Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3 - Key Differences You Need to Know

Garmin officially launched the Garmin Venu 4 smartwatch in fall 2025, positioning it as the direct successor to the Venu 3. While it keeps the same sleek and lightweight design, the new model delivers broader upgrades in health tracking, fitness monitoring, and smart features. As Garmin’s most “smartwatch-like” series, the Venu lineup has always balanced lifestyle and performance - and with the Venu 4, it now comes closer than ever to Garmin’s premium sports watches.

So, what’s the real difference between Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3? The Garmin Venu 3 was already a well-rounded lifestyle and fitness watch, but the Venu 4 adds deeper training and recovery insights, smarter personalized coaching, enhanced health analytics, and hardware refinements including better battery performance. While it comes with a higher price tag, the improvements make it a far more compelling upgrade.

In this comparison, we’ll break down the key differences between Garmin Venu 4 and Venu 3, helping you decide whether it’s worth upgrading or sticking with your current watch.

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Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3 - Design and Build

If you’re deciding between the Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3, the design and materials are the most obvious differences. At first glance, both watches maintain the same size options - 41mm and 45mm - catering to different wrist sizes, and the classic round design continues the Venu series’ stylish look, suitable for everyday wear and sports.

However, the details make a big difference. The Venu 3 features a fiber-reinforced polymer case with a stainless steel bezel, making it lightweight and durable, but it lacks a premium feel. The Venu 4 upgrades to a full metal case, giving it a more substantial hand feel, a high-end appearance, and improved durability. The body is slightly slimmer, and new premium color options like Moonlight Gold and Silver make the design more modern and refined.

Button layout has also been optimized: the Venu 3 comes with three physical buttons, making it easy to operate during workouts. The Venu 4 reduces this to two buttons with touchscreen support, resulting in a cleaner look while adding voice control for easy app navigation during running or cycling. Even more practical, the Venu 4 introduces a built-in LED flashlight, perfect for night runs, low-light environments, or outdoor adventures - a feature the Venu 3 lacks.

If you’re wondering whether upgrading is worth it, the design and build alone provide a clear answer: the improved premium feel, modern styling, and added practical features make the Venu 4 more than just a cosmetic upgrade.

Winner: Garmin Venu 4

Reason: The full metal case, LED flashlight, and optimized button layout make the watch superior in both quality and functionality, enhancing everyday wear and outdoor usability.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3 - Display and Screen

When it comes to display, both the Garmin Venu 4 and Venu 3 feature vibrant AMOLED touchscreens, delivering sharp, colorful visuals ideal for daily wear and fitness tracking. Both models are available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, ensuring a comfortable fit for different wrist types.

The real standout is brightness. The Venu 4 doubles the brightness to 2000 nits, compared to Venu 3’s 1000 nits. This means you can easily read your screen even under direct sunlight while running or cycling. Beyond brightness, the Venu 4 also offers smoother animations and richer watch face options, making every swipe and interaction feel fluid and immersive.

Higher brightness does slightly impact battery life, but for outdoor enthusiasts, the enhanced visibility is well worth it. The Venu 3 remains clear and vibrant for most daily scenarios, but in strong sunlight, it may require shielding with your hand to read the data clearly.

For users who value visual clarity and outdoor readability, the Venu 4 offers more than just a brighter screen - it delivers a smoother, more engaging user experience.

Winner: Garmin Venu 4

Reason: With double the brightness and optimized animations, the Venu 4 outperforms the Venu 3 in both outdoor readability and overall user interaction, enhancing the daily and fitness experience.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3 - Battery Life

Summary:

While the Venu 4 has slightly shorter battery life compared to the Venu 3, it offers a brighter display, dual-frequency GPS, and upgraded health features, providing a more stable experience during daily use. If battery longevity is your priority, the Venu 3 is the better choice. For users seeking advanced features and smarter tracking, the Venu 4 is the superior option.

Winner: Depends on user needs

Reason: Choose the Venu 3 for longer battery life, or the Venu 4 for enhanced functionality and smarter tracking.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3 - Health and Fitness Tracking

When it comes to Garmin Venu 3 vs Venu 4, health and fitness features are where the biggest differences appear. The Venu 3 already offers sleep tracking, nap detection, nighttime heart rate variability (HRV), stress monitoring, and morning reports, making daily health management convenient. However, the Venu 4 takes this a step further, turning raw data into actionable insights about your body.

The “Health Status” feature on the Venu 4 compares your metrics against your daily baseline. If your HRV drops, skin temperature rises, or breathing patterns change at night, the watch alerts you to potential stress, fatigue, or illness. On top of that, it adds a Lifestyle Tracking function - you can log caffeine and alcohol intake and see how they impact your sleep and recovery. Sleep analysis is also enhanced, offering sleep consistency and circadian rhythm insights so you truly understand whether your rest aligns with your natural cycles.

