Garmin - Venu 3S
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Last updated: Dec 23, 2025 Scoring
My husband got me a Garmin Venu 3s for Xmas. I've swum with it twice so far and love it!
r/Swimming • Thinking of getting an apple watch just for swimming without iPhone ->I wouldn't be afraid of buying a Garmin watch for open water or pool swims. I have a first generation instinct since the summer of 2020. I've worn it everyday no matter what. If you don't like the look of the instinct, I would look at either the Fenix, Enduro. The forerunner has a bezel but it's not as raised I feel. Really any of their watches that includes the feature of a raised bezel I gravitate towards. For me, anyways, watches that don't have that feature end up with a cracked screen like the venu and the vivoactive with the rounded edge of glass hasn't lasted for me which is why I prefer that raised bezel. Garmin has always been good and replaced them for me in the past but once the warranty is done, there's no more replacement. Hope this is helpful and keep going.
r/Garmin • Pool swimming killed my Apple Watch, now I want to switch to a Garmin ->I would personally always take a Forerunner over the Venu series, as I am pretty serious about my fitness. I don't really care much about smart watch features, just need a bare minimum. And the venu series seems to take tradeoffs with fitness features to accommodate the increase in smart features.
r/GarminWatches • Help me decide between venu 3 and forerunner 265! ->Although it's much smaller, I prefer my venu 3s over my galaxy watch 7, will probably upgrade to the venu 3 sooner or later, but for now this is perfect
r/GarminWatches • My first Garmin watch after Apple Watch SE2 ->I recently got into fitness this year and lost about 60 pounds, I got an apple watch to track my activity (I mainly do cardio workouts) but I didn't like how it looked on my wrist and the fact that it wasn't that accurate. Also the battery life was trash, I'd leave my new series 10 in the drawer charged and it'd be dead the next day. I bought a new Venu 3S, it's beautiful, I exchanged a Vivoactive 5 for it and I can say the Venu's appearance is better and feels smoother however Vivo wins in terms of battery life. Venu dies much quicker, and I feel like the software design of Garmin feels a little lackluster however I've grown used to it and I love the comfortability, accuracy, battery life and design of garmin. I wont be going back to Apple, however the new paid subscriptions and having to pay for some watch faces that look decent, and then the watch itself being very pricey feels a bit like a drawback. The strap doesn't really feel that strong and having to buy more is just more costs, not to mention it didn't come with a charging block and it requires a USB port, so I have to use my apple one to charge it. All in all, I love the device for fitness and how much better it looks but there are some downsides imo.
r/GarminWatches • My thoughts on Garmin Watches as a previous Apple watch user ->And I absolutely love it, I know venu isn't the model that I needed but definitely wanted, it's gorgeous.
r/GarminWatches • My thoughts on Garmin Watches as a previous Apple watch user ->I'm in loveee with the venu 3s and i love how you are all enjoy it as well. it's so pretty right
r/GarminWatches • My thoughts on Garmin Watches as a previous Apple watch user ->I love the Venu 3s. It has metrics like V02Max and does all the tracking I need as a cyclist.
r/Garmin • Recommend a 'girlie' watch that has the running metrics... ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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Just did this. From the series 8 once the battery couldn't last a day. Ended up going higher to the forerunner (thanks REI 90 day returns) bc the trade offs of losing some of the apple integrations wasn't enough gained on the venu The activities list is really limited. And its integration with Strava sucked a bit more than the Apple Watch. I could at least pick specific activities through Strava app on my watch if they didn't come built in on apple activities, but you can't edit the data fields on that. I wanted both. I only got about 4 days of battery, not super worth it IMO. Just enough I wouldn't have ti charge it daily but not enough that I wasn't frequently like "oh, I'm kinda low on battery" No unlocking each other, (phone and watch) or my MacBook for work. I miss it auto doing that the most Media players kinda suck Biggest is custom notifications on my watch vs my phone. I had to basically go in and do an overhaul so it wasn't constantly pinging me with useless notifications I had silenced on my watch but not my phone Activities pages were limited. They were limited on the Apple Watch too but I was hoping for an upgrade here. I upgraded to the forerunner 970. Big jump. But it has a LOT more data points readily available. It's more of what I was looking for.
r/GarminWatches • Venu 3S vs Apple Watch ->The venu's activities were extremely limited. It had the basics but that was it. Specifically it didn't have trail running or backcountry skiing for me, basically my two biggest sports. I'm not sure about tennis. I bet it did tho. So that was probably the biggest reason. Second was the activities data page was limited, only 4 max data points. For backcountry skiing I like knowing distance, current elevation, total ascent, time, and heart rate. For trail running, the same plus pace. So that and I didn't think I needed the navigation, but Sunday, the day I decided I really should upgrade, I got soooo off course. My bike Garmin would have told me way sooner that I was off course and that's all I wanted.
