key to one of the biggest differences between the two models. That's because this is the button you use to activate voice control on the Garmin Venu 3. Although voice control is available on the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, it's not available on the standard Garmin Venu 2 or Venu 2S models.
Long pressing this button will activate the voice assistant on the smartphone you've connected to your Garmin watch. Android users can use Google Assistant with Samsung users also having the option to use Bixby. On iPhone, long pressing the central button will invoke Siri. You can use your voice assistant to take calls, play music, send messages, ask about the weather, or even control your smart home devices.
The Garmin Venu 3 also offers new sleep coaching features that replace the sleep insights offered the Garmin Venu 2. You can receive key actionable insights about your sleep patterns to help to improve your sleep quality and even learn exactly how much sleep you need in order to recover from your workouts. One of the biggest changes is the addition of nap detection that can track your naps as well as your main night's sleep.
Another major addition to the Garmin Venu 3 is a wheelchair mode. This tailors the stats and suggestions from the watch to wheelchair users. For example, in this mode the Garmin Venu 3 will measure pushes rather than steps and provide alerts to remind users to shift their weight regularly. There's also support for activities such as hand cycling as well as dedicated activity options for wheelchair users.
Heart rate variability (HRV) is also a new addition to the Venu 3, along with updated sports features such as open water swim metrics, eBiking support, power meter compatibility, and disc golf support.
One thing that's missing from the Garmin Venu 3 is compatibility with Toe-to-Toe challenges that allow you to challenge your kids to a step competition with your Garmin Venu 2 and their Vivofit Jr. 2 fitness tracker.
Battery
Another key difference between the Garmin Venu 3 and Garmin Venu 2 is the battery life. You might expect that the larger screen and updated sensors on the Garmin Venu 3 would mean the battery life would take a small hit, but in fact the opposite is true.
Garmin states that the Garmin Venu 2 can last up to 11 days in smartwatch mode between charges. In real life, without heavy GPS usage you can easily go a week without needing to charge.
The Garmin Venu 3 has a reported battery life of up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, which is an increase of more than 25 per cent over the Garmin Venu 2. It remains to be seen how this bears up in real-life usage, but it's likely that the Garmin Venu 3 will give well over a week of use without needing a charge. The Garmin Venu 3S has a battery life of up to 10 days which is the same as the Garmin Venu 2S, and a day longer than the Garmin Venu 2 Plus at 9 days.
Garmin Venu 3 vs Garmin Venu 2: Which should you buy?
If you're thinking of buying a Garmin Venu, there's little to choose from in terms of looks, with both models having very similar dimensions and design. The narrower bezels and slightly larger screen of the Garmin Venu 3 do make it look a little more stylish, however.
Garmin Venu 3
Packed with features and boasting an impressive battery life, the Garmin Venu 3 is the best watch in the series and comes with voice assistant compatibility baked in.
The big differences between the two models are the features and battery life. The Garmin Venu 3 not only offers voice control, but also includes other useful features such as nap detection, wheelchair support, heart rate variability, and other useful features not found on the Garmin Venu 2. The improved battery life is also a major selling point.
Garmin Venu 2
With many of the same features as the Garmin Venu 3 and a similar design, the Garmin Venu 2 is a great lower-priced alternative if you're not fussed about voice control.
If you're not that fussed about voice assistant support, however, then you may find the lower price of the Garmin Venu 2 more attractive. It's still a great smartwatch in its own right, and the slightly smaller screen doesn't make a huge difference. The battery life isn't as long, but you can still easily go a week between charges, which is significantly better than many smartwatches. The price of the Garmin Venu 2 is also likely to drop with a newer version having hit the market, so you should be able to find one at a great price.
If voice assistant support is a deal-breaker, you might also want to consider the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, which includes support for voice assistants at a lower price than the Garmin Venu 3.