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A silver and whitestone Garmin Venu 3 on a female's wrist with one hand adjusting

Garmin Venu 3/3S | The Ultimate Health and Fitness GPS Smartwatch?

Robust health and wellness tracking, 30+ built-in sports apps, 24/7 wearability, calling and texting on your watch, brilliant AMOLED display—all in the new Garmin Venu 3/3S GPS smartwatch!

Super-Quick Highlights on the 2023 Garmin Venu 3/3S:

The Garmin Venu 3/3S fitness smartwatch collection laying flat on gym equipment with hand weights around it

  • New Sleep Coach
  • New Morning Report—An overview of your sleep, recovery, and more!
  • New Nap Detection
  • New Wheelchair Mode
  • New Workout benefit and recovery
  • New Rate of perceived exertion
  • New Interval Creation
  • New Meditation activity
  • New Built-in speaker and mic to make and take calls from the wrist
  • New Two font sizes—small and large
  • New Smart trainer control
  • New Gaming Activity and GameOn™
  • New Audio prompts
  • New Recovery Time & HRV Status
  • New Built-in sports apps/activities: Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, eBiking, Handcycling, Indoor Handcycling, Snowshoeing, Workouts for Wheelchair Users, Open-Water Swim Metrics, Auto Rest (Pool Swim)
  • New Activity tracking: Push Tracker, Weight Shift Alert
  • New Slightly larger displays on both sizes (1.2” and 1.4”)
  • New View photos sent to you on watch screen (Android only)
  • New Jet Lag Advisor
  • Improved Body Battery
  • Improved Battery life
  • 24/7 health monitoring for heart rate, Pulse Ox, respiration, and energy levels
  • Loaded with a ton of Gym, Run, Bike, Swim, Golf, and Outdoor sport profiles and features.
  • Available in two sizes
  • Bright AMOLED display
  • Smart notifications, Garmin Pay™ and on-wrist texting
  • Download music from streaming services for phone-free listening

Watch a Garmin Venu 3 Video

When Is the Garmin Venu 3 Release Date?

On August 30, 2023, Garmin released the Venu 3/3S—the ultimate health and wellness fitness GPS smartwatch that combines the benefits of the previous Venu 2/2S and Venu 2 Plus—along with a plethora of new features!

And it’s all topped off with an eye-catching AMOLED display available in two sizes and several beautiful new color palettes.

When they built this Garmin watch, they had the health and fitness goals of every user in mind, adding two font sizes, more recovery data, audio prompts, and more!

In this article, we dig into all the details from improvements to battery life and advanced sleep monitoring to new Nap Detection and Wheelchair Mode to what you can do with the built-in mic and speaker. 

And what’s sweeter still? Even with all these new features, Garmin kept the price the same as the Venu 2 Plus! 

Garmin Venu 3/3S price: $449.99.

What’s the Difference Between Venu 3/3S and Venu 2/2S?

The Venu 3/3S Series offers improved battery life:

  • Smartwatch Mode: 14 days/10 days; GPS Mode: 26 hours/21 hours. 
  • Compared to Venu 2/2S Battery Life — Smartwatch Mode: 11 days/10 days; GPS Mode: 22 hours/19 hours.

The Garmin Venu 3 and 3S have slightly larger displays with a sleeker, lighter build:

  • Venu 3: 45 x 45 x 12 mm / 1.4” display / 47 g
  • Venu 2: 45.4 x 45.4 x 12.2 mm / 1.3” display / 49 g 
  • Venu 3S: 41 x 41 x 12 mm  / 1.2” display / 42 g
  • Venu 2S: 40.4 x 40.4 x 12.1 mm  / 1.1” display / 38.2 g

Plus, you’ll enjoy ALL these new features on the Garmin Venu 3 series:

  • Sleep Coach and Nap Detection
  • HRV Status
  • Meditation
  • Workout Benefit
  • Recovery Time
  • Wheelchair Mode
  • Audio Prompts
  • Interval Training
  • Power meter compatible
  • Phone calls (when connected to smartphone)
  • Text response via voice (when connected to smartphone)
  • Text response via keyboard (when connected to smartphone)
  • Viewable text photos ((when connected to smartphone; Android only)
  • The latest Gen 5 heart rate sensor
  • Large font size option
  • New Built-in sports apps/activities: Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, eBiking, Handcycling, Indoor Handcycling, Snowshoeing, Workouts for Wheelchair Users, Open-Water Swim Metrics, Auto Rest (Pool Swim), Gaming
  • New Activity tracking: Push Tracker, Weight Shift Alert
  • New Jet Lag Advisor

Sage Garmin Venu 3S GPS smartwatch

Garmin Venu 3 vs Venu 2 Plus GPS Watches

The Venu 3/3S Series offers improved battery life:

