Garmin Venu 2 Plus vs Vivoactive 4

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Garmin Venu 2 Plus is a direct competitor of the Apple Watch 7 and Vivoactive 4 is a direct competitor of the Apple Watch SE. Both watches fall into different categories of smartwatches. The price difference between Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 is $200 as we write this. However, it would be prudent to have a look at the differences between the two smartwatch models. This may help you to take an informed decision about the more appropriate watch for you.

Size and case material

  • Venu 2 Plus is a premium watch. It has a steel bezel and steel rear body. Vivoactive 4 has a steel bezel, but the rear cover is made of fiber polymer.
  • Venu 2 Plus has watch sizes of 40, 43 mm, and 45 mm. Vivoactive 4 has a watch size of 45 mm and Vivoactive 4S has a size of 40 mm. In terms of weight, Venu 2 Plus weighs 51 g and Vivoactive 4 weighs 50.5 g.
  • Venu 2 Plus comes with a 20 mm watch band while the Vivoactive 4 has a watch band size of 22 mm.

The main point of difference has to be the rear cover made of steel on the Venu 2 Plus smartwatch. Other physical attributes are almost similar. Both watches have a round screen.

Display

The main point of difference between a Venu 2 Plus and a Vivoactive 4 has to be the display.

  • Venu 2 Plus has an AMOLED display while the Vivoactive 4 has a MIP or memory in pixel screen. There is a generational gap between the Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 when it comes to the display technology used.
  • Venu 2 Plus has a display resolution of 416 x 416 pixels. The higher resolution of Venu 2 Plus is possible due to the underlying AMOLED display technology. Vivoactive 4 has a display resolution of 260 x 260 pixels. Vivoactive 4S has a display resolution of 216 x 216 pixels on account of the smaller screen size. Again, the lower clarity is chiefly on account of the MIP screen used in the Vivoactive 4 and Vivoactive 4S smartwatch.

Battery

There is a marginal increase in battery capacity of the Garmin Venu 2 Plus in comparison with the Vivoactive 4 smartwatch. For some, the incremental backup of Venu 2 Plus may not mean much.

  • On the smartwatch mode, Venu 2 Plus offers 9 days back and Vivoactive 4 offers 8 days of backup.
  • On the GPS mode, Venu 2 Plus offers 24 hours of backup while the Vivoactive 4 offers 18 hours of backup.
  • On the GOS + Music mode, Venu 2 Plus offers 8 hours of backup and Vivoactive 4 offers 6 hours of backup.

Agreeably, there is nothing much to choose from when it comes to battery for the Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4. Both watches have good battery life.

Health tracking

Most health tracking features between Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 are common. There are points of difference that are mentioned below:

  • Venu 2 Plus can show the fitness age right on the watch. Vivoactive 4 will show the fitness age through the Garmin Connect app.
  • Venu 2 Plus can rate your sleep quality by offering a sleep score.
  • Venu 2 Plus can also show you a health snapshot based on your activity, heart rate, and other health parameters.

The health snapshot or dashboard is a useful addition to the Venu 2 Plus over the Vivoactive 4 watch.

Other features

There are subtle differences in features and abilities between the Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4.

  • Venu 2 Plus has an ambient light sensor while the Vivoactive 4 does not have any such sensor.
  • Venu 2 Plus also has a battery saver mode. This would help you save battery when it is running low.
  • Venu 2 Plus can integrate with Garmin’s Golf app while the Vivoactive 4 cannot.
  • Venu 2 Plus has incremental music storage over Vivoactive 4. It can store up to 650 songs while the Vivoactive 4 can store up to 500 songs on the watch storage.
  • Venu 2 Plus adds the Bluetooth calling feature. When connected with the paired smartphone over Bluetooth, you can initiate a call right off the Venu 2 Plus watch. You can dial one of your existing contacts or use the keypad to call any specific number. This feature is unavailable on the Vivoactive 4 smartwatch. Both watches do have the ability to accept or reject incoming calls.
  • Venu 2 Plus also has an in-built Gym profile for HIIT and allows you to monitor HIIT workouts.
  • You can run a Golf Tournament through Venu 2 Plus watch.
  • Venu 2 Plus also has additional outdoor recreation profiles for Hiking, Bouldering, and Indoor Climbing.

Summary

Venu 2 Plus should be chosen over Vivoactive 4 for the AMOLED display. Additional health snapshot features and the battery saver mode are notable improvements. There may be specific requirements for certain features like the HIIT workouts or recreation profiles. This may warrant getting a Venu 2 Plus. In terms of battery life and device storage, there is nothing much to gain between Vivoactive 4 and the Venu 2 Plus watches. The two watches differ in costs by $200.

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Helen Kurt - Contributor on TECHEPAGES.COM. Reach me on email.

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].