Garmin Venu Sq 2 assessment: a wonderful Fitbit different

After I consider a Garmin, I normally image a behemoth of a watch worn by a sweaty marathoner — and I see loads of each at my run membership each week. What I don’t consider is way of life smartwatches, despite the fact that I do know Garmin makes a number of. (Lots of which I’ve reviewed!) It simply wasn’t a class that performed to the corporate’s strengths. Or no less than that’s what I used to assume. After testing the $249.99 Venu Sq 2, my stance is starting to alter.

Because the identify implies, the Venu Sq 2 is the sequel to the Venu Sq (formally pronounced S Q) and serves because the entry-level watch in Garmin’s Venu line. The Venu watches are the closest factor the corporate has to extra conventional smartwatches, characterised by coloration OLED shows, sleeker designs, streamlined health monitoring, and a barely greater give attention to good options. The one downside was they had been type of costly in comparison with the competitors. However with the Venu Sq 2, it appears like Garmin’s struck a greater stability. Not solely is it higher than Fitbit’s Versa 4 and Sense 2, nevertheless it’s probably the greatest health watches you should buy for below $300.

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I didn’t anticipate a lot after I unboxed the Venu Sq 2. What can I say? It seems to be like an Apple Watch knockoff, and there’s no scarcity of these. Throw a stone on Amazon, and also you’ll hit a pair dozen of them. My assessment unit additionally occurs to be the identical coloration as my Apple Watch Collection 8. I’ve even reached for the fallacious watch a few times. Visually, the one distinctive issues in regards to the Venu Sq 2 are the teeny dots surrounding its 1.4-inch OLED show and the 2 buttons on the facet of the watch. 

The design did develop on me after just a few days. Though the case itself is plastic, the aluminum bezel offers it a classy vibe. I wouldn’t really feel underdressed with the default silicone strap, but when it’s to not your style, you’ll be able to all the time swap it with any normal 20mm band. Dimension-wise, the 40mm watch case is excellent for my wrist, and it was snug sufficient to put on 24/7. At 38g, it’s light-weight, and I’m happy to report I didn’t rip it off at evening as I typically do with bulkier watches, and it didn’t drag down my wrist whereas operating. That’s nice if, like me, you’ve extra petite wrists. The watch can also be a slim 11mm and by no means caught on my winter coat sleeves. 

Whereas I choose smaller watches for consolation, I usually discover their screens more durable to learn. However I didn’t thoughts the Venu Sq 2’s show. My eyesight isn’t nice, however the vivid colours and bigger default textual content dimension made notifications simpler to learn than on different equally sized watches. The touchscreen is typically a half-second late when swiping, however to not the purpose the place it’s irritating or unusable. 

Whereas it seems to be like an Apple Watch, the battery life is all Garmin. With common utilization, the Venu Sq 2 has an estimated 11 days of battery life and between 20–26 hours of GPS exercises. I’ve been sporting this for about eight or 9 days straight, and it’s solely now beginning to dip below the 25 % mark. That’s with the always-on show disabled. Enabling it should shrink that right down to about three days, although battery life will all the time rely in your particular person utilization. Regardless, it is best to get a number of days on a single cost, regardless of your settings.

What I don’t love is the proprietary charger. It additionally doesn’t assist that it’s nonetheless USB-A. Nonetheless, proprietary smartwatch chargers are an industry-wide downside, and no less than this one works with a number of different Garmin watches. 

Informal, entry-level smartwatches just like the Venu Sq 2 won’t ever outperform top-of-the-line flagships on options or sturdiness. Even so, Garmin packs quite a bit into this lil man. I’m not making an attempt to get carpal tunnel, so listed here are the specs and options that you must know. (You possibly can try the complete listing right here.) 

• Constructed-in GPS (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo)
• Sensible options embody alarms, timers, stopwatches, timers, a third-party app retailer by way of Garmin Join IQ, push notifications, calendar occasions, media controls, discover my cellphone / watch, contactless funds, fast replies to texts (Android solely)
• A number of watchfaces
• Sensors: Optical coronary heart price sensor, compass, accelerometer, SpO2 sensors
• Has emergency security options and fall detection however requires your smartphone to work
• Helps Bluetooth and ANT Plus equipment
• 5ATM of water resistance, i.e., secure for swimming pools
• If you happen to get the Music model, you get about 500 songs price of onboard storage

That is a powerful characteristic set for the value. And when you spend the additional $50 for the Music model, you’ll be able to depart your cellphone at residence for shorter exercises or errands. However until you should have onboard music, I’d advocate sticking with the common mannequin since this isn’t a real standalone watch — you’ll normally have your cellphone with you.

