Apple Watch 8 is the latest Apple watch released in September 2022. Venu 2 Plus was released by Garmin in January 2022. Both watches share similar pricing. We look at the key differences between the Apple Watch 8 and Garmin Venu 2 Plus below.
iOS vs Android
Apple Watch 8 can only work with iOS devices. So, you need an iPhone to register the Apple Watch 8 and create a paired connect for data exchange. Apple Watch 8 is compatible with iOS version 14 or higher.
Venu 2 Plus can work with Android operating system and iOS devices alike. Venu 2 Plus uses Garmin Connect app for seamless connectivity with Android version 7 or higher and iOS version 14 or higher.
Display and Physical attributes
Venu 2 Plus does have an AMOLED display with AOD or Always on Display. On a similar note, Apple Watch 8 comes with OLED display that supports AOD or Always on Display. But, there are subtle differences in display and physical specifications of both watches.
- Garmin Venu 2 Plus has a display resolution of 416 x 416 pixels against the 396 x 484 pixels display resolution of Apple Watch 8 (45 mm variant).
- Apple Watch 8 is thinner with 10.7 mm thickness; Venu 2 Plus has a thickness of 12.6 mm.
- Apple Watch 8 is lighter than the Venu 2 Plus. Venu 2 Plus weighs 51 g. An Apple Watch 8 (41 mm) weighs between 30-33 g and the 44 mm variant weights between 35-39 g.
- Apple Watch 8 follows a bezel-less design. The screen area of Apple Watch 8 is higher than the screen area of Venu 2 Plus. For 45 mm variant, Apple Watch 8 has a screen area of 1.9″ and Venu 2 Plus has a screen area of 1.3″/
A bigger screen, lighter weight and better display resolution add up to the strengths of an Apple Watch 8.
Battery
Apple Watch 8 comes with rated battery capacity of 18 hours. You need to charge your Apple Watch 8 on a daily basis. The nice thing, though, is that Apple Watch 8 supports fast charging. You can be up from zero percent battery to 100 percent battery in 75 minutes. Watch 8 also supports wireless charging.
Venu 2 Plus has extended battery life. It can go up to 9 days long battery life on the smartwatch mode. But, as of now, Venu 2 Plus does not support wireless charging.
ECG
Apple Watch 8 uses a third generation optical heart sensor and an electrical heart sensor. The electrical heart sensor helps in taking on-demand ECG readings on an Apple Watch 8. Aside from ECG functionality, Apple Watches are known to detect and alert AFib or the Atrial Fibrillation instances.
Venu 2 Plus has the Garmin Elevate heart sensor for perpetual heart rate monitoring and tracking. However, Venu 2 Plus does not have ECG feature. Venu 2 Plus, also, cannot detect or alert about the AFib or Atrial Fibrillation conditions.
Fall Detection
Apple Watch 8 has one of the best algorithms to detect a hard fall. This makes Apple Watch 8 the most apt watch for elders. Apple Watch 8 can detect a fall and alert the designated emergency contacts. It can even call the emergency services (in supported countries) to seek help for the watch owner in the event of a hard fall.
Venu 2 Plus does have an incident detection feature. But, for most practical considerations, the incident detection feature of Garmin does not come close second to the Apple Watch’s fall detection feature.
Crash Detection
Apple Watch 8 comes with a much improved accelerometer than can support tracking of upto 256 g forces. This allows the Apple Watch 8 to detect car crashes. In the event of a car crash, an Apple Watch 8 will alert the designated emergency contacts. It can also call the emergency services in supported countries.
Crash detection, in more ways than one, works much like the fall detection feature on Apple Watch 8.
LTE or Cellular Support
Apple Watch 8 offers GPS + Cellular variant. With a cellular variant, you can connect to the telecom provider directly from the watch. Therefore, there is no need to carry the paired phone at all times. You are connected to the network through the Apple Watch 8.
Venu 2 Plus does not have LTE or Cellular support as we write this.
Price
Apple Watch 8 GPS variant starts at $399. The prices for GPS + Cellular model can go higher. Venu 2 Plus is priced at $449.99.
Table of Comparison for Quick Reference
The table of comparison is a quick reference check of the various features of Apple Watch 8 and Garmin Venu 2 Plus.
| Features | Apple Watch 8 | Garmin Venu 2 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | No | Yes |
| Lens | Apple OLED | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Weight | 33-39 g | 51 g |
| Physical Size | 41 mm and 45 mm | 44 mm |
| Case Material | Alumina and Stainless Steel | Fiber-enforced polymer body with steel bezel |
| Speaker and Microphone | Yes | No |
| Screen Size | 1.9″ (45 mm) | 1.3″ |
| Cellular Support | Yes | No |
| Water Rating | 50 meters (equivalent to 5 ATM) | 5 ATM |
| Dust Protection | IP68 | NA |
| Device Storage | 32 GB | 650 Songs and 200 hours of activity data |
| Battery | 18 Hours | 9 Days |
| Fast Charging | Yes | Not Confirmed |
| Wireless Charging | Yes | No |
| Fall Detection | Yes | Yes (called incident detection) |
| Crash Detection | Yes | No |
| Heart Rate Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| ECG | Yes | No |
| Atrial Fibrillation | Yes | No |
| Blood Oxygenation Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes | Yes |
Closing thoughts
We find that the Apple Watch 8 has a more contemporary appearance. It provides value added features like the fall detection and crash detection. One of the strongest points in favor of the Apple Watch 8 has to be the ECG functionality and AFib alerts.
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Helen Kurt is a geeky nerd who loves to cover the wearables space. She has over 5 years of experience in the smartwatch domain. You can reach her on email at [email protected].