  • Smartwatch Mode: 14 days/10 days; GPS Mode: 26 hours/21 hours
  • Compared to Venu 2 Plus Battery Life — Smartwatch Mode: 9 days; GPS Mode: 24 hours

There’s slight size difference between the Venu 3/3S and Venu 2 Plus:

  • Venu 3: 45 x 45 x 12 mm / 1.4” display / 47 g
  • Venu 3S: 41 x 41 x 12 mm  / 1.2” display / 42 g
  • Venu 2 Plus: 43.6 x 43.6 x 12.6 mm / 1.3” display / 51 g 

 More new features on the Venu 3/3S GPS smartwatch:

  • Sleep Coach and Nap Detection
  • HRV Status
  • Meditation
  • Workout Benefit
  • Recovery Time
  • Wheelchair Mode
  • Audio Prompts
  • Interval Training
  • Power meter compatible
  • Viewable text photos ((when connected to smartphone; Android only)
  • The latest Gen 5 heart rate sensor
  • Large font size option
  • New Built-in sports apps/activities: Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, eBiking, Handcycling, Indoor Handcycling, Snowshoeing, Workouts for Wheelchair Users, Open-Water Swim Metrics, Auto Rest (Pool Swim), Gaming
  • New Activity tracking: Push Tracker, Weight Shift Alert
  • New Jet Lag Advisor

Venu 3/3S Size, Display, and Colors

  • Venu 3: 45 x 45 x 12 mm / 1.4” display / 47 g
  • Venu 3S: 41 x 41 x 12 mm  / 1.2” display / 42 g

The Garmin Venu 3/3S fitness GPS watch continues to feature a stunningly bright AMOLED touchscreen display. You can also use the traditional 5-button operation on the smartwatch when it is more optimal. 

As for style, these 2023 Garmin watches offer some striking new color palettes, including:

  • Garmin Venu 3 Colors: 
    • Silver Bezel/Whitestone Band
    • Slate Bezel/Black Band
  • Garmin Venu 3S Colors: 
    • Soft Gold Bezel/French Gray Band
    • Slate Bezel/Pebble Gray Band
    • Silver Bezel/Sage Gray Band
    • Soft Gold Bezel/Dust Rose Band
    • Soft Gold Bezel/Ivory Band

Improved Battery Life

The Venu 3 Series provides more battery life than any previous Garmin Venu watch!

Garmin Venu 3 Battery Life: 

  • Smartwatch mode: Up to 14 days (5 days display always-on)
  • Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 26 days
  • GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 26 hours
  • All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 20 hours
  • All-Systems GNSS mode with music: Up to 11 hours

Garmin Venu 3S Battery Life:

  • Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days (5 days display always-on)
  • Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 20 days
  • GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 21 hours
  • All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 15 hours
  • All-Systems GNSS mode with music: Up to 8 hours

Make and Take Calls on Your Wrist with the Venu 3/3S

A dust rose Garmin Venu 3S smartwatch with an nature picture on display, sent through a text message

Stay connected—even while on the go–with Venu 3 series. In addition to making and taking calls directly from the watch, Venu 3 series lets users receive emails, texts, and alerts when paired with their compatible smartphone.

Additionally for Android phone users, you can view photos sent to you directly from your watch’s screen. 

Safety and tracking features help provide peace of mind by sending a message with the user's live location to chosen emergency contacts if they feel unsafe or if an incident is detected. (For safety and tracking features requirements and limitations, see Garmin.com/safety.)

While out and about, Garmin Pay™ contactless payments let users breeze through certain checkout lines or transit systems.

Garmin Venu 3 Series for Health & Wellness

This Garmin watch has all of the robust health-tracking from previous models, including: 

  • Wrist-based heart rate with the latest Gen 5 optical HR sensor
  • Respiration rate
  • Pulse Ox
  • Fitness Age
  • Body Battery energy monitor
  • All-day stress
  • Relaxation reminder
  • Advanced sleep & sleep score with insights
  • Hydration
  • Women’s Health
  • Health Snapshot

Now the Venu 3 adds these new health and wellness features:

  • Sleep Coach: Receive a sleep score and personalized coaching for how much sleep is recommended and keep track of different sleep stages, naps and other key metrics such as Pulse Ox and heart rate variability (HRV) status.
  • Morning Report: Receive an overview of sleep, recovery, HRV status and more upon waking up. Even customize the report to view more personalized details.
  • Nap Detection: Automatically track or log naps to see how they may benefit the body and the suggested time and duration they should be.
  • Body Battery improvements: Monitor energy levels throughout the day to find the best times for activity and rest. And get even more details and personal insights on how sleep, naps, daily activities and high stress specifically impact energy levels.
  • Jet Lag Advisor: Monitor your sleep while traveling with personalized tips to help reduce jet lag.
  • Meditation: Help reduce stress, anxiety and more with guided meditation practices. 

