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Head to Head

Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Garmin Venu 3

Both land in training-tier analytics, but the Ultra 3 is built for outdoor ruggedness and long battery life at $350 more, while the Venu 3 stays lifestyle-focused and works with Android, which the Ultra 3 doesn't.

Apple Watch Ultra 3Apple

Apple Watch Ultra 3

4.8
Garmin Venu 3Garmin

Garmin Venu 3

4.4
Best Lifestyle Hybrid
$799
MSRP
$449
Lower price
Full Smartwatch
Watch Type
Full Smartwatch
Solid Training Data
Training Data
Solid Training Data
iOS only
Phone
iOS & Android
4.8
Higher rated
Rating
4.4
14 hrs
GPS Battery Life
26 hrs
Longer battery
Dual-Band
More precise
GPS
Single-Band
61g
Weight
46g
Lighter
49mm
Case Size
41/45mm
Yes
Wrist Calls
Yes
Yes
Has maps
Offline Maps
No
Spotify/Amazon Music
Offline Music
Spotify/Amazon Music
10 ATM
More water resistant
Water Resistance
5 ATM
—
Notable For
Best Lifestyle Hybrid
Best For
  • •You're on iPhone and want Apple's most rugged, longest-lasting watch
  • •$350 more is worth it for outdoor durability and battery life
  • •You're on Android, where the Ultra 3 isn't an option at all
  • •You want Garmin's lifestyle-focused health tracking for significantly less
The Full Story

Ultra 3 stretches Apple Watch battery life further than any other model and adds genuine durability for outdoor use. It's still not a training-analytics powerhouse next to Garmin or Coros, but as an everyday smartwatch that can also handle long runs, it's excellent.

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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