Uncompromised and trendy
The Garmin Venu 3 launched in mid-2023 as a testing floor for brand new options like Sleep Teaching, nap detection, and an enhanced Physique Battery metric. Since then, it has added ECG and pores and skin temperature readings, plus some Forerunner instruments like working kind evaluation. Not solely is it a wonderful watch, however it’s additionally liable to get higher over time due to Garmin’s updates.
For
Fashionable, thin-bordered AMOLED in two sizesMic & speaker built-inECG and pores and skin temperatureRecovery time and enhanced Physique Battery30 additional sports activities modesThird button for shortcutsWheelchair mode
Towards
Almost twice the priceThicker and heavierVenu 3S has worse battery life
Mid-range high quality
Despite the fact that the 2022 Venu Sq 2 preceded most of the new options above, it nonetheless has the necessities you’d need in a Garmin watch: above-average GPS and coronary heart price accuracy, an 11-day battery life, Garmin Coach, and customized exercises. Plus, you get an AMOLED show as an alternative of the boring MIPs widespread to low-cost Garmin watches. Nonetheless, be prepared for compromise in comparison with the Venu 3.
For
Skinny and light-weight for Garmin watchPixel-rich AMOLEDSame GPS accuracy, battery life as Venu 3Accurate Elevate v4 sensor
Towards
No altimeter, gyroscope, ECG, or pores and skin temperatureHave to pay $50 additional for music, wi-fiSquircle design could also be polarizing
The Garmin Venu 3 seems to be implausible, has a ton of recent methods and upgrades for the trendy athlete, and offers you the mic/speaker combo you have to take telephone calls in your wrist. It is also fairly costly in comparison with your typical watch!
Athletes used to purchasing low-cost squircle trackers may look as an alternative on the Venu Sq 2 — or the Venu Sq 2 Music Version — and hope they will get away with the mid-range possibility, whereas nonetheless getting these candy Garmin metrics and coaching instruments.
So, must you purchase the Venu 3, the most effective mainstream Garmin watch with only a few compromises? Or must you select the Venu Sq 2, which our reviewer known as the “Goldilocks smartwatch” for its balanced strategy?
Conserving these with frugal budgets in thoughts, let’s break down the Garmin Venu 3 vs. Sq 2 Music to see how they evaluate in consolation, sensors, battery, options, and different areas so you can also make an knowledgeable buy.
Garmin Venu 3 vs. Venu Sq 2: Design and show
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Each the Venu 3 and Venu Sq 2 stray from the everyday Garmin watch look, however the Sq 2 is very so. Because the identify implies, it has a squircle look that can attraction to followers of the Apple Watch or low-cost health trackers just like the Amazfit GTS 4 Mini.
Its display measurement and sq. form depart loads of room for widgets and notifications, and it has a excessive 341ppi ratio for dense textual content. It has an aluminum bezel across the show as an alternative of the standard fiber-reinforced polymer, which could make it much less sturdy but additionally look extra “regular.”
For comparability, the rounded Venu 3 and 3S design provide you with a extra “conventional” smartwatch look, particularly due to the stainless-steel bezel giving it seen class and texture. Nobody would mistake this for a hybrid watch, however it’s nonetheless extra probably to attract glances than the extra generic Sq 2.
Each Venu watches rely totally on touchscreen controls, missing the Up/Down buttons you’d get on a Garmin Forerunner or Intuition. As our Venu Sq 2 reviewer put it, this “is not very sensible” when your fingertips get sweaty throughout a exercise, particularly when in comparison with watches with a rotating bezel or digital crown.
Whereas the Venu Sq 2 has two buttons — one for choosing and beginning exercises, and one for going again or beginning a brand new lap — the Venu 3 provides a 3rd button solely for shortcuts. You’ll be able to choose your favourite instrument like music controls or your telephone’s assistant, and all the time have or not it’s one faucet or maintain away. Plus, they’ve a metallic end that goes with the Venu 3’s elegant look.
You additionally get the selection of two show sizes: the 1.4-inch Venu 3 or the 1.2-inch Venu 3S, which has the identical value and options. Each hit about 320ppi, which is fairly normal for high-end watches. And there is little or no wasted area across the border, whereas the Venu Sq 2 has a thick black border and fewer pixels.
The Venu Sq 2’s major design perk is how skinny it’s, in comparison with your typical Garmin watch. Most are within the 13–15mm vary, jutting out out of your wrist. The Venu 3 additionally falls below common at 12mm, however the 11.1mm Venu Sq 2 is lighter than the 1.2-inch Venu 3S, not to mention the Venu 3.
Past that, each the Venu 3 and Venu Sq 2 have loads of trendy colour choices, a sweat-wicking silicone band with a Fast Launch mechanism for straightforward swaps, and 5ATM water resistance.
Garmin Venu 3 vs. Sq 2: {Hardware} and battery life
Earlier than we proceed with the Venu 3 vs. Venu Sq 2 comparability, let’s briefly clarify how the Venu Sq 2 and Sq 2 Music evaluate in {hardware}: They’ve just about similar, however solely the Music version has music storage (clearly) and Wi-Fi connectivity. Even if you happen to do not want on-watch music, wi-fi assist makes downloading updates or syncing with Garmin Join considerably sooner. If you are able to do with out, although, the Venu Sq 2 is a discount for what it provides at $250.
The Venu 3 has considerably higher {hardware} than the cheaper Venu Sq 2, because it ought to for $200 extra. However let’s begin with the squircle watch’s upsides, reminiscent of the truth that it has the identical All-Techniques GNSS assist for triangulating your place utilizing a number of satellite tv for pc programs.
