Verdict
The Garmin Venu Sq 2 smartwatch makes some welcome upgrade on the Venu Sq , tender a good all - round of drinks experience . However , for the gibbosity up in cost you get a excogitation that is n’t all that memorable .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Garmin Venu Sq 2 is the successor to the Venu Sq , a smartwatch that offers a square alternative to Garmin ’s round Venu 2 - serial publication watches .
Here , Garmin has advance the display technology to equalise the screens offered by other Venu watch and the pricier Epix 2 .
And it is n’t only the exhibit that sees a boost ; Garmin has doubled battery life while also making package changes so that the Venu Sq 2 is wanton to use .
This remains a fitness - focussed ticker , but one that also offer smartness such as payments and medicine ascendence . So do those changes make the Venu Sq 2 one of thebest Garmin watchesor even one of thebest smartwatchesyou can bribe ?
Design and Screen
The Venu Sq was n’t the most exciting seem equipment and Garmin has n’t really changed figure tactfulness for the Venu Sq 2 . It is available in six different look , though , offering various color cases and shoulder strap combos . However , I ’ve worn many hearty smartwatches that look just like the Venu Sq ; it does n’t precisely sport a memorable purpose .
You ’re still get a 40 mm polymer case with an aluminum bezel that evaluate 11.1 mm thick , so it ’s slimly slimmer than the first Venu Sq at 11.5 mm . That casing size entail it will take up around the same amount of wrist space as anApple Watch SE .
Like the first Venu Sq , it does offer the pick of a built - in music actor , which bump the price by £ 30 .
Unlike a lot of Garmin picket , there are just two physical buttons – but the large level here is that Garmin has now added anAMOLEDtouchscreen presentation , with the option of an always - on mode . The Venu Sq came with an LCD panel , lacking the vibrancy and sharpness offered by Garmin ’s AMOLED - tamp down scout . As such , this is in spades a welcome upgrade .
The experience of interact with that CRT screen is skillful on the whole , although there ’s unquestionably a slight interim when scrolling through Garmin ’s Glances ( doodad ) screen . Typically , Garmin does n’t break much information on the processing mogul of its watches , but my experience is that the Venu Sq is n’t quite as buttery smooth in operation as the pricier Venu sentry .
Garmin pairs the polymer character with a pretty stock 20 mm silicone polymer strap , whose pin chemical mechanism waiver for switching it out for another shoulder strap . Topping up the gimmick ’s battery is via the now standard charge line that most Modern Garmin vigil come with , plus the machine itself is waterproof up to 50 metres , which makes it worthy for wear in the shower or whilst swim .
Features and Performance
Garmin ’s focal point with its Venu devices has intelligibly been on adding a right smartwatch to its collection . While it tally such smart functionality to watches in its Forerunner and Fenix ranges , those watch lines lack the color screen you ’ll find on the Venu series .
Scaling back the physical buttons and placing a greater emphasis on touchscreen ascendence in the Venu Sq meant that Garmin had to rethink the way of life folk interact with the equipment . Things changed with theVenu 2 , with the move to a UI that was much closer to the one found on most Garmins .
The Venu Sq 2 benefits from those software alteration , with a swipe up of the watch face for consider your coup d’oeil ( widgets ) , or a swipe properly to admittance shortcut features , which could let in music controls , Garmin Pay access and localize up timers , for example . However , you may also press the bottom forcible push to access to the master menu projection screen .
As a result , the learning curve for nonplus to grips with the Sq 2 is much prompt than it was for the Venu Sq .
In the Venu Sq 2 , you get most but not all of the smartwatch sport that Garmin has made available across the Venu range . Most notably , it does n’t offer the latest articulation feature found accompanying the Venu 2 Plus , which enables wiretap into your phone ’s smart assistant or taking calls .
you may look at notifications , but you ’ll need to head into the Glances cover to pull them up . you could also respond to some telling ; you could reply to messages with short preset response , for representative .
If you have the version of the watch that comes with the built - in euphony role player , then you ’ll have room for up to 500 vocal , which can be synchronize from your own assembling or third - political party service such as Spotify .
Garmin Pay features , but in the UK , it supports the like of Santander , Starling Bank and Revolut ; it does n’t insure all of the full-grown - name banks and it ’s been like that for a while .
There ’s admission to the Connect IQ Store for downloading and syncing apps , data W. C. Fields , gubbins and watch faces , but the setup for getting thing onto the watch still is n’t the slickest – and clearly not a patch on Apple ; or , in fact , Google in full term of the catalogue of apps from which you may choose .
Garmin does offer up its Assistance and Incident Detection safety features , but this requires you to have your phone nearby and twin with the watch for use .
So while the Venu Sq 2 does n’t offer the most terminated smartwatch experience , you get the volume of what Garmin has to proffer and it all largely works well .
Fitness Tracking
Tracking employment is what Garmin does best and , like its predecessor , the Venu Sq 2 aims to deliver an experience that ’s like to that of strapping on aGarmin Forerunner .
ladder , swim ( puddle only ) , cycling and golf game remain the core tracking modes , but you get profiles for activities such as skiing , snowboarding and rowing as well .
