Garmin Venu 2 vs. Garmin Vivoactive 4: Which is Better?
By Linus T.
Updated May 2023
The Garmin Venu 2 (or also available as Garmin Venu 2S) and Garmin Vivoactive 4 are both beautiful smartwatches offered by Garmin. At first look, you might almost think that both watches are the same, as they both boast the same circular case and sleek look.
However, aesthetics-wise, we feel that the Garmin Venu 2 looks a little more stylish than the Garmin Vivoactive 4, as the latter feels slightly bulkier than the former.
In terms of specs, both smartwatches share multiple similarities. Thus, if you are wondering which watch you should buy, we feel that it depends on the extent of detail you hope to gain from your fitness analysis.
That said, we have put together a quick overview of the similarities and differences between the two for you to make your final call in our Garmin Venu 2 vs. Garmin Vivoactive 4 review.
On our list
#1 Sensors and Smartwatch Functions
#2 Health & Fitness Features
#3 Design and Battery Life
#4 Additional Features on the Garmin Venu 2
Garmin Venu 2
Mind and body - connceted by Garmin
GPS smartwatch with advanced health monitoring and fitness features.
Garmin Vivoactive 4
GPS smartwatch built for an active lifestyle
Keep an eye on your health 24/7 with a broad range of all-day health monitoring features
What Similarities Do They Share?
Firstly, let us take a look at what both watches have to offer – which is to say, certainly a lot!
#1 Sensors and Smartwatch Functions
Garmin Venu 2S & Garmin Venu 2
Garmin never fails to disappoint with their smartwatches, and the Garmin Venu 2 and Garmin Vivoactive 4 are no different. Firstly, both smartwatches allow for contactless payment through Garmin Pay, as well as feature a built-in GPS.
Furthermore, for those who prefer to go off the map when working out, but would still like to take your favourite tunes with you, the Garmin Venu 2 and Garmin Vivoactive 4 both offer offline music storage. However, it might be noted that the Venu 2 allows for the storage of up to 650 songs, while the Vivoactive 4 only allows for up to 500 songs. Nevertheless, both guarantee that you won’t just be singing along to silence!
In terms of sensors, there is not really much to be said, as apart from the exception of the extra ambient light sensor that the Garmin Venu 2 offers, both smartwatches come with a heart rate monitor, altimeter, gyroscope, compass, accelerometer, pulse ox sensor and thermometer. Thus, all your bases are definitely covered when it comes to the standard fitness features one would come to expect in a smartwatch.
#2 Health & Fitness Features
Garmin Venu 2
One of the key features that both the Garmin Venu 2 & Garmin Vivoactive 4 offers would be the Body Battery energy monitoring feature. As the name suggests, this function allows you to keep track of your energy levels like a battery.
Based on the information collected, the Garmin smartwatch then estimates a number for your body’s energy reserves, which will be updated through the day depending on how active or tired you are. This is a great way for users to keep track of how their body is holding up at a glance.
Garmin Venu 2
Mind and body - connceted by Garmin
GPS smartwatch with advanced health monitoring and fitness features.
How Are They Different?
Both smartwatches are certainly packed with exciting features – but how exactly should you make a choice between the two? Released in 2019, the Garmin Vivoactive 4 has been a reliable smartwatch for many.
Now, two years on, as smartwatches become increasingly popular and more advanced, Garmin has released the Venu 2, which offers an upgrade in features. To determine which is a better pick for you, let us now delve deeper into the differences between the Garmin Venu 2 and Garmin Vivoactive 4.
#3 Design and Battery Life
Garmin Venu 2S
Firstly, one of the most noticeable features would be that the Garmin Venu 2 boasts an AMOLED display, whereas the Garmin Vivoactive 4 has a sunlight-visible, transflective MIP display. What exactly do these acronyms mean? Well, simply put, this merely means that the Garmin Venu 2 offers crisper resolution both indoors and outdoors. Hence, this might be a point of consideration for users who are sensitive to how information is displayed on their screens.
The Garmin Venu 2 also offers a much higher battery life of 11 days in smartwatch mode and 8 hours in GPS mode with music, compared to the Garmin Vivoactive 4’s 8 days and 6 hours respectively.
Garmin Vivoactive 4
GPS smartwatch built for an active lifestyle
Keep an eye on your health 24/7 with a broad range of all-day health monitoring features
#4 Additional Features on the Garmin Venu 2
Garmin Venu 2
Most prominently, the Garmin Venu 2 also offers a few extra features not available in the Garmin Vivoactive 4. These include a battery saver mode, sleep score, Health Snapshot, and the inclusion of new health profiles.
For a more in-depth look at these features, you might like to check out our review of the best Garmin smartwatches, where we go into more detail about the Garmin Venu 2. However, we will just briefly tackle the Health Snapshot feature here. By holding still for two minutes, the Garmin Venu 2 is able to record several key health metrics to provide a concise overview of your cardiovascular status, including your average heart rate and stress level. For users who are more conscious of their fitness progression, this feature might prove useful to you.
Finally, one of the more important points that might factor into your decision would be the price. The Garmin Venu 2 retails at a significantly higher price point than the Garmin Vivoactive 4. Hence, if you are working on more of a budget, this might be a more considerable deciding factor.
Compare Garmin Venu 2 vs. Garmin Vivoactive 4
Key Takeaways
In our opinion, we believe that the Garmin Vivoactive 4 is the better of the two options. Although the Garmin Venu 2 does offer some new features, for those who are just looking for the essentials, the Garmin Vivoactive 4 remains a timeless choice.
However, that being said, if you’re willing to spend a little more and find that the additional features offered by the Garmin Venu 2 appeal greatly to you, the Venu 2 still is a very promising choice.
At the end of the day, both the Garmin Venu 2 and the Garmin Vivoactive 4 are stellar choices for smartwatches. Regardless of your preference, you are sure to find yourself pleased with your choice.
If you like to read more on Garmin smartwatches, check out our other relevant guides here:
Garmin Vivosmart 5 vs Garmin Vivosmart 4
Garmin Forerunner 255 vs Garmin Forerunner 245
Garmin Forerunner 255 vs Garmin Forerunner 745
Best Garmin Smartwatches in Singapore
Garmin Venu 2 vs Garmin Venu Sq
Garmin Venu vs Garmin Venu Sq
Garmin Vivoactive 4 vs Garmin Venu
Explore the full collection for Garmin on Amazon.com or visit the Official Garmin Singapore Store.
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