Garmin Venu 2 details leaked, bigger display & battery, new HR sensor
Pics and other details on Garmin Venu 2 have leaked on multiple retailers’ websites. The second generation timepiece comes in a choice of sizes, more battery life and space for music, along with the latest generation heart rate sensor. The release date might fall before the end of this month.
The company describes the original Venu as a GPS watch for those with an active lifestyle. And that’s a pretty accurate description. In many ways the device is a more fancy version of the Vivoactive. The first and only generation so far was revealed nearly two years ago at IFA 2019 in Berlin.
In terms of what it can do the Garmin Venu is exactly the same as Vivoactive 4. There are no differences. The main upgrade is the display. Venu comes with a gorgeous 1.2 inch AMOLED packing 390 x 390 pixel resolution. This looks great but comes at the expense of battery life which is around 5 days and only 3 days with the always-on option.
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Now we’re getting the second generation. We anticipated a release date to coincide with IFA 2021 in September but it is coming much sooner than that.
Garmin Venu 2 – what we know
A leak of the forthcoming device has appeared on retailer sites superlife365 and Brandfield. The information in this article is based on those sources via a few other websites that have already covered the news.
The release of Venu 2 is not entirely a surprise as it has already been listed by EMVCo. This is an organization that facilitates a common payments infrastructure. It enables card-based payment products to work together seamlessly and securely worldwide. Interestingly, another device that is mentioned there is the Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE. So that one is incoming soon, as well.
Venu 2 comes in a choice of sizes
As far as Venu 2, unlike the first generation which only comes in a 43 mm diameter case (1.2 inch display) you now get a choice between a 45 mm and 40 mm diameter version. The functionality of both is the same, the only difference is the size of the watch.
The larger Venu 2 packs a 1.3 inch AMOLED, the smaller 2S model a 1.2 inch display. This is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. We are assuming Garmin will retain the 325 PPI or 423 x 423 pixel (for the 45mm) resolution but this has not been confirmed in the retailer listings. As you’d expect, the watch can be personalized with new watch faces, widgets and apps via the Garmin IQ Store.
Battery has received a boost
One of the negatives of the first generation is short battery life. The above mentioned 5 days is decent but nothing to write home about.
We are happy to report that the new model bumps this up to an impressive 10+ days in smartwatch mode. That is quite a boost so we’re not sure how Garmin has managed to achieve this. Probably to do with updated components.
With GPS switched on battery life of Venu 2 is now 7-8 hours. The watch comes with a quick-charging mechanism so refueling is even speedier than before.
More storage space for music, NFC
The original Venu has on-device music storage of up to 500 songs. This has been upgraded to 750 songs now. Music and offline playlists can be downloaded through Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music, as long as you have appropriate subscriptions.
NFC is built-in again. So you can make payments on the go via Garmin Pay.
New sports modes, HR sensor, widgets and functions
Venu 2 has a total of 25 sports modes. This includes running, cycling, swimming, golf and more. There are three new ones that come in the form of HIIT, hiking and bouldering. You can also create your own exercise modes.
Garmin has apparently improved the sleep tracking function. This is probably helped by the latest generation 4 of the Elevate heart rate sensor which should ensure better accuracy.
The Fitness Age widget has made its way to the watch. There’s also a Health Snapshot widget which allows users to share vitals data with doctors and coaches.
Other than that you get the usual notifications and other smart functionality. Accident detection can also be found on the watch. This allows you to ping emergency services or a contact with your live location.
Release date, price
According to the retailer listing, the Venu 2 should be available on April 22nd for $399.99. This makes it about $50 costlier than the current model. The price tag is the same for both the 45mm Venu 2 and the 40mm Venu 2S.
It is important to note that none of this has been confirmed by Garmin. But previous experience has thought us – when retailers start leaking details, the release date is just around the corner.
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