r/GarminWatches • Venu 3S vs Apple Watch ->One more thing I thought of this morning OP. Since upgrading to the forerunner, I've noticed the stress tracking/training elements are far superior. Mentioning it bc you mentioned the stress tracking specifically. I can't remember if the Venu had a morning AND nightly report, but the training readiness, training status, running tolerance on the forerunner is so nice to have. You might be able to get that through the venu or the connect app, but I didn't find it easily. But you should def look into this before purchasing. After I bought it I found out the venu is supposed to be more of a "lifestyle" watch. That makes me feel like it's for the people who want to say they have a Garmin without the bulkiness of one? I think it's a lower tiered watch with more smart watch integrations like Siri, but I felt it didn't even do that well. If you're in the US, I bought my venu through REI because of their return policy and partnership with Garmin. I think you have 90 days to decide if you like it? After not even 2 weeks I think is when I realized I wanted a higher level Garmin and just straight exchanged it for the forerunner 970.
r/GarminWatches • Venu 3S vs Apple Watch ->My partner and i have venu watches for health and fitness monitoring, we also had a stronger use case for health. Ours don't have the ekg function, but do provide the sleep tracking, hrv/stress scores as body battery, and the spo2. On that - the battery does drain easily if you have that on 24/7, at least on our watches!
r/Garmin • Looking for the Best Garmin Watch for Health Monitoring (Not Fitness) ->I use Garmin Venu 3S, but I wasn't into running when I bought it. My next watch for sure will be a Garmin Forerunner.
r/beginnerrunning • Which watch or device do you use to track your runs ? ->I've had the Venu 3S since February 2024 and I'm pretty happy with it, being the first smartwatch I ever got and it being a Garmin. However, as I've been slowly getting into running in the past year, I feel like I'm missing out on a lot with the data... analysis? it lacks. I've been low-key thinking about switching to another model, and the smaller size FR 570 is just 1mm bigger than my current 41mm Venu 3S (I'm a girl and have very thin wrists), looks nice and reportedly supports all the training/running data analysis that my current watch lacks + better GPS. But that's where the positives end? Sounds like they're using the same heart rate sensor - and I've heard the Venu 3/3S not picking up heart rates correctly when your HB slows down? - does that mean same quality tracking, or is the software on the FR 570 handling this better? Thoughts?
r/Garmin • Venu 3S -> Forerunner 570. Worth the upgrade? ->I really wanted the Suggested Workouts, Training Effect, Primary Benefit, Lactate Threshold and Race Predictor. But now I see that Venu 4 really does have all of those? With the added benefit of Sleep Alignment, and Lifestyle Logging, which seems to be missing in the other models. But I got the lifestyle logging update on my 3S yesteday... I was initially going for the FR 570 because it's roughly the same price as the Venu 3S as when I got it 2 years ago. Something like less than 50$ difference. FR 255 seems fine... but with Garmin fast dropping support and updates for older watches, I'd prefer getting something newer?
r/Garmin • Venu 3S -> Forerunner 570. Worth the upgrade? ->Garmin - They have a lot of watches at different price points. There is built-in GPS and the battery lasts for several days, unlike a smart watch that you typically need to charge every night. The Garmin app easily syncs with other fitness apps, if that's important to you. If you have a smaller wrist, go for the "S" models that will look and fit better.
r/XXRunning • View on Reddit →Any issues with scratching? I returned my Venu 3s after a week because I had mega scratching on the watch face from just daily wear in that time. It's made me really hesitant to buy another Garmin watch that doesn't have Sapphire glass. Personally, I don't understand why they don't have Sapphire glass standard on all their watches. It seems like such a cheap upgrade for significant performance benefit.
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →Update I bought a forerunner and used it a couple times but ended up returning it for the Venu 3. I am happy with my choice!!!
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →just got it for myself a week ago, big fan my advice to OP: basically any garmin watch would do, but I love how bright the colors are on Venu 3s (AMOLED), they have other screens that are dull and not cool so make sure to check that
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →You need to ask yourself what she'll actually be using it for. If you're just doing basic fitness tracking, then she likely doesn't need a Fenix and a Vivoactive or Venu series would be the best bet for her. Use the website to compare devices with the activities she does regularly.
