Garmin Venu Sq vs. Fitbit Versa 3: Which should you buy?

Fitbit Versa 3

The Fitbit Versa 3 shows the Versa line is better than ever. You'll enjoy plenty of improvements, including six-day battery life, better heart rate accuracy, onboard GPS, Active Zone Minutes, and a mic/speaker with voice assistant options. If you want a perfect combination of fitness tracking and smartwatch perks, this is it.

Garmin Venu Sq

When you need a reliable fitness watch to track your progress and achieve your goals, you'll be in good hands with the Garmin Venu Sq. It's an affordable activity tracker in the form of a lightweight, attractive smartwatch. You get GPS, heart-rate monitoring, Garmin Pay, six-day battery life, and blood oxygen monitoring.

Garmin Venu Sq vs. Fitbit Versa 3 More alike than you'd think

As you embark on the journey of finding a perfect smartwatch, you'll have tons of solid options, including the Garmin Venu Sq and the Fitbit Versa 3. Both of these devices will prove to be extremely useful for detailed health and fitness tracking. In fact, you'll see there is quite a bit of overlap when you compare their features.

The battery life is identical, there are similar design elements, and you get an array of the same activity and health tracking perks on both watches. However, if you're seeking a device that will provide more of a smartwatch experience, the Fitbit Versa 3 will hit closer to home. If extras aren't a priority, then you might prefer the Garmin Venu Sq.

You get the essentials and more with the Fitbit Versa 3

Compared to its predecessor, the Versa 3 has made many important strides. Don't worry, everything you've come to love about these watches is still available for you to enjoy. Some of the features you can look forward to include 24/7 heart-rate monitoring, female health tracking, blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring, over 20 goal-based exercise modes, advanced sleep monitoring, and Fitbit Pay.

There have been a lot of thoughtful changes this time around. For one, the design is similar but you get a larger display area, smoother lines, improved comfort, and increased responsiveness. The Fitbit Versa 3 comes in a 40mm aluminum case. The color options include Soft Gold and Black.

Another difference is the introduction of new infinity bands. You'll appreciate the seamless quick-release attachment system. You'll no longer have to struggle when you want to change your watch band, which has been a much-needed change for some time now. Unfortunately, any previous Fitbit Versa bands you have won't be compatible here.

There are many reasons that the Versa 3 is easily one of the best Fitbit watches out there. This model offers an additional day of battery life, which means you'll have at least six days of juice on a single charge. Another improvement is the fast charging feature. You can put your watch on the charger and get enough juice for a full day of battery life in about 15 minutes.

When it comes to fitness tracking, the Fitbit Versa 3 has many new features as well. First, the long-awaited addition of onboard GPS is finally here. You also get the new Active Zone Minutes feature, which lets you know when you've reached your personalized target heart rate zones during an exercise. A user's heart rate zones are determined based on their age and fitness level. The Fitbit Versa 3's new PurePulse 2.0 technology also promises better heart rate accuracy.

Previously the Fitbit Versa was released with Amazon Alexa as the only voice assistant option. Now, you'll also have Google Assistant. When you combine this with the built-in microphone and speaker, you'll be able to hear the voice assistant responses. Not to mention that you can voice text replies and take Bluetooth calls, too.

Cover all the essentials with the Garmin Venu Sq

The Venu Sq is one of the latest Garmin watches to hit the market. It's not an ultra-expensive wearable with premium features, but it still has a lot to offer the right type of user. If you've been waiting for an affordable Garmin smartwatch but don't want to spend a fortune, you'll love this option.

Don't set your expectations too high when it comes to physical design. Sure, it's lightweight and compact, which is ideal for fitness enthusiasts, but it's not luxurious by any means. The 40mm plastic case comes in Slate, Light Gold, and Metallic Orchid. If you choose to pay more for the music edition, the color options you'll have are Slate, Light Gold, and Rose Gold. With the right color scheme and band combo, you can make your watch look nice enough for a night on the town.

If you're concerned about having all of the essentials for a solid fitness tracking experience, you'll have peace of mind knowing that the Garmin Venu Sq is properly equipped. Some of the key features include onboard GPS, all-day heart-rate monitoring, activity/sleep tracking, stress monitoring, and 5 ATM water resistance.

The Garmin Venu Sq allows you to choose from various workout options, including more than 20 preloaded sports apps on the watch, preset workouts via Garmin Connect, and training plans via Garmin Coach. If you like to customize your workouts, you can create your work in the app and download them directly to the watch.

One of the company's signature features is the Pulse Ox sensor, which will monitor your blood oxygen levels. This sensor pairs well with respiration tracking, which tracks the number of breaths you take per minute. This dynamic duo leads to more advanced sleep data. We can't forget to mention the Body Battery energy monitoring feature. This allows you to monitor your energy levels during the day. You'll have a good idea of when you need to rest and when you should schedule an activity.

Garmin Venu Sq vs. Fitbit Versa 3 Which should you buy?

When it comes to health and activity tracking, the Garmin Venu Sq and the Fitbit Versa 3 share more similarities than differences. Both watches offer a variety of exercise modes, onboard GPS, heart-rate monitoring, female health tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, and sleep tracking. Additionally, both of these wearables are sporting a squarish design rather than the traditional circular one. What's more, the Garmin Venu Sq and the Fitbit Versa 3 both offer six full days of battery life on a single charge.

With all of this in mind, you now have to ask yourself how important smartwatch features are to you. It may not be quite as advanced as some other high-end options out there, but the Versa 3 does have more smartwatch features than the Venu Sq. For starters, it has voice assistant options with Amazon Alexa as well as Google Assistant. It also has both a mic and a speaker, so you can hear the voice assistant responses instead of reading the screen. This also makes it easy to take a call on your wrist or voice a text reply.

It's no secret that app support on Fitbit watches isn't that robust, but it's still better than the Garmin Venu Sq. If these extra will provide you with a better experience, it'll be worth spending more for the Versa 3.