Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch Review: Big Fitness Power in a Compact, Stylish Frame
The Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch brings together the precision of Garmin’s fitness tracking legacy with a sleek, compact design built for smaller wrists. Don’t let the “S” fool you—this isn’t a cut-down version. It’s fully loaded with robust health sensors, onboard music storage, in-depth sleep tracking, and even nap detection. Ideal for both casual wellness enthusiasts and serious athletes alike, the Garmin Venu 3S blends elegant aesthetics with the functionality of a dedicated fitness wearable.
Garmin’s focus on wellness shines here. From real-time heart rate monitoring and body battery energy tracking to the new “Sleep Coach” feature that goes beyond basic sleep scores, the Venu 3S takes holistic health seriously. Add in phone-free music, support for voice assistants, and a stunning AMOLED display, and you’ve got a smartwatch that competes not only with fitness trackers but also with mainstream smartwatches like the Apple Watch SE and Galaxy Watch.
But it’s not perfect—its price sits in the premium tier, and some Android users have flagged occasional sync hiccups. Still, if you want a small, stylish wearable with massive wellness IQ, the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch might just be your wrist’s new best friend.
MSRP (when available or best estimate): $449.99
Price: Check Price on Amazon
✅ Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch Pros
✅ Compact, Lightweight Design
Perfect for smaller wrists without sacrificing screen clarity or features.
✅ Comprehensive Sleep Tracking
Includes advanced features like nap detection and a personalized sleep coach.
✅ Bright AMOLED Display
The always-on mode is crisp and readable even in bright sunlight.
✅ Excellent Battery Life
Up to 10 days in smartwatch mode, outlasting most competitors.
✅ Voice Assistant Support
Works with phone-connected voice assistants for hands-free commands.
✅ Accurate Health Metrics
Strong real-time heart rate, SpO2, stress, and respiration tracking.
✅ Music Storage & Streaming
Download Spotify or Amazon Music playlists for phone-free listening.
✅ Great for Fitness Variety
Over 30 built-in sports modes, including guided workouts and animated strength training.
❌ Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch Cons
❌ Pricey Compared to Competitors
Comes at a premium, especially for users who don’t need all the extras.
❌ Limited App Ecosystem
Garmin’s app store lags behind Apple and Wear OS in variety.
❌ Syncing Glitches on Android
Some users report sporadic delays or disconnects.
❌ No LTE Version
Requires a phone for full smart functionality like calls and notifications.
❌ Sleep Score Variability
A few users say sleep tracking is sometimes inconsistent or overly sensitive.
❌ Voice Assistant Is Phone-Dependent
No onboard assistant; must be paired with your smartphone.
❌ Touchscreen-Only Interface
Lacks a physical rotating crown or button navigation.
Smart Features & Core Tech
Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch
Health & Wellness Sensors
Garmin has packed the Venu 3S with an impressive array of health-tracking sensors, rivaling many larger or pricier competitors. The usual suspects are all here: a 24/7 heart rate monitor, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) sensor, respiration tracker, stress monitor, hydration reminders, and women’s health tracking. The device also includes wrist-based skin temperature monitoring, although unlike Fitbit, it's not yet deeply integrated into personalized insights.
GPS is built-in and highly accurate, using multi-GNSS support (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo) to ensure strong signal lock even in urban environments. Heart rate accuracy is particularly strong during moderate-intensity activities, though a few runners have mentioned that it lags slightly behind chest straps during sudden spikes — a common trade-off with wrist-based optical sensors.
New in this generation is a skin temperature trend tracker and ambient light sensor, making it easier to track overall wellness without needing to fiddle with manual measurements. Garmin’s Body Battery and Pulse Ox sensors continue to offer a helpful, real-time energy picture throughout the day and night.
Smart Health Insights
What sets the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch apart isn’t just its sensor suite — it’s how intelligently those sensors are used. Garmin’s new Sleep Coach not only provides an overall score but also gives actionable suggestions based on prior sleep history, activity levels, and daily stress metrics. Unlike simpler sleep features on entry-level devices,the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch includes nap detection and REM stage breakdowns.
The Body Battery feature, a user favorite, continues to shine here. It’s a cumulative energy metric that shows how your body recharges and depletes throughout the day, factoring in stress, sleep, and activity levels. Think of it as a fuel gauge for your stamina.
Garmin also includes high/low heart rate alerts, abnormal respiration warnings, and even jet lag guidance for frequent travelers. One of the standout AI-backed insights is the Morning Report, which summarizes your sleep, recovery, and readiness first thing every day — a feature more common on high-end wearables like the Whoop 4.0 or Oura Ring.