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →Some of it depends on your personality. I had a Pixel watch and realised I was entirely unsuited to a watch that required daily charging. I hated having to do that. Have a Venu 3S now and charge it once a week or so which suits me much much better. I'm only back to running a few months and it's just for enjoyment and fitness so don't track many runs, but the Garmin tracking is excellent. I use the more health and wellness features like steps/body battery/sleep score/HRV etc all the time and find them good. I know people don't rate the sleep score that much, but I'm not expecting sleep lab accuracy - just good enough. I don't find it that useful for monitoring strength workouts, but I suppose I'm old school with them anyway. I just turn up and do them, trying to add a bit more weight when I can etc.
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →I've had the Venu 3S since February 2024 and I'm pretty happy with it, being the first smartwatch I ever got and it being a Garmin. However, as I've been slowly getting into running in the past year, I feel like I'm missing out on a lot with the data... analysis? it lacks. I've been low-key thinking about switching to another model, and the smaller size FR 570 is just 1mm bigger than my current 41mm Venu 3S (I'm a girl and have very thin wrists), looks nice and reportedly supports all the training/running data analysis that my current watch lacks + better GPS. But that's where the positives end? Sounds like they're using the same heart rate sensor - and I've heard the Venu 3/3S not picking up heart rates correctly when your HB slows down? - does that mean same quality tracking, or is the software on the FR 570 handling this better? Thoughts?
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →I have the Venu 3s and it is rated as a solid running watch on test forums. I run using the Garmin Coach 3 times a week and find the statistics completely sufficient. Previously I only had an FR 45 that could do even less. So it was a big upgrade for me. (But to be honest, the professional statistics would be too much for me, so not absolutely necessary). But if you can't wear your watch that often, then the Venu is too expensive. Then I would also go for the cheaper FR models. I mainly wanted something more stylish for everyday wear, as I feel like I wear my watches 24/7, which is why it suits me very well. 😊
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →And I absolutely love it, I know venu isn't the model that I needed but definitely wanted, it's gorgeous.
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →I switched to the Venu 3s a while back and promptly went back to my Apple Watch. Gave the Venu 4 a shot and now I'm hooked. They made some big upgrades to make it nearly similar to the smooth function of the Apple Watch but with way more useful data. My Venu 4 looks classy in gold for my office job. The only thing I miss is being able to set a timer when I'm cooking hands free. But my phone is usually close enough that I say "hey siri" loud enough it picks it up. The voice command on the Venu is triggered by pressing a button. Not a deal breaker by any means, more of a first world problem lol
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →I wouldn't be afraid of buying a Garmin watch for open water or pool swims. I have a first generation instinct since the summer of 2020. I've worn it everyday no matter what. If you don't like the look of the instinct, I would look at either the Fenix, Enduro. The forerunner has a bezel but it's not as raised I feel. Really any of their watches that includes the feature of a raised bezel I gravitate towards. For me, anyways, watches that don't have that feature end up with a cracked screen like the venu and the vivoactive with the rounded edge of glass hasn't lasted for me which is why I prefer that raised bezel. Garmin has always been good and replaced them for me in the past but once the warranty is done, there's no more replacement. Hope this is helpful and keep going.
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →Honestly your best bet would be a Venu or an instinct, Venu is Garmin's health and fitness while instinct is there more traditional "G-Shock" style (best way I can describe it) watch, they don't really do the fitness tracker it's mostly all smartwatches. I have the Venu 4 coming from an instinct 2 solar. The vivo moves might also fit you well but they are older in comparison. If you are set on not having a smartwatch you may have to look into another brand, hope this helps, if you have any questions about the Venu or instinct let me know!
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →I'm in loveee with the venu 3s and i love how you are all enjoy it as well. it's so pretty right
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →I can respond to messages when using my pixel on my venu , just not iPhone. I have Google maps on it and homeassistant, suits all my needs.
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →I recently got into fitness this year and lost about 60 pounds, I got an apple watch to track my activity (I mainly do cardio workouts) but I didn't like how it looked on my wrist and the fact that it wasn't that accurate. Also the battery life was trash, I'd leave my new series 10 in the drawer charged and it'd be dead the next day. I bought a new Venu 3S, it's beautiful, I exchanged a Vivoactive 5 for it and I can say the Venu's appearance is better and feels smoother however Vivo wins in terms of battery life. Venu dies much quicker, and I feel like the software design of Garmin feels a little lackluster however I've grown used to it and I love the comfortability, accuracy, battery life and design of garmin. I wont be going back to Apple, however the new paid subscriptions and having to pay for some watch faces that look decent, and then the watch itself being very pricey feels a bit like a drawback. The strap doesn't really feel that strong and having to buy more is just more costs, not to mention it didn't come with a charging block and it requires a USB port, so I have to use my apple one to charge it. All in all, I love the device for fitness and how much better it looks but there are some downsides imo.
