Garmin - Venu

I have an old 2019 original Venu still going strong 💪🏼 it still kicks out 3 to 4 days of battery 🔋 life good for a six year old watch. And still receives software updates but doesn't get new features. Currently I rock a Garmin Venu 3 & love it!

I have a Venu. Others have raved about it, but I personally think it’s awful at everything it does.

I'm getting a Venu 4. It's 20 bucks less than the 570, and from what I can see, it's missing swim drills, which is something I don't use now. I also like the look of the Venu over the 570, though I wish Garmin would bring back copper/rose gold bezels/cases. I really liked that colour on my original Venu.

My hulking brother rocks my original Venu which comes in-between at 43mm. I didn't really notice a size difference when I moved into the S models for 2 and 3. Initially it was a pain because the straps went from 20 to 18mm. They have an all black 41mm. I'm waiting for the gold/bone one to ship. I don't really care about the straps as I swap them for nylon ones ASAP anyway.

I did my analysis using the venu - which costs over $550 and has a ton more metrics - and if it lasts me 3 years - it will cost me the same as the charge 6 which I generally get about 14 months from a fitbit-that does include paying for the membership because I really like the extra sleep info and coaching - things that do come free with garmin. So, I have my fingers crossed on the 3 years.

Nah, you're right on that. I have an Epix, serious overkill, but it's a fun watch and I really wanted maps on it without 3rd parry apps screwing around. My previous watch was a Venu 1, who did the job good enough for me.

I can't speak for MIP screens, but I can for OLED. It is good readable in direct sunlight. In the dark it switches to dark mode, so the entire forest won't change to daylight due to brightness of the screen lol. I the condition your described, the OLED screen would be perfectly readable. My current watch is an Epix Pro, the previous a Venu 1, the Venu 1 did had difficulties in bright sunlight, but not so much in the scene your described. I've looked at MIP screens to when looking for an upgrade to my dying V1, in my personal opinion, MIP screens are overrated, the benefits are also minimal. Battery for instance, your watch could go on a few more hours... not more days. My epix for instance can go on for 16 days.. I can't imagine a scenario where I run 16 days in a row without any sort of charging solution. Aside from maybe the 0,5% of all (elite) runners. The major advantage of readability also went gone with the latest generation of OLED's.

I've been a Garmin user for years, although I've never had an apple watch. If you want more of a focus on running metrics and training progress etc, a Garmin is the way to go. If you still want to place a lot of emphasis on smartwatch capabilities and already have Apple products, then maybe an Apple Watch is best. In terms of the Garmin lineup, you'll want to stick with something from the Forerunner series over something like the Lily, because I don't believe they have an on-board GPS (unless they've added it to recent models). It relies on your phone instead. I had the original Venu and it was a good compromise between a smartwatch and a running watch, as it had an on-board GPS but also had a nice touchscreen etc. I have the 255 now and it's a very solid mid-level running watch from Garmin with some advanced running metrics. Edit: just wanted to note that it looks like the newer Lily that you mentioned does have onboard GPS unlike older models.

I have a Venu 3 and I find it extremely useful as both an everyday watch and for my strength training and cycling. The GPS boots quickly, battery life w/out gps is over a week/ 7 days with two gps events. There are more fitness activities loaded on it then I could ever find time for, and it has never failed on me (to start, track, boot...whatever). It connects to all of my power meters, my Wahool Kickr, HR monitors, cadence/speed sensors, bike lights and Varia radar. I have yet to swim with it, but I did have an original Venu that I snorkeled with in the Galapagos and that watch did not disappoint. I would guess that those with gripes are used to "smart" watches and not true fitness watches. My girlfriend has a Samsung watch that she has to charge everyday! I find that appalling!!

I have had the 3 since November '24 and not a scratch on it. My old original Venu was a little over 4 years old when I swapped it out and it has one minor scratch (across the face, but thin), and some other minor scratches. I've owned analog watches that suffered worse. My original Venu survived hikes in AZ, Maine, NM, and cycling trips all over the US. And I wore it every day of those 4 years.

I use a Garmin Venu watch and get about 5-7 days between charges. Not much gps tracking, but if you actually use it to track a run or bike ride every day you'll still get 3-4 days.

I’m the first one to answer, incredible! :) Well, I am wearing my Garmin Venu watch since 2019/2020 nonstop! I use it daily. It is the perfect companion, very durable and I bought one of these metallic arm braces so that it looks more „office worthy“ [metallic braces](https://share.google/tq9XG0FDMVUHklYxK) It is super stylish and handy, and even though the battery is slowly dying on me (sadly🥲) if I ever have to get another watch, I will buy one of the Garmin Venu versions, because I just love it and the qualities insane… for like 350 bucks ( in 2019) I got a good watch for six years without problems It has all necessary features and is of course waterproof (which was important to me because back than I swam a lot) Now I use it mostly for tracking my sleep and my steps and my workouts just to reinforce the mindset of: „ Iwear a fitness watch, because I am a healthy person and fitness and wellbeing is important to me“

Very small wrists here... I had a venu for years and I loved it. However, I wanted a better battery and more data for running. I went with the forerunner 965 and have no regrets. I was worried it would be too large. It's not. I say go for the forerunner in white. It's the most feminine.