Garmin Makes The Best Smartwatches That I Can’t Wear Every Day

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

With a diverse range of powerful watches, Garmin earns a top spot in the wearables market. As a fitness enthusiast, I absolutely love Garmin’s entire lineup, from the Fenix 8 to the Vivoactive 6. The company’s lifestyle smartwatch, the Venu 3, offers fantastic heart rate and GPS accuracy, and a wealth of performance metrics. But despite its impressive features, I can’t bring myself to wear one every day. If you’re all about health and fitness, Garmin’s perfect. But if you need a smartwatch that handles everything, well, Garmin ain’t it.

The power of Garmin’s devices

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

First things first — Garmin’s devices are virtually unrivaled when it comes to fitness tracking. While Wear OS and Apple smartwatches continue to catch up, Garmin still leads in accuracy and advanced metrics. The Venu 3 stands out with features like Body Battery, Health Snapshot, Fitness Age, and extensive sports tracking. It also offers customization options for workout data screens and niche tools like cycling power meter support.

Then there’s its accuracy. The Venu 3’s GPS and heart rate sensors are spot on. Whether I’m running trails (okay, walking), cycling urban areas, or tracking my daily coffee commute, Garmin’s GPS reliability is rock-solid. In fact, during my review, it even outperformed some multi-band watches. The heart rate sensor is just as consistent, matching the accuracy of my dedicated heart rate strap. This reliable sensor is the pillar of several of Garmin’s most useful offerings, including detailed activity and sleep tracking, plus more advanced training tools like HRV tracking and Recovery.

The Garmin Venu 3’s GPS and heart rate sensors offer spot-on accuracy.

Another standout is the Venu 3’s battery life. Garmin devices are known for lasting days (or even weeks) on a single charge, and the Venu 3 is no exception. Even with its 1.4-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, the watch features a 14-day battery life. In my experience, it lasts about four days with heavy use, including GPS tracking. That’s impressive, especially when compared to the demoralizing daily charging cycle of many other smartwatches (cough, Apple Watch). With all the time it spends on my wrist, the Venu 3’s durability also deserves recognition. With a stainless steel bezel and water resistance up to five meters, it still looks as pristine as the day I got it.

Garmin’s greater ecosystem

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

The Venu 3’s hardware and on-device tools are impressive, but Garmin doesn’t stop there. The Garmin Connect app is another reason I lean into the brand. It’s packed with stats yet somehow streamlined, so I never feel overwhelmed or lacking in data. From tracking workouts and analyzing sleep to monitoring training and recovery, Garmin has it figured out. Recently, they launched Garmin Connect Plus, which takes things up a notch with personalized training plans and deeper insights. I wasn’t pretty disappointed to see a subscription fee, but I’m always excited when a brand develops more tools and features.

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Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

Finally, Garmin Coach is a game-changer for me. After a recent fitness hiatus, I’m more interested than ever in custom training plans tailored to my abilities. I’ve utilized the running coach as well as the newer Strength training option. As I improve, Garmin Coach plans adapt, keeping me on track to crush my goals while taking the mental load off my shoulders.

Smart features behind the curve

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

Yet, while I could go on and on about my love for Garmin, the Venu 3 will never be my daily driver. The device falls far too short in smart features, especially for anyone used to an Apple, Pixel, or Samsung Galaxy watch.

Compared to Apple and Wear OS smartwatches, the Venu 3 lacks third-party app support and smart features.

For one, third-party app compatibility is extremely limited. You won’t find the massive selection of apps you get on other smartwatches, especially Apple, and the ones you do find don’t offer the same integration you’ll get on Wear OS or Apple. I can download a Spotify app from the IQ store, for example, but its functionality is limited. I can’t add Audible for long walks, an app I use regularly on my other watches. The Venu 3 also doesn’t offer access to most of the productivity tools I rely on or any of Google’s suite.

The Venu 3 can tap into my phone’s voice assistant, but Garmin doesn’t have its own fully integrated assistant like Google Assistant or Siri. When it comes to notifications, the Venu 3 keeps things simple. You get alerts for calls, messages, and apps, but only Android users can type responses to texts or view photos on the device. You can take calls via Bluetooth, but there’s no LTE variant available. These shortcomings aren’t dealbreakers for fitness enthusiasts, but if you’re after a fully connected smartwatch, you’re better off looking elsewhere. Or, if you’re me, swapping between watches and occasionally dual-wristing during workouts.

In short, the Venu 3 is primarily a tracker, not a smartphone companion, and the device integration synchronization just isn’t there. I treat my wearables as a satellite campus to the university of my smartphone. I rely on both devices to house all the tools I need and many of those are third-party apps.

Best for athletics, but not everyday wear

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

Garmin makes the best smartwatches for athletes. Period. Their focus on fitness tracking, accuracy, and durability is unmatched, and if you’re someone who needs a watch that can handle all your workouts, outdoor adventures, and long-term training goals, you won’t find anything better. But if you want a device that can handle both fitness and all the typical smartwatch features—notifications, apps, and voice assistants—then Garmin isn’t quite there yet. For fitness lovers, Garmin is a no-brainer, but for those like me who want a little more smart functionality, you’ll need to look elsewhere.