Fitness and training see major upgrades as well. Compared to the Venu 3, the Venu 4 supports dual-frequency GPS for more accurate positioning, whether running in urban high-rises or in wooded areas. It also introduces training readiness, load analysis, and personalized workout suggestions, covering 25+ sports including running, cycling, strength training, HIIT, yoga, and triathlons. Advanced metrics like PacePro pacing guidance, VO₂ Max, and heat adaptation make every workout smarter and more effective.

Accessibility features are improved too: voice-enabled watch faces, health data readout, and customizable color filters make it easier for users with visual impairments or color blindness to interact with the watch.

For users seeking precision health monitoring and professional-level training insights, the Venu 4 isn’t just an upgrade - it’s a full-fledged health and fitness companion, helping you understand your body every day and optimize your workouts.

Winner: Garmin Venu 4

Reason: With enhanced health monitoring, lifestyle tracking, and professional training features, the Venu 4 clearly surpasses the Venu 3 in data depth, accuracy, and user experience.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3 - Smart Features and Daily Use

When comparing Garmin Venu 3 vs Garmin Venu 4, smart features are largely similar, but the Venu 4 brings several practical upgrades that make daily life smoother, safer, and more enjoyable.

Both watches support music storage, Garmin Pay/NFC payments, Bluetooth calls, and text messaging, along with apps from the Connect IQ store. However, Venu 4 introduces a built-in LED flashlight - a true hardware light that’s far more reliable than the screen-based flashlight on the Venu 3. Whether you’re running at night, walking in the dark, or experiencing a power outage, this addition is incredibly practical.

Voice control is another standout feature. With Venu 4, you can start workouts, set timers, or open apps using voice commands, no touchscreen interaction required. Accessibility features are also enhanced: Venu 4 offers voice-enabled watch faces, spoken health data, large font mode, plus grayscale and red-green color filters for users with visual impairments or color blindness.

These upgrades make the watch not just smarter, but more intuitive for everyday use. Compared to the Venu 3, the Venu 4 acts more like a personal assistant on your wrist - whether you’re running, commuting, or navigating dark environments, it delivers convenience, safety, and personalization.

Winner: Garmin Venu 4

Reason: With its LED flashlight, enhanced voice control, and comprehensive accessibility features, the Venu 4 clearly outshines the Venu 3 in everyday smart functionality.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3 - Price and Value

When comparing Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3, price is undoubtedly a key factor in deciding whether to upgrade. The Venu 3 launched at around $450, while the Venu 4 starts at $550, with the leather strap version reaching up to $600. The price increase reflects new features and hardware upgrades, including health status monitoring, lifestyle tracking, dual-frequency GPS, and a built-in LED flashlight.

For existing Venu 3 owners who are satisfied with daily use, upgrading may not be urgent unless you want more precise GPS or advanced health insights. However, for new users, the Venu 4 offers a more comprehensive suite of health and fitness features, premium materials, and a brighter, upgraded display - making it a forward-looking investment.

Overall, the higher price of the Venu 4 signals its shift from a pure fitness watch to a high-end lifestyle smartwatch. If you value these upgrades and advanced functionalities, the extra cost is justified; otherwise, the Venu 3 remains a highly cost-effective option.

Winner: Depends on user needs

Reason: New users benefit from the advanced features and hardware upgrades of the Venu 4, while existing Venu 3 owners who don’t need the latest functions can continue using their current watch without rushing to upgrade.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3 - Conclusion and Recommendation

The Garmin Venu 3 remains an excellent smartwatch. If you can get it at a discounted price, it still delivers reliable performance for daily health tracking, basic fitness monitoring, and notifications, with longer battery life - making it ideal for users who value practicality and cost-effectiveness.

The Venu 4, however, takes things further. It offers a more refined design with a metal case and a brighter AMOLED display, enhancing both the look and the visual experience. Health and fitness features are fully upgraded, including multi-frequency GPS, precise training readiness and load tracking, personalized workout suggestions, and a wide range of sports modes, making it perfect for those pursuing professional-level training and advanced fitness. Practical lifestyle features are also improved: the built-in LED flashlight, optimized button layout, voice control, and visual accessibility options make everyday use more convenient.

Recommended for:

• Users who want in-depth health insights, including sleep, recovery, and the effects of lifestyle habits - Venu 4 is the better choice.
• New Garmin users looking for the latest technology and a comprehensive set of features - Venu 4 is ideal.
• Users who already own a Venu 3 and mainly use it for basic health and fitness tracking may not feel a strong need to upgrade. The Venu 3 remains powerful, stable, and offers superior battery life for everyday use.

Overall, the Venu 4 excels in functionality, design, and professional training support, making it ideal for those who want a smartwatch for both daily life and serious fitness, while the Venu 3 remains a reliable, high-value option. Your choice depends on how much depth and functionality you want from your smartwatch.