Apple Watch Series 12 vs Garmin Venu 3
Both use single-frequency GPS, so the real gaps are elsewhere: Series 12 costs $50 less and rates higher, while the Venu 3 more than doubles the GPS battery life and is the only one of the two that works with Android.
AppleApple Watch Series 12
GarminGarmin Venu 3
- •You're on iPhone and want Apple's cheaper, higher-rated hybrid smartwatch
- •You don't need Android compatibility or extended GPS battery life
- •You're on Android, where Series 12 isn't an option at all
- •You want more than double the GPS battery life and Garmin's Body Battery readiness
The Series 12 brings a new Health Sensing System that reads heart rate every five seconds and rolls it into a 0-10 daily Readiness score, plus a genuinely longer 10-hour outdoor workout battery, up 25% from the Series 11. GPS is still single-band, same as the Series 11, so it's solid on open roads but can drift under heavy tree cover or between tall buildings. If that matters, the Ultra 4's dual-band GPS is the upgrade.
The Venu 3 blends Garmin's core fitness tracking and Body Battery readiness with a built-in speaker and microphone for taking calls from your wrist. It trades away deep running-load metrics like Training Readiness, making it ideal for runners who prioritize health tracking and smartwatch convenience.
*Estimated — this model's exact GPS battery life isn't published by the manufacturer. All figures are standard GPS mode, midsize case, no solar boost.
†Estimated — this model launched too recently to have an established customer rating yet.
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