Voice Assistant & Productivity Features
The Garmin Venu 3S supports voice assistants, but there’s a caveat: it requires pairing with your smartphone to use the feature. It doesn’t come with a built-in assistant like Alexa or Google, which might be a dealbreaker for some. That said, when connected, you can initiate voice commands using your phone’s default assistant — such as Siri on iOS or Google Assistant on Android — through the watch’s built-in mic and speaker.
Beyond voice, productivity tools are modest but useful. The Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch supports calendar syncing, text previews, smart notifications, weather updates, and event reminders. You can also reply to messages (on Android only) via pre-written responses or voice-to-text. Call handling is smooth via Bluetooth, but again, this depends on staying tethered to your phone.
Display & UX Enhancements
The Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch boasts a gorgeous 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The display is bright, colorful, and easily visible even under direct sunlight. With a 390x390 pixel resolution, everything from workout animations to notifications looks crisp and vibrant.
Garmin includes an always-on display option, which understandably impacts battery life, but not dramatically. Touch response is snappy, with a revamped UI that’s much more intuitive than previous Garmin models. It’s swipe-friendly, with simple tiles and widgets that provide quick access to health stats and apps.
One potential downside: the watch relies entirely on the touchscreen and side buttons — there’s no physical rotating crown or bezel like on Samsung or Apple models, which some users prefer for scrolling through menus.
Additional Tools & Bonuses
The Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch doesn’t stop at fitness tracking — it’s a surprisingly well-rounded smartwatch. It supports Garmin Pay, allowing contactless payments from your wrist. You’ll also find support for offline music playback via Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer (though setup requires a bit of app wrangling).
The watch also includes fall detection and incident alerts (when paired with a phone), making it a good option for older adults or solo runners. Safety and tracking features can automatically send your location to emergency contacts if the watch detects a crash or hard fall.
Other extras include a handy camera remote for smartphones, stopwatch and timer apps, breathing exercises, and a “find my phone” tool. While it doesn’t quite reach the smart functionality of the Apple Watch Ultra or Galaxy Watch 6, it comes impressively close — especially for a brand that has traditionally focused more on fitness than smartwatch bells and whistles.
Performance & User Experience
Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch
Health & Fitness Accuracy
The Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch holds its own as one of the most reliable fitness wearables in the compact category. Garmin has long been known for precision, and while this isn’t a multisport powerhouse like the Fenix line, the Venu 3S offers extremely competent tracking for everyday activities and structured workouts alike.
Step tracking is consistent and rarely overcounts, even with wrist movements during typing or driving. GPS accuracy is another strong point — thanks to multi-band GNSS support, users report fast satellite locks and minimal drift in urban areas or under dense tree cover. For runners and cyclists, distance tracking is within 1–2% of calibrated devices, which puts it in the upper tier of consumer wearables.
Heart rate monitoring is quite accurate during steady-state activities like walking, yoga, or long cardio sessions. However, like most wrist-based monitors, it can fall behind during sudden spikes in effort — such as sprints or HIIT intervals. Users who need minute-by-minute cardiac precision may want to pair a chest strap (which the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch supports via Bluetooth).
Sleep tracking has received a major upgrade with the new “Sleep Coach,” which breaks down sleep stages and even tracks naps. While most users praise its depth, some note that light sleepers or those who toss and turn may find the data a bit overzealous in counting wake periods.
Workout detection is generally on point, with the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch auto-detecting walking, running, elliptical use, and even strength training. The animated workouts feature — especially for strength and yoga — is a popular favorite, as it visually guides users through form and reps right from the watch face.
Overall, the Venu 3S strikes an excellent balance of fitness accuracy and usability. It’s reliable enough for semi-serious athletes, while remaining user-friendly for wellness-focused wearers.
Notifications & App Integration
For a fitness-focused wearable, the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch does a surprisingly solid job handling day-to-day smart tasks. You won’t mistake it for a full smartwatch like the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch, but for most users, it offers enough to stay connected without being glued to your phone.
The Venu 3S delivers notifications reliably across both iOS and Android, including texts, app alerts, calendar reminders, and social media pings. On Android, you can reply to messages directly from the watch using canned responses or voice-to-text. iPhone users, unfortunately, are limited to viewing messages without the ability to respond — a platform limitation, not Garmin’s fault.
Call alerts are clear and immediate, and thanks to the onboard microphone and speaker, you can take Bluetooth calls from your wrist when your phone is nearby. Sound quality is serviceable — not studio-clear, but perfectly usable for quick chats or "I'm-on-my-way" calls.
