How Accurate Is the Garmin Venu 3 Heart Rate?

TL;DR

Garmin Venu 3 heart-rate tracking is generally accurate enough for most people, but performance varies by activity and wearer. Correlations against a Polar H10 chest strap ranged from 0.79 during the reviewer's outdoor cycling tests to 0.99 during Teresa's running test, with missed heart-rate dips and delayed detection appearing as recurring limitations.

Transcript

the Garmin venue 3 and 3s are surprisingly well-rounded SmartWatches and I would have no problem recommending them to some of my friends after my systematic testing did reveal a number of limitations of this watch and these might be deal breakers for some of you in this video we're going to scientifically test the heart rate tracking performance sl... Read More

Key Insights

• The Garmin Venu 3 achieved a 0.93 correlation with the Polar H10 ECG chest strap during indoor cycling. Agreement was generally close, especially at higher heart rates, although measurements showed more deviation in the medium-to-low range.
• Heart-rate recovery dips are a recurring weakness of the Garmin Venu 3 in the reported tests. During several interval cycling sessions, the watch initially failed to capture decreases between efforts and consequently displayed heart rates that were temporarily too high.
• Running heart-rate accuracy was strong for both tested wearers. The watch reached a correlation of 0.95 for the reviewer across three runs and 0.99 for Teresa during her single run, with only minor deviations and occasional missed dips.
• Outdoor cycling produced the most mixed heart-rate results for the reviewer. Across 20 rides, the Garmin Venu 3 reached a correlation of 0.79, with some rides showing close agreement and others showing delayed detection or measurements below the chest-strap reference.
• Individual physiology may influence optical heart-rate performance. The Garmin Venu 3 and 3S generally produced better results for Teresa than for the reviewer, although her outdoor cycling result was based on only one ride and therefore requires caution.
• Outdoor cycling is more difficult for wrist-based heart-rate tracking than indoor cycling because gripping handlebars adds arm tension, while movement and bumpiness interfere with a clean signal. The reported data reflected this challenge through less consistent results.
• The Garmin Venu 3 performed near the Forerunner 965 and Fenix 7 in the reviewer's indoor cycling comparison. It performed somewhat worse than the Fenix 7 Pro and Epix 2 Pro despite those devices reportedly using the same sensor generation.
• Several competing watches produced better correlations in the reviewer's comparisons. Apple Watches and the Google Pixel Watch ranked better in cited tests, while running comparisons also placed the COROS Pace 2 above the Garmin Venu 3.

Questions & Answers

Q: How accurate is the Garmin Venu 3 during indoor cycling?

The Garmin Venu 3 achieved a correlation of 0.93 against the Polar H10 ECG chest strap during indoor cycling, which the reviewer considered pretty decent. Most measurements were on or close to the reference line, especially at higher heart rates. Its main weakness was recovery tracking, as it sometimes continued reporting an elevated heart rate after an interval instead of immediately detecting the dip.

Q: Why does the Garmin Venu 3 miss heart-rate dips?

The reported tests show that the Garmin Venu 3 sometimes failed to detect a falling heart rate immediately during recovery periods between cycling intervals. This created measurements above the Polar H10 reference because the watch continued displaying a heart rate that was too high. The transcript identifies this as a consistent small issue for the reviewer but does not establish its technical cause.

Q: How accurate is the Garmin Venu 3 for running?

Running accuracy was strong in the supplied tests. The Garmin Venu 3 produced a correlation of 0.95 for the reviewer across three runs, while the Venu 3S produced a correlation of 0.99 for Teresa during one run. Measurements generally followed the Polar H10 chest strap closely, with only minor deviations and occasional failure to capture brief heart-rate dips.

Q: How accurate is the Garmin Venu 3 for outdoor cycling?

Outdoor cycling performance was mixed and depended strongly on the wearer. Across 20 rides, the reviewer recorded a correlation of 0.79 against the Polar H10 chest strap. Some rides showed very good agreement, while others included delayed detection and measurements below the reference. Teresa achieved 0.96, but that result came from only one ride and was treated cautiously.

Q: Why is outdoor cycling difficult for smartwatch heart-rate tracking?

Outdoor cycling makes wrist-based heart-rate measurement more difficult because the rider must hold the handlebars, increasing tension in the arms and wrists. The activity also introduces more movement and bumpiness than indoor cycling or running. According to the transcript, these conditions make it harder for a watch to obtain a clean heart-rate signal, contributing to inconsistent results across rides.

Q: Does Garmin Venu 3 accuracy vary between people?

The supplied results suggest that accuracy can vary between wearers. Teresa generally received better heart-rate results than the reviewer, including correlations of 0.99 while running and 0.96 during one outdoor ride. The reviewer received 0.95 for running and 0.79 for outdoor cycling. However, Teresa completed fewer sessions, so the reviewer cautioned against drawing strong conclusions from that difference.

Q: How does the Garmin Venu 3 compare with other watches?

In the reviewer's indoor cycling comparison, the Garmin Venu 3 performed close to the Forerunner 965 and Fenix 7. It ranked below the Fenix 7 Pro and Epix 2 Pro despite reportedly sharing their sensor generation. Apple Watches and the Google Pixel Watch performed better in cited comparisons, and the COROS Pace 2 also ranked higher in the running comparison.

Q: Is the Garmin Venu 3 heart-rate tracking good enough?

The reviewer considered the Garmin Venu 3 heart-rate tracking good enough for most people and described the watch as well-rounded. Indoor cycling and running results were generally strong, but recovery dips were sometimes missed and outdoor cycling was inconsistent for the reviewer. Whether it is suitable therefore depends on the activity, the wearer, and how important precise tracking is during changing heart rates.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Garmin Venu 3 and 3S were evaluated systematically against a Polar H10 ECG chest strap for heart-rate performance. Testing included seven indoor cycling sessions, three runs, 21 outdoor bike rides, and 10 weightlifting sessions, although the supplied transcript presents detailed results only for indoor cycling, running, and part of outdoor cycling.

• Indoor cycling produced a correlation of 0.93 for the reviewer. Most measurements agreed closely with the chest strap, particularly at higher heart rates, but the watch sometimes reported values that were too high during recovery periods because it did not immediately capture dips between intervals. The reviewer still characterized the overall result as decent.

• Running results were strong, with correlations of 0.95 for the reviewer and 0.99 for Teresa. Outdoor cycling was less consistent for the reviewer, producing a correlation of 0.79 across 20 rides, while Teresa achieved 0.96 during one ride. The reviewer cautioned that her cycling result came from a limited sample.