Neither is as correct because the Forerunner 265 or different dual-band GPS watches, however solely the Venu 3 is priced comparably to these; at $250, the Venu Sq 2 primarily competes towards GPS-only watches, giving it the sting.
By way of battery life, they rating identically for GPS-only monitoring (26 hours) and All-Techniques monitoring (20 hours), whereas the Venu 3 pulls forward by three days in smartwatch mode and 4 hours when streaming music and monitoring your place (11 vs. seven hours). In comparison with the proportionally sized Venu 3S, although, the Venu Sq 2 wins in most classes apart from AOD mode.
Now, we begin declaring the Venu 3’s perks. The primary and most evident one is the built-in mic and speaker for Bluetooth calls or voice assistant passthrough out of your telephone. There is not any LTE assist or correct watch instructions, and our Venu 3 reviewer famous that the speaker high quality is on the “quiet and tinny” facet, however that it “works in a pinch” and the mic high quality is nice.
For well being monitoring, the Venu 3 has the latest-gen Elevate sensor that helps handbook ECG readings for AFib detection and passive pores and skin temperature readings at night time that issue into your Sleep Rating and probably spot diseases. The Venu Sq 2, with its Elevate v4, does have fairly correct coronary heart price knowledge, fortunately, however it lacks the power to measure Coronary heart Charge Variance (HRV) throughout sleep.
A extra problematic lacking function for outside athletes is the Venu Sq 2’s lack of an altimeter for judging flooring climbed or the impact of elevation in your tracked outcomes. Â Plus, it is lacking a gyroscope for extra correct wrist motion knowledge that the Venu 3 makes use of to investigate your working kind and energy.
Lastly, if you happen to’re shopping for the Venu Sq 2 Music Version for, nicely, music, understand that the Venu 3 has twice the cupboard space. In any other case, although, you are getting a reasonably related {hardware} expertise. The actual variations, unsurprisingly, come all the way down to software program options.
Garmin Venu 3 vs. Venu Sq 2: Options and software program
The Garmin Venu Sq 2 has 21 core actions that talk to what most on a regular basis folks will monitor for actions, particularly health club or at-home exercises. With the Venu 3’s 30 additional sports activities profiles, although, you get actions that basically want an altimeter (Climbing, Climbing) or gyroscope (all of the ball and racket sports activities). I assume the latter additionally is available in helpful for the wonderful Venu 3 wheelchair mode.
You’ll be able to see within the desk above that the Venu Sq 2 has the Garmin software program necessities associated to well being monitoring and the power to observe customized exercises, both indoors or open air (by way of Garmin Coach).
The place it falls particularly quick is within the Venu 3’s new smarts. For instance, whereas the Venu Sq 2 has Physique Battery, the Venu 3 has an enhanced model from 2023 that particularly exhibits what actions increase and decrease your rating, from naps or lengthy sedentary durations to robust exercises or high-stress durations.
Equally, whereas the Venu Sq 2 offers you a sleep “rating” grading your sleep high quality, you aren’t getting the brand new Sleep Coach guiding you on the way to enhance your sleep high quality, nor the HRV (stress) and pores and skin temperature knowledge to get a extra correct rating.
Despite the fact that the Venu 3 is not a real working watch — you’ll be able to see our Venu 3 vs. Forerunner 265 information on all of the working instruments the Venu 3 lacks by comparability — it does have necessities like working energy, working kind evaluation, a considerably imprecise exercise profit abstract after you end a run, and a restoration time estimate for a way lengthy to attend till the following one.
That final perk is very helpful for self-guided athletes, which can push you away from the Venu Sq 2. However you’ll be able to all the time make do by judging your individual tiredness for your self. It is dependent upon what sort of athlete you’re; for some, the Venu Sq 2’s potential to log your energy burned, reps accomplished, and distance traveled shall be greater than sufficient. For others, the Venu 3 — our choose for the most effective health smartwatch throughout manufacturers — has extra bells and whistles to encourage you to work tougher.
Garmin Venu 3 vs. Sq 2 vs. Sq 2 Music: Which must you purchase?
Assuming that we’re evaluating the Venu 3 and Venu Sq 2 Music version, you’ll be able to see the laundry record of upgrades you get for paying $150 additional. Relying in your socioeconomic state of affairs, that may very well be doable or means an excessive amount of, the distinction alone equaling the price of a great health tracker.
In comparison with these, the Venu Sq 2 is a implausible possibility, supplying you with a critical improve with its Garmin instruments. That is why it is the “Goldilocks possibility” between dear Garmin timepieces and low-cost bands that will not final.
But it surely’s additionally truthful to say {that a} Venu 3 would most likely final you a 12 months or two longer than the Venu Sq 2, what with its extra superior well being sensors and post-launch updates. It is not going to really feel outdated anytime quickly. So the distinction in value is negated considerably by the Venu 3’s longevity.
As of publication, the Venu 3 and Venu Sq 2 each sit on our record of the most effective Garmin watches, so you are not making a foul alternative both means. In the event you can afford it, although, the Venu 3 is the clear alternative, with the Venu 3S as a good compromise if you happen to’re tempted by the Venu Sq 2’s petite design.
Modern and feature-packed
Select the Garmin Venu 3 if you would like cutting-edge Garmin software program and sensors, together with a extra conventional watch-like design. Skip it for the Venu Sq 2 if you happen to’re on a strict funds.
Affordably dependable
Select the Venu Sq 2 for a similar core options, battery life, and GPS accuracy because the Venu 3 in a extra inexpensive package deal. Skip it if you would like extra than simply the Garmin necessities.