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →I found it laggy and not as sharp as the Apple Watch. It didn't get my Snapchat notifications and some other ones (they weren't supported) I just found I was missing things I was so accustomed to on my apple watch. It may be fine for some but it just wasn't for me. And yes the Venu 4 is nearly double but so far I'm impressed
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →I really wanted the Suggested Workouts, Training Effect, Primary Benefit, Lactate Threshold and Race Predictor. But now I see that Venu 4 really does have all of those? With the added benefit of Sleep Alignment, and Lifestyle Logging, which seems to be missing in the other models. But I got the lifestyle logging update on my 3S yesteday... I was initially going for the FR 570 because it's roughly the same price as the Venu 3S as when I got it 2 years ago. Something like less than 50$ difference. FR 255 seems fine... but with Garmin fast dropping support and updates for older watches, I'd prefer getting something newer?
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →I love the Venu 3s. It has metrics like V02Max and does all the tracking I need as a cyclist.
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →I have a Venu S and really appreciate the smaller size. I do occasionally find myself wishing I had more metrics, but it definitely covers all the basics!
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →Garmin lasts about 2 weeks without charging. Venu line.
r/gadgets • View on Reddit →I reacted to the sleep tracking that it was not performing so well at. This was a dealbreaker for me, but could be that I should look at another Garmin model.
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →Battery life, circular face (have the venu3s), sleep tracking.
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →Venu is great warch. Inuse it for HR daily tracking and for running (including specific training and workouts).
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →Certainly not. The Venu is already the best model in the fitness and lifestyle range and if it doesn't have a lactate threshold, then neither do the others. But VO2 Max does exist. I also have the Venu 3s 😊Maybe it has the new 4. Read up on that.
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →I would personally always take a Forerunner over the Venu series, as I am pretty serious about my fitness. I don't really care much about smart watch features, just need a bare minimum. And the venu series seems to take tradeoffs with fitness features to accommodate the increase in smart features.
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →It was time to upgrade my apple watch and when I heard the Venu 3s had a 10 day battery, I was SOLD! I'm so happy with it and I'm really loving the circular watch a lot more too.
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →Garmin venu 3s can track intervals and the run.
r/rundisney • View on Reddit →I recently bought Garmin Venu 3s, and love it so far. It tracks all my activities and I like that it has so many activities to choose from.
r/orangetheory • View on Reddit →I'm on day 6 with my watch and I'm at 45% haven't had to charge it yet. It's doing great compared to my 24 hours of my Apple. Venu 3s was a great choice of change for me
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →I just got a Garmin Venu3s a couple of weeks ago, and I like it a lot. I didn't feel like I needed a full blown smartwatch because I already have a smart phone. Just seems redundant to me to have two smart devices. The Garmin does all the things I want, without feeling like I paid for unnecessary features.
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →I'm getting a Venu 4. It's 20 bucks less than the 570, and from what I can see, it's missing swim drills, which is something I don't use now. I also like the look of the Venu over the 570, though I wish Garmin would bring back copper/rose gold bezels/cases. I really liked that colour on my original Venu.
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →My husband got me a Garmin Venu 3s for Xmas. I've swum with it twice so far and love it!
r/Swimming • View on Reddit →I went through the whole smartwatch search a couple months ago. I tried the Apple Watch and hated feeling like my phone was strapped to me (disabling all notifications did not work!!) Everyone told me to get a Forerunner if I'm a runner and I tried the 265 but the bulk and sporty look of it really turned me off. Returned and got the Garmin Venu 3s and it is perfect. It has everything I need, the battery lasts all week, it has all the running stats I care about and it's just generally been a delight!! I also love that it looks classy with a nicer outfit so I can wear it all day without feeling like it clashes.
r/firstmarathon • View on Reddit →You can check with chatgpt, specify all your needs and maybe buy a used one on Ebay or Swappa, thats what I did, I got a Venu for $65, ive had it for 2 years now and so far very good, the gps is very good for running, i can track swimming among other things, I guess you can track padel too
r/Garmin • View on Reddit →I got the Venu 3s and couldn't be happier! Tried out the forerunner but hated the way it looked and I feel like their running tools/stats are incredibly similar
r/GarminWatches • View on Reddit →Garmin Lily 2 active will be the smallest that fits your bill. I have the Venu 3s which is a little smaller than the Pixel 3 but lighter, but bigger than the Lily
r/yoga • View on Reddit →