Google Pixel Watch 3 vs Garmin Venu 3: How can you beat that battery life?
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Intro
The Pixel Watch 3 has just been announced alongside the Pixel 9 series, and it feels like Google is going all in on smartwatches. For the first time, we get the smartwatch in two distinct sizes, as well an overarching polish of nearly all health features that make it a pretty adept companion.
Aside from the usual alternatives, there is one that's a bit less niche and overlooked, but definitely worth it: the Garmin Venu 3. This unorthodox smartwatch might like the smooth interface and functionality of proper smartwatches, but excels in one area that's ultimately the most important one––battery life.
And indeed, with the Garmin, you can rest assured your watch will last weeks. Not a very common thing to say for smartwatches, is it?
Which one should you pick?
Pixel Watch 3 vs Garmin Venu 3: differences and similarities
- 41mm/45mm size vs 41mm/45mm size
- 2,000 nits peak brightness on Pixel Watch 3
- 4nm Snapdragon Qualcomm W5 vs MediaTek chip
- 10 or 14-day battery life on the Garmin, depending on the size
Table of Contents:
Also read:
- Google Pixel Watch 3 preview: third time's the charm, eh?
- Google Pixel Watch 3 vs Apple Watch Series 10: Expected differences
- Google Pixel Watch 3 vs Pixel Watch 2: What's changed?
- Garmin Venu 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: Don't make a mistake!
Design & Sizes
Compact and classy
There are two sizes of the Pixel Watch 3 this year: 41mm and 45mm. We think it's great that Google's offering its flagship wearable in two sizes, as it gives customers more choice.
The new, larger 45mm version of the Pixel Watch 3 will provide 40% more display than the 41mm version of the Pixel Watch 2, which is a massive increase in screen real estate. The 41mm version, on the other hand, will feature a display that is 10% larger, likely a result of thinner bezels.
Just as we suspected, Google has once again turned to recycled aluminum for the case of the Pixel Watch, while Gorilla Glass 5 protects the display. No scratch-resistant sapphire here. Both the 41mm and 45mm versions are pretty lightweight, tipping the scales at 37gr for the larger and 31gr for the smaller watch, both weighed without the band.
Meanwhile, the Venu 3 is also a classic-looking watch, and pretty lightweight at that, which is lovely. The reason for that could be the plastic body and Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 that make up the design of the device.
In terms of buttons, there will be a single button/digital crown on the Pixel Watch, and three buttons on the Garmin, which should be helpful during intensive workouts.
Both the Garmin Venu 3 and the Pixel Watch 3 come with IP68 water- and dust-resistance, but both will survive plunges in up to 50 meters (5ATM).
In terms of colors, the Pixel Watch 3 is available in Matte Black, Polished Silver, Matte Hazel (45mm only), and Champagne Gold (41mm).
Both watches feature OLED displays. However, the Pixel Watch 3's Actua display has a much higher peak brightness of nearly 2,000 nits, which the Garmin can't beat. Google's new smartwatch can also go down to just 1 nit, meaning you won't get blinded at night.
Bands
By default, the Pixel Watch 3 comes with a fluoroelastomer band with a soft-touch coating. Google also has two different-sized bands in the box, which should help you to customize your fit: one will fit wrists that are 150 to 185mm in diameter, while the other will fit 165 to 215mm wrists.
It's also worth noting that not all bands will be mutually compatible with both the 41mm and 45mm versions of the watch. Google says that most "41mm accessories are compatible with the Pixel Watch, Pixel Watch 2 and 41mm Pixel Watch 3", but the larger Pixel Watch 3 is only compatible with 45mm accessories, which was logical to assume. The existing Metal Slim and Metal Mesh bands are sadly not compatible with the Pixel Watch at all.
Here's what band each color version of the Pixel Watch 3 comes by default:
41mm Pixel Watch 3
- Matte Black Aluminum case / Obsidian Active Band
- Polished Silver Aluminum case / Porcelain Active Band
- Champagne Gold Aluminum Case / Hazel Active Band
- Polished Silver Aluminum case / Rose Quartz Active Band
45mm Pixel Watch 3
- Matte Black Aluminum case / Obsidian Active Band
- Polished Silver Aluminum case / Porcelain Active Band
- Matte Hazel Aluminum case / Hazel Active Band
The Garmin Venu 3, on the other hand, relies on a classic lug and spring-bar mechanism that allows you to use any standard watch band with it if you don't like the default sporty silicone one. Be advised, however, that the larger and the smaller versions of the watch use different-sized bands: the Garmin Venu 3 (45mm) uses 22mm spring bar bands, while the Garmin Venu 3S (41mm) uses 18mm spring bar bands.
Software & Features
AI is now on your wrist
The Pixel Watch 3 comes with Wear OS 5, which is already available on the Galaxy Watch 7 series. Just as it's trendy these days, Google has added some AI magic to the Pixel watch. For example, the Pixel Watch 3 can control the camera on a Pixel, act as a Google TV remote, or screen and hold calls thanks to Google Assistant. You can also see the live feed from your Nest Cam or Nest Doorbell on your wrist, as well as have two-way conversations/
The Pixel Watch 3 also boast some new features when it comes to health and activity. You can create custom runs and race against your saved workouts in order to motivate yourself. A similar feature was also part of the Galaxy Watch Ultra/Galaxy Watch 7 roster, so a feature parity with the rest of the Wear OS 5 lineup has been achieved.
A personal trainer on your wrist, of sorts, will give you haptic cues when to sprint, stop to cool down, or just keep going. The Pixel Watch 3 will provide you with insights about your cadence, stride, and vertical oscillations.
