Garmin Venu 3 vs Forerunner 965: Five Key Aspects

By Naila Syifa
Updated September 2023

Forerunner 965 is one of the top Garmin smartwatches with advanced health monitoring and fitness tracking features. How does this model compare to the newer Venu 3 which was just released in late August 2023? Let's compare both models based on 5 important aspects.

Specs	Garmin Venu 3	Garmin Forerunner 965
	Buy on Amazon	Buy on Amazon
Price	$449.99	$599.99
Dimensions	45.4 x 45.4 x 12.2 mm	47.2 x 47.2 x 13.2
Weight	47 g	53 g
Screen Resolution	454 x 454 pixels	454 x 454 pixels
Runtime	14 days	23 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

The main difference is the Venu 3 is more suitable for people with light to moderate fitness goals, while the Forerunner 965 is better for serious athletes or people with intensive training. Venu 3 auto-detects sleep and daytime naps, while Forerunner 965 only detects sleep. However, Forerunner 965 has a superior navigation with SatIQ.

On our list

#1 Price

#2 Design & Display

#3 Health & Fitness Features

#4 Smartwatch Features

#5 Battery & Power

Garmin Venu 3

Stylish for Lifestyle

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

Buy on Amazon

Garmin Forerunner 965

Sporty for Fitness

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

Buy on Amazon Buy on Synced

#1 Price

Garmin Forerunner 965

When it comes to price, the Garmin Venu 3 is more affordable at US$449.99, while the Forerunner 965 is priced more expensively at US$599.99. However, this is not to say that the Venu 3 has a cheap price and quality. Read on to find out how the two models compare in terms of other key aspects.

#2 Design & Display

Garmin Venu 3

Just like the other Venu models, the Venu 3 has a sleek and stylish design that looks great on anyone's wrist. It features a lightweight 45 mm case with a stainless steel bezel, silicone strap, and 1.4" AMOLED touchscreen display with a 454 x 454 pixels resolution and an optional Always-On Mode.

Similarly, the Forerunner 965 looks sporty just like the other models in the Garmin Forerunner line, featuring a textured and perforated silicone strap with a 454 x 454 pixels resolution AMOLED touchscreen display and a titanium bezel. The Forerunner 965 is heavier than Venu 3, weighing in at 53 g compared to Venu 3's 47 g.

#3 Health & Fitness Features

Garmin Forerunner 965

Venu 3 and Forerunner 965 are great for health monitoring and fitness tracking, with features like 30+ built-in Sports Apps, Activity Tracker, Body Battery, Advanced Sleep Monitoring, Stress Tracker, Women's Health Tracking, and many more.

Venu 3 stands out with additional unique features unavailable in Forerunner 965, such as Wheelchair Mode to support workouts for wheelchair users with features like Push Tracker and Weight Shift Alert. Venu 3 also has a more advanced sleep monitoring feature with its Nap Detection and includes features like Meditation for improved mental wellness. It also has an additional Jet Lag Adviser, which is perfect for frequent travelers who need help adjusting to different time zones.

Garmin Venu 3

Forerunner 965 doesn't support the mentioned unique features available in Venu 3, but it compensates with even much more advanced features that cater to professional athletes or serious fitness enthusiasts, such as Realtime Stamina, Endurance Score, Race an Activity, Multisport Activities, Training Readiness, Training Status, Training Load, Training Effect, and many more.

Forerunner 965 also supports more Activity Profiles for 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. Specific features for Running profiles also become more advanced with Running Dynamics, Running Power, PacePro, Race Predictor, and many more.

#4 Smartwatch Features

Garmin Forerunner 965

In terms of smart features, one benefit you can get from Venu 3 is a built-in speaker and microphone, allowing you to take and make calls without having to take out your phone. Voice assistants are also supported, so you can control your smart home devices, check the weather, set reminders, and more using just your voice.

On the other hand, Forerunner 965 has an edge with its built-in full-color maps, which can be very helpful if you're a runner who likes to explore new trails and routes. Forerunner 965 also comes with a Multi-Band GPS with SatIQ, a useful feature for accurate location tracking in challenging environments like mountains or forests.

However, both smartwatches also share some common smart features, including Smart Notifications, Music with storage, Garmin Pay, Morning Report, and more. Safety and Tracking features like Livetrack and Incident Detection are also available in both models, but Forerunner 965 supports more such features with Group Livetrack, Spectator Messaging, and Live Event Sharing.

#5 Battery & Power

Garmin Venu 3

Garmin Forerunner 965 has a very long-lasting battery with up to 23 days of runtime in smartwatch mode, while Venu 3 has a slightly shorter battery life with up to 14 days in smartwatch mode. However, with Venu 3, you can reach a longer battery life of up to 26 days when the battery-saver mode is enabled.