If you happen to do get the Music model, offline Spotify playlists are the best method to take heed to music. You possibly can obtain them proper from the watch app. (You’ll want a Premium account.) It took about 5 minutes to switch the 100 songs in Spotify’s That is: EXO playlist. I’m listening to it as I write this assessment and having a grand time. The Join IQ retailer additionally helps Amazon Music, Deezer, and a handful of others. Apple Music customers may also switch playlists by way of the Garmin Categorical desktop app, nevertheless it’s a trouble as a result of it solely transfers information that you simply’ve purchased from the iTunes retailer, not ones you stream by means of Apple Music’s subscription service. This mangled my sacred operating playlist and wasted an hour of my life. Belief me: simply use Spotify, or stream out of your cellphone.

The Venu Sq 2 helps contactless cost by way of Garmin Pay. It isn’t as widespread as Apple Pay or Google Pockets, nevertheless it’ll do in a pinch. I had no problem including a card and paying for a drink from the merchandising machine. You’ll need to double-check the listing of banks that help Garmin Pay, however there’s a ton within the US. In sure cities, you can even use it for public transit, although within the US, that solely consists of New York, Chicago, and Portland, Oregon. 

Nevertheless, the Venu Sq 2 isn’t a really standalone watch as a result of Garmin’s security and fall detection options require your cellphone’s mobile connection. It’s nice when sticking near residence. I’ve left my cellphone behind for a brief restoration run across the block and whereas cross-training at my constructing’s gymnasium. The secret is that in both situation, I’d be capable of get assist even with out my cellphone. I’d be a lot warier of leaving my cellphone at residence when venturing exterior my neighborhood. 

I examined the Venu Sq 2 on a number of GPS runs alongside my cellphone, the Apple Watch Extremely, and the Collection 8. The variations had been so negligible it virtually wasn’t price recording. The Extremely’s multiband GPS was higher, however not by a complete lot. In coronary heart price testing, the Venu Sq 2 was on par with my Polar H10 chest strap and the Extremely. These outcomes are a snoozefest, however that’s a superb factor. This can be a Garmin watch, and it performs like one. 

The Venu Sq 2 doesn’t observe each doable metric, nevertheless it doesn’t must. Even skilled athletes might not use every little thing Garmin tracks on its dearer watches. What issues is you’ve acquired all of the fundamentals like steps, energy burned, and depth minutes. I’m a fan of the latter, because it helps rookies perceive whether or not they’re getting the really helpful 150 minutes of reasonable train per week. The watch may also observe commonest actions, together with pilates, yoga, HIIT, and classes on gymnasium tools like ellipticals. You’ll be lined until you’re into probably the most excessive of sports activities. 

On the wellness entrance, you get options like sleep monitoring, stress monitoring, interval monitoring, hydration monitoring, guided respiratory classes, respiration price, and Garmin’s Physique Battery restoration gauge. Of those, Physique Battery is probably the most distinctive. It’s a gauge of how a lot power you’ve exerted in a day versus how a lot you’ve recharged the earlier evening. I’ve used it a ton over time, and it’s typically spot on. For rookies, it’s a superb, easy method to visualize restoration. 

This isn’t actually the Garmin for superior athletes, however what I like in regards to the Venu Sq 2 is it’s a watch you’ll be able to develop with. It’s easy sufficient for rookies, however there’s stuff for intermediate-level athletes, too — particularly runners. The Garmin Coach coaching plans for 5K, 10K, and half-marathons are extra in-depth than the overall health lessons or packages you’ll discover in Apple Health Plus and Fitbit Premium. I prefer it greater than some plans I’ve tried on devoted operating apps like Runkeeper, too. Garmin’s plans are led by skilled coaches with completely different instructing kinds and consider your present health stage and historical past. This system adapts as you go alongside, and the exercises are routinely synced onto your wrist. 

