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Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S buyer's guide: Everything you need to know
Garmin is one of the best in the fitness tracking game, but its recent releases have been making the jump into smartwatch territory with classic watch designs and useful “smart” features. Released in 2019, the Venu brought a mainstream appeal with its AMOLED display — a first for Garmin — meant to catch the eye of those looking for Apple or Galaxy Watch alternatives.
The Garmin Venu 2 series refines the tried-and-tested formula and takes things to the next level. Now available in three models, the Venu 2 series has a lot to offer. They come with enhanced activity-tracking features, make better use of the OLED display, and are better smartwatches. Here’s what you need to know about the Garmin Venu 2 series!
Our verdict: Garmin Venu 2 review
Garmin Venu 2 series at a glance
Taking a page from its Vivoactive 4 playbook, Garmin originally launched two models in the Venu 2 series in April 2021. The Venu 2 and Venu 2S are functionally the same, with identical specs and all the new, exciting features available with both. In January 2022, the company added a third product to this lineup with the Venu 2 Plus. As its name suggests, this model is functionally similar to the Venu 2 but does pack a few more smartwatch-like features.
The big difference between the Venu 2, Venu 2 Plus, and Venu 2S is the size. The 45mm Venu 2 is ideal for larger wrists, while the 40mm Venu 2S will be at home on smaller hands. The Venu 2 Plus strikes the perfect compromise between the two with its 43mm face.
The Venu 2S is also the way to go if you’re looking for more colorful options, with its Light Gold/Light Sand, Silver/Mist Grey, or Rose Gold/White colorways.
On the other hand, the Venu 2 sticks to relatively standard Silver/Granite Blue and Slate/Black offerings. The smaller watch understandably comes with a slightly smaller battery, but they both vastly improve the battery life available with its predecessor.
The Venu 2 Plus includes a new Cream Gold option but can be had in Silver or Slate, too.
You also get a host of new health and fitness tracking features. This includes up to 25 sports profiles, including the highly requested HIIT mode and modes to track hiking, indoor climbing, and even bouldering. Garmin has improved its fitness age estimates and Body Battery features and has introduced a useful new feature called Health Snapshot. More on these below.
Is the Garmin Venu 2 worth buying?
Absolutely! As long as you’re willing to splurge and know what you’re getting. At $400-$450, the Venu 2 is one of the most expensive smartwatches you can get. However, it’s a health and fitness tracking powerhouse with decent smartwatch features, and third-party app support is growing by the day. Garmin usually has excellent offers and discounts available during the holiday season if the high price tags are a turn off.
The Garmin Venu 2 series is ideal for:
- Those looking for robust health and activity tracking features
- Anyone who wants a worthy alternative to the Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, Fitbit watches, and Wear OS devices
- Anyone already invested in the Garmin ecosystem
The Garmin Venu 2 series may not be for you if:
- You’re looking for full-fledged smartwatch features
- You want an inexpensive smartwatch
Notably, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus goes some way to remedying its predecessor’s smartwatch feature failings, but Garmin still has a long way to go to challenge the likes of Apple and Samsung on that front.
Garmin Venu 2 vs. Garmin Venu: What’s new?
There isn’t a whole lot that’s aesthetically different between the two generations. The biggest change in terms of design is that the Venu 2 comes in two sizes. The Venu 2 and Venu 2S come with 1.3-inch and 1.1-inch displays, respectively, with the older Venu splitting the difference with its 1.2-inch screen. The Venu 2 Plus also includes a 1.3-inch screen.
There are a few key changes under the hood. The most important is that Garmin promises nearly double the battery life available with the first-gen device, with a lofty goal of 10-11 days of usage. The other improvement comes in the form of fast charging. The Venu 2 series charges up much quicker than the older watch, and just a 10-minute charge will give you a full day of use. You also get more storage for your music, with the Venu 2 series able to store up to 650 songs, compared to the 500 possible with its predecessor.
See also: Garmin vs. Fitbit — Which ecosystem is right for you?
