Welcome to my Garmin Venu 2 Plus review.
The prominent players when it comes to smartwatches are Apple and Samsung, but Garmin is still one of the most important players in GPS watches and fitness trackers.
The company has been selling these devices for years while also putting a lot of effort into building its own software platform.
The Garmin line of wearables has really been taking off in recent years.
The Vivoactive 3 captured some of the best elements of our favourite smartwatches and fitness trackers, and Garmin followed up with a terrific sequel (the Vivoactive 3 Music) and a host of smart fitness watches designed for various niche sports.
Garmin has been on the forefront of providing smartwatch features, and it might just have unlocked the key to a true smartwatch future.
Much of the company’s newest wearables sport the built-in speaker and microphone that allows you to take calls on your wrist.
That’s a pretty big deal, and it gives the smartwatch some significant extra features. But does it stand out from the competition? Let’s find out in this Garmin Venu 2 Plus review.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus Features
If you ’re familiar with Garmin’s line of wearables, you’ll find a lot to love in the Venu 2 Plus. It looks great, it’s built for fitness tracking, and it has a few neat special features that can help you get the most out of your workouts.
These special features fall into two categories: smartwatch-like conveniences and actual smart training features for those who want to go beyond mindlessly counting steps. Continue reading, as we detail the major highlights.
Design and display
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus has a lot going for it when it comes to design. Not only does its 43mm stainless steel case look like a higher-end luxury watch, but the included silicone band is classy as well.
Garmin opted for a thinner stainless steel case than on the original Venu 2, and that allows for technically better-looking curves with less of a gap around the bezel.
The display is bright and high-contrast, with vibrant colors and a crisp look. It’s a 1.3-inch OLED touchscreen, which means that the pixels are individually powered, leading to a great view regardless of how you interact with your wrist.
The screen has a smaller diameter of 43.6mm but it looks more refined unlike Venu 2.
Garmin also managed to cram in a slimmer bezel around the edge of the face. That shrinks the display-to-surface ratio, effectively increasing its screen real estate.
Performance and software
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus packs in a lot of the same performance features as its predecessors.
That means a built-in GPS sensor and the usual complement of fitness tracking modes.
You can track your steps, workouts, distance traveled and calories. It also has built-in GPS, which means that you don’t need to pair it with a phone to use the GPS feature.
That lets you run and train without having to worry about your phone getting lost. The Venu 2 Plus can also track your runs on its own, without any help from a smartphone.
That’s a pretty big deal for fitness enthusiasts who don’t want to carry a phone for long distances.
The Garmin fitness tracking technology also appears to be more accurate than it used to be, which is good news for anyone who has been disappointed with the results from previous devices.
The tracker uses the Garmin Elevate sensor for heart rate monitoring and sleep analysis, with the goal of helping you work out better and get better rest with smarter sleep tracking metrics.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus fitness tracker
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is a solid fitness tracker that can track a whole host of metrics.
The basics include steps, distance and calories burned, as well as duration and quality of sleep, heart rate, skin temperature, respiration and stress levels.
That makes it a great companion for any fitness enthusiast. It’s also a great device for runners looking to improve their performance, as it can track your running and push you to better progress showing your heart rate, actions, pace and steps.
One neat new feature is the ability to analyse your skin temperature, which can give you an idea of how your body is dealing with the heat.
It’s a nice add for those who do hot yoga, as it can help you gauge when it might be a good idea to cool off or step back from other exercises.
Now that you have an idea of the Venu 2 Plus, let’s move to the next section of my Garmin Venu 2 Plus review to compare it with its predecessor Venu 2.
Garmin Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus
The most immediately apparent improvement to the Garmin Venu 2 Plus is the addition of speaker and microphone functions.
The Venu 2 Plus enables you to make calls on your wrist, which is a huge deal for those who just want to go hands-free. The microphone will pick up your voice with surprising clarity, even if you’re walking down the street or riding a bike.
That doesn’t mean that the original Venu 2 isn’t worth getting at all, as it isn’t. It just means that the Venu 2 Plus is a very good upgrade if you’re looking to add some speaker and mic capabilities to your smartwatch.
Other improvements include a thinner case and a slimmer bezel that makes the screen look much more refined.
The Venu 2 Plus also uses the same 1.3-inch display as the original, but with less of a gap between its bezel and screen as well as slimmer bezel around the edges of its face.
It all makes the Venu 2 Plus a look more refined than its predecessor and slightly thinner as well.
also, read my Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus vs Apple Watch 8
The Apple Watch might be the most recognizable smartwatch brand on the market, but Garmin’s Venu 2 Plus is a pretty good alternative for those who want something different.
It has all of Garmin’s fitness tracking features and tons of features for athletes, as well as speaker and microphone support so you can use it to make hands-free calls.
The Apple Watch 8 is also a solid smartwatch, with a bright display, great alerts and all the hardware you’d expect from Apple. However, the battery life is limited to 36 hours with low power consumption and Garmin Venu 2 Plus with the same minimal power consumption using Smart mode lasts up to 9 days on a single charge.
Also, with Apple Watch 8 you’re tied into the Apple Watch ecosystem, which means that you’re reliant on a few apps to round out your experience. That’s not necessarily a negative, but it does limit what you can do with the device.
Both of these smartwatches are well-built, functional and worthy of a try.
It’s really a matter of personal taste, though the better battery life and range of fitness tracking modes on the Garmin Venu 2 Plus is worth considering.
The Venu 2 Plus usually costs less than the Apple Watch 8, so it’s also a good deal.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus Pros And Cons
The Pros
The Cons
Should you buy Garmin Venu 2 Plus?
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is an excellent device and one of the best Android smartwatches for anyone who wants a good fitness tracker and some extra features that make it a little bit more useful.
The speaker and microphone support are the biggest selling point, but you can also make use of built-in GPS, heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking features as well.
The Garmin fitness features are robust and accurate, which is great news for anyone who has been disappointed with previous devices from the company that have struggled to track metrics consistently.
The Venu 2 Plus is similar to the Venu 2 on the outside but features some significant improvements that make it a worthy upgrade for anyone who wants to take things a step further.
The battery life of up to 9 days with Smart mode, it also comes with a great mic and speaker on this device makes it way more useful than a normal smartwatch.
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is a great smartwatch and one of the best smartwatches for men to buy in 2023. It’s not necessarily for everyone, but it’s a great option for someone who wants to get more out of their smartwatch than just notifications and fitness tracking.
If you want to make calls, monitor your health, track your sleep and do everything else that this device can do, it’s definitely worth considering.