Garmin Venu 2 review: A fantastic smartwatch priced out of its league

Jeramy Johnson is from the Central region.

The fastest-growing tech category right now is Wearables. It's important for us to have one of the best watches to stay in constant communication with our friends and family, or for us to have a quick and easy method to control smart home devices. In the time of COVID-19, more and more of us are paying more attention to our activity and fitness and want to collect as much of this data as possible to get a better idea of our overall health and wellbeing picture.

There is no company that does it better than Garmin. Due to their accuracy, feature set, and battery life, elite athletes seek out the watches, trackers, and monitors from Garmin. Compared to other brands, the best Garmin smartwatches have had some compromises in terms of style, user interface, and feature set. I think that the latest offering from Garmin is more than capable of competing in this space as well. Let's start with this review of the Venu 2.

The best watch I've ever worn was the Venu 2 from the Garmin company. It looks and feels great, does everything you would expect, and is very easy to use. I can't give it a perfect score because of its price.

The screen is beautiful.
The battery life is amazing.
The user interface is very intuitive.
It's lightweight and comfortable.

A plastic body.
The smaller version is the same price as the larger one.
It's too expensive for what it is.

The source is: Garmin.

The Venu 2 and Venu 2S were available for order the same day that they were announced. The Venu 2 is 45mm, and the Venu 2S is 40mm, but both watches were initially priced at $399.99. The larger version has a silver and granite blue case and band, or a slate and black case and band. The smaller version comes in slate, light gold, silver, and rose gold.

The Venu 2 is available at a slightly lower price after six months on the market. You can find the Venu 2 and 2S for $350 through a variety of retailers.

What's good is what the Venu 2 is about.

Jeramy Johnson is from the Central region.

I've had the good fortune to review quite a few of them, even though they aren't my favorite tech category. I have no doubts that the Venu 2 is the best watch I have ever used. I don't know where to start because there's so much to like about it.

Jeramy Johnson is from the Central region.

Let's focus on the design first. The Venu 2 is available in two sizes, 45mm and 40mm, and it's a really nice-looking circular-style watch. The larger model comes in two flavors, one with a silver band and the other with a slate band and black band. The 2S comes in four colors, including soft gold and rose gold, as well as the slate and sliver options. All models have a gorgeous AMOLED color touchscreen that is bright and visible outdoors. I had no problem seeing my numbers as I hiked up the mountain.

The larger version of the watch felt very lightweight and comfortable on my wrist, and I never took it off during my review period. The included silicone band is soft and supple, but if you don't like it, you can swap it out with any standard 22mm band, which is nice in this age of proprietary bands and clasps.

I was pleasantly surprised that it was easy to set up and navigate this device. The multi-functional buttons on the fitness watches are useful, but their learning curve can be a bit steep for beginners. The Venu 2 is not like that. Swiping from the top or bottom brings you your metrics, which you can use to see more information, and you can also modify what you see on this screen. The top right button takes you directly to start a workout, and the bottom right button takes you back. I set my shortcut to Garmin Pay after Swiping from the left. It's all over. No fuss, no buried menus. You only need a tap or a swipe to get what you need.

The category is called

The Venu 2 is from the series.

The operating system is used.

The OS of the company.
works with both phones.

There is a display.

40mm and 45mm.
The glass is made by the company called Corning Gorilla Glass.
A color touchscreen.

Resolution.

416x408.

Always-on mode is always on.

It's optional.

Bezel.

The steel is calledstainless steel.

There is a case.

The plastic is made of fiber-reinforced polymer.

There are bands.

22mm quick-release.

There are sensors.

Global positioning system, gps, and Galileo.
HRM.
The barometric altimeter is a device.
A compass.
A device called a gyroscope.
A device that measures the amount of energy in the air.
A thermometer.
Light sensor.
SpO2

There is music storage.

Up to 650 songs.
works with a lot of music services.

Payments made using the Near Field Communication.

Pay with Garmin.

It's connected.

ANT+, wi-fi.

There is a battery.

It lasts up to 11 days.
It is a proprietary charger.

Wireless charging.

No.

Water-resistance.

5 ATMs

There are dimensions.

45.4 x 45.4 x 12.2mm
40.4 x 40.4 x 12.1mm is theVenu 2S.

The weight.

49g (Venu 2).
38.2g is from Venu 2S.

There are colors.

Slate, Silver, Venu 2
Slate, Silver, Light Gold, Rose Gold are all found in Venu 2S.

The battery life is as good as advertised. The Venu 2 can last up to 11 days, but there are some things that need to be done, such as using the always-on display or streaming music, but I found that estimate to be pretty accurate. I didn't charge the watch once in eight days because I tracked four exercises on the watch and one of them was a four and a half hour hike up a mountain. It is currently sitting at 30%. Not shabby. The previous model Venu's battery lifespan was double that of this watch's.

