Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3: What’s actually new?

Garmin Venu 4 officially arrives with a $550 price on Garmin’s website and two familiar sizes. It launched today, two years after the Venu 3 series first landed back in August 2023. While it doesn’t reinvent anything, it does introduce a few useful things. This includes a flashlight, smarter wellness tracking and a deeper focus on coaching.

Here is everything you need to know on how it compares with Venu 3.

Design gets refinements and a new naming approach

Garmin has once again opted for the same two size options. But this time, it’s dropped the old naming convention. Where the third generation was split into Venu 3 (45mm) and Venu 3s (41mm), you now simply get Venu 4 and choose your size. It’s a cleaner approach and mirrors what Garmin has done with some of its other watch lines.

The 45mm Venu 4 measures 12.5 mm thick and weighs 56 grams with the band, compared to 12 mm and 47 grams on the Venu 3. That added weight comes with a shift in materials. Garmin now uses a full metal case with a stainless steel bezel and buttons, giving the watch a more premium feel than the all-polymer construction of its predecessor. No difference in thickness for the 41mm version.

This generation also switches to a two-button layout instead of three. The new setup includes a circular top button and a flat one underneath. We’re not sure why the company opted for this change. But it’s something to be aware of.

Both sizes are available in refined finishes like lunar gold with light sand or silver with citron, paired with silicone or leather bands. The AMOLED display remains sharp and vibrant. Garmin has reportedly increased brightness to match what’s available on the Forerunner 570 and 970. The 1.2 and 1.4 inch screen sizes are unchanged.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

Garmin has also included a first for the Venu series. A built-in LED flashlight now sits on the case, bringing it in line with what we’ve seen on some of Garmin’s more rugged watches. It is a feature you become addicted to once you have used it a few times.

Battery claims change, but context matters

Battery life looks slightly reduced if you compare headline figures. The 45mm Venu 4 offers up to 12 days in smartwatch mode, while the Venu 3 managed up to 14 days. With always-on display enabled, that drops to 4 days on the new model compared to 5 on the old one. Battery saver mode still pushes both into multi-week territory, but the newer device consistently trails by a small margin.

GPS runtimes follow a similar pattern. The Venu 3 lasts longer in GPS-only mode at 26 hours versus 20 on the Venu 4. But the newer watch supports multi-band GNSS, which was missing from the Venu 3 entirely. That comes with a battery hit, but offers better positional accuracy, especially in tough environments. It’s a practical trade-off depending on how and where you train.

The differences are smaller when you compare the 41mm version of Venu 4 versus Venu 3s. But you still get slightly shorter battery life.

Wellness tracking grows up a bit

Venu 4 leans more heavily into the idea of being a true wellness companion. One standout addition is the new Health Status feature. It combines heart rate variability, heart rate, skin temperature, SpO2 and respiratory rate to create a baseline of your normal state. If something’s off, the watch can flag it early. Think of it as Garmin’s answer to what platforms like Whoop and Oura already offer. Something that can let you know if you are coming down with something.

Lifestyle Logging has also been added. You can now track things like caffeine and alcohol consumption directly on the watch. These inputs get linked to your recovery, sleep and HRV trends inside Garmin Connect. It’s another nudge toward understanding how your behavior influences your metrics rather than just passive monitoring.

Sleep tools have been upgraded too. Venu 4 introduces both Sleep Alignment and Sleep Consistency. These metrics help you understand whether your bedtime routine matches your natural rhythm and how well you stick to it. It’s a more holistic view of sleep and recovery.

Plus you get a smart wake alarm. The idea here is to wake you up in the morning within a specific pre-defined window – preferably when you are in a light stage of sleep.

It’s worth noting, some of these features will be coming to older Garmin watches. Users have already started seeing Health Status appear in Garmin Connect, as well as the journaling feature.

Coaching goes beyond running

The Venu 4 brings in a full Fitness Coach that covers more than just endurance sports. You now get adaptive, heart-rate based plans for over 25 activities including rowing, HIIT, indoor cycling and walking. These adjust based on your recent recovery, effort and sleep history. Mixed-session mode has also been added, letting you track multiple activities within a single workout.

Daily suggested workouts now include walking, cycling and general fitness alongside running. Garmin Coach adds support for strength training and prebuilt cycling plans. The Venu 4 also introduces Garmin Triathlon Coach and support for structured multisport and triathlon workouts. Suggested finish line estimates and projected race time predictions round out the list.

New tools like Load Ratio, Auto Track Detection, AutoLap by timing gates, and Heat and Altitude Acclimation make the Venu 4 feel more like a Forerunner in disguise. That’s not far off the mark. This device shares much of its underlying training suite with the Forerunner 570. And now that it runs the same unified Garmin OS, you’re more likely to get future features added over time.

Training Readiness and Unified Training Status also make their way onto the Venu 4. Venu 3 includes an improved version of Training Status, but the new model ties together your sleep, recovery and effort levels in a more coherent way.

Profiles, activities and accessibility

The list of supported activities is much longer on the Venu 4. You now get triathlon, duathlon, swim/run, obstacle racing, and mixed sessions. Outdoor recreation has been boosted with modes for mountaineering, horseback riding and adventure racing. You can also track snorkeling, fishing, inline skating and gaming. Auto multisport transitions are included as well.

Sensor support has expanded too. In addition to heart rate straps, power meters, and smart trainers, the Venu 4 adds compatibility with Extended Display, Shimano Di2, club sensors, shifting systems, and even inReach. Cyclists and triathletes will get a lot more mileage out of this watch than they could from the Venu 3.

Accessibility also gets a lift. The Venu 4 adds a spoken watch face, spoken health data, and a large font UI mode. Color filters like grayscale and red-green assist have been included for users with visual impairments. These changes make the watch easier to use for a much wider range of people.

Is the Venu 4 worth the extra cost?

The Venu 4 brings a good mix of upgrades, but the higher price tag may give some buyers pause. At $550, it’s a full $100 more than the Venu 3 at launch (which will likely be discounted further now). That price gets you multi-band GPS, a flashlight, full metal housing, a modern Garmin OS platform, and a deeper set of training tools and wellness features.

But not everything moves forward. Battery life is slightly shorter, and some users may miss the third button. And at this price, Garmin is no longer competing directly with Apple, Samsung or Google in the $400 to $500 range. That creates a big gap in their lineup. The Vivoactive 6, priced at $300, now feels like the only option for those who want a pared-down Venu experience without spending nearly double.

If you’re already using a Venu 3 and mainly track steps, workouts and sleep, there’s no urgent reason to upgrade. But if you want richer analysis, sport-specific tools, broader sensor compatibility or simply a more capable platform moving forward, the Venu 4 is a clear step up.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Venu 3: Tech specs comparison

The table below compares the 45mm Venu 4 versus the equally sized Venu 3.

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