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Garmin Venu 2 vs Garmin Vivoactive 3

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in Fitness Watch

Garmin Venu 2

91 reviews

View Product Details

Garmin Vivoactive 3

Garmin Vivoactive 3

186 reviews

View Product Details

Great activity tracking

Long battery life

Customizable watch faces and data tracking features

Precision GPS and heart rate monitor

Comfortable design

Great battery life

Attractive and durable design

Accurate heart rate monitoring

Versatile and customizable for tracking fitness and daily activities

Not compatible with Google Assistant

Occasional syncing issues

Inaccurate tracking of floors climbed and sleep

Not as user-friendly as some other smartwatches

Display could be better

Some users have reported issues with water sensitivity

Verdict

Overall, the Garmin Venu 2 receives positive reviews for its strong activity tracking, long battery life, and comfortable design. Users appreciate the precision of the GPS and heart rate monitor, as well as the customizable watch faces and data tracking features. However, some users note occasional syncing issues and inaccuracies in tracking floors climbed and sleep. The lack of Google Assistant and integration with common cardio equipment are also mentioned as drawbacks. Despite these minor issues, the Garmin Venu 2 is generally recommended for those looking for a reliable and feature-rich smartwatch.

Verdict

The Garmin Vivoactive 3 is a highly recommended wearable device that strikes a balance between fitness tracker and smartwatch functionality. It has a durable and attractive design, accurate heart rate monitoring, and good battery life. However, some users have reported issues with the display, user-friendliness, and water sensitivity. It is a good option for those who want a versatile and customizable device for tracking their fitness and daily activities.

Reviews by Topic

Our analysis shows how reviewers feel about different topics. Please note these are not full reviews.

Battery Life

I've own 7 devices, 3 brands, love Polar but Garmin wins, here's why

The body battery drains all day during activity. If one wants to recharge (relax,) the move feature will harass them to get up and move, which results in more drain. Not a good feature; it can be removed or ignored. Stress 1

Had enough of the Fitbit issues. Time to try Garmin.

I haven’t found a simpler and efficient (and clean) watch face thats good on battery life as this one.

Positive

reddit.com/r/Garmin

Fit

Garmin venu sq smartwatch

Positives: This smartwatch is really nicely built, has a comfortable feeling while wearing day and night. You can download the connect IQ store app to purchase different watch faces for a really cheap price and can buy different watch bands through Amazon which is nice too. The other thing that I really like about this smartwatch is how super easy it was to pair with my android phone and I love the app. It is super easy to navigate and see all the awesome data that it provides

Running watches for the recreational runner - are they needed?

Mostly I like having a pedometer...just taking more steps in a day has been good for my health

Positive

reddit.com/r/running

Activity Tracking

Better Battery Life than Apple Watch

I like the watch mainly bought it to help me track steps. Had an apple watch that bit the dust after long use so I can compare the two. For everyday use ( steps, time, faces, .

youtube

VivoActive 3 Review - Activities (EP3) Running, Cycling, Strength, Gym and more!

The V boxer 3 was actually shockingly accurate, but I did find it interesting that the Phoenix 5 X and vivoactive 3 calculated calories a little bit d...

Positive

Connectivity

Get a screen protector. Otherwise, fantastic. (Coming from Samsung Gear Watch)

I was figuring I'd upgrade to a newer Samsung watch. I'm glad I took the time to research and try a Garmin. I'm a techie and quasi-athlete. In other words, I like gadgets and cool tech, and I take exercise somewhat seriously

Can not track basic data

You have to compromise your security by fully entering your credit card number, only to get a response saying the issuer isn't participating. The issuer of the credit card I tried is one of the largest in the US. If they're not participating, it's a good bet that not many are at all. I am unhappy that I had to share my full payment information in an app, in order to find this out

Durability

Great all around watch, excellent replacement for previous other popular brand

This watch manages about a week, although just barely (certain adjustments or using certain features will increase our decrease that if course), but it still has all of the fancy sensors (and quality ones at that) and pretty decent software. Decent. There's some room for improvement. Navigating through it's menus takes some getting used to, and there's some things that I have to look up or just fiddle with for awhile to remember how to find

youtube

Garmin Vivoactive 3 Smart Watch Review - 2020 - YouTube

So what exactly does the Garmin VivoActive 3 have to offer and is it a good option compared to all of the other smartwatches out there? Well let's tak...

Positive

Design

I really love the user experience of the button!. I also like the garmin venu 2 for its design who adds a gps and the music options. I can leave my phone at home when I do workout or running.

Positive

reddit.com/r/smartwatch

I also had a Vivoactive 3 but the altimeter went flakey. Seems like a design flaw as I read other reviews with the same problem.

Positive

reddit.com/r/triathlon

Comfortability

Garmin Venu 2 Review

3-inch display with 416-by-416 resolution, and weighs 1.7 ounces. The Venu 2S I tested is slim, lightweight, and comfortable.

Positive

Just got the Instinct Solar

The Instinct solar just dropped $200 at my local store so I am going to pick it up today, going off what most people have told me its perfect for my use case(and clearly yours too) I dont want fancy gadgets, I want something that tells me the time, date, weather, when someone texts me and when someone calls me, thats about it, everything else is just a bonus. I also did some maths and theoretically with my job, i should never have to charge this watch after the first time I charge it because of the solar efficiency, that prospect is super cool. Congrats on the purchase!

Negative

reddit.com/r/Garmin

Comfort

I was right about that. At the moment, I'm using it daily to record and log my workout results, and it's a very convenient way of staying on top of communications that are coming into me; both text and email. I also like the little prompts it gives to get moving and breathe deeply when stressed. Moreover, it's something of a comfort when I see it congratulate me for having passed whatever goals it's monitoring for me

Simple, basic, no frills

I do not like wearing a chest strap so I choose to use a watch with a heart rate monitor. I started with a vivosmart and now I’m using this device to broadcast my heart rate to the edge computer. To be quite honest I only used the vivosmart monitor for that one and only purpose. I used an Apple Watch 3rd gen as my regular watch

Notifications

It's really good, but...

However, after turning off push notifications for certain things I still get them. When you hit a goal like steps, it will alert for each step after not allowing access to anything else unless you stop walking because it gets locked up alerting, but then wait for alerts to stop, then proceed to next function. It's really annoying. I still get voice-mail alerts and phone stuff after turning phone notifications off

It's like wearing a can of worms, or a beehive.

Meanwhile, on the cell phone, the Connect app keeps asking me for permissions to show me texts, phone, email information on my watch. I DON'T WANT TO! I already denied the permissions, and hours later it will ask me again to enable the permissions. I don't want this watch to show me texts, emails, etc. that's why I carry my cell phone

Price

Pretty and functional but so-so

Having bought it on Amazon Prime Day I saved a lot of $$ on the watch so it’s worth it, but for the original $400 I may have considered returning it.

Running watch - Game Changer?

I wasn't sure how much I would personally benefit from one, so I didn't want to invest a lot but wanted a strong feature set. I went with the Garmin Vivoactive 3, and you can buy them for $130 but sometimes get them on sale for as low as $100-110. It's a great value for that price, and I would recommend it if you are unsure and want to try one and see if it is for you.

Positive

reddit.com/r/running

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