Where the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch falls a bit short is in third-party app integration. Garmin’s Connect IQ store has improved over the years, but it still lacks the diversity and polish found in the Apple or Google app ecosystems. That said, popular apps like Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, and even Strava are supported, and the basics like calendar sync, weather, and to-do apps work just fine.
The Garmin Connect mobile app ties everything together. It’s detailed, well-organized, and offers deep insight into your health metrics — much more than your average fitness dashboard. Syncing is generally smooth, though a handful of Android users report occasional delays or hiccups, particularly after OS updates or switching phones.
In short, if your goal is basic smart functionality with strong health focus, the Venu 3S won’t disappoint — just don’t expect a full-on app playground.
Smart Assistant & Voice Control
The Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch supports voice control, but with a catch — it doesn’t have its own built-in assistant. Instead, it acts as a conduit to your phone’s voice assistant. That means it works with Siri, Google Assistant, or Bixby depending on your phone, but only when the watch is Bluetooth-connected to your device.
The experience is smooth enough for most basic tasks. Want to send a quick text, check the weather, or set a reminder? Just press and speak — the watch captures your voice via its onboard microphone and routes the request through your smartphone. You’ll hear the response through the Venu 3S’s built-in speaker. In real-world use, the mic picks up voice commands well even outdoors, as long as background noise is minimal.
However, don’t expect the kind of seamless, independent voice functionality you’d get from a Pixel Watch or Apple Watch. If your phone is out of range or Bluetooth is disconnected, the assistant won’t work. This limitation can frustrate users who expect the watch to handle requests like a smart speaker on your wrist.
Another point to note is that there’s no smart home ecosystem integration built directly into the watch. You can’t, for example, control your thermostat or lights natively — you’d need to do that through your phone’s assistant and hope for reliable relay.
Still, for the casual user who just wants to check a fact, fire off a text, or start a workout via voice, the Venu 3S gets the job done — as long as your phone is along for the ride. It’s a convenience feature, not a flagship one, but it works reliably within its limitations.
Battery Life
One of the strongest suits of the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch is its battery life. Garmin advertises up to 10 days in standard smartwatch mode, and in most real-world cases, that claim holds up remarkably well. Users regularly report 7–9 days of battery life with moderate use — including sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, and a few workouts per week.
If you keep the always-on display enabled and use features like music playback or GPS workouts regularly, you’ll see a steeper drop — expect closer to 3–5 days. That’s still impressive compared to competitors like the Apple Watch SE (which typically lasts 1.5 days at best). The Venu 3S also offers a battery saver mode that strips down smart features but extends life significantly — great for travel days or outdoor hikes.
When it comes to GPS-heavy use, the watch performs admirably. You’ll get about 21 hours in GPS mode, or around 5–6 hours with GPS + music playback, which is excellent for runners and cyclists on longer outings. For context, that's on par with — or better than — several Garmin fitness-first models and significantly ahead of many general-use smartwatches.
Charging is reasonably quick. A full charge from 0% takes around 60–75 minutes. The proprietary USB cable snaps in easily and stays put, although a few users wish Garmin would adopt a universal standard like USB-C or magnetic Qi charging.
Bottom line: if you’re tired of charging your smartwatch every night, the Venu 3S will feel liberating. Its battery life strikes a smart balance between performance and practicality — long-lasting enough for regular users, and flexible enough for athletes who need a few days of hardcore tracking.
Comfort & Design
Garmin clearly designed the Venu 3S Smartwatch with comfort in mind — especially for users with smaller wrists or those who want a sleek profile. At just 1.2 inches in diameter and weighing around 27 grams (without the strap), the Venu 3S is noticeably lighter than many competing fitness watches. It’s ideal for all-day wear, including during sleep, without feeling bulky or intrusive.
The case is made from fiber-reinforced polymer with a stainless steel bezel, giving it a lightweight yet premium look. It’s durable enough for workouts and stylish enough for business-casual wear. The included silicone band is soft, flexible, and breathable — most users find it comfortable even during sweaty workouts or overnight use. And because the band uses a standard 18mm quick-release system, it's easy to swap out for leather, nylon, or third-party straps.
One standout feature is the AMOLED display. At 390x390 pixels, it’s crisp and vibrant, with rich colors and deep blacks. Indoors, the screen is bright and responsive. Outdoors, visibility is excellent, especially with brightness turned up or auto-adjust enabled. The touchscreen is fluid and responsive, though a few users wish Garmin had included a rotating crown or tactile scroll interface for easier navigation with sweaty hands.
The button layout is simple: two side buttons offer quick shortcuts, while the rest of the interaction happens via touch. It’s intuitive, though not as customizable as Apple’s Digital Crown or Samsung’s rotating bezel.
