Garmin has presented the new Venu 2, which comes with a larger display, a stronger battery, and two different sizes. The smartwatch also has some new and interesting functions to offer.
The Garmin Venu was the manufacturer’s first smartwatch with an AMOLED display. In the meantime, the Venu SQ has been brought onto the market, which was particularly noticeable due to its angular design, and now Garmin has presented the Venu 2.
The Garmin Venu SQ is an attractively priced smartwatch for sports and fitness but still offers all the popular features of the Vivo series.
It was a bit of a surprise when Garmin introduced the Venu SQ. After all, we have the third version of the same model in addition to the Garmin Vivoactive 4 and the Venu.
Today we are comparing smartwatches with the same brand with a different model. Check out Garmin Venu 2 vs. Garmin Venu SQ.
General
| Garmin Venu 2 | Garmin Venu SQ | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Brand | Garmin | Garmin |
| Model | Venu 2 | Venu SQ |
| Sensors | Garmin Elevate heart rate sensor GPS GLONASS Galileo Barometric altimeter Compass Gyroscope Accelerometer Thermometer Ambient light sensor Pulse ox blood oxygen | GPS GLONASS Galileo Garmin Elevate heart rate sensor Compass Accelerometer Thermometer Pulse ox Ambient light |
| Shape | Circular, Flat | Rectangle |
| Display | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Compatibility | Android | Android, iOS |
| Colors | Black | Black |
Garmin Venu 2
As far as the external appearance is concerned, the Garmin Venu 2 brings some news. The watch is offered in two different sizes, with the Venu 2 standard version (45 mm) and the Venu 2s (40 mm), making the watch very interesting for women and people with slim wrists.
Although the new model is slightly larger than the Vivoactive 4 in its dimensions, it is still a bit lighter, ensuring a comfortable fit.
Bracelets are available for the watches in silicone, nylon, suede, leather, Milanese, which can be quickly and easily exchanged using a quick-change mechanism.
When the case gets bigger, so does the display. Of course, the Venu 2 uses an excellent AMOLED display again, which, compared to the previous model, at least in the standard version, also offers a slightly higher resolution. As usual, the display is protected by a Gorilla Glass 3.
Garmin Venu SQ
Garmin has decided to bring a square watch onto the market. And that’s not the first time because it wasn’t that long ago when we were all completely enthusiastic about the Garmin Vivoactive HR, and it was also square. So you have experience with this design.
And the angular exterior also seems to be very popular when you think of the Apple Watch or the Fitbit Versa models, all of which sold well.
Fitbit has now presented another angular model with the Sense, Huawei followed suit with the Watch Fit, and Amazfit recently showed the new GTS watch, which is also angular.
So it was definitely an excellent idea from Garmin to include this design variant in the range again.
It’s surprising how good the Venu SQ looked on the wrist. Due to the compact and light construction and the soft silicone strap, you can comfortably wear the smartwatch from the first minute.
Perhaps the clearest difference between the Venu SQ and the normal Venu and the Vivoacitve 4 is the display.
While the Vivoactive 4 is equipped with the color MIP display typical of Garmin and the Venu has an AMOLED display for the first time, the Venu SQ opted for a simpler LCD.
Although the colors are not quite as rich, and the resolution is slightly lower than in the two sister models, the display of the Venu SQ is still effortless to read in all lighting conditions.
The settings are used to configure the lighting intensity and duration according to your own needs and whether the display should be permanently activated or only switch on with certain gestures.
Technical Specifications
| Garmin Venu 2 | Garmin Venu SQ | |
| Display Resolution | 416 x 416 Pixles | 240 x240 |
| Dimension | 46 x 39 x 11.4 mm | 46.2 x 45 x 11.1 mm |
| Weight | 67 g | 65 g |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Water Resistant | 50m water resistant | 50m water resistant |
| Water Resistance Depth | 5ATM | 5ATM |
| Storage | 200 hours of activities 650 music tracks | 200 hours of activities 500 songs |
Activity Monitoring
| Garmin Venu 2 | Garmin Venu SQ | |
| Pedometer | Yes | Yes |
| Calories Count | Yes | Yes |
| Heart Rate Monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | No |
| Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm Clock | Yes | Yes |
| Chronograph | Yes | Yes |
| Date & Time Display | Yes | Yes |
| Language | English | English |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes | No |
Connectivity Features
| Garmin Venu 2 | Garmin Venu SQ | |
| Bluetooth | Yes v4.2 | Yes v5.0 |
| GPS | Yes | Yes |
| NFS | Yes | No |
| Battery | Clock mode: 10 days GPS with music: 7 hours GPS without music: 19 hours | Clock mode: 6 days GPS with music: 6 hours GPS without music: 14 hours |
| Charging port | Proprietary charging cable | Proprietary charging cable |
Garmin Venu 2
As is well known, an AMOLED display consumes more power, which is why we can assume that the battery life will be shorter. According to the manufacturer, this was also the case with the Venu 1, whose energy cell lasted around 3 days shorter than that of the Vivoactive 4.
But the Venu 2 comes with a much more powerful battery, which is why Garmin is promising much longer battery life.
Up to 10 days in watch mode
When training with activated GPS and music up to 7 hours
When training with activated GPS without music for up to 19 hours.
An energy-saving mode extends the runtimes significantly. However, essential functions such as automatic activity detection and SpO2 measurement are deactivated, and the activity time and display lighting are shortened.
First user reports show that these battery runtimes are apparently achieved in practice, which would be really impressive. After all, only Huawei has so far managed to offer such runtimes with the Watch GT2 and Watch GT2 Pro while using an AMOLED display at the same time.
Garmin Venu SQ
At this point in a test report, I almost always point out that the manufacturer is too optimistic about its information on battery life. However, this is not the case this time.
Garmin promises a battery life of 6 days for the Venu SQ.
Pulse measurement activated permanently
Pulse oximeter activated during sleep
Every other day 1 hour of sport with activated GPS
Receipt of messages
Several automatically recognized activities every day
Display brightness medium, duration short, activated by gesture
With this usage pattern, the battery was at a charge level of around 15% in the late afternoon of the sixth day.
It rarely happens, but it is all the more gratifying when the manufacturer’s information is proven in daily practice.
Conclusion!
The Garmin Venu 2 is without a doubt an excellent smartwatch that, like its predecessor and sister model (Garmin Venu and Vivoactive 4), is a great all-rounder and will therefore be of interest to many users.
Garmin has developed a watch that offers both a fantastic AMOLED display and a long battery life. A feat that only a few manufacturers have achieved so far.
At the same time, the Venu 2 has been equipped with all the important and interesting features that are so popular with users and for which the manufacturer is also valued. The watch can be used as a fitness tracker to record everyday activities and as a personal trainer for a wide variety of sports.
The Venu 2 is also smart and therefore offers notifications, music players, countless watch faces, and a large selection of additional apps.
The Garmin Venu SQ is the little sister of the normal Venu and the Vivoactive 4 and cannot offer anything new apart from the angular design.
The Venu SQ is compact, light, and comfortable to wear, making it ideal for slender wrists. The LCD, about which we had my concerns before, turned out to be absolutely practical and easy to read. The operation of the watch is very user-friendly, and overall, the Venu SQ does exactly what you expect from a good smartwatch for sport and fitness.
So if you are looking for a reliable, admittedly unspectacular but perfect fitness tracker, then the Garmin Venu SQ could be just the thing for you.
