Garmin Approach® S50 vs Garmin vívoactive® 3 MusicSize, Specs & Wrist Fit Compared
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Garmin
Approach® S50 (010-03010-00)
Garmin
vívoactive® 3 Music (010-01985-01)
The Garmin Approach® S50 and Garmin vívoactive® 3 Music share a near-identical 43mm case, so wrist presence comes down to thickness, lug-to-lug and weight.
The Garmin Approach® S50 is the slimmer of the two (11.4mm vs 13.6mm), so it slides under a cuff more easily.
On the wrist the Garmin Approach® S50 feels lighter (29g vs 39g, case only).
Specification Comparison
| Spec | GarminApproach® S50 | Garminvívoactive® 3 Music |
|---|---|---|
| Case Width | 43mm | 43.1mm |
| Thickness | 11.4mm | 13.6mm |
| Weight | 29g | 39g |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Display | AMOLED (optional always-on mode) | — |
| Battery life | Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days GPS Mode Up to 15 hours (using default display settings: gesture wake-up in Smartwatch mode and always-on while golfing) | Smartwatch mode: Up to 7 daysGPS mode with music: Up to 5 hoursGPS mode without music: Up to 13 hours |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 10 days | — |
| Body Battery™ energy monitor | Yes | — |
| Released | 2025 | 2018 |
Full Specification Comparison
181 specs| Spec | Garmin Approach® S50 | Garmin vívoactive® 3 Music |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Family | Garmin | Garmin |
| General | ||
| Battery life | Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days GPS Mode Up to 15 hours (using default display settings: gesture wake-up in Smartwatch mode and always-on while golfing) | Smartwatch mode: Up to 7 daysGPS mode with music: Up to 5 hoursGPS mode without music: Up to 13 hours |
| Display Size | 1.2" (30.4 mm) diameter | 1.2" (30.4mm) diameter |
| Color display | Yes | Yes |
| Lens Material | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 |
| Bezel Material | anodized aluminum | — |
| Memory/History | 4 GB | 7 timed activities, 14 days of activity tracking data |
| Strap material | ComfortFit nylon band | silicone |
| Charging method | Garmin proprietary plug charger | — |
| Large font option | Yes | — |
| Display resolution | 390 x 390 pixels | 240 x 240 pixels |
| Quick Release bands | yes (20 mm, Industry standard) | yes (20 mm, Industry standard) |
| Case material | — | polymer |
| Sensors | ||
| GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| GLONASS | Yes | Yes |
| Galileo | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | — |
| Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor | Yes | — |
| Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Thermometer | — | yes (tempe™ sensor required) |
| Barometric altimeter | — | Yes |
| Product Info | ||
| Main SKU | 010-03010-00 | 010-01985-01 |
| Product ID | 1604377 | 602068 |
| Product Name | Approach® S50 | vívoactive® 3 Music |
| Release Date | 1/22/2025 | 7/13/2018 |
| Product Variation | Slate Aluminum Bezel with Black ComfortFit Nylon Band | Black with Silver Hardware |
| Clock Features | ||
| Timer | Yes | Yes |
| Stopwatch | Yes | Yes |
| Time/date | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm clock | Yes | Yes |
| GPS Time Sync | Yes | Yes |
| Sunrise/sunset times | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic daylight saving time | Yes | Yes |
| Cycling Features | ||
| Speed and cadence sensor support (w/sensor) | yes (using ANT+ or BLE) | Yes |
| Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories) | Yes | Yes |
| Compatible with Varia™ lights | — | Yes |
| Compatible with Varia™ radar (rear-facing radar) | — | Yes |
| Golfing Features | ||
| PinPointer | Yes | Yes |
| Swing Tempo | Yes | — |
| Custom targets | Yes | — |
| Full vector map | yes (with Garmin Golf membership) | — |
| Handicap scoring | Yes | — |
| Tournament legal | yes (with tournament mode enabled) | — |
| Digital scorecard | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin AutoShot™ | Yes | Yes |
| PlaysLike distance | Yes | — |
| Round timer/odometer | Yes | Yes |
| Auto CourseView updates | Yes | — |
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | Yes | Yes |
| Hazards and course targets | Yes | Yes |
| Pairs with Garmin Golf app | Yes | — |
| Green View with manual pin position | Yes | Yes |
| Preloaded with 43,000 courses worldwide | Yes | — |
| Green Contours (with Garmin Golf membership) | Yes | — |
| CT1 Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory) | Yes | — |
| CT10 Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory) | Yes | — |
| Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green) | Yes | Yes |
| Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit) | Yes | Yes |
| Touch-targeting (touch target on display to see the distance to any point) | yes (with Garmin Golf membership) | — |
| Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) | Yes | automatic |
| Running Features | ||
| Run workouts | Yes | Yes |
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | Yes | Yes |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | Yes | Yes |
| Foot pod capable | — | Yes |
| What You'll Love | ||
| Touchscreen | Yes | — |
| Display type | AMOLED (optional always-on mode) | — |
| Water rating | 5 ATM | — |
| Garmin Pay™ | Yes | Yes |
| Music storage | Yes | — |
| Pulse Ox blood oxygen | yes (spot-check and optionally in sleep) | — |
| Sleep score and insights | Yes | — |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 10 days | — |
| Activity Profiles | ||
| Gym | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing | Strength, Cardio and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing, Yoga |
| Swim | Pool Swimming | Pool Swimming |
| Cycling | Biking, Indoor Biking | Biking, Indoor Biking |
| Wellness | Walking, Pilates, Yoga, Indoor Walking | — |
| In the ring | Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts | — |
| Team sports | Basketball, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Football/Soccer, American Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball | — |
| On the Water | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking | — |
| Racket sports | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel, Platform Tennis, Racquetball | — |
| Snow & winter | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Snowshoeing | — |
| Indoor running | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running | — |
| Outdoor running | Running | — |
| Outdoor recreation | Golfing | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing |
| Swimming Features | ||
| Time and distance alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Auto rest (pool swim only) | Yes | — |
| Underwater wrist-based heart rate | Yes | — |
| Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only) | Yes | Yes |
| Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only) | Yes | Yes |
| Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | Yes | Yes |
| Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | Yes | — |
| Daily Smart Features | ||
| Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Passcode | Yes | — |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® |
| Find My Phone | Yes | Yes |
| Find My Watch | Yes | Yes |
| Morning report | Yes | — |
| Weather forecasts | Yes | Yes |
| Smart Notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Smartphone compatibility | iPhone®, Android™ | iPhone®, Android™ |
| Controls smartphone music | Yes | Yes |
| On-device Connect IQ™ Store | Yes | — |
| Plays and controls watch music | Yes | Yes |
| Pairs with Garmin Connect™ Mobile | Yes | Yes |
| Realtime settings sync with Garmin Connect™ mobile | Yes | — |
| View images from notifications on watch (Android™ only) | Yes | — |
| Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only) | Yes | Yes |
| Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields and apps) | Yes | Yes |
| VIRB® Remote | — | Yes |
| Activity Tracking Features | ||
| TrueUp™ | Yes | Yes |
| Move IQ™ | Yes | Yes |
| Step counter | Yes | Yes |
| Calories burned | Yes | Yes |
| Distance traveled | Yes | Yes |
| Intensity minutes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic rep counting | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin Connect™ Challenges app | yes (optional Connect IQ app) | yes (optional Connect IQ app) |
| Move alerts (displays on device after a period of inactivity) | Yes | Yes |
| Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | — | Yes |
| Workout and Training Plans | ||
| HIIT workouts | Yes | — |
| Yoga workouts | Yes | — |
| Cardio workouts | Yes | Yes |
| Pilates workouts | Yes | — |
| Strength workouts | Yes | Yes |
| On-screen workout animations | Yes | — |
| On-screen workout muscle maps | Yes | — |
| Health & Wellness Monitoring | ||
| Sleep | yes (advanced) | yes (advanced) |
| Hydration | yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) | yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) |
| Breathwork | Yes | — |
| Meditation | Yes | — |
| Fitness age | Yes | yes (in app) |
| Sleep coach | Yes | — |
| Nap detection | Yes | — |
| All-day stress | Yes | Yes |
| Women's health | yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) | yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) |
| Health snapshot | Yes | — |
| Respiration rate | Yes | — |
| Resting heart rate | Yes | Yes |
| Relaxation reminders | Yes | — |
| Abnormal heart rate alerts | yes (high and low) | yes (high) |
| Relaxation breathing timer | Yes | Yes |
| Body Battery™ energy monitor | Yes | — |
| Wrist-based heart rate (constant, every second) | Yes | Yes |
| Safety and Tracking Features | ||
| Assistance | Yes | Yes |
| Incident Detection during select activities | Yes | Yes |
| Incident detection alert on phone for wearables | Yes | — |
| Training, Planning and Analysis Features | ||
| % HRR | Yes | — |
| % HR max | Yes | Yes |
| HR zones | Yes | Yes |
| HR alerts | Yes | Yes |
| HRV status | Yes | — |
| Manual lap | Yes | Yes |
| Auto max HR | Yes | — |
| HR calories | Yes | Yes |
| Recovery time | Yes | — |
| VO2 Max (Run) | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced workouts | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max (Trail Run) | Yes | — |
| GPS speed and distance | Yes | Yes |
| Configurable lap alerts | Yes | — |
| Customizable data pages | Yes | Yes |
| Touch and/or button lock | Yes | Yes |
| Downloadable training plans | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Pause® automatic timer halt | Yes | Yes |
| Respiration rate (during exercise) | yoga, breathwork and meditation only | — |
| Auto Lap® interval tracking feature | Yes | Yes |
| HR broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+® to paired devices) | Yes | Yes |
| Auto scroll | — | Yes |
| Physio TrueUp | — | Yes |
| Activity history on watch | — | Yes |
| Customizable activity profiles | — | Yes |
| Outdoor Recreation | ||
| Back to start | — | Yes |
| Fish forecast | — | yes (via Connect IQ™) |
| Area calculation | — | yes (via Connect IQ™) |
| Total ascent/descent | — | Yes |
| Sun and moon information | — | yes (via Connect IQ™) |
| Kid Activity Tracking Features | ||
| Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app | — | yes (optional Connect IQ Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app) |
Wrist Fit
Garmin Approach® S50
Sits best on wrists ~45–61mm wide (≈ 12.0–16.3cm circumference).
Garmin vívoactive® 3 Music
Sits best on wrists ~45–62mm wide (≈ 12.0–16.6cm circumference).
2D Dimension Schematics
Accurate scale drawings based on case dimensions. Drag to pan, Ctrl+scroll to zoom. Works for every watch regardless of photo availability.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Garmin Approach® S50 bigger than the Garmin vívoactive® 3 Music?
The Garmin vívoactive® 3 Music is bigger — 43.1mm vs 43mm case width.
Which fits a smaller wrist better, the Garmin Approach® S50 or the Garmin vívoactive® 3 Music?
The Garmin Approach® S50 suits wrists around 45–61mm wide, and the Garmin vívoactive® 3 Music around 45–62mm. The one with the smaller lower bound is the safer pick for a small wrist.
Can I see the Garmin Approach® S50 and Garmin vívoactive® 3 Music side by side at true scale?
Yes — the schematics and photos above show both watches at matched scale, and our fit tool overlays each on your wrist width.
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