Plus, all this content material is free. That’s so uncommon in health tech; most apps and companies lock the good things behind paywalls. After all, it would change down the road, however for now, Garmin’s made it clear it has no intention to take action. 

The Garmin Join smartphone app has improved over time, however the person interface nonetheless isn’t pleasant to newcomers. Generally used settings are sometimes buried in locations you wouldn’t assume to look, and reviewing knowledge usually appears like watching a wall of textual content and numbers. Simply take a look at this gallery of the each day dashboard and a typical operating exercise abstract. That is only a style. I’d want greater than seven screenshots to seize every little thing tracked on a low-key day. Different apps hardly ever require greater than two or three.

I’m a knowledge maximalist, so this cursed knowledge wall is partly my very own making. (Shoot these stats straight into my eyeballs, child.) Minimalists needn’t endure as I do. You possibly can edit the sprint to be much less cluttered. I maintain every little thing seen as a result of I’m afraid of shedding sure metrics in a maze of Garmin menus. The factor is, so many health and coaching apps current the identical actual knowledge in a extra digestible method. Hell, I usually choose viewing my Garmin knowledge by means of Strava. 

Altering on-wrist and app settings can be a ache. As an example, if you wish to activate the always-on show, it’s important to long-press the underside button earlier than following Settings > System > Show > Not throughout exercise / Throughout Exercise > Timeout > All the time-On. There’s no fast settings menu like on most different smartwatches. One other bizarre factor is you’ll be able to’t handle Venu Sq 2 watch faces from the app, simply on the watch itself. You run into plenty of this, as evidenced by the quite a few Garmin Join FAQs on-line.  

One factor I do like in regards to the Join app is it’s extremely customizable. As an example, you’ll be able to edit the tabs on the backside of the Join app and program hotkeys or shortcuts. It’s a steep studying curve, however when you put the hassle in, you may make issues as complicated or easy as you want. It’s not so unhealthy when you get used to it. (Both that or I’ve Stockholm Syndrome.) 

If you happen to’re contemplating the Venu Sq 2, you is perhaps coming from Fitbit. In spite of everything, for this worth, you will get a wiser smartwatch within the type of an Apple Watch SE or a midrange Put on OS watch. The Venu Sq 2 is for individuals who care extra about lengthy battery, affordability, and in-depth well being monitoring. That is Fitbit’s historic area of interest, however the firm’s misplaced plenty of floor lately. Garmin is without doubt one of the few names on the market providing units that may work as a 1:1 substitute. (I recommend additionally trying out manufacturers like Amazfit, as they’re a terrific worth — however I get wanting to stay with a extra acquainted model.)

Garmin and Fitbit have completely different approaches to well being and health, however their units examine lots of the similar packing containers. Each firms are recognized for wearables with lengthy battery life that work with each iOS and Android. They every have their very own contactless cost methods and third-party app shops. So why do you have to get a Venu Sq 2 over a Versa 4 or a Sense 2? 

If you happen to’re going to spend between $200–$300 for such a smartwatch, you need an ecosystem that provides you room to develop. It should get higher with every era, and also you should have choices in case your objectives change. As I wrote earlier, the Venu Sq 2 is a smartwatch that may stage up with you. That is an entry-level Garmin. As soon as you are feeling able to tackle extra adventurous actions — marathons, ultramarathons, off-grid hikes, triathlons, and so on. — you’ll be able to graduate to Garmin’s extra superior strains just like the Forerunner, Fenix, or Epix (and all of the navigational options and further metrics they observe). Or, when you merely need a greater, rounder model of the Venu Sq 2, there’s all the time the Venu 2 Plus.  

Conversely, the Versa 4 and the Sense 2 are the very best Fitbit has. They’ve fewer options than their predecessors, and I’m not satisfied we’ll ever see a Versa 5 or Sense 3. If you wish to improve, you’ve just about acquired the Pixel Watch and solely the Pixel Watch. At this level, I’d solely advocate the Versa 4 or Sense 2 if options like EKG or a less complicated app are a precedence. 

The Venu Sq 2 isn’t excellent, however Garmin continues to enhance its informal trackers. On the finish of the day, I like the place Garmin is headed. Fitbit? I’m not so certain.

Images by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge