The original Garmin Venu was the brand’s first watch to feature an AMOLED display, while the Garmin Venu 2 stood out as one of the best sports watches on the market with this type of screen thanks to the addition of superior sports tracking.
Garmin has since added AMOLED displays to its most popular sports watch range including the Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 965, so where does the new Garmin Venu 3 fit in? The answer is that it’s a bit less sporty, but a smarter and more attractive alternative to the Forerunner 265. And it tracks naps.
Nap tracking is one of several innovative new features launching with the Garmin Venu 3 that will roll out to other watches. Other highlights include several new features for wheelchair users—the Venu 3 will track pushes throughout the day and has wheelchair sport-specific workout modes.
The new watch also comes in two sizes—45mm for the standard Venu 3 and 41mm for the Venu 3S—and adds some features common to other Garmin watches launched since the Venu 2, like morning report, recovery time and HRV tracking.
It also introduces a daily summary to review every evening, as well as individual workout benefit metrics. It also now supports additional cycling sensors like power meters, though it doesn’t have a multisport mode.
The battery life has also improved with the Venu 3. It will last up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, or five days with the screen set to always-on, and offers up to 20 hours of GPS tracking in all-systems-on GPS mode (it does not have multi-band GPS, unlike the Forerunner 265).
Some key differences from the Forerunner 265 are that the Venu 3 has three buttons instead of five, and comes with a built-in speaker and mic. The Forerunner 265 offers more accurate multi-band GPS and more detailed training analysis including training readiness, plus multisport and track running sports modes. Both have smart features like music storage and NFC payments.
Both the Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S cost $449.99/£449.99 and they are available to buy now. While the Forerunner 265 looks the better pick for sporty types given that it’s the same price in the US and cheaper in the UK, the Venu 3 has a sleeker design. The addition of the mic and speaker so it can take calls and use your phone’s voice assistant is also a nice touch.
