Garmin Venu 3S

Overview

The Garmin Venu 3S is the wellness-focused smartwatch that proves smaller doesn’t mean less capable. Designed specifically for those with smaller wrists who refuse to compromise on features, this 41mm powerhouse packs everything from ECG monitoring to sleep coaching into a lightweight 40g package. With its brilliant 1.2 inch AMOLED display lasting 10 days between charges and built-in speaker for phone calls, it’s the perfect blend of health insights and everyday convenience for those who prioritize wellness over extreme sports.

What sets the Venu 3S apart is its thoughtful approach to inclusive fitness. While maintaining all the advanced features of its larger sibling, it adds unique considerations like dedicated wheelchair mode support and comprehensive women’s health tracking. This isn’t just a smaller watch—it’s a carefully crafted wellness companion that understands not everyone needs a 45mm computer on their wrist.

The Wellness Watch That Gets You

The Venu 3S positions itself uniquely in the smartwatch market:

Sleep Coach Excellence: More than just tracking, it provides personalized sleep coaching based on your patterns, complete with nap detection and morning readiness scores that actually help improve your rest.

Inclusive Fitness: Industry-leading wheelchair mode tracks pushes instead of steps, offers wheelchair-specific workouts, and adapts all metrics for seated users—a feature notably absent from Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch.

Mind-Body Balance: Built-in meditation and breathing exercises, stress tracking with guided breathing prompts, and Body Battery energy monitoring create a holistic wellness ecosystem.

Key Specifications That Matter

Display & Design

• 1.2 inch AMOLED: Crisp 390x390 resolution that’s readable in bright sunlight
• Always-On Option: Still achieves 5 days battery with display always visible
• 40g Weight: Among the lightest full-featured smartwatches available
• 18mm Bands: Wide variety of quick-release options for personalization

Health Monitoring Suite

• ECG App: Medical-grade heart rhythm analysis
• Skin Temperature: Overnight tracking for illness detection and cycle insights
• HRV Status: Long-term heart rate variability trends
• Pulse Ox: Blood oxygen monitoring during sleep and on-demand

Battery Performance

• 10 Days Standard: With 24/7 tracking and notifications
• 21 Hours GPS: Enough for ultra-marathons
• 5 Days Always-On: Display constantly visible
• 90-Minute Charging: Full charge from empty

Who Should Buy the Venu 3S

Perfect For:

• Small Wrist Owners: Finally, a feature-complete watch under 42mm
• Wellness Focused Users: Those prioritizing health insights over sports performance
• Battery Life Seekers: 10 days means charging becomes weekly routine, not daily chore
• Inclusive Fitness Needs: Wheelchair users, adaptive athletes, or those with different mobility needs
• Phone Call Convenience: Built-in speaker/mic for Dick Tracy-style wrist calls

Consider Alternatives If:

• You Need Detailed Maps: No onboard maps for navigation
• LTE Independence Matters: Always requires phone for connectivity
• App Ecosystem Priority: Limited compared to Apple/Samsung
• Serious Athletes: Forerunner or Fenix better for performance training
• Budget Conscious: Premium price for premium features

Real-World Performance

A Week in the Life

Living with the Venu 3S reveals its thoughtful design. The sleep coach doesn’t just track—it learns your patterns and suggests optimal bedtimes. After a week, it identified that my Sunday afternoon naps were affecting Monday morning energy levels. The Body Battery accurately predicted my 3pm energy crashes and suggested breathing exercises that actually helped.

Workout Intelligence

While not as sports-focused as Forerunner models, the Venu 3S surprises with smart features like automatic rep counting for strength training and recovery time suggestions that prevented overtraining. The morning report summarizing sleep, HRV, and training readiness becomes addictive—and genuinely useful for planning workout intensity.

Smart Features That Work

Phone calls through the watch work remarkably well—clear audio both ways without the Dick Tracy awkwardness. Voice assistant pass-through means asking Siri or Google Assistant questions without reaching for your phone. Music storage for 500 songs means truly phone-free workouts with Bluetooth earbuds.

Compared to the Competition

Versus Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm)

The Venu 3S offers 10x the battery life with similar health features (both have ECG, SpO2, temperature). Apple wins on apps and ecosystem integration, but Garmin’s fitness tracking accuracy and battery endurance make it superior for health-focused users who don’t need constant connectivity.

Versus Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm)

Samsung’s body composition analysis is unique, but Garmin’s 3x longer battery life and superior fitness tracking algorithms make it the better wellness companion. Galaxy Watch offers more apps and better smartphone integration for Android users, but requires charging every 2-3 days.

Versus Garmin Venu 3 (45mm)

Choosing between siblings comes down to wrist size and battery priorities. The Venu 3 adds 4 days battery (14 vs 10) and larger 1.4 inch display, but at 47g feels noticeably heavier. Both share identical features—the 3S isn’t stripped down, just smaller.

The Wellness Verdict

The Garmin Venu 3S achieves something remarkable: it’s a smaller smartwatch that doesn’t compromise on capabilities. For those with smaller wrists who’ve been forced to choose between oversized watches or feature-limited alternatives, this is your answer. The combination of 10-day battery life, comprehensive health tracking including ECG, innovative features like wheelchair mode, and thoughtful touches like sleep coaching create a wellness companion that genuinely improves daily life.

At $449, it’s not cheap, but considering you get every feature without subscription fees (Apple Fitness+ and Samsung’s premium features cost extra), the value proposition strengthens over time. The Venu 3S proves that the best wellness watch isn’t necessarily the one with the most features—it’s the one you’ll actually wear every day because it fits perfectly and never needs charging.

Key Takeaways

✅ Best For: Small wrists seeking full features, wellness enthusiasts, battery life prioritizers
❌ Skip If: Need LTE, want extensive apps, require detailed maps, tight budget
💡 Hidden Gem: Wheelchair mode and accessibility features unmatched by competitors
⚡ Killer Feature: 10-day battery in a 40g package with AMOLED display
💰 Value: Premium price but no subscriptions—everything included forever