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Regular readers know that I have a smartwatch on one wrist and a Garmin GPS sports watch on the other. On the contrary, my eldest daughter has been a user of Fitbit wearables for a long time. But over the past six months, his Fitbit Sense’s battery life has deteriorated significantly, not to mention the watch has constantly had Bluetooth connection issues.
Luckily, the timing couldn’t have been better for her, because before I went to buy another Fitbit, Garmin had just sent me their new Venu 3S watch to test out. The Venu 3 is the standard size version. Since my daughter wanted a smaller watch that matched the size of the Sense, I let her try it.
The model we tested currently retails for €500 and has a sleek stainless steel finish with a sage gray casing. And after spending several weeks wearing the watch daily, my daughter was converted. And here’s why.
A competitor to the Apple Watch
My daughter’s first reaction when she opened the Venu 3S was to be amazed at its comfortable fit, construction and finish. The silicone band is also very soft and looks a lot like the high-end Apple Sport band.
Garmin’s Venu series is the best smartwatch competitor to the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch. It has a microphone and speaker that allows you to make phone calls from the wrist and benefit from a voice assistant via a connected smartphone. It is also the first Garmin series to feature an AMOLED display. And that’s still the case with the Venu 3.
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I tested the watch for several days to discover the new features of the Venu 3/3S, then passed the watch to my daughter to test for a week. Garmin has improved the Venu in the following areas:
- Two sizes available.
- Garmin Elevate V5 optical heart rate sensor.
- Multi-GNSS (geolocation) support.
- More efficient battery
- Support for wheelchair activities
- Morning report, sleep coach, jet lag advisor and other utilities
- Improved fitness features, such as HRV (heart rate variability) tracking, recovery time, perceived exertion and new sport profiles
- Updated user interface
Switch to a three-button watch
The price remains the same as before, which is great considering the current economic situation and all the improvements made to the watch. This is a well-designed product for those looking for a watch focused on health and wellness features rather than a long list of third-party apps.
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Since I use Garmin watches with five buttons daily, it took me a few days to get used to the three-button design and updated user interface. The three right buttons and the screen keys perform various functions:
- Swipe from left to right for an app shortcut.
- Swipe up and down for selected widgets.
- Button at the top right, with a single press for activities and applications, with a long press for quick commands.
- Right central button, with a single press for recent applications, with a long press for the voice assistant.
- Bottom right button, with a single press to go back, with a long press to access the watch face, clocks and settings.
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Phone calls pass the test
We tested phone calls to and from the watch, and the sound was very good, both on the watch and on the phone the call was made to. You can use the touchscreen to dial a number or call contacts saved in your contact list. Hands-free calling from a watch is a great feature when you’re participating in an activity and need both hands. This is a feature I would like to see on high-end Garmin watches in the future.
The voice assistant also works well and we tested Siri with iPhones. The watch functions as a speaker/mic for Siri, with detailed results displayed on the iPhone screen and delivered audibly on the watch. Another cool feature of the Venu 3S is that music can be played directly through the watch’s speaker, which is not possible on an Apple Watch. Samsung also supports this feature and sometimes I enjoy background music, which is why this option is very nice.
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My daughter goes on many walks and hikes in Colorado and perks up with a nap every now and then. So she loved the new nap tracking feature. The Venu 3S automatically tracks your naps and it’s pretty accurate. One of the cool features of nap tracking is showing how they impact your body “battery.” You should see a positive number next to your nap.
The initial problem that prompted my daughter to try Garmin was the insufficient battery life on her Fitbit. The Garmin Venu 3S is advertised as having up to 10 days of battery life and so far with its daily routine it has been very close to that performance. As long as she lasts a week with her walking, hiking, sleeping and other activities, she is happy.
ZDNET’s purchasing advice for the Garmin Venu 3 smartwatch
If you’re looking for a health and wellness tracking watch that lasts more than a day or two, the Garmin Venu 3S is an exceptional option. With the ability to take and make calls from your wrist, voice assistant from your wrist, and notifications from your smartphone, it can fulfill all the roles expected of a smartwatch. Add to that Garmin’s 24/7 data collection and processing to assist you, and you’ve got a watch that’s hard to beat.
Source: “ZDNet.com”