As SELF’s health director, I’ve examined a lot of smartwatches and health trackers, so I do know there are a couple of primary must-haves for me: The system must precisely measure distance, tempo, and coronary heart charge throughout my exercises (no lagging GPS, please!); function intuitively out of the field; and sync seamlessly with my cellphone with none troubleshooting.
However in case you’ve perused a listing of the perfect health trackers on the market, you recognize there are so many fashions with additional options that promise show you how to 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 formidable, holistic pledge? I strapped on a pattern to search out out—learn on for my full assessment.
How I examined
I based mostly my assessment of the Garmin Venu 3 on standards really helpful by SELF’s panel of specialists, which focuses on issues like ease of use, accuracy with distance and coronary heart charge (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—that means, I showered and slept with it secured to my wrist. I examined the Venu 3 throughout completely different sorts of exercises, together with out of doors 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 additional shut consideration to issues like intuitive setup and (lack of) studying curve.
First impressions
After I unboxed the Garmin Venu 3, I used to be pleasantly stunned by how fairly it was: I attempted it in French grey (a light-weight mushroom shade with gold accents) within the smaller, 41-mm case dimension (good for my small wrist), and thought it appeared way more trendy than among the different units 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 perfect 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 while you’re operating within the chilly with gloves on and have to mark a lap interval.)
The watch face
You’ll be able to 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 reveals me a ton of metrics, together with time of day (after all), date, battery, coronary heart charge, and steps—and a enjoyable little bar chart that illustrates my steps for the final seven days.
One enormous plus for me with the Venu 3 is how intuitive all the things 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 custom-made lineup contains my complete runs per week, physique battery (Garmin’s calculation of how a lot power you have got for the day), sleep rating, restoration, and cellphone 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 a number of instances it’s essential to go to the app to get that intel.