Venu Sq 2 Music edition is the latest smartwatch from Garmin. It was unveiled and released in the month of August 2022. Forerunner 245 is a runners smartwatch that has been around for quite some time now. It continues to sell and do well amidst a huge fanbase because of special features and capabilities for the runners.
We look at the key aspects of Venu Sq 2 Music Edition and compare the watch against the Forerunner 245 smartwatch.
Price
Venu Sq 2 Music Edition and Forerunner 245 are priced at $299.99 each. This is the precise reason we have picked these two watches for a comparative study. Given the same price, what are the significant features of each watch.
Display
Venu Sq 2 Music Edition comes with an AMOLED display. Forerunner 245 has an MIP screen or memory-in-pixel screen. MIP screen consumes less battery than an AMOLED display screen. Perhaps, this could be the reason why the Forerunner series continues to be on the MIP screen for even the Forerunner 955 series.
Having said that, AMOLED screen is a standard feature on most smartwatches. Apple Watch 7 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 have AMOLED display as a standard feature. There are a couple of advantages with having an AMOLED display on the watch.
- AMOLED display improves the display resolution by quite a bit. Venu Sq 2 Music edition has a display resolution of 320 x 360 pixels.
- AMOLED display also brings in the ‘Always on Display’ feature. AOD feature does consume more battery. But, it results in an improved user experience.
The display resolution of Forerunner 245 is 240 x 240 pixels. The display resolution of the Venu Sq 2 Music edition is almost 50 percent better than the display resolution of a Forerunner 245.
Physical Specifications
Venu Sq 2 Music edition has a square shape and the Forerunner 245 watch has a circular shape. Both watches do have some similar physical attributes. We look at the physical attributes below:
- Venu Sq 2 Music edition and Forerunner 245 have almost identical weight.
- Forerunner 245 has a physical size of 42 mm and Venu Sq 2 Music edition has a physical size of 40 mm.
- Forerunner 245 has a display size of 33 mm and Venu Sq 2 Music edition has a display size close to 36 mm.
- Venu Sq 2 Music is relatively thinner with a thickness of 11.1 mm. Forerunner 245 has a thickness of 12.2 mm.
- Forerunner 245’s body is made of fiber-enforced polymer. This includes the body as well as the bezel. Venu Sq 2 has the body made of fiber-enforced polymer and the bezel is made of aluminium.
Essentially, Venu Sq 2 has a more contemporary appeal. Forerunner 245 is a practical watch with focus on improving a runner’s day to day activities.
Battery
There is almost a 40 percent improvement in battery life of a Venu Sq 2 Music edition watch over the Forerunner 245.
On the smartwatch mode, Venu Sq 2 Music edition can last for up to 11 days and the Forerunner 245 can go up to 7 days. In terms of the GPS mode, Venu Sq 2 Music edition can last for up to 26 hours and Forerunner 245 can last for up to 24 hours.
Additionally, Venu Sq 2 Music Edition also has the ‘Battery Saver’ mode. This special mode helps to conserve battery of the smartwatch.
Wireless Connectivity
Forerunner 245 does not have Wi-Fi connectivity. For wireless, you can use the Bluetooth or ANT+ wireless technologies. Venu Sq 2 Music Edition does have the ANT+, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless connectivity.
Music
Forerunner 245 does not have any music capability. Forerunner 245 cannot store any sort of audio content on the device. Also, the Forerunner 245 cannot be used to control smartphone music.
Venu Sq 2 Music edition comes with on-device storage for storing personal audio content on the watch. You can store up to 500 songs on the Venu Sq 2 Music edition watch. Venu Sq 2 Music edition can also control the smartphone music.
Garmin Pay
Garmin Pay is the NFC app for Garmin smartwatches. Garmin Pay allows you to complete contactless payments through your smartwatch on supporting merchant outlets. It is a standard app on most Garmin smartwatches. However, the Forerunner 245 does not have the Garmin Pay app and it is not compatible with the Garmin Pay app. So, there is no way you can install in on the Forerunner 245. Venu Sq 2 Music edition watch is compatible with the Garmin Pay app.
Health Features
There are subtle differences between the Forerunner 245 and Venu Sq 2 Music edition watches.
- Venu Sq 2 Music edition has continuous respiration monitoring.
- Venu Sq 2 Music edition also sends in relaxation reminders to the wearer.
- Venu Sq 2 Music edition’s software has been updated to include Sleep score and insights.
- Venu Sq 2 Music edition has a macro level Health Snapshot as well.
Activities
Forerunner 245 has a more comprehensive suite of activities. The depth and details of various activities on Forerunner 245 are tailor made for triathletes and runners. If you are after granular level activity details, Forerunner 245 will not disappoint. It has massive levels of details reporting on each of its profiles that include:
- Gym Profiles
- Training Activities
- Cycling Profile
- Outdoor Recreation Profiles
Each profile and activity offers highly detailed data for runners.
Swimming
Forerunner 245 and Venu Sq 2 Music edition watches carry a 5 ATM water rating. A 5 ATM rating means that the watch can go up to 50 meters or 165 feet below water surface level for brief periods of activity.
Both watches come with in-built profile for pool swimming. The watch is suitable for indoor swimming. At the same time, Forerunner 245 and Venu Sq 2 Music edition are not suitable for snorkeling or deep water diving. For diving, we suggest looking for DIVE rated smartwatches. The Descent series of Garmin smartwatches are DIVE rated smartwatches.
Summary
Forerunner 245 and Venu Sq 2 Music edition watches are priced equally. But, a Forerunner 245 is intended for runners and the Venu Sq 2 Music edition is more like a contemporary watch. Since I am neither a triathlete nor a passionate runner, I will pick the Venu Sq 2 Music edition watch for its AMOLED display and offline music listening. On the sides, I also get a slightly higher battery life on the Venu Sq 2 Music edition smartwatch.
You may also like to read more content related to Garmin smartwatches below:
- Garmin smartwatch for small wrist
- Garmin Venu Sq 2 Music vs Venu Sq Music
- Garmin watches with multi band GPS
- Unable to add card to Garmin Pay
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].