All of the options I need to see

After a radical assessment, Garmin’s Venu 3 earned Android Authority’s Editor’s Alternative award and a whopping 4 and a half stars. In reality, I’ve been impressed by the Venu line over and over as Garmin continues to reinforce its prime smartwatch with each new launch. Whereas a brand-new era might not be imminent, a Venu 4 is probably going in some unspecified time in the future, and there are a couple of extra enhancements I’d like to see.

It’s onerous to complain about well being and health monitoring on the newest mannequin when Garmin loaded the Venu 3 with many instruments and options. I used to be thrilled to see extra exercise profiles and restoration instruments, particularly paired with the model’s dependable sensors. Nevertheless, there are at all times extra stats to digest relating to coaching. I hope the Venu 4 lands with a couple of options lacking from its predecessor, together with triathlon and working monitor modes. Likewise, Coaching Readiness may be very standard amongst devoted athletes however just isn’t at present accessible on the Venu lineup.

In the mean time, the Garmin secure can appear a bit convoluted. Between the Venu and Vivoactive strains, the Forerunner household, and quite a lot of high-end multisport watches, consumers face no scarcity of choices. As such, some options appear oddly left off some gadgets regardless of being accessible at comparable value factors on different strains. Briefly, the corporate works onerous to maintain its system strains distinguished from each other whereas nonetheless attempting to supply worth on every possibility. I’m hoping much more coaching and restoration instruments will bleed throughout to the Venu 4.

I discovered little for which to fault the Venu 3, which makes making a wishlist difficult. Nevertheless, one factor I might have cherished to see accessible on the present mannequin that I’m actually hoping for on the Venu 4 is an LTE variant. Garmin’s Venu lineup is the most suitable choice for any athlete on the lookout for Garmin-level health monitoring on a tool with smartwatch perks. Nevertheless, the corporate has but to supply consumers a phone-free expertise with LTE connectivity. This may imply on-device name assist and extra with out your telephone close by, making the watch much more helpful to these of us preferring to coach with a telephone in our pockets.

Wi-fi charging is an extended shot, however that gained’t maintain me from hoping for it. Fortunately, most of Garmin’s prime gadgets make the most of Garmin’s identical proprietary charger, and it’s efficient and constant. I respect the power to plug in a single wire and cost a handful of Garmin watches with out thought.

Nevertheless, wi-fi charging would elevate the Venu 4 to an expertise extra much like different main smartwatches, particularly if the system had been suitable with commonplace charging pads. It might additionally enable the watch to cost flat quite than on its facet. Lastly, whereas the Venu 3 already presents a number of the greatest battery life specs within the recreation, I’ll by no means complain about extra time between costs. I’d gladly settle for a Venu 4 with even longer between costs.

It at all times feels a bit shallow so as to add “extra colours” to a tool wishlist, however I repeatedly requested Santa for inexperienced eyes as a child, so a minimum of I’m constant. The Garmin Venu 3 is offered in restricted, impartial colorways, together with silver, slate, and comfortable gold bezels. I want to see the Garmin 4 land with extra choices. I personally love the Metallic Navy bezel discovered on the Vivoactive 5, and I, after all, would snatch up a inexperienced possibility in a heartbeat.

Extra third-party apps

The Garmin Venu 3 is the very best smartwatch from Garmin, however it nonetheless isn’t in fairly the identical league as fully-loaded smartwatches like these of Apple, Samsung, and Fitbit. One of many greatest elements holding the lineup again is third-party app assist. In comparison with the App Retailer or Google Play Retailer, Garmin customers have a lot fewer apps to buy to spherical out their gadgets. I hope to see Garmin proceed to increase third-party app assist on the Venu 4 so customers can add extra instruments to their wrists.

• Garmin Venu — September 5, 2019
• Garmin Venu 2 — April 22, 2021
• Garmin Venu 2 Plus — January 4, 2022
• Garmin Venu 3 — August 30, 2023

It’s onerous to think about Garmin pulling the plug on certainly one of its hottest lineups. The Venu secure represents the corporate’s greatest smartwatches and probably the most direct competitor for wearables just like the Apple Watch. If I had been a betting girl, I might put my cash on a Venu 4 hitting cabinets. My greatest guess for when that could be is someday in 2025.

The unique Venu landed within the fall of 2019, and the Venu 2 adopted it up over a yr and a half later. The Venu 3 landed greater than two years after that. I anticipate an identical stretch between the Venu 3 and Venu 4. Alternatively, we may even see a half step within the meantime within the type of a Venu 3 Plus. We’ve but to listen to any rumors concerning the potential for both new system, however I’ll maintain this hub up to date as leaks and rumors come up.

When you aren’t in a rush to purchase a brand new wearable, the Garmin Venu 4 will probably be an ideal purchase. Nevertheless, I might be shocked to see it accessible anytime quickly. In case you are prepared for a brand new, wearable gymnasium companion now, I’m not shy about my appreciation for Garmin’s Venu 3. It’s a near-perfect system for athletes who need a highly effective fitness-tracking watch with a couple of key sensible options. One of many present mannequin’s greatest shortcomings at launch was an absence of Garmin’s ECG app, which has since been added. The system additionally is available in two sizes to higher match extra wrists. Briefly, the Venu 3 ($449.99 at Amazon) is a superb system value shopping for. It’s additionally not the one possibility.

The Apple Watch Collection 9 ($392.67 at Amazon) stays the very best smartwatch for iPhone customers. It presents unmatched third-party app assist and a strong well being and health monitoring platform. Likewise, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 ($299.99 at Samsung) is your best option from the Put on OS household, carefully adopted by the Google Pixel Watch ($349.99 at Amazon). The latter presents distinctive Fitbit integration along with the newest Put on OS expertise.

If you wish to stick with Garmin’s secure, the Vivoactive 5 ($299.99 at Amazon) presents a recent show and lots of the model’s prime instruments, however you gained’t discover as many sensible options on board nor the ECG app. Garmin’s newest Forerunners additionally all obtained AMOLED facelifts and proved highly effective gadgets in our assessment intervals. The Forerunner 265 ($449.99 at Garmin) comes at an identical value level to the Venu 3 and, because the identify implies, is a very good selection for runners.