Garmin Vivoactive 6 vs. Venu 3: Which casual fitness watch is best?

For entry-level wearable users, Garmin’s Vivoactive line often serves as a great starting point, with the Venu series representing another step up. Now, there’s a new Garmin Vivoactive 6, and it’s available for purchase as of April 2025. How does it compare to the more expensive Garmin Venu 3, which launched way back in August 2023?

You might be surprised to learn that the older Venu 3, with better sensors and a more premium design, actually outpaces the newer Vivoactive 6 in a few areas. The problem is that you’ll have to pay roughly $150 more for those extra features, so the Venu 3 is only a worthy upgrade over the Vivoactive 6 if you’ll actually use them. Let’s break down how these two entry-level and midrange fitness watches compare.

Garmin Vivoactive 6 vs. Venu 3: Design and display

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Garmin’s Vivoactive 6 and Venu 3 smartwatches both feature a more subdued look and design language than some of its other wearables. These watches aren’t rugged like the Instinct, sporty like the Forerunner, or beefy like the Fenix or Enduro. Instead, they’re the simple kind of stylish you can pair with a gym outfit or something in your daily wardrobe. The style represents the “casual” look both product lines are going for.

The Venu 3 comes in two sizes, with the Venu 3 being the bigger option and the Venu 3S the smaller one. The Venu 3 measures 45 x 45 x 12mm and weighs 30 grams without a strap, while the 3S measures 41 x 41 x 12mm and weighs 27 grams without a strap. By comparison, the Vivoactive 6 splits the middle in terms of its overall footprint, with a 42.2mm case size that’s both thinner and lighter than both Venu models.

An advantage of the Vivoactive 6 is the smartwatch’s support for standard 20mm quick-release watch bands, which can be interchanged easily. The Venu 3 uses 22mm straps and the Venu 3S uses 18mm straps, for reference. The included bands are silicone, but all the best Garmin watches can be upgraded with first-party or aftermarket straps.

As the higher-priced option, Garmin’s Venu 3 has slightly more premium materials. It features a fiber-reinforced polymer case, like the Vivoactive 6, but sports a stainless steel bezel. On the Vivoactive 6, the bezel is made out of anodized aluminum. That’s part of the reason the cheaper watch is also lighter on the wrist. It weighs just 37 grams, including the strap.

Both watches feature AMOLED displays. The Vivoactive 6 is equipped with a 1.2-inch panel with a 390 x 390 resolution, and the Venu 3S matches that specification exactly. The bigger Venu 3 has a 1.4-inch panel with a 454 x 454 resolution.