Do n’t require the bad training depth psychology features that have been reserved for Garmin ’s pricier sports watch , or new features such as GNSS Multi - band mode for improve outdoor tracking accuracy ; but the overall tracking experience here is decent . Features such as Garmin Coach and the power to make workouts are present , plus there ’s Garmin ’s Body Battery energy monitor , too , which offers advice on whether or not you should engage in physically demanding action on any pay daylight .
track data for rivulet , swims and indoor workouts such as rowing appeared decent on the whole . The meter it postulate to pick up aGPSsignal appears to have improved slightly on the Venu Sq , and up against the more equal to Garmin Epix 2 in its Multi - band mode , the Venu Sq 2 did over - report for distance tracking . Nevertheless , it was n’t wildly off , with metric unit such as intermediate pace proving very similar .
middle rate monitoring was ok , but the equipment did have a tendency to mail maximum heart rate readings that were 10bpm high than those captured by Garmin ’s HRM - Pro Plus chest shoulder strap monitor . As such , you could copulate up an external sensor for better hour accuracy during exercising .
Garmin does also include its dedicated HIIT mood – although , as mentioned , an external heart pace sensing element would in all likelihood be respectable for getting the in effect data point for those eminent intensity sessions . The Venu Sq 2 lack the animated exercising features of pricier Venu spotter , but what is here and at your disposal does still make this a skillful watch for tracking employment .
You get some health tracking features , too , although these are n’t designed to pop the question serious insights on your wellness . you may continually give chase bosom rate , blood O , tension and respiration charge per unit . you could take a health snapshot , which intend taking measurement of accent , HRV , respiration charge per unit and heart pace at the same time , and women ’s wellness lineament turn on the tracking of catamenial cycles and pregnancy .
uninterrupted and resting heart rate reading were in line with those figures recorded by the Oura Ring 3 and another Garmin watch , while respiration rate averages were interchangeable but never very to data point served up by Oura .
Daily step counting and distance brood with those whole tone were also in the same ballpark , and while sleep trailing accuracy is for sure better on Garmin ’s watches , it does still have a tendency to more or less over - report duration of sleep and paint a picture I ’d fall asleep earlier than I actually had .
The fitness trailing elements are emphatically dominate by the Venu Sq 2 ’s sports trailing skill , and while the Venu Sq 2 does n’t offer every feature article you ’d find on a Garmin Forerunner mannikin , it offer more than enough to keep most happy .
Battery Life
The original Venu Sq was up to of going for up to six day in Smartwatch modal value . It also offered up to 14 hours of GPS battery living . The Venu Sq 2 promise significant improvements on both those nominal head – and it really does deliver a much better overall shelling functioning .
With the screen in its standard setting , with apprisal enabled , continuous heart pace monitoring , pass over sleep and regular utilisation of GPS , the Venu Sq 2 was more than subject of endure the stated 11 days . Daily drop - off was around 10 % on most day . Using GPS - base tracking in the All Systems way for just over an hr saw barrage drop by 7 % , which is below the promise 20 hours barrage for that finicky fashion .
Switching to theAlways - Ondisplay musical mode envision the issue of daytime the Venu Sq 2 would last reduce dramatically to around 2 - 3 days , which demonstrates the impingement of an AMOLED projection screen on great power phthisis .
take down that Garmin has introduced a new Battery Manager modal value , which you ’ll get tucked away in the sentinel ’s options . Alongside allow you to expose battery percentages and electric battery estimates , you may also turn on a Battery Saver mode , which offers options to put the watch face in a dimmer display mode , disable medicine features and turns off the PulseOx monitoring to eke out more battery life .
In Battery Saver mode , you should see those 11 days increase to 12 days in normal use , which volunteer some telescope to cut across your workout clip , too .
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Should you buy it?
: Venu Sq 2 delivers that great Garmin nub tracking experience without the tally analytic thinking you ’ll find on pricier watches in its aggregation .
The Venu Sq 2 does n’t include all that Garmin presently has to propose in term of smartwatch features , missing voice support and more generous storage for preserve music .
Final Thoughts
The Garmin Venu Sq 2 come with the AMOLED screen that was so sorely missing in the Venu Sq , while also learn welcome upgrades to the UI to go with its already pretty strong sports and fitness tracking skills . The new features come at an excess price ; it ’s a ignominy Garmin could n’t convey this picket to grocery store at the price of the original , since that would have made the Venu Sq 2 a fantastic buy .
Nevertheless , it stay a warm option if you ’re a fan of Garmin ’s trailing support and are a lover of square - confront spotter .
Trusted Score
How we test
We good try every smartwatch we review . We use manufacture stock examination to equate features properly and we practice the watch as our main twist over the review full point . We ’ll always recount you what we obtain and we never , ever , accept money to review a merchandise .
FAQs
The Garmin Venu Sq 2 is desirable for swimming , carrying a 5ATM H2O rating along with a dedicated pool swim trailing mode .
No , you’re able to not do calls on the Venu Sq 2 since it lack a mike and speaker , which features on the Garmin Venu 2 Plus .
