Garmin released the second generation Venu Sq series watch last month. The Venu Sq 2 is the latest smartwatch model that replaces Garmin Venu Sq. Both watches are available at the Garmin site for outright purchase. We look at the key factors of the Venu Sq 2 and pitch it against the Venu Sq model.
Price – Venus Sq 2 vs Venu Sq
Venu Sq has a list price of $199.99 and the Venu Sq 2 has a list price of $249.99. For an incremental cost of $50, Venu Sq 2 offers a few improvements over the Venu Sq. We look at these improvements below.
Display – Venu Sq 2 vs Venu Sq
The most primary or significant difference is the introduction of AMOLED display on the Venu Sq 2 series smartwatch. The Venu Sq screen is made of liquid crystals. But, Venu Sq 2 gets the upgraded AMOLED screen display. There are two main advantages of the AMOLED screen:
- AMOLED screens tend to have much better display resolution, display clarity and contrast ratio.
- AMOLED screens allow the ‘Always on Display’ feature on the watch. AOD is a standard feature across most contemporary smartwatches, including Samsung Galaxy 5 and Apple Watch 7.
The benefit of AMOLED screen can also be gauged by the following facts about the display resolution of Venu Sq 2 and Venu Sq:
- Venu Sq 2 has a display resolution of 320 x 360 pixels.
- Venu Sq has a display resolution of 240 x 240 pixels.
Venu Sq 2 has an almost 50 percent better display resolution than the Venu Sq series Garmin smartwatch. For an incremental expense of $50, the AMOLED screen of the Venu Sq 2 series is definitely justified.
Size and Physical Attributes – Venu Sq 2 vs Venu Sq
Venu Sq 2 is slightly larger. At the same time it is slightly thinner than the Venu Sq series smartwatch. In regards to the size and physical attributes, we list the main points here:
- Venu Sq 2 and Venu Sq have the contemporary box shape.
- Venu Sq 2 is marginally thinner at 11.1 mm. Venu Sq is 11.4 mm thick.
- Venu Sq 2 has a display size of 35.9 mm while the Venu Sq has a display size of 33.1 mm. The display size is calculated on diagonal basis.
- The overall watch size remains consistent at 40.6 x 37 mm for Venu Sq 2 and Venu Sq series smartwatches.
- There is a marginal difference in weight of both watches. Venu Sq 2 weighs 38 g while the Venu Sq weighs 37.6 g.
Battery – Venu Sq 2 vs Venu Sq
Venu Sq 2 has made strides in improving battery life. The difference in battery life between Venu Sq and Venu Sq 2 is significant.
- On the smartwatch mode, Venu Sq 2 offers up to 11 days battery backup. Venu Sq can go up to 6 days. Essentially, the battery backup on Venu Sq 2 is almost double of what we used to get on the Venu Sq series smartwatches.
- On the GPS mode, Venu Sq 2 can offer up to 26 hours of battery life. Venu Sq can go up to 14 hours of battery life on the GPS mode.
Another significant improvement is the introduction of the ‘Battery Saver’ mode on Venu Sq 2.
- On the ‘Battery Saver’ mode, the Venu Sq 2 could last up to 12 days of battery charge.
Improvements in the battery life from Venu Sq to Venu Sq 2 are quite significant.
Health Tracking – Venu Sq 2 vs Venu Sq
Most health tracking features on Venu Sq 2 and Venu Sq are similar. For example, both Venu Sq 2 and Venu Sq offer the following health monitoring features:
- Sleep tracking
- Body Battery scores for energy levels
- Heart rate monitoring
- Abnormal heart rate alerts
- Respiration rate on a 24 x 7 basis
- Pulse Ox sensor for blood oxygenation tracking
- Women’s health
- Fitness age
However, the Venu Sq 2 series comes with refined health snapshot and sleep score metrics. The improvement in the underlying software has ensured availability of the following on the Venu Sq 2 series smartwatches:
- Sleep Score and Insights
- Health Snapshot
Wireless Connectivity – Venu Sq 2 vs Venu Sq
Both watches, Venu Sq 2 and Venu Sq provide wireless connectity through ANT+ and and Bluetooth. However, Wi-Fi connectivity is not available on either watch.
More features – Venu Sq 2 vs Venu Sq
Apart from these features, Venu Sq 2 and Venu Sq do get the following profiles for tracking:
- Gym profiles
- Running profiles
- Golf app and Golf features
- Outdoor recreation profiles
- Cycling profiles
- Swimming profiles
Both watches also provide the standard safety features of incident detection and live tracking.
Summary
For the price difference of $50, I will definitely consider a Venu Sq 2 over the Venu Sq because of two reasons:
- AMOLED display of Venu Sq 2 and availability of the Always on Display feature.
- More than 50% longer battery life of Venu Sq 2 over Venu Sq.
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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].