There are plenty of upgrades in the Venu 2 series’ fitness and health tracking capabilities that make it one of the best multisport smartwatches you can get. You can track up to 25 sports modes, including the highly requested HIIT mode, as well as hiking, indoor climbing, and bouldering. You can also take advantage of more than 75 on-device animated workouts, with exercises for Pilates, yoga, cardio, HIIT, and more.
Garmin has updated its Body Battery algorithm based on feedback from existing Garmin users. It’s now far more challenging to achieve a Body Battery score of 100. The algorithm takes sleep tracking data into account, so you’ll definitely need to be well-rested to hit that score. The “fitness age” feature has also been updated to include your weekly vigorous activity level, resting heart rate, and body fat percentage.
A fantastic new feature Garmin introduced with the Venu 2 is Health Snapshot. The Venu 2 takes a two-minute recording of your essential stats like heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen levels, respiration rate, and stress. You can then view the results in Garmin Connect and even create a PDF to share with your healthcare provider. The Venu 2 comes with a new heart rate sensor that should provide more accurate readings than the former. You can also set it up to keep track of your blood oxygen saturation levels all day, all night, or both.
The Venu 2 might not look all that different from the first-gen device, but it brings plenty of new features and key hardware and software updates to make it a worthy successor.
Garmin Venu 2 vs. Garmin Venu 2 Plus: What’s the difference?
As we mentioned above, there’s little to separate the Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2 Plus on the aesthetic or health-tracking fronts. However, the Plus is head and shoulders the better smartwatch.
It brings on-wrist call support to the Venu 2 series, as well as voice assistant support. Both features make the Garmin Venu 2 Plus a better standalone smartwatch. Faster charging is also included, but this is necessary to make up for its weaker battery life. While the original Venu 2 offers up to 11 days per charge, the Venu 2 Plus settles for nine.
For a deeper look at the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, be sure to read our review at the link below.
Our verdict: Garmin Venu 2 Plus review
What about the Garmin Vivoactive 5?
The Garmin Vivoactive 4 was released at the same time as the Venu two years ago. The Vivoactive 4 was an excellent alternative to the original Venu. It missed out on the OLED display but was also more affordable because of it. Unfortunately, anyone hoping to get their hands on a potential Garmin Vivoactive 5 will have to wait. A Garmin spokesperson mentioned that the company’s focus is on the Venu family and offered no information about the next generation Vivoactive device.
Garmin Venu 2 specs
| Garmin Venu 2 Plus | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S | |
|---|---|---|
Display | Garmin Venu 2 Plus 1.3-inch AMOLED 416 x 416 resolution Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S Venu 2: 1.3-inch AMOLED 416 x 416 resolution Venu 2S: 1.1-inch AMOLED 360 x 360 resolution Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
Dimensions and weight | Garmin Venu 2 Plus 43.6 x 43.6 x 12.6mm 20mm band 51g | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S Venu 2: 45.4 x 45.4 x 12.2mm 22mm band 49g Venu 2S: 40.4 x 40.4 x 12.1mm 18mm band 38.2g |
Build materials | Garmin Venu 2 Plus Stainless steel bezel and hardware Silicone band | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S Stainless steel bezel and hardware Silicone band |
Battery | Garmin Venu 2 Plus Rapid charging Up to 9 days in smartwatch mode Up to 8 hours in GPS mode + music | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S Venu 2: Rapid charging Up to 11 days in smartwatch mode Up to 8 hours in GPS mode + music Venu 2S: Rapid charging Up to 10 days in smartwatch mode Up to 7 hours in GPS mode + music |
IP rating | Garmin Venu 2 Plus 5ATM | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S 5ATM |
Sensors | Garmin Venu 2 Plus Garmin Elevate heart rate sensor GPS GLONASS Galileo Barometric altimeter Compass Gyroscope Accelerometer Thermometer Ambient light sensor Pulse ox blood oxygen saturation monitor | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S Garmin Elevate heart rate sensor GPS GLONASS Galileo Barometric altimeter Compass Gyroscope Accelerometer Thermometer Ambient light sensor Pulse ox blood oxygen saturation monitor |
Connectivity | Garmin Venu 2 Plus Bluetooth ANT+ Wi-Fi | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S Bluetooth ANT+ Wi-Fi |
Storage | Garmin Venu 2 Plus Music: Up to 650 songs Activity data: 200 hours | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S Music: Up to 650 songs Activity data: 200 hours |
Compatibility | Garmin Venu 2 Plus Android, iOS | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S Android, iOS |
Garmin Pay | Garmin Venu 2 Plus Yes | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S Yes |
Smartwatch features | Garmin Venu 2 Plus Make and receive phone calls Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby, and Siri support Connect IQ-compatible Smartphone notifications Text response/reject phone call with text (Android only) Controls smartphone music Plays and controls smartwatch music Find my phone/find my watch Incident Detection LiveTrack | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S Connect IQ-compatible Smartphone notifications Text response/reject phone call with text (Android only) Controls smartphone music Plays and controls smartwatch music Find my phone/find my watch Incident Detection LiveTrack |
Colors | Garmin Venu 2 Plus Silver bezel with Powder Gray case, Slate bezel with Black case, Cream Gold bezel with Ivory case | Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S Venu 2: Silver bezel with Granite Blue case, Slate bezel with Black case Venu 2S: Slate bezel with Graphite case, Light Gold bezel with Light Sand case, Silver bezel with Mist Grey case, Rose Gold bezel with White case |
What are some good Garmin Venu 2 alternatives?
