Table Of Contents
What's New?!
Garmin’s first real smartwatches, the Venu and Venu SQ, were a hit with traditional smartwatch lovers. Mainly because, it’s the perfect combination of premium multi-sport tracking and big, beautiful smartwatch-style displays.
With the release of the Venu 2 and 2S, it’s time to take the Garmin Venu vs Venu 2, to help you find the perfect GPS smartwatch for your needs…
Garmin Venu vs Venu 2: Specs
 |  Venu |  Venu SQ Music |  Venu 2 |  Venu 2S |
BATTERY LIFE (DAYS) | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10 |
GPS MODE (HOURS) (W/MUSIC) | 20 (6) | 14 (6) | 22 (8) | 19 (7) |
DISPLAY | 1.2" AMOLED | 1.3" LCD | 1.3" AMOLED | 1.1" AMOLED |
CASE SIZE | 43 mm | 40 mm x 37 mm | 45.4 mm | 40.4 mm |
CASE THICKNESS | 12.4 mm | 11.5 mm | 12.2 mm | 12.1 mm |
WEIGHT | 46.3 g | 37.6 g | 49 g | 38.2 g |
BAND SIZE | 20 mm | 20 mm | 22 mm | 18 mm |
TOUCHSCREEN | Yes | |||
WATER RESISTANCE | 5 ATM | |||
MUSIC STORAGE | 500 songs | 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™ V3.0 | Garmin Elevate™ V4.0 | ||
OTHER SENSORS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Pulse Ox altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer | |||
Garmin Venu and Venu SQ
Pros
- Garmin Elevate V3.0 heart rate sensor for impressive accuracy
- Good battery life
- Powerful fitness and sports tracking platform (Garmin Connect)
- 20mm pin setup for endless watchband options (industry-standard)
- Circle or square style options
- Venu SQ model is the best bang-for-your-buck versus any other Garmin wearable
- Plenty of music storage for phone-free workouts (500 songs)
- Beautiful AMOLED (Venu) and LCD (Venu SQ) displays
- Slim and compact style of Venu SQ is great for smaller wrists
- Lightweight and comfortable chassis
Cons
- Small screen on Venu SQ
- AMOLED (Venu) and LCD (Venu SQ) displays are best for indoor sports, workouts, and other activities
- No replying or “Quick Reply” texting on iPhone
- No ECG heart rate (PPG heart rate sensor is still very good)
- No LTE version
- No full-screen Always-on watch faces like typical Garmin transflective displays
Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2S
Pros
- Best-in-class Garmin Elevate V4.0 heart rate sensor for ultimate accuracy
- Excellent battery life
- Endless 20mm and 18mm 3rd-party replacement band options
- Powerful fitness and sports tracking platform (Garmin Connect)
- Even more music storage for phone-free workouts (650 songs)
- Stunning AMOLED display
- Accurate and responsive touchscreen
Cons
- No advanced workout analytics like Fenix and Forerunner models
- No full-screen Always-on watch faces like typical Garmin transflective displays
- AMOLED display isn’t as visible in direct sunlight as transflective displays
- No ECG heart rate (PPG heart rate sensor is still best-in-class)
- No LTE version
- Smaller Venu 2s version is still pretty bulky on smaller wrists
Classic Look
Garmin ditched the square model in the new Garmin Venu 2. You still have a choice between a larger 45 mm model and a “smaller” 40 mm model, but both are round.
They both have stunning AMOLED displays like the original round Venu model, so this is still the GPS watch to get if you like the smartwatch look.
Elevated HR Monitor
Garmin not including an ECG heart rate sensor on any of their wearables just became a moot point. Plus, even though you’re able to take ECG readings on some other flagship fitness wearables, they all still depend on PPG sensors for the vast majority of HR data.
That’s where Garmin’s best-in-class optical heart rate analysis comes in. Upgrading both the sensor hardware and the software, the new Garmin Elevate V4.0 is more accurate and way more efficient.
Big Battery Boost
Hands down, the biggest improvement from the Venu to the Venu 2 is the better battery life. I thought the 5-6 days on the first Venu was pretty good, but improving it to 10-11 days on the Venu 2 is jaw-dropping.
This improvement just goes to show just how efficient the new Elevate V4.0 heart rate analysis really is.
Luxury Fitness Tracking
Just like any other Garmin GPS watch, it comes with all the essentials to support athletes of almost any level. Even though it doesn’t have the more advanced workout metrics like the Fenix and Forerunner series, it does the trick.
Since it’s the first to have the Elevate V4.0, every biometric category gets an upgrade. Besides better HR tracking, sleep tracking also takes a huge leap.
To round out the fitness and lifestyle-tracking experience, they added more workout modes and more in-depth menstrual tracking. Plus, they added visual muscle maps, so you can see exactly which area of the body you’re working with every exercise.
Conclusion
Garmin Venu vs Venu 2
The Venu still represents one of the best entry-level GPS smartwatches, but the Garmin Venu 2 takes the fitness smartwatch category to a new level.
With the upgraded Garmin Elevate V4.0 heart rate analysis, this is your best choice if health and wellness tracking is a priority. Every metric across the board, from advanced sleep tracking to body battery, received a boost from the upgrade.
On top of that, MyFitnessPal is fully integrated with the Garmin app, so all of your nutrition tracking can be tied in, too. All the way down to the guided workouts, there’s no better platform to help you grow and support any fitness level.
Out of all the improvements we expected to see, doubling the battery life was the best surprise. Plus, dropping the LCD display (Venu SQ) and going with both AMOLED was a nice upgrade. This makes the Venu 2 and 2S even more perfect for smatchwatch-lovers, looking for the best multi-sport tracking wearable.
