The Venu 2 Plus is perhaps one of the most discussed smartwatches in recent days. This is obviously because it is the first smartwatch from Garmin to be equipped with a microphone and loudspeaker. These features enable Bluetooth calls allowing you to make and receive calls directly from the watch just like you would with a Galaxy Watch 4. Moreover, the Venu 2 Plus also features three voice assistants; Google Assistant, Siri and Bixby. Beyond these additions and slight alterations in design, it has a lot of similarities to the Venu 2. In this guide, you will learn the differences between the Venu 2S, Venu 2, and Venu 2 Plus to help you decide which model is right for you.
Recall that the Venu debuted 2 years ago with an AMOLED display which was the main difference between it and the Vivoactive 4. It was followed up with the Venu 2S and Venu 2 which both have more Health tracking features than their predecessor.
Garmin Venu 2S vs Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus: Specifications Compared
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Garmin Venu 2S vs Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus Features Compared
Design – Venu 2 Plus is a more stylish and durable
Based on mere appearance, you’ll hardly spot the difference between the Venu 2 Plus and Venu 2. However, taking a closer look, you will notice that the Venu 2 Plus has a slimmer bezel and three physical buttons compared to the two buttons on Venu 2. It also has a more durable stainless steel rear cover unlike the fiber-polymer material used all through on Venu 2 and Venu 2s. In other words, while both watches are durably built, the Venu 2 Plus is a more attractive smartwatch. It’s also a more durable device and as well slightly more compact than Venu 2. It comes in at 43 inches compared to 45 inches of Venu 2. The Venu 2S remains the most compact of the three as it comes in a 40mm case size.
All three models are rated 5ATM which represents 50 meters waterproof. You can wear any of these models to the shower, swimming pool or under the rain. The colors also differ, the Venu 2 Plus is available in black, light-gold, and gray colors, the Venu 2 is available in granite blue and black, while the Venu 2s is available in graphite, mist gray, white and light sand colors.
Display – No difference, same AMOLED
All three models have AMOLED powered display which is very colorful and bright. However, while the Venu 2 Plus is slightly more compact than Venu 2, both have the same display sizes of 1.3 inches. The Venu 2S has the smallest display size of 1.1 inches. The displays are touch-sensitive which alongside the physical buttons makes navigation very easy.
With three physical buttons on the Venu 2 Plus, it’s easier to navigate. While the top button is the power button, the lower button lets you go back to the previous menu. Meanwhile, the new middle button functions as a shortcut button when long-pressed or short-pressed. You can assign a shortcut for voice assistant or any other feature of your choice.
Health Tracking Feature – No difference
There is no difference in the available fitness tracking features. All three models offer the same fitness and health tracking features. Each of these three comes with a heart rate sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, thermometer, barometric altimeter and a Spo2 sensor.
Available health tracking features include 24/7 heart rate tracking, complete sleep monitoring and score, spot blood oxygen measurement, stress measurement and menstrual cycle tracking for women. You get access to 27 preloaded sports apps.
Other health tracking features include respiration tracking, mindful breathing, and hydration tracking. Onscreen animated workout modes that offer preset workout modes that you can follow and the onscreen muscle map that shows what muscle is worked are also available in all three models.
Also available in all three models is the health snapshot feature that lets you record key stats, including heart rate, heart rate variability, Pulse Ox, respiration, and stress. Then generate a report with those stats in the Garmin Connect app.
Incidental fall detection is also available in all three models. This feature lets you call a preset emergency contact when the watch detects a fall. Although, while Venu 2 and 2S will start a call on your phone, the Venu 2 Plus allows you to make this call directly from your watch. Moreover, you can also talk from the watch. Note that your phone must be nearby in all cases for calls to happen as all three models lack LTE capability.
All three models have inbuilt GPS that enables tracking for outdoor activity tracking and there are a handful of outdoor profiles available to choose from. So, as far as health tracking is concerned, all three models have the same features, and they are well loaded with lots of fitness tracking features.
Media Storage, Bluetooth Calls and Voice Assistants
Garmin didn’t indicate the actual storage capacity of any of these models, but only indicated that each of these three has the capacity to store up to 650 tracks. You can download music from your Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music playlists. Note that some of these services will require a premium account to be able to add music to watch just like in the case of Galaxy Watch 4.
