Garmin Vivoactive 4 vs Venu 2: which is right for you?

Garmin’s answer to the likes of Fitbit and the Apple Watch is the all-purpose Vivoactive range. Another is the Garmin Venu, a device with a more premium design and a higher price tag but largely the same specs.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

You might be wondering what exactly is the difference between the Vivoactive 4 and Venu. The first has been around for nearly two years now, the second has just seen an updated version that comes in the form of Venu 2. Here’s our overview on similarities and differences to help you decide which is right for you.

Garmin Vivoactive 4 vs Venu 2: General and design

Latest generations bring a choice of sizes

The fourth iteration of Vivoactive has been a popular seller since its launch at IFA 2019 in Berlin. The device has some handy upgrades over its predecessor – the most important of which is that it comes in two sizes.

The large version sports a 45mm stainless steel case while the small a 40mm case. The predecessor is only available in a 43mm version. Largely considered a unisex device, the Vivoactive 4 is better as it allows those will smaller wrists to opt for something that won’t look too bulky on their wrist.

The other design tweak is that there are two physical buttons on the right, whereas before there was only one. The touchscreen is a great feature but it’s almost impossible to navigate in wet or sweaty conditions. The second physical button should help with this problem.

Garmin has opted for a similar strategy with the Venu range. The latest device comes in the same choice of two sizes, its predecessor was only available in a 43mm version.

Venu range has a much better display

While the size choices are the same, Venu watches have something that differentiate them from the others. They are the only Garmin wearable to come with an AMOLED screen.

Garmin Venu Gadgets & Wearables may get a commission

This allows for great clarity both indoors and out. The resolution is 416 x 416 pixels on the large Venu 2, much higher than you would find on the Vivoactive 4 or Vivoactive 3. The exact specs can be seen in the table below.

What is the same is the actual display size. This comes in at 1.3 inches for the large versions of Venue 2 and Vivoactive 4, and 1.1 inches for the S versions.

Sensors

There is little difference between the Venu and Vivoactive range when it comes to sensors. The Vivoactive 4 and original Venu are identical on that count.

Having said that, the latest Venu 2 is a generation ahead. Which means it brings additions that comes in the form of the latest heart rate tech (4th generation Elevate sensor). The other improvement is increased storage space for music. Perhaps this is a hint as to what we can expect with Vivoactive 5 when it sees the light of day.

Battery life

What’s really impressive about Venu 2 is its battery life. Even though it has a more power-hungry AMOLED display it can keep going for 11 days in smartwatch mode and 8 hours with GPS switched on. Vivoactive 4 is good for 8 days in smartwatch mode and 6 hours with GPS on.

There is an important difference, though. The transflective memory-in-pixel display on Vivoactive is always-on. The disadvantage is that the colors are very dull. The battery life for Venu 2 that you can see above is not with the always-on option. Toggle this setting and battery comes down by more than a half.

Here’s a table listing the main specs of Garmin Venu 2 and Vivoactive 4. For completeness sake, we also include the previous generations – Venu and Vivoactive 3.

	Venu 2	Venu	Vivoactive 4	Vivoactive 3
Bezel material	stainless steel	stainless steel	stainless steel	stainless steel
Case material	fiber-reinforced polymer	fiber-reinforced polymer with polymer rear cover	fiber-reinforced polymer with polymer rear cover	polymer
Quick release bands	yes (22 mm, Industry standard)	yes (20 mm, Industry standard)	yes (22 mm, Industry standard)	yes (20 mm, Industry standard)
Physical size	45.4 x 45.4 x 12.2 mm. Fits wrists with a circumference of 135-200mm	43.2 x 43.2 x 12.4 mm. Fits wrists with a circumference of 125-190 mm	45.1 x 45.1 x 12.8 mm. Fits wrists with a circumference of 135-200 mm	43.1 x 43.1 x 13.6 mm. Fits wrists with a circumference of 127-204 mm
Display size	1.3″ (33.0 mm) diameter	1.2″ (30.4mm) diameter	1.3″ (33.0 mm) diameter	1.2″ (30.4mm) diameter
Display resolution	416 x 416 pixels	390 x 390 pixels	260 x 260 pixels	240 x 240 pixels
Display type	AMOLED	AMOLED	sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)	sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
Weight	49.0 g	46.3 g	50.5 g	39.0 g
Battery life (base model)	Smartwatch mode: Up to 11 days Battery saver smartwatch mode: Up to 12 days GPS mode with music: Up to 8 hours GPS mode without music: Up to 22 hours	Smartwatch mode: Up to 5 days. GPS mode with music: Up to 6 hours.	Smartwatch mode: Up to 8 days. GPS mode with music: Up to 6 hours.	Smartwatch mode: Up to 7 days. GPS mode with music: Up to 5 hours.
Sensors	Barometric altimeter, gyroscope, compass, accelerometer, thermometer, heart rate (4th generation), SpO2, Ambient light sensor	Barometric altimeter, gyroscope, compass, accelerometer, thermometer, heart rate, SpO2, Ambient light sensor	Barometric altimeter, gyroscope, compass, accelerometer, thermometer, heart rate, SpO2, Ambient light sensor	Barometric altimeter, compass, accelerometer, thermometer, heart rate, Ambient light sensor
Built-in GPS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Music storage	up to 650 songs	up to 500 songs	up to 500 songs	up to 500 songs (Vivoactive 3 Music)
NFC	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
RRP	$400	$350	$350	$250