Overall, the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch balances style and function well. It’s compact without feeling cramped, and its minimalistic yet refined design makes it one of the more versatile wearables — whether you’re at the gym, on a hike, or heading to brunch.
Companion App & Ecosystem
The Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch is powered by the Garmin Connect app — a robust, data-rich platform that’s easily one of the most comprehensive in the fitness wearable space. Whether you’re a casual step tracker or a detail-obsessed athlete, Garmin Connect has something for you.
Setup is straightforward, with the app guiding you through initial pairing, profile setup, and health metric calibration. From there, the real magic begins. The app breaks down your data across intuitive dashboards — daily summaries, heart rate trends, stress charts, sleep stages, hydration logs, and Body Battery insights all get their own panels. It’s not just data for data’s sake, either: Garmin Connect makes it easy to spot patterns and actionable insights over time.
Users particularly love the Morning Report feature, which synthesizes sleep, recovery, and activity readiness into a single summary. The calendar view is another standout, showing your workouts, steps, and sleep data overlaid by day, week, or month. This makes long-term progress tracking not only possible but actually enjoyable.
Third-party integration is solid, though not as extensive as Apple Health or Google Fit. You can sync with popular services like Strava, MyFitnessPal, Apple Health, and Google Fit, as well as music platforms like Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music. Garmin Pay also lets you link supported bank cards for contactless payments, though availability varies by region and bank.
One caveat: while the app is feature-rich, it can feel overwhelming to new users. There’s a learning curve, especially if you dive into advanced metrics like HRV status, intensity minutes, and VO2 max estimates. That said, most users adapt quickly and come to appreciate the depth and customization available.
In terms of reliability, the ecosystem is stable — syncing is usually fast, and firmware updates are pushed regularly. Overall, Garmin Connect adds significant value to the Venu 3S experience, rounding out an already impressive health and fitness platform.
Final Verdict
Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch
The Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch is a masterclass in balancing advanced health features with compact, everyday wearability. It’s ideal for anyone who wants deep fitness tracking without strapping on a bulky wrist computer. With a beautiful AMOLED screen, highly accurate health sensors, and Garmin’s excellent battery life, it makes a compelling case for users who want more than a step counter — but less than a multisport behemoth.
It shines brightest for fitness-first users who still want a touch of smart convenience. Whether you’re tracking guided strength workouts, monitoring your stress levels, analyzing your sleep quality, or leaving your phone behind for a run with Spotify playlists on your wrist — the Venu 3S delivers.
That said, it’s not for everyone. If you’re after a robust app store, LTE independence, or smart home control from your wrist, this won’t check every box. But if you’re looking for a stylish, health-focused wearable that excels in battery life, comfort, and data insights — especially for smaller wrists — the Venu 3S is hard to beat.
Recommended for: Fitness enthusiasts, wellness-focused users, smaller-wristed wearers, and anyone who values accurate health tracking over app overload.
FAQ
Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch
Does the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch require a subscription?
No, all core features — including health tracking, sleep insights, and GPS — are included out of the box. Garmin Connect is completely free, and there’s no monthly fee required to unlock insights.
Is the Venu 3S compatible with both iPhone and Android?
Yes, it works with both platforms. However, Android users can reply to texts directly from the watch, while iPhone users are limited to viewing notifications only.
Can I use the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch to track sleep automatically?
Yes. Sleep tracking begins automatically each night, including REM, deep, light, and wake stages. It also logs naps — a rare feature even in premium wearables.
Can I take phone calls or reply to messages?
Yes, but with limitations. You can take Bluetooth calls and reply to messages using voice or text on Android. iPhone users can receive notifications but can’t respond directly from the watch.
Does it support music playback without a phone?
Yes! The Venu 3S supports offline music storage and playback. You can download playlists from Spotify, Amazon Music, or Deezer for phone-free listening during workouts.
What’s the difference between the Garmin Venu 3 Smartwatch and the Garmin Venu 3S Smartwatch?
The only real difference is size. The Venu 3S is designed for smaller wrists, with a 1.2-inch display and a lighter case. The regular Venu 3 has a 1.4-inch screen and a slightly larger, heavier body. Feature-wise, they are otherwise identical.
Additional Information
Garmin Forerunner 265 Smartwatch Review Garmin vivoactive 6 Smartwatch Review Garmin Enduro 3 Smartwatch Review Garmin fēnix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar ReviewThis review is based on research, expert analysis, and user feedback. AI Reviews HQ does not conduct hands-on product testing. We may earn a commission from the links in this review. We do our best to provide accurate product details, however AI is not perfect and may make some mistakes in research. Please double-check with the manufacturer or retailer before purchasing. Check out the product page