Garmin Venu 2 vs. Galaxy Watch 4: Making the Right Choice

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The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Garmin Venu 2 were both introduced in 2021. Today, I’ll be comparing these two smartwatches to help you assess whether they remain good options for purchase, even two years after their initial release.

If you’re seeking a budget-friendly smartwatch with a range of features, both the Galaxy Watch 4 and Venu 2 are excellent choices. They offer functionalities such as GPS and heart rate sensors, which we’ll explore in-depth.

However, it’s crucial to note an important distinction: the Galaxy Watch 4 is exclusive to Android devices, while the Venu 2 is compatible with both Android and iPhone, providing more flexibility in terms of smartphone compatibility.

Galaxy Watch 4	Venu 2
Buy Now	Buy Now
Pros	Pros
Durable Build Quality. Super AMOLED Display. Can Install Third-Part Apps.	Sleek stainless-steel bezels. Impressive battery life. More accurate health sensors. Wide range of activity profiles.
Cons	Cons
Average Battery Life.	Expensive.

Specifications

Design and Display

So, let’s start with the design, where the Venu 2 has some really nice sleek stainless-steel bezels, and apart from that, most of the body is plastic. Nevertheless, it looks quite stylish. The Venu 2 comes in a 45mm case size, but if your wrist size is smaller, you can go for the 42mm Venu 2S.

You don’t need to worry about getting scratches on the display because it has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

If you look at the Galaxy Watch 4, it’s also a beautiful watch that comes in various builds and sizes. Currently, I have the 40mm model, but if you have a larger wrist, you can go for the 44mm version.

The entire body of the Galaxy Watch 4 is made of aluminum, which gives it a strong and premium feel. However, if you want more durability and style, the Watch 4 Classic is also a good option. It comes with a full stainless-steel body and physical rotating bezels, which look even cooler.

The standard Watch 4 has touch-sensitive bezels, which work quite similarly to the bezels on the Classic model.

Compared to the Venu 2, the build of the Watch 4 feels a bit more robust, and it comes with Corning Gorilla Glass DX+ for display protection, which is more durable than the Gorilla Glass on the Venu 2.

Both also have a 5 ATM water resistance rating, which means you can wear them to go up to 50 meters underwater. This is mainly for professional swimmers and those who are more involved in water activities.

Talking about the displays, both watches feature excellent AMOLED displays. The Watch 4 has a 1.2-inch screen, while the Venu 2 has a 1.3-inch display. Both displays offer great outdoor and indoor visibility, and the colors are vibrant. However, if I had to choose one display, I would go with the Watch 4 because it felt smoother to operate.

Battery Life 

Let’s talk about battery life, which is an important factor that sets these two smartwatches apart. There is a significant difference in battery life between the Venu 2 and the Galaxy Watch 4.

When it comes to the Venu 2, it excels in battery life. With regular smartwatch usage, it can last you anywhere from 5 to 7 days. Even with the always-on display feature active, it can easily run for 2 days. If you’re using GPS, it provides an impressive 22 hours of battery backup.

Now, the Venu 2S, which is the same size as my Watch 4, offers a similar performance. Its battery life can comfortably give you a full week. Even with the always-on display feature on, it offers a solid 2 days of backup, and when using GPS, it provides you with 19 hours of battery life.

However, when we focus on the Galaxy Watch 4, it’s a different story. Watch 4 lasts for just a day on a single charge, and when it comes to GPS usage, it offers only 6 hours of battery life. The larger variant doesn’t do much better, providing only 1 to 1.5 days of battery backup and 8 hours with GPS.

Considering the difference in battery life, using the Galaxy Watch 4 can be a bit annoying. After all, we already have smartphones, laptops, and tablets that we need to charge daily. Adding another device to the list can be a hassle because if you forget to charge it for a day, you can’t wear it the next day.

Smartwatch Features

The biggest advantage of the Venu 2 is that it’s compatible with both iPhone and Android, allowing you to use its smart features even as an iOS user. With it, you can check your notifications, receive calls (though for talking, you’ll still need your phone as it lacks a built-in microphone and speaker), and if you have an Android phone, you can also reply to calls with predefined responses. However, the message reply feature is not available for iPhone users.

You can customize these predefined responses through the Garmin Connect app. Additionally, it features Garmin Pay for contactless payments. In terms of safety features, it includes incident detection, assistance, and Livetrack. If something goes wrong, it will alert your emergency contacts.

And for music lovers, pay attention! You can enjoy music from Amazon Music, Spotify, or Deezer, and you have 8 GB of space for offline tracks. When it comes to GPS accuracy, it’s very good, even better than the Watch 4 when it comes to tracking your speed and distance.

Turning to the Galaxy Watch 4, it runs on Wear OS, which provides a top-class smartwatch experience. With this, you can not only view notifications and messages but also reply to them. It comes with options like an on-screen keyboard and voice assistant.

