Garmin Venu 3 review: what happened

[@RyansTechMedia]

If you have this watch share your experience here. And like I said in the video, some of the features of the Venu 3 could potentially be added to the Venu 2 Plus so if you have a Venu 2 Plus and are thinking of upgrading, but you're a little short on budget, you might want to wait a while first!

[@jcap8391]

I'm waiting for Polar to fix the ignite series watch. I love how thin it is and have heard nothing but good things about their app/ecosystem. I've seen in depth coverage of the app it's so organized and tracks alot of things useful to me. I just think the watches they have not look horrible/chunky or like the ignite 3 goes highly inaccurate which defeats the purpose of owning it 😢

[@MissKiwiCM]

I spent so long waiting for this, and then deciding if I'd buy, took the plunge, but now it doesn't stay connected to my phone. I didn't realise they don't play nice with Huawei, even Huawei that still has proper google services. I was so happy about the plastic back, but I can not get it to sit comfortably on my wrist either, have to swap wrists at night to rest my main one, and had to put a third party strap on, but still doesn't sit right. My question is, I have been using for 24 days, and it has the tiniest scratch on the silver ring, if my shop has 30 days return, can I still return it? How does that work? Eeek

[@jcap8391]

@@MissKiwiCM 30-24=6 days. Yes I assume. You won't know till you try. I don't think a KZbinr is going to know anything about a return policy for you js😅

[@MissKiwiCM]

@@jcap8391 yea I suppose I won't. Lol yea I didn't mean can he look up the policy, just like I assume if he's returned things before he might have experience with it. 🫣

[@iangrant3615]

I have the Venu 2 Plus and I replaced the Venu 2s with the Venu 3s. So far I am happy with the Venu 3s but I still prefer the size of Venu 2 Plus for my wrist. You are right in that if they could update the software to bring the new features to Venu 2 Plus, that would have been the ideal update for many users. Perhaps they will release a Venu 3 Plush in due course ;)

[@chriscarpunky]

There has been a lot of good updates, more workouts, 15 day battery life, sleep schedule, larger screen, more features such as HRV, Recovery, Sleep Coach, Nap Detection and now ECG. My daughter is in a wheelchair which would be great for her. Skin temperature also.

[@Tiralful]

No, he said it sucks and they didn't change anything. Don't make him a lier.

[@chriscarpunky]

LOL!!!!

[@AndrewLeeMalaysia]

Really glad to have stumbled onto your video. Appreciate the honest feedback. Was about to purchase the Venu 3, and now I'm hesitating. May pick up a Venu 2 or 2Plus but the older models do not come with HRV, which is a real bummer.

[@asdfkie]

Thanks for the honest review. I’m between getting an AW and Garmin Venu. I also found out that as an iPhone user I have to either disable all notifications on both phone and watch or enable all on both. That is disastrous. I was really leaning towards Garmin but that is quite annoying to me. It just seems like the smartwatch side of things is half assed.

[@krns1617]

I've returned the Venu 3 because I had the same 2 problems about the quality of the watch. In my opinion it's quite bold to ask 500 $ for plastic watch. No other manufacturer would do that, even the Apple watch 9 is cheaper and look at the quality there. Garmin could do this with the Forerunners, Venus and Vivoactives and so on in the past, but now with the Venu 3 they have reached 500$. It's a pity, because the Venu 3 has been otherwise a great watch...

[@brucelin5842]

So do u think I should get this or aw 9? I use for gym mostly

[@Xdc5]

@@brucelin5842AW is great as a smartwatch and iphone extension. I've ditched it only because I got tired of charging it every day and missed all the Garmin data offered for free in the app.

[@juanarevalo8791]

I'm in the fence to return mine. I like it but I don't use it to its full potential, I only use it for the gym and as a watch for normal use. I just set it up for calls and sms to see how I like it and to justify me keeping it but honestly $500 seems too much for my use.

[@brucelin5842]

Get Apple Watch Ultra ?@@juanarevalo8791

[@kadenaron3165]

The watch is comfortable to wear. No problem with the buttons. Personally, I would tend to develop an allegory to metal and I like a plastic case just as much. I don't think a plastic case makes the watch any less solid. The only downside is autonomy. It is advertised at 10 days but I observe 6 days (In my case, I record 2 hours of table tennis activity 2 times a week). In conclusion, I am satisfied with my purchase. On the other hand, I live in Belgium and I would like Garmin to enable ECG in Europe as well. I hope they have applied for permission for this.

