Garmin unveiled the Venu 3 series in August 2023. It becomes the latest smartwatch series for the month. We look at a close comparison between the Venu 3 and Venu 3S.
Generally speaking, Venu 3 and Venu 3S should differ in terms of size and display resolution. Is there anything else that may be unique on Venu 3? Let us have a look at Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S below.
Main differences
The differences between Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S are shared below:
- Garmin Venu 3 is a 45 mm watch. Garmin Venu 3S is a 41 mm watch.
- The thickness of both watches remains unchanged at 12 mm each.
- Garmin Venu 3 has a bigger display size of 36 mm. Venu 3S has a smaller display size of 30 mm.
- Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S support AMOLED display. But, the display resolution of Venu 3 is higher at 454 x 454 pixels.
- Garmin Venu 3 47 grams and Venu 3S weighs 40 grams. This includes the weight of the silicone band and the watch.
- Garmin Venu 3 has a higher battery backup than the Venu 3S.
Apart from these differences, all the other features and characteristics are the same in the Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S.
We have captured the main differences between Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S in a comparison table below.
Key differences between Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S
| Features | Garmin Venu 3 | Garmin Venu 3S |
|---|---|---|
| Watch size | 45 mm | 41 mm |
| Display size | 1.4″ or 36 mm | 1.2″ or 30 mm |
| Watch weight | 47 g | 40 g |
| Thickness | 12 mm | 12 mm |
| Display type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Display resolution | 454 x 454 pixels | 390 x 390 pixels |
| Battery backup Smartwatch mode | Up to 14 days | Up to 10 days |
| Battery saver mode backup | Up to 26 days | Up to 20 days |
| GPS mode battery backup | Up to 26 hours | Up to 21 hours |
| All-Systems GNSS mode battery backup | Up to 20 hours | Up to 15 hours |
| All-Systems GNSS mode with music battery backup | Up to 11 hours | Up to 8 hours |
Venu 3 and Venu 3S differ is size, display resolution and battery backup. There are no additional differences between the two watch variants.
Both watches come at a list price of $449.99.
We have already shared the main differences between Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S above. There are some core features and improvements that you ought to know about the Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S.
Display specifications
Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S use the 3rd generation Corning Gorilla Glass in the display lens. Both watches support the AMOLED display technology.
Due to the AMOLED technology, both smartwatches also support the Always-on-display mode. A summary of display features is shared below.
| Display specifications | Garmin Venu 3 | Garmin Venu 3S |
|---|---|---|
| Display lens | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Display size | 36 mm | 30 mm |
| Color display | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Display resolution | 454 x 454 pixels | 390 x 390 pixels |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes |
Physical specifications
Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S differ in hardware attributes in terms of size. The internal storage and water rating for both watches are the same.
One of the advancements in Venu 3 and Venu 3S is the addition of an in-built speaker and microphone on the Venu 3 and Venu 3S. You can make calls and answer calls directly from the Venu 3 and Venu 3S.
A summary of physical specifications is shared below.
| Physical specifications | Garmin Venu 3 | Garmin Venu 3S |
|---|---|---|
| Watch size | 45 mm | 41 mm |
| Watch weight | 47 g | 40 g |
| Band size | 22 mm | 20 mm |
| Recommended wrist circumference | 135-200 mm | 110-175 mm |
| Water rating | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Device storage | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| NFC Payments | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Wireless connectivity | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| Barometric altimeter | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin Pulse Ox Sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin Elevate Heart Sensor | Yes | Yes |
| In-built speaker | Yes | Yes |
| In-built microphone | Yes | Yes |
GPS
Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S support GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO satellite networks. However, multi-band GPS is not available on the Venu 3 or Venu 3S series of smartwatches.
Music
Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S offer all the standard music features. This means, that on a Venu 3 or Venu 3S, you can achieve the following music features:
- You can control smartphone music using Garmin Venu 3 or Venu 3S
- You can store music on the watch storage on Venu 3 and Venu 3S
- You can manage music on the watch storage directly from the watch interface
- You can download music streaming apps like Spotify and Deezer from the Connect IQ store and listen to music offline.
Golf
Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S support the sport of Golf and have a ton of features to simply the Golf gaming experience. Some of the more significant Golf features on Venu 3 and Venu 3S include the following:
- Garmin Autoshot
- Digital scorecard
- Pinpointer
- Odometer
- Automatic club tracking
Heart and Health Monitoring
All the standard health tracking features are available in the Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S. This would include the following:
- Continuous heart rate tracking
- Blood oxygenation tracking
- Stress tracking
- Sleep tracking
- Respiration rate tracking
ECG app
The Garmin ECG app is available in Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S. The ECG app support was not part of the Venu 3 and Venu 3S smartwatches at the time of launch. Within weeks of the launch, the app support was enabled for both variants of Venu 3 and Venu 3S smartwatches.
It may be pertinent to mention that the Garmin ECG app did get its FDA approval. The Garmin ECG app was introduced in the Venu 2 Plus smartwatch.
With the Garmin ECG app, you can take on-spot electrocardiogram readings. This helps in detecting conditions of irregular heart rhythm. Garmin ECG app, therefore, makes a compelling feature advancement in the Venu 3 and Venu 3S smartwatches.
Final verdict
Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S have similar core functionality. Pick a variant that sits well on your wrist. Using the recommended wrist circumference is a good idea to pick the correct size for your wrist.
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