Another new feature is called Readiness. It sounds very similar to Garmin's Body Battery and Samsung's Energy Score. Readiness will tell you if you're ready to take up activities and will most probably utilize your most recent sleep data. Cardio Load, on the other hand, will tell you just how prepared you are for physical activity and will draw data from your heart rate and possibly blood oxygen saturation.
The Pixel Watch 3 comes with Fitbit Premium, which will give you a custom target load based on your goals and readiness. You will also be getting a summary of the most important health and fitness numbers in the Fitbit Morning brief every morning, which will help you plan your workouts for the day and will help spot any outliers in your sleep patterns.
And what about the Garmin Venu 3?
Well, for one, its interface is definitely a far cry from the sleek and intuitive one of most Wear OS devices, including the upcoming Pixel Watch. It's clunky and difficult to grasp, with simple operations like changing your watchface requiring many taps and menu juggling. In fact, everything with the proprietary Garmin OS requires you to know your way around all the settings and menus.
In terms of features, however, the Garmin is well-equipped. It comes with the Garmin's Elevate Gen5 sensor, which enables heart rate monitoring, HRV (which measures the shift in timing between heart beats and could be used to predict illness or not enough sleep), blood oxygen monitoring, ECG, and more.
The Garmin has pretty good sleep tracking, and aside from detecting the different stages of your sleep, it also has a Body Battery metric. This one, which seemingly everyone is trying to copy this year, uses various health metrics like your sleep quality and previous day's activities to tell you how well rested and ready to train you are.
Battery and Charging
David and Goliath
Inside the Pixel Watch 3, we find a 420mAh battery in the large model and a 306mAh one in the smaller watch. Although it might seem that the larger Pixel Watch 3 has better battery life, Google has the same battery life expectations for both devices: up to 24 hours with always-on display and up to 36 hours with battery saver enabled.
Meanwhile, with the Garmin Venu 3, you get exceptional battery life that's leaps and bounds beyond other smartwatches. Even with the 41mm Venu 3S version, and even with a single workout per day and the always-on display function turned on all the time, the minimum you get is around four days. Turn the latter off, and you can easily squeeze out a week out of the device.
With the regular 45mm Venu 3, the situation is even better: you can get up to 14 days between charges with regular usage and always-on turned off, which is nearly 14 times better than most conventional smartwatches can achieve these days.
Interestingly, the Pixel Watch 3 will score 20% faster charging, but only on the small model: it takes just an hour to fully charge the 41mm Pixel Watch 3 fully, whereas the larger watch takes an hour and 20 minutes for a full charge.
Garmin's Venu 3, on the other hand, has a charging cable with a proprietary port. It surely is a bit more inconvenient in comparison with the "place-and-charge" philosophy behind most smartwatches, but since you'd be charging so rarely, the nuisance is excusable!
Models and Prices
The Pixel Watch 3 will be available in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm. Both of these are available in either Wi-Fi only, or Wi-Fi+LTE connectivity. Prices start at $349 for the Wi-Fi 41mm model and $399 for the 45mm model. For $449, you can get the LTE-enabled version of either the 41mm or the 45mm Pixel Watch 3.
Meanwhile, the Garmin Venu 3 is available i n two versions: a 41mm version dubbed the Venu 3S, and a 45mm one simply called the Venu 3. Prices start at $450 for this one, and it's a bit steeper, but you get an unprecedented battery life, which is fully worth the investment.
Specs
Below, you will find out the essential Pixel Watch 3 vs Garmin Venu 3 specs that we anticipate:
| Specs | Pixel Watch 3 | Garmin Venu 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Models (Size, Weight, Prices) | 41mm, 31gr, $349 for Wi-Fi only, $449 for LTE 45mm, 37gr, $399 for Wi-Fi only, $449 for LTE | 41mm / 45mm |
| Processor, RAM, Storage | Qualcomm SW5100 | MediaTek MT6739 |
| Software | Wear OS 5 | proprietary |
| Battery and Charging | 41mm:24-hour battery life with always-on display 45mm:24-hour battery life with always-on display 41mm: 0-100% in 60 min 45mm: 0-100% in 80min | 41mm: 10-day battery life 45mm: 14-day battery life |
| Sensors | Compass, Altimeter, Red and infrared sensors for oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, Multipurpose electrical sensors compatible with ECG app, Multi-path optical heart rate sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor, Electrical sensor to measure skin conductance (cEDA) for body response tracking, Skin temperature sensor, Barometer, Magnetometer | Garmin Elevate V5 (Gen5): optical heart rate ECG single-band GPS |
| New features | AI-enriched interface, IP68 5 ATM | IP68 5ATM resistance |
Summary
The Pixel Watch 3 is a testament to Google taking smartwatches seriously, at least based on the preliminary information we have.
It appears that the tech giant wants to better compete against the likes of Samsung and Apple, and the Pixel Watch 3 surely feels like it could be the one to successfully do that. Yes, it's difficult to crack down existing ecosystems, but the fact that the watch will be compatible with any Android phone is already a plus.
We don't know if there will be features exclusively reserved for Pixel phones, but we hope there aren't any (looking at you, Samsung).
Meanwhile, the Garmin Venu 3 is the anti-smartwatch smartwatch, one for those who abhor constant charging or flashy app stores and tons of a multitude of watch faces. It's a utilitarian device, with a simple philosophy behind it, absolutely excellent battery life, and no-frills, solid health and wellness tacking.
Sure, the interface is masochistic, but once you get the hang of it, it probably wouldn't be such an issue. All we know is that Google will have yet another competitor in the face of Garmin's OLED timepiece.
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