[@TerminatriX86]

I am totally happy with mine and dont have those problems with the buttons. Plastic is fine to me it is super comfy to wear. And i like the new Features and it fits perfect to my lifestyle and i love the boulder hiit and gym mode. Batterylife works up to 11 days. Displays out i habe to touch it and dont really use gps while bouldering gym or hiit, only when i go out for walk this is round about 2 hours a week sometimes... batterylife is up to 9 days with it. And i use bloodoxigen at night. I dont use mssage notifications only incoming calls to see whos calling but for a call i use my phone.

[@brucelin5842]

Would u prefer this or Apple Watch s9?

[@TerminatriX86]

@@brucelin5842 AW is great but battery life sucks and if you want a pretty good sports watch, i would go with venu 3 cause of its metrics and measures. But yeah i dont know what u r looking for. I wanted a good watch for sport and health and the venu 3 combines it pretty well

[@TerminatriX86]

@@brucelin5842 i dont have any experiences with AW9 but as i alrrady said... i am super happy with my venu 3

[@Tellurdogisayhello]

I’m probably going to pick one of these up for black friday. I hate the look of apple watches but still want some kind of fitness tracking device that still looks like a nice timepiece.

[@SimonsTips]

Same here - any watch that needs charging every day or even every other day is not a watch, its a wrist computer that's usually dead when you need it most. so in my books if it doesn't last at least a week then fuggedabout it. Same for "watches" so big and thick that they look like a brick is strapped to your wrist - that is really what Apple did to get even passable battery life, just make the case bigger and jam it with battery.

[@jasonlevine2430]

Fair points, particularly when comparing it to a V2+. The skin temperature sensor still may be activated - probably waiting for regulatory approval - the ECG feature, which was unavailable at launch, was just activated. So, the temp sensor could be similar. Honestly, it's not compelling enough difference from the V2+ to upgrade. I have a V2, which is plastic btw, and it's probably worth it to upgrade from there because there are very significant hardware differences as well as software. Having said that, I may stick it out a bit longer and see if the price drops or if a V4 is on the horizon in about a year. Lastly, I get your point about metal, but it's heavier than plastic and the heavier the watch the less accurate the HR sensor is on your wrist for certain activities because it's more likely to move around on your wrist. So, I don't mind the plastic. Thanks for the video.

[@JoriNieer]

I own a Venu 3, I also had the Venu 2 Plus (sold it) and I had the Epix 2 for two weeks (I returned it) for me I really love the design and the new features, of course they could have add these features to Venu 2 Plus, but what would be the reason for a new watch? Most of the features, which are even on the Epix/Fenix could have been added to the Venu 2 Plus, I think you get my point here. The buttons felt more clunky on the Venu 2 Plus, than on Venu 3. On the Venu 3 buttons are good, but not perfect, thats no problem for me. The plastic is also no problem for me, it feels comfortable, its just the backside of the watch, you dont see it that mutch anyway and temperature is always good, with metall, at least in my country, its often cold. Also really like the silicon band, had no problems with it, with Venu 2 Plus I got irritated. I also like the new display options for Venu 3. So and for the Epix, didnt felt comfy for me, I often removed it from my wrist and thats not the point of a watch like this, also it had far to much features I dont need and also this watch felt to mature and boring to me, this watch is for pro atlethes, who really are much in mountains etc. Also had my problems with the buttons there, because i have much hair on my hands and always pinched it when pressing buttons. With Venu 3 I also like the little bit bigger display and resolution, how thin the watch is and overall feels. If someone would ask me, which one to buy, I would suggest the Venu 3.

[@RyansTechMedia]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! It certainly is a good watch, but it was very disappointing for me to have tried two units with the same QC problems. BTW the Venu 2 Plus strap also gave me a rash at first, but then it went away.

[@dominicfung2470]

How was calls for you

[@JoriNieer]

@@dominicfung2470 calls are good

[@ukaszzareba2525]

The thing about "plastic" Venu 3 is that the back of the watch is a plastic monolith. Otherwise than Venu 2 plus where the middle part was plastic and the back plate was metal. Nevertheless, Venu 2 Plus got the better feeling. Especially with theese Venu 3 weird buttons. Thanks for the reviews btw.

[@ivasoomluap]

just bought the watch last week and I'm finding the buttons to be a chore to press; glad I found your video to confirm it's not just me being nit-picky... as you said, it's my right to return a faulty (or poorly designed) unit so I will do just that today and wait for the Venu 4 later this year.