Garmin Venu 3 for Your Fitness Goals

Front view of gold and ivory Garmin Venu 3S with wheelchair activity animation on the display

As with the previous Garmin Venu series, the Venu 3/3S supports your workouts with more than 30 built-in sports apps. Track the ways you move—from walking and running to cycling, pool swimming, and more!

Get cool preloaded animated workouts to follow for strength, HIIT, Pilates and yoga right from your wrist. Plus, you can create your own step-by-step workouts from more than 1,600 exercises in the Garmin Connect app and send them directly to the watch. 

Train and prepare for a 5K or something a bit longer with the free Garmin Coach adaptive training plans. 

In addition to keeping tabs on daily steps, calories burned, and floors climbed, Venu 3 series can track moderate and vigorous intensity minutes and VO2 max during a run or bike ride. 

And here’s what’s new on this Garmin fitness watch:

  • Wheelchair mode: Track daily pushes and receive weight shift alerts plus wheelchair-specific sports apps and workouts. In creating these new features, the algorithms of some existing features were modified to enhance the meaningfulness of key insights for wheelchair users.
  • Workout benefit and recovery time: Better understand how each workout affects the body and how much time is needed to recover to take on any fitness challenge.
  • Rate of perceived exertion: Record how difficult a workout was and how it felt.
  • Interval creation: Build interval workouts for running and cycling activities right on the watch.
  • Track cycling power in watts (when paired with a compatible power meter or indoor bike).

Venu 3/3S Music — Listen Phone-Free!

Image of a woman from the side, hand up to the earbud on her ear with a Garmin Venu 3S on her wrist with a music app on the display

 

Users can also download songs and playlists from Spotify®, Amazon Music, and Deezer (subscription required) for phone-free listening. Garmin watches make it easy to store music right on your watch and listen through your Bluetooth headphones.

Garmin Venu 3/3S Smartwatch FAQs

Does the Venu 3 GPS watch have navigation features?

Although this new Garmin watch has a compass that allows you to use Back to Start in case you lose your way. However, it does not have a breadcrumb trail or full color maps.

If you need more navigation, check out these Garmin running and multisport GPS watches:

    Can you shower with the Garmin Venu 3?

    Yes! This fitness GPS smartwatch is rated 5 ATM which means that it withstands pressures equivalent to a depth of 50 meters and is safe to wear during splashes, rain or snow, showering, swimming, diving into water, snorkeling.

    Can you text with the Venu 3/3S?

    Yes! With an Android phone you can respond to texts with the on-watch keyboard. 

    Is the Venu 3 a touchscreen watch?

    Yes! This is one of Garmin’s touchscreen GPS smartwatches.

    Do the Garmin Venu 3/3S smartwatches answer calls?

    Yes! With the new built-in speaker and mic, you can take and make calls from the wrist when paired with a compatible smartphone.

    Do you need a cell plan for this Garmin watch?

    No. The Venu 3/3S only needs to be paired with your smartphone to enable calls to and from the watch.

    Do Garmin apps cost money?

    No! Garmin does not charge any fees for downloading apps like Garmin Connect, Garmin Golf app, or watch faces from the Connect IQ™ Store. 

    However some third-party developers may charge a fee to unlock all of the features in certain apps, watch faces, or widgets.

    Does this Garmin watch have golfing features?

    Yes! Enjoy a great deal of Garmin’s golfing features, including yardages to the front, middle, and back of the green and to layups/doglegs, shot distance measuring, Green View with Manual Pin Position, Pinpointer, Digital Scorecard, and more!

    Is this sport GPS watch compatible with power meters and other cycling and workout accessories?

    Yes! With ANT+ connectivity, you can now connect to power meters and indoor bikes.

    Does the Venu 3 series have a built-in barometric altimeter for floors climbed/elevation?

    Yes! Yes, you can get your floors climbed and ascent/descent metrics with the Garmin Venu 3/3S.

    The Best Garmin Watch to Track Your Health and Fitness Goals!

    If you want a smartwatch that can give you 24/7 insight into your health and wellness, then the Garmin Venu 3/3S should be on your list.

    If you want to pair that health awareness with guidance, tools, and feedback on your workouts—you'll likely love this new Garmin watch.

    And if you want all that, available in two sizes, several color options and topped off with a stunning AMOLED touchscreen display that will make you love wearing and using your fitness smartwatch—the Venu 3 is probably a no-brainer.

    And don't forget—the Garmin Venu 3/3S and Venu 2 Plus are the only Garmin smartwatches that allow you to make and take calls from your wrist!

    If you are looking to level-up with even more serious training tools, advanced GPS, and full color topographic maps, we recommend you check out these outstanding Garmin multisport watches:

     

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