Garmin Venu 3 vs Forerunner 955: Are You More Stylish or Sporty?

By Naila Syifa
Updated September 2023

Garmin has earned a reputation for making some of the best fitness trackers and smartwatches on the market. The Garmin Venu 3 and the Forerunner 955 are some of their popular models, but their features and design cater to different types of users. Which one is a better suit for you? Let's compare both smartwatches!

Specs	Garmin Venu 3	Garmin Forerunner 955
	Buy on Amazon	Buy on Amazon
Price	$449.99	$499.99
Dimensions	45.4 x 45.4 x 12.2 mm	46.5 x 46.5 x 14.4 mm
Weight	47 g	52 g
Screen Resolution	454 x 454 pixels	260 x 260 pixels
Runtime	14 days	15 days
Memory/History	8 GB	32 GB
GPS	Yes	Yes, Multi-Band with SatIQ
Built-in Speaker and Microphone	Yes	No
Built-in Maps	No	Yes
Body Battery	Yes	Yes
Advanced Sleep Monitoring	Yes, with Nap Detection	Yes
Meditation	Yes	No
Wheelchair Mode	Yes	No
Race Adaptive Training Plans	No	Yes
Multisport Activities	No	Yes

Key Takeaways

Forerunner 955 has more advanced fitness and training features designed for athletes, while Venu 3 is more of a lifestyle watch with added mental wellness features like Meditation. Venu 3 also auto-detects sleep and daytime naps, while Forerunner 955 only detects sleep. Another difference is that Venu 3 features microphone and speaker for calls, while Forerunner 955 doesn't.

On our list

#1 Price

#2 Design & Display

#3 Health & Fitness Features

#4 Smartwatch Features

#5 Battery & Power

Garmin Venu 3

Lifestyle & Health

GPS smartwatch for overall day-to-day health monitoring and fitness tracking with built-in microphone and speakers

Buy on Amazon

Garmin Forerunner 955

Advanced Fitness

GPS smartwatch for athlete-level health monitoring and fitness tracking with built-in maps.

Buy on Amazon

#1 Price

Garmin Venu 3

Garmin Forerunner line is known for its advanced features specially designed for athletes, while Venu 3 is geared more towards a broader audience with a focus on style and fashion. However, the price between the Forerunner 955 and the latest Venu 3 model is not very significant, with the Venu 3 coming in at US$449.99, compared to the Forerunner 955 which is priced at around US$499.99.

#2 Design & Display

Garmin Forerunner 955

The Forerunner 955 looks more sporty with its textured and perforated silicone strap, while the Venu 3 looks more stylish and elegant with its stainless steel bezel and sleek design. This difference is a matter of personal preference, but it's worth noting that the Venu 3 has some design features that make it a better option.

First of all, the Venu 3 features an AMOLED touchscreen display, which gives it a more vibrant and colorful display compared to the Forerunner 955's transflective display. Venu 3 also has a higher display resolution of 454 x 454 pixels, making it easier to read a text and see details on the watch face, compared to the Forerunner 955 with a display resolution of only 260 x 260 pixels. In addition, the Venu 3 is also more lightweight, making it more comfortable to wear for extended periods.

#3 Health & Fitness Features

Garmin Forerunner 955

The Forerunner 955 stands out for its advanced health and fitness tracking features that allow you to monitor your training progress and optimize your workouts based on data-driven insights. Some notable features include Race Adaptive Training Plans, Training Readiness, Daily Suggested Workouts, Triathlon and Multisport Profiles, Endurance Scores, and many more.

This athlete-focused smartwatch also supports more Activity Profiles compared to Venu 3, including niche sports like Backcountry Skiing and Backcountry Snowboarding, as well as competitive team sports like Football/Soccer, Rugby, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Basketball, Volleyball, and so on.

However, this doesn't mean that the Venu 3 is not suitable for health monitoring and fitness tracking, as it also comes with features like 30+ built-in Sports Apps, Activity Tracker, Body Battery, Advanced Sleep Monitoring, Stress Tracker, Women's Health Tracking, and many more.

Garmin Venu 3

The Venu 3 even adds more benefits with its Wheelchair Mode which supports workouts for wheelchair users, making it a more inclusive option for people with disabilities. It also goes beyond physical health and taps into mental health with features like Breathwork and Meditation.

The sleep monitoring feature on the Venu 3 is also more advanced, coming with Nap Detection to help you track your naps during the day, giving a more comprehensive view of your sleep patterns and quality. The Venu 3 also offers Jet Lag Adviser, making it a perfect companion for frequent travelers.

#4 Smartwatch Features

Garmin Venu 3

Both the Venu 3 and Forerunner 955 come with smartwatch features like calendar, weather, text and email notifications, music controls with on-watch storage, Garmin Pay, and Safety and Tracking features including Livetrack and Incident Detection.

However, the Forerunner 955 comes with more Safety and Tracking features like Group Livetrack, Spectator Messaging, and Live Event Sharing. It is perfect when you're running a marathon or participating in a long-distance race, as it allows your friends and family to track your progress and send you messages of encouragement along the way.

Garmin Forerunner 955

The Forerunner 955 also features built-in full-color mapping useful for guidance and ensuring you stay on track. Unlike the Venu 3 with a standard GPS, the Forerunner 955 comes with a multi-band GPS with SatIQ, which is more accurate and reliable in challenging environments like deep woods or canyons.

However, the Venu 3 also has some extra features unavailable in the Forerunner 955, such as a built-in speaker and microphone that allow you to take and make calls or command your phone's voice assistants right from your wrist. If you have an Android phone, you can even view photos sent to you directly from the watch’s screen.

#5 Battery & Power

Garmin Venu 3

The Venu 3 has a battery life of up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, meaning that you can use it for two weeks on a single charge. The Forerunner 955, on the other hand, supports a longer battery life of up to 15 days, and you can even extend it up to 20 days if you purchase the Solar version.