[@paulkline3011]

I had the Venu 3 for about 3 days before returning it. The buttons on mine were also weird. Also it really annoyed me that the notifications would disappear from the watch so fast. I wouldn't even have time to read them sometimes and they were gone. And typing responses to text messages was a joke with the old school text keyboard it provided. Come on you can't charge $450 and not at least give me a full keyboard. I really feel for that price in 2023 this watch should have more actual smartwatch features along with the fitness tracking features. I actually ended up getting the Samsung galaxy watch 6 and I love it. Ya, maybe the fitness tracking isn't the most accurate but I don't care. I'm not a serious athlete at all. I need a knee replacement on my left knee. The heart rate tracker is showing the exact same range as the Venu 3 was showing me. I usually do the same walk and the GPS distance is the same on both watches. I charge the watch 6 daily but it's no different than my phone so that doesn't bother me at all.

[@Criticalmaze]

It should because the galaxy watch is inaccurate af😂 Seems like you’re trying to justify trading a crappy watch for another crappy watch 😅

[@juanarevalo8791]

Honestly I don't think venu 3 is that much accurate. I use it for the gym and in an hr span it tells me I burn almost 1k calories while my old fitbit (from a yr ago) don't know the model says around 600 calories.

[@jimmy090]

Software isn't free, so the "just software" comments sounds like it can magically be created out of thin air. You do need to pay for software engineers and developers.

[@h2o466]

Lol you're sooo wrong! First of all the developers don't work for us buyers so we are not supposed to pay anyone! And hardware like this mean nothing without software so we're already paying for them upfront. If Garmin or any other brands never updated their watches and just released a new watch with the new software features would you honestly buy it? That’s why I’m not buying Venu 3. I'll probably buy another watch either a more expensive one or from another brand.

[@xiondFirst]

No shit, but if a watch costs $399+ and they made $200 in profit. Then it's up to Garmin to pay these developers. Or else why would you ever buy such a product? On top of that security updates and patches need to happen otherwise people aren't going to buy. Those need developers too, I wouldn't buy anything with a subscription because it's never guaranteed. But with a cost upfront I can safely use it until it dies.

[@UmangaGhimire]

I wish garmin would put the latest software like on venu 3 on their premium wathes like fenix and epix. I really wish they would add nap detection and smooth animations. I had bought latest epix pro 2nd generation but however I wasn’t satisfied fully so I returned it.

[@ABYTheKunjunni]

Hey Ryan, in your opinion what would you suggest, 2 plus or 3 , considering both are almost the same price here (50$ diff) in my place right now and I am buying from store so I can check the qc issues.

[@RyansTechMedia]

In that case I'd say it makes sense to go for the Venu 3.

[@ABYTheKunjunni]

@@RyansTechMedia thanks for the advice

[@cfools1469]

An open and honest review. I also, don't like that the watch isn't shock resistant. Thanks Ryan.

[@windylim]

I've never used Garmin before, so I'm intrigued by the HRV stat. In your video it shows "HRV imbalanced". So does Garmin provide any guidance what to do to fix that?

[@alper4856]

I have the same problem with the buttons

[@user-vj9qz3br6l]

The Venu 3s watch went down to $450 on Amazon, then a week later, it went down in price again to $390 on Amazon. Is it worth it now at that price?

[@RyansTechMedia]

I’d say, yes! Just remember to check out the buttons and make sure you feel the click-like feedback when you press down.

[@kettenton]

I have the og Venu and am looking to upgrade..should I just ignore the Venu 3 and get the 2+? I really want proper tracking for ocean paddling

[@paulaitken8355]

Hey Ryan, love your honesty! I ended up going with the Instinct X2, really happy with it

[@RyansTechMedia]

Great to hear Paul!

[@Superdazzu2]

Hmmm now i may buy a venu 2, i don't really care for the mic or speakers, is it still a good choice?

[@brucelin5842]

Comparing aw9 to venu 3 which do u think worth it? Now you’ve sold it which Watch r you getting ?

[@RyansTechMedia]

If you can live with the poor battery life of the AW then that's probably a choice considering you have an iPhone. Most of the times I'm wearing the Venu 2 Plus for now.

[@brucelin5842]

@@RyansTechMedia what about Apple Watch ultra 2?

[@RyansTechMedia]

@@brucelin5842 Great watch, I'd buy it.

