As SELF’s health director, I’ve examined a lot of smartwatches and health trackers, so I do know there are just a few fundamental must-haves for me: The machine must precisely measure distance, tempo, and coronary heart fee throughout my exercises (no lagging GPS, please!); function intuitively out of the field; and sync seamlessly with my telephone with none troubleshooting.
However for those who’ve perused an inventory of the finest health trackers on the market, you already know there are so many fashions with further options that promise assist you perceive your physique higher. The brand new Garmin Venu 3 smartwatch ($450, amazon.com) falls solidly in that camp: The model vows to “offer you a extra full image of your well being.” However does it ship on that bold, holistic pledge? I strapped on a pattern to seek out out—learn on for my full evaluate.
How I examined
I based mostly my evaluate of the Garmin Venu 3 on standards really helpful by SELF’s panel of consultants, which focuses on issues like ease of use, accuracy with distance and coronary heart fee (amongst different metrics), battery life, and particular options. I wore the smartwatch for over a month, and took it off solely to cost it when mandatory—which means, I showered and slept with it secured to my wrist. I examined the Venu 3 throughout completely different sorts of exercises, together with outside and treadmill runs, power coaching routines, indoor bike classes, and even a yoga class.
Ease of use
For me, a watch must be usable proper out of the field, no directions wanted. So I pay further shut consideration to issues like intuitive setup and (lack of) studying curve.
First impressions
Once I unboxed the Garmin Venu 3, I used to be pleasantly shocked by how fairly it was: I attempted it in French grey (a lightweight mushroom coloration with gold accents) within the smaller, 41-mm case dimension (good for my small wrist), and thought it seemed far more trendy than a number of the different gadgets I’ve examined (together with considered one of my favorites, the Garmin Forerunner 265, which had a decidedly extra rugged look).
Like its predecessor, the Venu 2, the most recent model is a combo of touchscreen and bodily buttons, which to me, is the most effective of each worlds. The display screen makes for simple scrolling, and the Venu 3 has three buttons that come in useful when your dexterity is compromised (say, like whenever you’re operating within the chilly with gloves on and have to mark a lap interval.)
The watch face
You may both use preloaded watch faces or select your personal within the companion Garmin Join IQ app. I went with the latter and picked out an admittedly busy face that exhibits me a ton of metrics, together with time of day (after all), date, battery, coronary heart fee, and steps—and a enjoyable little bar chart that illustrates my steps for the final seven days.
One large plus for me with the Venu 3 is how intuitive every little thing was from the get-go. Press the highest button, and also you go proper to the train menu. Swipe up or down and also you see the breakdown for all of your vitals. Along with the metrics I discussed above, my personalized lineup consists of my whole runs per week, physique battery (Garmin’s calculation of how a lot vitality you’ve gotten for the day), sleep rating, restoration, and telephone notifications. Contact any of those, and also you’re despatched to a separate display screen with extra deets—one thing I very a lot appreciated, since plenty of instances it’s essential go to the app to get that intel.
