Battery life: Up to 2 weeks | Water resistant: Yes, up to 50 meters | Built-in GPS: Yes
Who it’s best for: Avid runners, cyclists, swimmers or hikers can use this watch for phone-free workouts, no matter where they are.
Why we love it: Whether I’m running a half marathon or a quick 5K, my Garmin Venu 3S watch is strapped onto my wrist. You don’t need to be near your phone to track a workout — even if you’re running 20 miles from your home — and you can connect the watch to headphones to listen to music as you run. The interface makes it incredibly easy to read mileage, pace, time and heart rate while running, which is useful for anyone utilizing zone running (a type of training that requires you to complete runs within specific heart rate ranges). While training for a 5K, I loved building custom training runs in the Garmin app that I could then follow on my watch to remember when to sprint or jog during interval and speed work.
The tracking capabilities of this watch are truly endless. Beyond running, I’ve tracked weightlifting workouts, hikes, bike rides, kayaking routes and swimming sessions with this watch. There is even a built-in GPS that can help you navigate long runs or hikes. It’s overall an expensive, but excellent choice for athletes of all trades, but especially avid runners.
Tester’s notes: I was never a fan of watches because I found them bulky and uncomfortable to wear, but after a few days of wearing this watch, I was converted. Now, I only take the watch off when I need to charge it, shower or to go to a formal event, but it otherwise blends in with my day-to-day outfits. Plus, the battery life is superb (the brand claims up to two weeks), so I rarely find myself needing to charge it. I also love that the watch sends reminders to get moving after sitting for too long and it adjusts goals like step count over time so that you can gradually increase your fitness levels. Another tester and I both experienced itchy, red skin under the watch at times during runs in the summer, but I haven’t had any issues since cleaning the device with alcohol wipes every night.
At multiple doctor appointments I cross checked my heart rate and the watch was always plus or minus one heart beat per minute away from what the doctor recorded. However, I find that in all activities, this watch tends to overestimate by a bit — rather than 3.1 miles after a 5K my watch read 3.2 miles or rather than 2000 yards of swimming my watch read 2200 yards — but that is common with many fitness trackers in my experience.
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