Garmin Vivoactive 4 vs Venu 2: Functionality

Activity tracking features

Any of these are great for someone looking for a smartwatch with lots of health and fitness features. They’ll all have you covered around the clock and can track a wide variety of sports. So let’s jump right to the differences.

Garmin Vivoactive 4 Gadgets & Wearables may get a commission

This section is going to be fairly short, the reason being there simply aren’t too many features that are not common to all of these watches.

Vivoactive 4 and Venu are exactly the same. Don’t look for any differences in functionality, as you won’t find them. But the duo comes with some extras over the predecessor Vivoactive 3 iteration.

These smartwatches provide pulse oxygen readings and estimated respiration. The first is primarily done during the night, although you can take manual readings throughout the day as well. The second is done around the clock.

Vivoactive 4/4s and Venu also come with the Body Battery function. This tells you when to push hard when to take it easy based on your activity level and how much rest you’ve had.

The other differences are the inclusion of Yoga workouts, Pilates workouts and on-screen workout animations. Also, the heart rate sensor has been improved and can now track heart rate under water.

Venu 2 comes with more

The Venu 2 comes with some more goodies. The next generation of the heart rate sensor should ensure better accuracy. It also helps to improve sleep tracking which now uses Firstbeat algorithms.

Other additions come in the form of Fitness Age (which lets you know how old your body is), along with Health Snapshot (a 2 minute test that captures info on heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen, respiration and stress). There are also more sports modes and some features to target the gym crowd.

Here’s a run-down of the differences when it comes to activity tracking.

	Venu 2	Venu	Vivoactive 4	Vivoactive 3
Blood oxygen	Yes	Yes	Yes
Body Battery	Yes	Yes	Yes
Yoga workouts, Pilates workouts	Yes	Yes	Yes
On-screen workout animations	Yes	Yes	Yes
Respiration rate	Yes	Yes	Yes
Underwater wrist based heart rate	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fitness Age	Yes
Health Snapshot	Yes
HIIT, hiking and bouldering workouts	Yes
On-screen workout muscle maps	Yes

Garmin Vivoactive 4 vs Venu 2: Verdict

The Vivoactive range is a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of activity trackers. It’s a device that in terms of design appeals to both men and women equally. The introduction of different sizes with the fourth iteration provides more customization options. Now you get the same size choices with the Venu range.

The difference between the two watches comes mainly down to the quality of design. The Vivoactives have a transflective MIP display, the Venus a much higher quality AMOLED.

The sacrifice used to be battery life. However, Garmin has managed to much improve on that with Venu 2. Other additions that this generation brings are an upgraded heart rate sensor, more storage space for music and some new software-based health insights.

Garmin Venu 2 Gadgets & Wearables may get a commission

Price difference is an important consideration. Vivoactive 4 sells for $350, but you can often find discounts of $80-$90. Venu 2 is much pricier at $400. The other option is to opt for the first Venu which now matches Vivoactive 4 in price.

If you don’t mind the lower quality screen, Vivoactive 4 is the one to go for. It’s particularly useful for outdoor activities as the screen gets brighter and more readable the sunnier it is. Venu 2 is for those that want the latest tech on offer coupled with a beautiful AMOLED – something more Apple Watch-like.

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