Last Updated on March 14, 2024 by Senior Editor
Featured in this post is the Garmin Venu Sq vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 – two fine fitness-focused smartwatches with lightweight and compact designs. Recall, that Garmin had recently released Venu Sq – a lower-end version of Venu that was released last year, it lacks an altimeter, AMOLED display, and animated workout modes, yet a comprehensive fitness tracker. Meanwhile, Active 2 which was released in 2019 is still one of the best smartwatches on the market. It runs on the same Tizen OS 5.5 as Galaxy Watch 3 and features ECG, blood pressure, and incidental fall detection. It has all the features Venu Sq lacks except for animated workout modes. In this post, we’re comparing the differences between these two to help you find out which is the perfect smartwatch for you.
Garmin Venu Sq vs Fitbit Versa 3: Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Garmin Venu Sq Specifications, Features and Price |
 Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) Bluetooth Full Specifications and Features |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $159.97 | $44.97 |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Garmin Venu Sq | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) |
| Device type | Fitness/Sport smartwatch | Fitness/Classic smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | September, 2020 | September, 2019 |
| Predecessor | — | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active |
| Successor | Garmin Venu Sq 2 | Galaxy Watch 4 |
| Versions | Garmin Venu Sq, Garmin Venu Sq Music | Bluetooth only, LTE |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 40.6 x 37.0 x 11.5 mm | 44 x 44 x 10.9 mm |
| Weight | 37.6g | 30 grams (aluminum), 42 grams (stainless steel) |
| Shape | Square | Circular |
| Case material | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Aluminum, Stainless steel |
| Strap material | Silicone | Fluoroelastomer (Aluminum), Leather (stainless steel) |
| Bezel material | Aluminum | Aluminum, Bezeless |
| Strap size | 20 mm | 20 mm |
| Interchangeable strap | 20mm, Yes | Yes |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla glass DX+ |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Durability test | — | MIL-STD-810G |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Color | Black, Navy, Rose-gold, White | Aqua-black, Black, Cloud-silver, Gold, Pink-gold, Silver |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.3 inches | 1.4 inches |
| Display type | LCD | Super AMOLED, Full color |
| Display resolution | 240 x 240 px | 360 x 360 pixel |
| Pixel density | 261 PPI | — |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 2 Physical buttons, Touchscreen | 2 Physical buttons, Digital rotating bezel, Touchscreen |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth | Bluetooth v5.0 |
| Bluetooth calling | No | Yes |
| GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS | Yes, GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | — | 0.75GB |
| ROM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None |
| Band | — | — |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps alert | Yes | Yes |
| Reply to Notifications | - | - |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Bluetooth music | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | No | Yes |
| Microphone | No | Yes |
| Camera | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Sensor(s) | — | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | No |
| Blood Pressure | No | Yes |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | No | Yes |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | No | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Fall detection | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking | Yes | No |
| On-screen workout | No | No |
| Sport modes | 20 | 39 |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | Non-removable Li-ion battery |
| Battery capacity | — | 340mAh |
| Battery life | GPS mode: 14 hours, Smartwatch mode: 6 days | Regular: 2 days, Standby :5 days+ |
| Charging type | Charging dock | WPC based wireless charging |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | — | Exynos 9110 |
| CPU | — | Dual core 1.15GHz |
| GPU | — | — |
| Operating system | Proprietary OS | Tizen 5.5 |
| MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Garmin Connect | Samsung Gear app |
| Compatibility | Android OS 8.0+, iOS 15.0+ | Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+, iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+ |
| Payment system | Garmin Pay | Samsung Pay |
| Voice command | No | Yes, Bixby |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Garmin Venu Sq, Manual, Straps | Charger, Manual, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm), Straps |
Garmin Venu Sq vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 Features Comparison
DESIGN
When you look at the designs, each of these two has a decent appearance, and also sturdily built. While Venu Sq has a fiber-reinforced polymer case with aluminum bezel and silicone straps, Active 2 has an aluminum case that extends to its bezel while the straps come in silicone. The Active 2 is available in two sizes; 44mm and 40mm, the 44mm model is bigger than Venu Sq measuring 40.6mm. However, Active 2 at 10.9mm thick is slightly slimmer than Venu Sq at 11.5mm. Nevertheless, each of these two is very sleek and compact. I can wear the Active 2 all day long without feeling the need to remove it.
While AMOLED which is very colorful powers the 1.4 inches display of Active 2, LCD powers the 1.3 inches display of Venu Sq. AMOLED is more lively and richer in dark colors, but not the best experience under direct sunlight compared to LCD which is brighter under direct sunlight.
In terms of accessibility, Active 2 offers more ways to navigate the device. It has a touch-sensitive screen alongside 2 physical buttons plus a digital rotating bezel that makes it very much easy to navigate. Unlike Venu Sq whose screen is also touch-sensitive and paired with 2 physical buttons. Nonetheless, both smartwatches are easy to navigate.
Both smartwatches are swim-proof up to 50 meters and you get access to watch faces from the respective app stores.
In terms of design and display, Active 2 has a more sophisticated design and display than Venu Sq.
MEDIA
Active 2 is equipped with both a microphone and loudspeaker which Venu Sq lacks. This allows you to make and receive calls directly from the Active 2, and you can also use your voice to do simple tasks with Samsung’s Bixby.
Venu Sq supports Amazon Music, Deezer, and Spotify as means of loading music to the device, there is no official Amazon Music nor Spotify or Deezer apps on the Galaxy store. Meanwhile, you can add your personal music to both devices.
HEALTH AND FITNESS TRACKING
Active 2 and Venu Sq are marketed as fitness-focused smartwatches, each of these two has an inbuilt GPS that enables you to track your outdoor activities, and as well, can track your sleep in stages, heart rate, calories, and steps.
Both Active 2 and Venu Sq feature blood oxygen tracking that allows you to see your blood oxygen levels and there is the incidental fall detection on both watches that can help you get help real quick when the watch detects a hard fall. These two also feature a menstrual cycle app for women and can also help you manage stress through the respective stress apps.
However, Active 2 features blood pressure monitoring, ECG tracking, and will count floors climbed which Venu Sq lacks. Moreover, it also has 39 preset sport modes as against 20 on Venu Sq.
NOTIFICATIONS
Helping you manage notifications is one of the basic functions of both Active 2 and Venu Sq. You can reply to notifications with preset replies on any of these two. However, Active 2 offers more ways for you to manage notifications. You can type in your reply from the watch using the built-in Samsung keyboard, and you can also reply with emojis and your voice thanks to its microphone.
BATTERY LIFE
On average, I get approximately 2 days long battery life with Active 2 which is below Venu Sq that can last up to 6 days. In other words, Venu Sq has a longer battery life that lets you go longer from a single charge.
Garmin Venu Sq vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2: Verdict
Although each of these two will pass as a decent fitness smartwatch based on being lightweight and compact with loads of fitness tracking features, Active 2 is a more complete smartwatch than Venu Sq.
Active 2 has a more attractive design, better display, microphone, loudspeaker, and more fitness tracking features than Venu Sq.
On the other hand, Venu Sq is a cheaper alternative, yet a decent fitness smartwatch with a long battery life that lets you go long from a single charge.