[@brucelin5842]

@@RyansTechMedia but will it provide me the fitness metrics that I need such as recovery and training readiness

[@TheHpsauce37]

I think there are more physical changes tbh. Bigger screen, better strap option (22mm) brighter screen, lighter build

[@janvan5872]

Thanks for the feedback ;-)

[@benoitgros-louis9138]

Thanks for the video. I just got the Venu 3 a week ago. Very happy with the watch, my only gripe is the very poor stock watch faces (I don't understand no reviewers mention this for a watch of that price) but you can get plenty of good ones from the Garmin store. That being said, I did not upgrade from any Garmin watch so I can't compare but I get your points. However, if Garmin always give away their improvements for free, they won't stay in business for very long time. I thought about getting the 2 plus but I checked some reviews and decided that I was ok to pay more for the upgraded heart sensor. But I agree that the upgrage from the 2 plus is not worth it.

[@RyansTechMedia]

Very valid point, thanks for sharing!

[@cappuccino--]

Thanks for the common sense. This is exactly what i needed to know.

[@RyansTechMedia]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ReyBrugal]

Features and sensors the v3 is similar to the fénix 8. If v3 had metallic case I would by the v3 over the fénix 8 or enduro 3.

[@cmercado7074]

I wish it paired up with my Samsung Buds2 better. I say a command with he Buds2 in and I don't hear the command confirmation. I am hearing impaired btw and my Buds2 I use a lot. If it did that (despite the lag) it would be great!

[@JD-lb8np]

Mine never senses naps. My straps causes a rash within a day, wearing loose and cleaning it, also keeping it dry. Garmin basically wants you to wear it so loose it just spins around your wrist making it usuless as to what its made for. I was also told by them yes its water proof but you can't press the buttons in the water? Lol so whats the point everything it can do there is always a catch.

[@Pohmetolog]

I know this is an old vid, but did the watch sensor on venu 3 sensor dig in to your skin when wearing? the design of the sensor is not the best imho.

[@RyansTechMedia]

Honestly it was comfortable and I didn’t feel any bulging on my wrist. But for example the Pixel watch was like that IIRC.

[@Pohmetolog]

@@RyansTechMedia maybe I had a faulty device. Otherwise I loved everything about it. Even better than AW9

[@E.E.]

Great and honest summery, thank you. I loved the idea with sleep and personal coach depending on the readings from the watch in V3 but I was very disappointed from the quality issues. Is there any alternative that gives you similar information as V3 ... morning summery, personal coach, stress levels, performance left, sleep coach... I look for best possible guidance (no matter the brand except apple LOL) with different sensors (there by high quality sensors higher guidance quality) without monthly subscription as google,Fitbit, the ring and few other brands. The main reason I love GARMIN is high quality sensors, great summery and guidance and mainly no monthly subscription is needed. Thx once again.

[@RyansTechMedia]

Thank you! If you like Garmin I'd recommend the new Epix Pro which I happen to have reviewed here too. It's got almost everything you need and it's very high quality. It doesn't have sleep coach yet, but everything else about it is top notch. One downside is it's less comfortable than the Venu series.

[@E.E.]

@@RyansTechMedia THX :-D

[@klaud47]

Thanks a lot for great video, looking something for something with good battery and nice health sensors. Looks like venu is great choice but absense of temperature sensor and wireless charging makes a bit nervous.

[@bobfish3176]

totally happy with my Venu 3

[@Everythings_a_Frame]

hello all, two questions: [1] am i right in thinking that theres no actual hardware differences in the sensors? no actual new tech that helps with better sleep and heart accuracy? [2] anyone got any comments on their sleep accuracy compared to the venu 2? thanks

[@sarahcalder2976]

I have Apple Watch Series 6, thinking of going with the venu 3. Hoping it will be a good switch. Can’t wait to have a good battery life

[@lal7103]

I returned the same day I got it. plastic casing, laggy touch input, old fashioned interface and control. no wireless charging. Feels like a $50 amazon watch.

[@IrfanHadi91]

So did u switch? Was it worth it, or was the apple watch better (other than battery life)?

[@DavidKooij-t3t]

I had the skin problem too

[@Cassadin1410]

I consider to replace my amazfit balance fot venu 3 (its fot almost everythink i need without wireless charging but with battery life 10d+ is not a such problem) I like a lot image on notifitacion thats the main reason why i wanna this change. Notifitacion is also in a group not like all in one so is also good but the price for design of what you get is much too high. 325-375 € should be a fair price. In my opinion venu (if is more smartwatch with sport features) should go more in huawei gt direction.Just more fashion wtach than 500 € wil be a fair price

[@misha560]

Anyone try it in swimming.. please any feedback regarding accuracy in swimming..

