Garmin Venu 3 vs Garmin Fenix 8: Which Suits You Best?
Naila Syifa
Updated October 2024
The Garmin Venu 3 and Fenix 8 are two of the most advanced smartwatches on the market, each offering a unique set of features and capabilities. While the Venu 3 is designed for everyday use and fitness tracking, the Fenix 8 is geared towards outdoor enthusiasts and adventure-seekers. Let's compare the two in more detail to help you decide which one is the better fit for your needs!
Key Takeaways
Fenix 8 is more sports-focused while Venu 3 is a more all-around lifestyle smartwatch that supports meditation and wheelchair workouts. Fenix 8 also supports maps and offers a solar-charged variant, while the Venu 3 has a more stylish and lightweight design for everyday wear.
Garmin Venu 3
Lifestyle & Health Smartwatch
✓ AMOLED Display
✓ 54 Built-In Sports Apps
✓ Built-in Speaker & Microphone
✓ Meditation & Wheelchair Mode
Garmin Fenix 8 Series
The Ultimate GPS Smartwatch
✓ AMOLED/MIP Display
✓ 98 Built-In Sports Apps
✓ Built-in Speaker & Microphone
✓ Dive-Rated
#1 Design & Display
Garmin Fenix 8
Garmin Venu 3 stands out with a bright, high-resolution AMOLED touchscreen, offering vibrant colors and excellent visibility in direct sunlight. Garmin Fenix 8 also features an AMOLED display, but the Solar variants replace the AMOLED panel with a more power-efficient but less vibrant transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display.
The Sapphire Edition of the Fenix 8 features a sapphire crystal lens with a titanium bezel, which is more premium and durable. However, the rest of the models have a standard Corning Gorilla Glass and stainless steel bezel, which is what the Venu 3 offers.
What gives the Fenix 8 an edge in terms of design is its rugged, adventure-ready build. Not only has it been tested to US military-grade durability standards, but it also features leakproof inductive buttons that allow it to dive up to 40 meters underwater and with 10 ATM of water resistance. In comparison, the Venu 3 is only rated for 5 ATM with no dive capabilities.
However, the Venu 3 offers a more sleek and stylish design, making it a better fit for everyday wear and casual activities. It is also considerably lighter at 47 grams with the band, compared to the Fenix 8 which can weigh around 80 grams or even more depending on the model and materials used.
#2 Health & Fitness Features
Garmin Venu 3
Garmin Venu 3 and Fenix 8 share a range of health-tracking features, including heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, sleep with nap detection, ECG, stress, and more.
In terms of sports and fitness features, the Fenix 8 is better equipped. It offers 98 activity profiles compared to the Venu 3 with only 54, providing more versatility for outdoor and adventure sports. The Fenix 8 supports multisport activities like triathlon, outdoor activities like trail running and mountain biking, and a wider range of water sports like surfing, sailing, snorkeling, and scuba diving. None of these are supported by Venu 3.
Sports-specific features are also more advanced on Fenix 8, including PacePro pacing strategies for runners, a ClimbPro ascent planner for hikers, and more detailed performance and training metrics for athletes. Another notable feature of the Fenix 8 is the Advanced Strength Training, which generates sports-specific strength training plans for different types of athletes.
Meanwhile, Garmin Venu 3 stands out with a guided meditation feature, which positions it as a more wellness-focused smartwatch compared to the Fenix 8's stronger emphasis on sports and adventure.
Garmin Venu 3 also offers a wheelchair mode, which will track pushes instead of steps, give weight shift alerts, and unlock wheelchair-specific workouts. This makes the Venu 3 a more inclusive option for users with disabilities.
#3 Maps & Navigational Features
Garmin Fenix 8
While both smartwatches support multi-band GPS, the satellite systems supported on the Fenix 8 are more extensive, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou, while the Venu 3 only supports the first three.
Garmin Fenix 8 also features SatIQ technology, which gives the convenience of automatic satellite system selection based on the environment to optimize GPS performance and battery. Without SatIQ on the Venu 3, we have to manually switch between satellite systems for optimal navigation.
The Fenix 8 also has a big advantage with the built-in TopoActive maps preloaded on the Sapphire models, which offer detailed topographic information and navigation capabilities for outdoor adventures. Non-sapphire models of the Fenix 8 require an additional purchase for the maps, but it is still better than the Venu 3 which doesn't support maps at all.
#4 Smartwatch Features
Garmin Venu 3
Compared to other features mentioned, Garmin Fenix 8 and Venu 3 have a lot more in common in terms of smartwatch features. They support smart notifications, music controls, Garmin Pay contactless payment, and more. Both watches also have a built-in speaker and microphone, unlocking voice-based features like voice messaging, calling, and using your connected phone's voice assistant.
One difference is that the Fenix 8 also offers offline voice commands, which is Garmin's built-in voice assistant feature that can assist you in various tasks without a smartphone connection. For example, you can ask the Fenix 8 to start a workout, check the weather, or set a timer.
Garmin Fenix 8 also offers some extra features like Stocks for monitoring financial markets and an LED flashlight to illuminate your surroundings in the dark.
#5 Battery Life
Garmin Fenix 8
Garmin Venu 3 is rated for up to 14 days of runtime in smartwatch mode, 5 days with the always-on display, and 26 days in the battery-saver smartwatch mode.
Garmin Fenix 8 Series has a different battery life rating depending on the model, but it is generally superior to the Venu 3. A 47mm Fenix 8 AMOLED, for example, is rated for up to 16 days in smartwatch mode while the 51mm model can reach up to 29 days in smartwatch mode.
The Solar variants of the Fenix 8 can extend the battery life further, with the 47mm model reaching up to 28 days in smartwatch mode and the 51mm model up to 48 days with solar charging.
Garmin Venu 3 vs Fenix 8
Final Thoughts
Garmin Venu 3
Both the Garmin Venu 3 and Fenix 8 offer impressive features and capabilities, but the choice between the two will ultimately depend on the user's specific needs and preferences.
The Venu 3's sleek and stylish design, guided meditation features, and inclusive wheelchair mode make it a compelling option for those focused on overall wellness and everyday wear.
On the other hand, the Fenix 8's rugged, adventure-ready build, extensive sports and fitness tracking, and advanced navigational capabilities cater to the needs of outdoor enthusiasts and serious athletes.
If you like to read more on smartwatches, check out our other relevant guides here:
Garmin Venu 3 vs Fenix E
Garmin Venu 3 vs Enduro 3
Garmin Fenix 8 vs Fenix 7
Garmin Fenix 8 vs Fenix E
Garmin Fenix 8 vs Enduro 3
Garmin Fenix E vs Fenix 7
Author
Naila Syifa
Content Manager at Synced. She crafts insightful content on the latest trends in technology, consumer electronics, and smart home gadgets.
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