Garmin Venu 2| Best Fitness Smartwatch 2022

Last Updated 2/26/2023

Regardless of if you’re considering the Venu 2, or the smaller 2s, we wanted you to know the main differences, so you can make the best decision for your needs. Luckily, whichever version you choose you won’t have to sacrifice any core features that make Garmin wearables so special.

Key Specs

Garmin Venu 2 vs Venu 2s

	Venu 2	Venu 2s
BATTERY LIFE (DAYS)	11	10
GPS MODE (HOURS) (W/MUSIC)	22 (8)	19 (7)
DISPLAY	1.3" AMOLED	1.1" AMOLED
CASE SIZE	45.4 mm	40.4 mm
CASE THICKNESS	12.2 mm	12.1 mm
WEIGHT	49 g	38.2g
BAND SIZE	22 mm	18 mm
TOUCHSCREEN	Yes
WATER RESISTANCE	5 ATM
MUSIC STORAGE	650 songs
SMART FEATURES	Find my phone, weather, calendar, text messages, notifications, and more
GARMIN PAY	Yes
CONNECTIVITY	Bluetooth, Wifi, and ANT+
HR SENSOR	Garmin Elevate™ V4.0
OTHER SENSORS	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Pulse Ox, altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer

Pros:

Excellent battery life
Endless 20mm and 18mm 3rd-party replacement band options
Powerful fitness and sports tracking platform (Garmin Connect)
Plenty of music storage for phone-free workouts
Best-in-class Garmin Elevate V4.0 heart rate sensor for ultimate accuracy
Stunning AMOLED display
Accurate and responsive touchscreen
Best-in-class Garmin Connect fitness app (iOS and Android)

Cons:

No workout analytics like Fenix and Forerunner models
No FULL Always-on faces like typical Garmin transflective displays
No LTE version

Biggest Upgrades

When it comes to the Venu 2 vs Venu 2s, they’re both the first Garmins to have their new Garmin Elevate V4.0 heart rate sensor. Besides the better tracking accuracy, the new sensor is much more efficient on battery life, too.

Under normal usage, you’ll get around 10 days of battery life. That’s about double the battery life of the first Venu and Venu SQ.

Always-OFF Display

The biggest difference compared to most traditional Garmin wearables is the display. The transflective display style that Garmin typically uses is replaced by a high-resolution AMOLED display.

Even though it produces bright, vibrant colors, you don’t get the full-screen Always-on mode faces that are achievable with transflective displays. If that’s the style you like, the Vivoactive series is the perfect option.

Anything Missing?

They still didn’t include the advanced workout analytics that you get on the Forerunner and Fenix series. You’ll still get advanced running metrics, VO2, and other premium metrics, which is adequate for most people, though.

Just like with the VivoActive series, the Venu series is geared towards simplicity. In fact, the Venu 2 is your best option if you don’t like the look of the Fitbit Sense but still want a premium fitness smartwatch.

Conclusion

The Garmin Venu 2 is a very impressive upgrade from the first Venu, and that’s saying a lot. With an upgraded PPG heart rate monitor that’s as good, or better than, the Apple Watch Series 7 at monitoring health biometrics.

The upgraded 10-11 day battery life is our favorite feature and is a positive side-effect of the more efficient heart rate monitor. Paired with the 1.3″ display (or 1.1″ on the 2s), it’s a smartwatch-lovers dream.

To be honest, the Garmin Venu 2 can’t compare to more traditional smartwatches since it only has a limited app store and no LTE connectivity. On the other hand, Garmin wearables aren’t made for people who need that.

Even though they has some more advanced multi-sport smartwatches like the Fenix and Forerunner series, they can be overkill for the average user. If your priority is getting the best multi-sport, health, and wellness tracking, but you still want the look and feel of a smartwatch, the Garmin Venu 2 and 2s are by far your best options.