The Venu is a series from Garmin designed for people with an active lifestyle, and two of their popular models — the Garmin Venu 3 and the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, come with various advanced features such as Bluetooth calling and an ECG app.
But which should you choose? Below, we’ll be comparing these watches on price, design, display, health and fitness tracking, smartwatch features, and battery life, so you can find your ideal smartwatch.
Key Takeaways
There’s no surprise that the Venu 3 is better than the Venu 2 Plus. It has longer battery life, a bigger display, advanced health features, and much more. However, they also share some similarities, like an ECG app and a built-in speaker and microphone for Bluetooth calling.
Garmin Venu 3 vs Venu 2 Plus: Comparison
| Device name | Garmin Venu 3 | Garmin Venu 2 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Device type | Smartwatch | Smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | August, 2023 | January, 2022 |
| Versions | Standard edition | Standard edition |
| Body | ||
| Dimension | 45 x 45 x 12 mm | 43.6 x 43.6 x 12.6 mm |
| Weight | 30 grams (without strap) | 34 grams (without strap) |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Case material | Fiber-Reinforced Polymer | Fiber-Reinforced Polymer |
| Strap material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Bezel material | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel |
| Strap size | 22 mm | 20 mm |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Water resistance | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Display | ||
| Display size | 1.4 inch | 1.3 inch |
| Display type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Display resolution | 454 x 454 pixels | 416 x 416 pixels |
| Pixel density | 458 PPI | 452 PPI |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | ||
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | No | No |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | — | — |
| Internal Storage | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| Cellular Connectivity | ||
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None |
| Band | — | — |
| Sensors | ||
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | No | No |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| ECG | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | No | No |
| HRM | No | No |
| Pulse oximeter (SpO2) | Yes | Yes |
| Thermometer | Yes | Yes |
| Battery | ||
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | — | — |
| Battery life | 14 days | 9 days |
| Charging type | Plug Charger | Plug Charger |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
Price
Although the Venu 3 is a newer model, surprisingly, both devices come with the same price tag of $449. However, you now get the Venu 3 in Black and Whitestone, compared to only the Powder Gray colour in the Venu 2 Plus.
Design and Display
At a glance, you can spot a difference between the Venu 3 and Venu 2 Plus, as they both look identical and feature the same shiny stainless steel bezel and fiber-reinforced polymer casing with three buttons on the right. Both have the same color OLED touchscreen display protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, providing added durability and scratch resistance to survive in extreme conditions.
The Venu 3 measures 45 x 45 x 12 mm and weighs only 30 grams (without strap), while the Venu 2 Plus measures 43.6 x 43.6 x 12.6 mm and weighs 34 grams which makes it comfortable to wear for an extended period without feeling them on the wrist.
The Venu 3 boasts a 1.4-inch, 458 PPI AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. In contrast, the Venu 2 Plus boasts a 1.3 inch, 452 PPI AMOLED display with 416 x 416 pixels of screen resolution. The bigger display of the Venu 3 does help when scrolling through maps or looking at health data, and the higher pixel density provides more clarity when in direct sunlight.
Both have 5 ATM water ratings, making them suitable for wet conditions or swimming.
Health and Fitness Tracking
This is where you are getting a lot of added features in the Garmin Venu 3, making it appealing to health-conscious shoppers or athletes.
But let’s first discuss similarities. Both have wrist-based heart rate, respiration rate, body battery energy monitoring, stress monitoring, sleep tracking, hydration, women’s health, and a health snapshot (which tracks vital health metrics in two-minute sessions). Both have an ECG (electrocardiogram) app that can detect irregular heart rhythms, which could be a sign of atrial fibrillation, or AFib.
If we talk about differences, the Venu 3 features a Garmin Elevate V5 sensor that comes with 6 LEDs and 4 photodiodes compared to only 2 LEDs and 4 photodiodes in the Venu 2 Plus (Elevate V4 sensor), providing faster and more accurate readings.