[@brandonfrost9801]

I considered buying venu 3 but saw Amazon had titanium epix 2 for slightly more nearly half of original price and but decided to wait and maybe go Ultra 2 instead. I like the battery life on the Garmin but not a fan of the plastics polymers on the side of the watch. Especially the white one on epix 2 just doesn’t go well with certain watch bands, unibody titanium looks way better and also very hypoallergenic

[@amalayum]

Well said. Let's face it. You're not paying for a new watch this time. You're just paying for some software updates and a few minor software additions + the mandatory mic and speaker. Thanks but for $500. I'll pass. Garmin has lost me.

[@30mattdavies]

You’re paying for finally an accurate hr sensor

[@fun2rideadventure]

@@30mattdaviesis not so accurate as the test of the qualified scientist shows in his tests....apple watches are the most accurate watches

[@insertrandomnamehere764]

​@@fun2rideadventureand even apple heart rate isn't anywhere as good as a chest strap.

[@fun2rideadventure]

@@insertrandomnamehere764 even the chest strap is not acurat as the medical applied heart rate sensors 😂😂😂

[@insertrandomnamehere764]

@@fun2rideadventure true

[@brucelin5842]

Do u find the venu3 get scratched easily? The stainless steel part of the watch

[@RyansTechMedia]

I doubt it, unless it's something really sharp or hit it very hard.

[@TheHpsauce37]

Anyone compared this to the polar v3?

[@martinstromberg9952]

Your video helped, I won't be buying this watch then! I'm disappointed because I really liked the look of the all white version with the wide wrist staps. And why can't they offer a plastic version for people with allergic reactions and also offer a Titanium version? Besides I would have liked to see a larger version anyway! perhaps a XL size of 50mm as I find it much more esthetically pleasing and fits my wrist better. I would be willing to pay more, of course. And yes, the bezel around the watch needs to always be as minimal as possible (just looks better) unless it is a 50 mm size or a rotating bezel? Just my two cents here.

[@noeldizon9939]

Thanks for the video Great job

[@RyansTechMedia]

Thanks for watching!

[@dreamchaser7554]

good sharing

[@erikwestre7970]

Too bad. Then I don’t know what to buy, because the stainless steel backside on the 2+ is a no go for me. Nickel allergy.

[@COB506]

Hmmm.. I’m looking at a venu 3s for my girlfriend but I might still consider an Apple Watch SE after seeing this. The battery life is my biggest concern with Apple… but for almost half the price of the Garmin, that might be an ok trade off. Considering an instinct 2X solar for myself.

[@RyansTechMedia]

Yeah I get it, but if you both go with Garmin then you can share your workouts in the Garmin Connect app and you'll both speak the same language! So even though there are some negatives with this watch if you just watch out for those QC issues, you're gonna be fine and Instinct is a good choice too.

[@COB506]

@@RyansTechMedia I wonder if I should also consider the venu 2 plus for her instead of the 3s.. I’ll have to show her the differences. Honestly, she’s not as picky as I am and probably wouldn’t mind those small gripes.

[@RyansTechMedia]

Since there is no guarantee that all the new software features will be added to the Venu 2 Plus I'd still get her the Venu 3 if I were you. Just like I said make sure it’s not a faulty unit. I think she's gonna like it! Unless she prefers Venu 3s which has a shorter battery life but looks better on smaller wrists.

[@fallingwickets]

rumour on the www is that the overlords are getting restless about charging cables etc and so hopefully it wont be long for a standard cable to come to watches ala usb-c for phones

[@RyansTechMedia]

🤞

[@PedroPrego]

"The new Elevate v5 sensor is allegedly capable of ECG and skin temperature readings" - pending approval. I guess this answer both your "why new sensors?" and "where is the skin sensor?"

[@cappuccino--]

Venu 2 plus also has ecg so the old sensor was already capable.

[@yitzhakzarmon5433]

almost same watch with software changes. big disappointment!

[@Killer_racoon]

For me, the most disappointing thing is that venu 3 doent have.... MAPS or NAVIGATION.... Whaaaaaaaaat? Garmin watch costs 500$ and no maps, thats freaking insane! I downloaded komoot instead of it, but the fact is really nuts

[@thewiseoldbird]

Garmin do a bucket load of other watches with those features.

[@Killer_racoon]

@@thewiseoldbird Garmin is a company that is famous first of all for navigation, maps should be default feature in all watches, especially in a watch for 500$

[@ultravaluetech24]

Cheaply Made Chinesium Shite! Pretty much Same stuff with the Vivo5 I had that was released at the same time Garmin DOES NOT MAKE Quality Products anymore.

[@drsnowmon]

Garmin is garbage unless you go with their premium models like the Fenix or Epix