The source of the information is the Android Central.

I've always found sleep tracking to be solid, and the addition of more exercise modes and on-device workouts like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is something else. If you want, you can even create your own custom workouts. You can still connect to a lot of other fitness apps with the re-release of the female health tracking app.

Jeramy Johnson is from the Central region.

The watch has a lot of sensors that allow you to track a lot of things. Your Fitness Age is a new feature that has been added to the Body Battery metric.

If you think you're older than you are, you should take into account your actual age, vigorous weekly activity, resting heart rate, weight, and body mass index. If it's not to your liking, it will give you tips and guidance on how to improve your fitness age, which can be helpful for those just starting on their fitness journey.

While I usually bring my phone with me, I appreciate the ability to store my music on the watch and listen to it through earbuds. You can download the playlists from Amazon Music, Deezer, and iHeartRadio.

What could be better?

Jeramy Johnson is the author of "CentralFitbit Sense and Garmin Venu 2."

The Venu 2's price is one of the reasons I have issues with it. The device is priced much higher than the other two. It's close to the latest Apple Watch Series 7. It has better battery life than those other watches, but the feature set is comparable, and the design isn't as premium. The plastic body makes the device lighter and more comfortable than it would be if it were metal, but it feels weird to pay the same amount for a watch with nicer finishes.

The screen is made from a type of glass called Gorilla Glass 3, and it should hold up well to most bumps and scratches, but it feels plastic and cheap when I tap down on it. It doesn't feel like glass, but it may be me or the review unit I had. I think it's no worse for wear for what that's worth.

Jeramy Johnson is the author of "Android Central" and "Garmin Venu 2."

The Venu 2 can last up to 11 days, but it needs to be topped up every now and then. It's a pity that they insist on using a proprietary charger, but at least it's compatible with other watches. It would be great to see a watch with wireless charging at this price point.

The 40mm Venu 2S was priced the same as the 45m Venu 2. I'm all about equity, but competitors almost always price their smaller watches slightly cheaper. The smaller version of the Apple Watch Series 6 is discounted by $30 or so from the larger version, and the larger version of theGalaxy Watch 3 and theGalaxy Watch Active 2 are also discounted. It would be nice to have the Venu 2S priced a little lower than the Venu 2, even if the build materials are the same.

The source is: Garmin.

Software updates often make minor changes and fix issues such as app crashes, laggy response times, and sensor problems. The company is known for rolling out updated features designed to improve the overall user experience. There are changes in the latest update.

HR broadcast over BLE has support added.
The setting was added to turn off rep counting.
There are five new watch faces inspired by the various segments.
Improved translations.

The Venu 2 competition is on.

The source of the information is the Android Central.

The ones that most will consider when comparing against the Venu 2 will most likely be the ones from Apple, Fitbit, and others.

The Apple Watch Series 7 is arguably the best watch you can buy, but it doesn't work with most phones. It has all of the advanced health tracking capabilities you could want, and it has a more premium build and design. It's very close to the Venu 2's pricing tier, with the 41mm version starting at $399 and the 45mm version starting at $429.

The Venu 2 is more expensive than theGalaxy Watch 4 and theGalaxy Watch Active 2, but they have similar capabilities and are more refined. They are one of the best watches you can buy for a phone.

The Venu 2 and the Sense and Versa 3 both have the same design and price, but the Sense and Versa 3 have a more sophisticated design.

If you're looking at the Venu 2 or 2S, you might want to consider the previous Venu, which is still available at a nice discount. The Venu SQ is half the price of a new Venu 2 and has the same features. The Venu 2's battery lasts 11 days, but it has a less premium looking design.

Should you buy it?

Jeramy Johnson is from the Central region.

You want a high- performance watch.
You already have a stake in the device.
You want to use a Wearable.

You don't want to spend a lot of money on a device.
You like fitness bands.

I've said on record many times that I prefer fitness trackers over watches for a number of reasons. I think fitness trackers are easier to use and less complicated. The 10-day battery life on a fitness tracker is better than the one-day battery life on an Apple watch. The reasons don't hold up when you consider the Venu 2. This fitness-focused smartwatch is easy to use for beginners, and with a battery life that lasts two weeks, there's no reason to complain about putting it on the charger each night.

With the Venu series, it's making a strong case to pull the uncommitted away from the likes of Apple,Samsung, and Fitbit. I wish they had priced it closer to $300. I think it could hold its own at that price point, and it would make it a really compelling alternative to the other watches.

The best watch I've ever worn was the Venu 2 from the Garmin company. It looks and feels great, does everything you would expect, and is very easy to use. I can't give it a perfect score because of its price.

The article was published in May 2021.

The following changes were made in November.

Pricing has been updated to reflect recent sales.
The "Competition" section has been updated.
"Updated features" section has been added.
There were updates in the Software Versions 5.27 and 5.33.

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