The Venu 3 features a sleep coach that uses Firstbeat analytics to help users understand their sleep needs. It uses five key metrics, including age, activity levels, sleep history, naps taken, and heart rate variability (HRV), to calculate how much sleep a user needs. Then it provides personalised recommendations to help users get the necessary sleep by adjusting their sleep and naps schedules. It also tells you how much sleep you need based on your stress, activity, recovery, and previous sleeps.
Some additional features include meditation for individuals who want to practice mindfulness and a skin temperature sensor that can detect your temperature, which could be due to activity, illness, or other activities. The Jet Lag Advisor, which helps you feel better by providing personalised recommendations and works according to them, like dimming the watch screen and turning on grayscale mode, etc. Plus, wheelchair mode recognises movements as pushes instead of steps.
Both can track basic activities such as steps, floor climbed, distance travelled, calories burned, and intensity minutes, and the Venu 3 has few features for wheelchair users, including a push tracker and weight shift alert.
In terms of activity tracking, both can track multiple sports modes, including swimming, running, walking, cycling, biking, and much more (see the chart below).
| Category | Garmin Venu 3 | Garmin Venu 2 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Gym | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing |
| Multisport | — | — |
| Wellness | Walking, Pilates, Yoga | Walking, Pilates, Yoga |
| Indoor Running | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running |
| Outdoor Running | Running | Running |
| Outdoor Recreation | Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Disc Golf | Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Disc Golf |
| Cycling | Biking, Indoor Biking, eBiking, Handcycling, Indoor Handcycling | Biking, Indoor Biking |
| Swim | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming | Pool Swimming |
| Racket Sports | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel, Platform Tennis, Racquetball | Tennis, Pickleball, Padel |
| On The Water | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing |
| Motor Sports | — | — |
| Snow & Winter | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Snowshoeing | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Snowshoeing |
| Team Sports | Basketball, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Football/Soccer, American Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball | — |
| Ring Sports | Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts | — |
| Others | — | — |
They also offer on-screen workout animations and muscle maps, but Garmin Venu 3 offers workouts for wheelchair users. Plus, there are more features such as HR zones, VO2 max tracking, and training plans, but with the Venu 3, you get HRV status, which records and analyses the time between heartbeats, and recovery time, which provides personalised insights on how long it will take for you to fully recover and when you are ready for your next hard training.
Apart from these above-mentioned features, everything is similar, and both have various features for runners, swimmers, golfers, and cyclists.
Smartwatch Features
There is no major difference in the smartwatch sections, and you get similar things that you get on other Garmin devices.
Both let you receive apps, texts, and email notifications, calendars, weather forecasts, smartphone music control, find my phone, find my watch, and play and control smartphone music. One major difference that sets the Venu series apart is the Bluetooth calling support via the in-built speaker and a microphone, and both devices offer this feature. Plus, they also offer voice assistants — Siri and Google Assistant.
Both have Connect IQ stores to download widgets, watch faces, and apps, but you don’t need your phone to access them on the Venu 3. However, you will need your phone connected to your watch via Bluetooth on the Venu 2 Plus to access the store. They also let you do contactless payments via Garmin Pay, stream music via your own digital files, or download songs from Spotify and Deezer.
Battery Life
When it comes to battery life, both devices have excellent battery life that can last for several days. In smartwatch mode, the Garmin Venu 3 can last up to 14 days (5 days with an always-on display), compared to only 9 days in the Venu 2 Plus. Both have a battery-saving smartwatch mode that increases the battery life to 26 days in the Venu 3 and 10 days in the Venu 2 Plus.
In GPS-only GNSS mode, the Venu 3 can last for up to 26 hours, while the Venu 2 Plus can last for 24 hours. Both come with a Garmin proprietary plug charger that takes 1-2 hours to fully charge these devices.
Verdict
Which one should I choose between the Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 2 Plus? The Venu 3 will be hands down a better choice for you because, at the same price, you are getting a bigger display, longer battery life, more recovery features, advanced sleep tracking, and so much more.
The Venu 2 Plus will only be a good choice if you have a smaller wrist because it has a 20mm strap compared to the 22mm strap in the Venu 3. So if this is the case, then the Venu 2 Plus will be the way to go.