You can have direct calls on the watch, but for this, your phone needs to be with you. However, if you have the Watch 4 LTE model, you can stay connected to the network without depending on your phone.

Compared to the Venu 2, the Watch 4 offers double the memory storage with 16GB. Thanks to Wear OS, you have access to the Google Play Store, where you can download third-party music apps and even use Google Maps on your watch.

The Watch 4 also features Contactless Payments, but for this feature to work, you need to have a Samsung phone.

Both are awesome smartwatches, each with its own perks. Just remember to choose the one that’s compatible with your phone!

Health and Fitness Tracking Features 

Both smartwatches, the Garmin Venu 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, share some common features for health tracking. Both of them have sensors like SpO2 sensors, heart rate sensors, and barometric altimeters.

However, when it comes to accuracy, the Venu 2 performs slightly better than the Galaxy Watch 4 in tracking blood oxygen saturation levels and heart rate monitoring. I’ve personally tested it, and the Venu 2 provided me with accurate readings.

In heart rate monitoring tests, the Venu 2 also gave better results, especially when I used it with an external heart rate monitor strap. The Galaxy Watch 4 was initially accurate but gradually lost some accuracy.

If you need high-quality heart rate monitoring, both watches can be used with external sensors. However, keep in mind that the Samsung Health app does not support external sensors, so you would need to download a separate app for the Galaxy Watch 4.

The Venu 2 offers another advantage by supporting heart rate straps as well as speed, cadence sensors, foot pods, and temperature sensors.

The Galaxy Watch 4 has some exclusive features such as Body Composition, ECG, and Blood Pressure tracking. However, these features are available only for Samsung device users, not for non-Samsung users.

Both watches have sleep tracking features, and the Galaxy Watch 4 also includes Snore detection, which can record your actual snoring.

For running enthusiasts, both watches provide VO2 max and other training feedback. The Venu 2 has the additional feature of Body Battery, which tracks your body’s stress and sleep status to provide insights into your energy levels.

In summary, both watches offer a variety of features for health tracking, but the Venu 2 is stronger in this aspect because all its features can be used with any devices, while the Galaxy Watch 4’s exclusive features are limited to Samsung users.

Activity Profiles

The Venu 2 offers numerous built-in activity profiles, including walking, running, cycling, swimming, gym workouts, hiking, yoga, and more. It also includes outdoor activities such as paddleboarding, golf, skiing, and snowboarding.

The Galaxy Watch 4 also provides basic activity profiles, but it lacks some of the specific outdoor activities that are available on the Venu 2.

With the Galaxy Watch 4, you have access to the Google Play Store, which allows you to add specific third-party apps for activities like skiing or golf. However, the Venu 2 offers a more streamlined experience in this regard.

Smartphone App

To manage the Galaxy Watch 4, you need two applications: Samsung Gear for watch management and Samsung Health for health and fitness information. If you have a Samsung phone, you’ll also need to download the Samsung Health Monitor app to record ECG and blood pressure.

On the other hand, the Venu 2 keeps everything simple with just one app, Garmin Connect. Here, all your health and fitness data is managed in one place, along with watch management. The sleek and organized nature of Garmin Connect app is one of its strong points.

Garmin Connect provides a uniform app experience, while the Galaxy Watch 4, with Wear OS, offers versatility with different apps.

Price Difference

So, in terms of price, at the time of writing this article, the 40mm LTE variant of the Galaxy Watch 4 is available for around $219.99, and the larger 44mm model is priced at $329.99. The Bluetooth version of the watch is a bit cheaper, currently priced at $169.99, and it was even lower at $115.23 a few weeks ago. If the price goes back down to that level, it would indeed be a great deal.

Alternatively, the Venu 2 is currently priced at $297.99, and the Venu 2S is available for $249.99. These are great prices, especially when you compare them to the prices on Garmin’s official website. However, in my opinion, the best option in terms of value for money is the Watch 4.

Which One Should You Choose?

In conclusion, the Watch 4 is a good choice. It offers excellent durability at a lower price, flexibility for downloading third-party apps, a Super AMOLED display, and superior smartwatch features. Moreover, it will continue to receive Wear OS updates till 2025, and even after that, you can use it for health tracking features.

However, if you are a beginner athlete looking to track your fitness and training more comprehensively and are willing to spend a bit extra, you can opt for the Venu 2. It provides a wider range of sports profiles, longer battery life, and more accurate health tracking.

So, if you are thinking to buy Galaxy Watch 4, you must read our full review.

Arya

Hello! I'm Surendar Arya, a passionate tech writer from Uttar Pradesh, India. I'm a freelance contributor to the tech blog - The World's Best And Worst. My enthusiasm for technology drives me to explore the latest trends and innovations in the field. I take immense pleasure in guiding individuals on how to leverage technology for their benefit, making their lives easier and more efficient.