The Garmin Venu 2 is undoubtedly one of the best for health and fitness tracking. However, if you’re looking for a more well-rounded smartwatch, there are plenty of alternatives to consider.
- Apple Watch Series 7: This one’s the go-to if you have an iPhone. For iOS users, the Apple Watch is hard to beat. It trounces most watches with third-party app support and rivals the best in terms of fitness and smart features. It’s a seriously great wearable.
- Fitbit Sense and Versa 3: Both Fitbit smartwatches are unsurprisingly good Venu 2 alternatives. They’re both cheaper than the Garmin watch, track many the same metrics, and come with voice assistants on board. The Venu 2 dives into more detail, though.
- Fossil Gen 6 or Skagen Falster 3: The Fossil Gen 6 and Skagen Falster 3 are two great Wear OS devices. They’re not the best smartwatches ever, but a beautiful design and solid features make these two stand out.
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series: The Galaxy Watch 4 isn’t the best sports tracker out there but is a great alternative if you’re looking for a more well-rounded smartwatch experience. It’s a particular no-brainer if you have a Samsung smartphone or want a Wear OS 3 smartwatch with lengthy support.
- Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2: Not a fan of the Galaxy Watch 4’s high price tag or chunky design? The Galaxy Watch Active 2 gets you most of the same features in a slimmer, cheaper package.
Where to buy the Garmin Venu 2
The Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S are priced at $399.99. You don’t get a discount for the smaller Venu 2S, but that makes sense since you get all the same features with both. In terms of multisport watches, $400 is on the higher end, but it’s worth the price for its comprehensive health and fitness tracking. Both are available directly from Garmin.
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is priced at $449.99. The additional smartwatch features fetch a $50 premium over the base Venu 2 and Venu 2S. Whether those additions warrant the price increase is debatable. There’s no denying that it’s an expensive smartwatch, though.
If the price is too high for you, Garmin devices frequently go on sale during major retail holidays. Waiting for Black Friday/Cyber Monday is your best bet if you want to save a few dollars.
Top Garmin Venu 2 questions and answers
Q: Do the Venu 2, Venu 2 Plus, and Venu 2S support Garmin Pay?
A: Yes, you can use Garmin Pay with all three smartwatches.
Q: Are the Garmin Venu 2, Venu 2 Plus, and Venu 2S waterproof?
A: Yes, you can use the three devices to track swimming. They come with a 5ATM rating for water resistance.
Q: What watch straps work with the Garmin Venu 2, Venu 2 Plus, and Venu 2S?
A: The larger Venu 2 is compatible with industry-standard 22mm straps, while you’ll have to opt for 18mm straps for the Venu 2S. The Venu 2 Plus uses 20mm straps.
Q: Are the Garmin Venu 2, Venu 2 Plus, and Venu 2S compatible with my smartphone?
A: Garmin Connect is available for both iOS and Android. You’ll need an Android device if you want to send text responses directly from the watch.