The Venu 2 Plus has a microphone and loudspeaker which enables the ability to make and receive calls from the watch when your phone is nearby. According to Ray maker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaRII0DgO6A&t=1216s, the call quality is at best awesome for a tiny device like this. It is worthwhile to know that the Venu 2 Plus features a keypad that lets you dial the number you wish to call. It also syncs your phone contact list just like the Galaxy Watch 4 which lets you find a contact to call directly from the watch. You can assign the phone app to the middle button to make it easy to make calls. The Venu 2 and 2S can’t make calls. Note that some phone models are not fully compatible with the Bluetooth call functionality of the Venu 2 Plus.
The Venu 2 Plus also features three voice assistants, Google Assistant, Bixby and Siri which are not available on Venu 2 and 2S. You can activate voice assistant by long-pressing the middle button. The voice assistant that is activated depends on your phone. Siri is activated if you use an iPhone, Bixby if you use a Samsung phone, and Google Assistant if you use a non-Samsung phone.
Managing Notifications
All three models have the ability to alert you when you receive a notification on your phone. You can reply to messages with preset texts (only android). Moreover, as a result of the presence of a microphone and loudspeaker on the Venu 2 Plus, you can use the voice assistant features to reply to messages. Garmin Pay which lets you make non-contactless payments is also available in all three models.
Battery Life – Venu 2 has the longest battery life
The battery life of the different models also differs. Although, each of these three has a good battery life that lets you go long from a single charge.
The Venu 2 has the longest battery life of up to 11 days and up to 12 days with battery saver mode enabled. Its followed by the Venu 2S which has a battery life of up to 10 days, while Venu 2 Plus has the shortest of up to 9 days in mixed usage and up to 10 days with battery saver mode enabled. This is far longer than the Galaxy Watch 4 which barely lasts up to 2 days and the Fitbit Sense which has up to 6 days battery life.
Garmin Venu vs Venu 2 vs Venu 2S vs Venu 2 Plus – Which Should You Buy?
The price difference between the Venu 2 Plus and Venu 2/2S is only $50. For this additional price markup, you will be able to make and receive calls when your phone is nearby. You also get voice assistants that let you use your voice to do simple tasks. Moreover, you can choose to play music from the loudspeaker and it also has a more durable design with a stainless steel rear cover and a good battery life. If these additions are worth the extra cost for you, it’s worth choosing the Venu 2 Plus.
On the flip side, the Venu 2S offers a smaller display but is very compact and lightweight with a decently long battery life. While the Venu 2 offers the longest battery life alongside an awesome design.
The Venu 2/2S both has more features and longer battery life than Venu. However, you will have to pay an extra $50 to get any of these. On the other hand, Venu is cheaper yet spots the same design and is equipped with loads of features except for the few additional features you get with Venu 2.
Garmin Venu vs Venu 2 – What’s the Difference?
With the release of Venu 2, 2S and Venu 2 Plus there are now more Garmin smartwatches with AMOLED-powered displays. The Venu 2/2s both succeed the Venu which was released in 2019. Like we mentioned earlier, the Venu 2S is a smaller size of Venu 2. These two come with additional features which you’ll not find in Venu and they also have slightly longer battery life. As a result, while Venu 2/2S is priced at $399.99, Venu is a little cheaper at $350. Meanwhile, the Venu 2 Plus with a microphone and speaker is priced higher than every other unit in the Venu series.
Garmin Venu vs Venu 2: Specifications Compared
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The main difference between Venu 2 and Venu 2S is that the latter is more compact but has a shorter battery life than Venu 2. The price of both smartwatches is the same.
Garmin Venu vs Venu 2 Features Compared
- Design – Nothing Much has changed
- Display – Venu 2 has the biggest display size
- Activity Tracking Features – Venu 2/2S have more health tracking features
- There is now an onscreen muscle heat map that allows you to see which muscle is being worked out.
- You will get a sleep score and insights that can give you a better understanding of your sleep.
- There is also a Health snapshot that allows you to see very important tracked metrics at a glance. It will show your heart rate, heart rate variability, pulse ox., respiration rate and stress level at a glance. Then you can generate a report via the Garmin Connect app.
- Venu 2/2S have more outdoor recreational profiles. Indoor climbing, bouldering, and hiking have been added.
- Battery Life – Venu 2 has a longer battery life
Just like the Venu, Venu 2 spot the same appearance that comprises a fiber-polymer case and silicone straps that are interchangeable with 20mm-wide compatible straps. Also, the bezel of Venu 2 is made of stainless steel just like Venu, this leaves each of these with a classic watch appearance.
Both the Venu and Venu 2 are very lightweight going by the respective weights. Although, Venu 2S weighs the least at 38.2g, while Venu 2 weighs 49g and Venu weighs 46.2g.
And going by the dimensions, Venu 2S is the most compact. It’s apparent, that Garmin aims to give their customers more options, especially for those with slimmer wrists.
In other words, Venu 2S is the most suitable choice for women and individuals with slim wrist, while individuals with moderate to fat wrists will have to consider Venu 2 or the Venu 2 Plus.
All three smartwatches are rated 5ATM which means each of these is waterproof up to 50 meters and can be worn under the rain, to the pool, or even in the shower.
The display of all three smartwatches is powered by AMOLED which is very colorful and easy to read both indoors and outdoors. Although, can be difficult to read under direct sunlight. Venu 2 has the largest display at 1.3 inches which will allow you to see more at a glance compared to Venu 2S with 1.1 inches display and Venu with 1.2 inches display.
Accessing Venu 2/2S is still via touchscreen support and two physical buttons just like on Venu. The Venu 2 Plus has three physical buttons alongside a touch-sensitive screen.
Beyond the slight differences in design, the Venu 2/2S has more activity tracking features than Venu. Garmin has equipped the new smartwatch with features you will not find on Venu.
The Venu, Venu 2/2S and Venu 2 Plus are equally equipped with same number of sensors which includes heart rate sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer, compass, altimeter, and inbuilt GPS. These sensors enable all the basic activity tracking features like sleep tracking, heart rate, hydration tracking, respiration rate, steps, floors climbed, and distance covered. You will get all-day stress monitoring as well as Spo2 which allows you to measure your blood oxygen.
Other activity tracking features include fitness age which tells if your body is older or younger than your age and a body battery energy monitor that tells how fit you’re for the next workout. You will also get menstrual tracking for Women and more.
There is an inbuilt GPS in all three smartwatches which enables outdoor activity tracking for routes, location, and other related metrics. And there are loads of preset sports modes to choose from.
The onscreen animated workout that was introduced to Venu and Vivoactive 4 is also available on Venu 2/2S and Venu 2 Plus. This feature will allow you to follow a virtual workout coach and it can save you money on subscriptions.
You will also get incidental fall detection that allows you to call preset emergency contacts when any of these three detects a fall (the phone must be nearby).
Beyond the common activity tracking features are a handful of newly added health features that are available on Venu 2/2S but not on Venu.
One downside to the very colorful AMOLED display is that it has a greater impact on the battery life. However, Garmin has worked on the battery life of Venu 2. It has a longer battery life than Venu despite having a bigger display.
On smartwatch mode, you can get up to 5 days with Venu, and with Venu 2S, it’s up to 10 days while Venu 2 has the longest battery life of up to 11 days. Its 9 days with the Venu 2 Plus.
Garmin Venu Sq Music vs Venu
The Venu Sq is a lower-end edition of the Venu smartwatch that comes in two models; Venu Sq Music and Venu Sq Standard. The Venu has a traditional watch design compared to the sporty and square-shaped Venu Sq, and it also has a more colorful AMOLED display with animated onscreen workout and can count floors climbed which is not possible with the Venu Sq. This comparison chart below compares the design, display, fitness tracking, and battery life of the Garmin Venu Sq Music vs Venu.
Garmin Venu Sq Music vs Venu: Specifications Compared
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Garmin Venu Sq Music vs Venu – What’s the Difference?
Both the Venu and Venu Sq have basically the same features, each of these two has music storage (Venu Sq Standard doesn’t have music storage), Garmin Pay, long battery life, and a lot of fitness tracking features. Each of these two will track your sleep, heart rate, calories, blood oxygen, stress, and more.
However, the Venu is a more comprehensive smartwatch than Venu Sq, it has a more durable stainless steel bezel compared to the aluminum on Venu Sq. It also has a more colorful AMOLED display compared to the LCD of Venu Sq, and it features animated onscreen workout modes that can coach you through your favorite moves, this can save you lots of money on subscription and as well as counts floors climbed which the Venu Sq lacks.
Alternatively, Venu Sq is cheaper, yet a decent fitness smartwatch that’s very lightweight featuring music storage (Music edition) and a lot of activity tracking features with slightly longer battery life than Venu, thanks to its LCD display.