Pixel Watch and Venu 2 Plus are two watches marketed in the same price bracket. Both watches would make the shortlist for someone looking to get a new smartwatch. Which of these two smartwatches would be more suitable for you? Let us evaluate this in a quick and concise study below.
Physical specifications, Display, Operating system, and Features
| Features | Google Pixel Watch | Garmin Venu 2 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| iOS Compatibility | No | Yes |
| Android Compatibility | Yes | Yes |
| Operating System | Wear OS 3.5 | Garmin Proprietary |
| Processor | Samsung Exynos 9110 | Sony chipset |
| Internal Memory or RAM | 2 GB | Details unavailable |
| Internal Storage | 32 GB | Limited capacity storage for 200 hours of activity data and 650 songs. |
| Physical size | 41 mm | 43 mm |
| Display Size | 1.2″ | 1.3″ or 33 mm |
| Display Technology | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Display Resolution | 450 x 450 pixels | 416 x 416 pixels |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Color Display | Yes | Yes |
| Battery | 1 day | 9 days on smartwatch mode and up to 24 hours on GPS mode |
| Wireless Connectivity | Bluetooth and Wi-Fi | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and ANT+ |
| LTE Connectivity | Available in Pixel Watch 4G LTE variant | Not Available |
| Water Rating | 50 meters equivalent to 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Dust Protection | IP68 | Rating not available |
| Swim-proof | Yes | Yes |
| Diving compatibility, Snorkeling | No | No |
| GPS | GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou | GPS, Galileo, GLONASS |
| Golf | No | Yes |
| In-built Speaker | Yes | Yes |
| In-built Microphone | Yes | Yes |
One of the striking aspects of owning a Google Pixel watch has to be the rounded edges on the display screen. The design is almost devoid of any bezel. If you prefer a smartwatch without bezel, Google Pixel watch could be a good bet.
In comparison with the Google Pixel watch, the Venu 2 Plus smartwatches present a very rich look with a solid bezel. The bezel encompasses the screen and lends a premium look to the smartwatch. The image below clearly captures the contours of the bezel on the Venu 2 Plus smartwatch.
From the physical specifications and features, we can see that both watches have almost similar features. However, Google Pixel Watch does offer LTE or Cellular connectivity on the Pixel Watch 4G LTE variant which costs $399.99. Garmin Venu 2 Plus does not have any variant with LTE or Cellular connectivity.
Another significant factor to consider is that the Google Pixel Watch cannot work with iPhone and iOS devices. It is based on the Wear OS and supports Android smartphones only. Venu 2 Plus is compatible with iPhone and Android smartphones.
The extended battery backup provided by Garmin Venu 2 Plus can last up to 9 days on the smartwatch mode. Google Pixel watch can last for a maximum of 24 hours. Generally speaking, the battery on Pixel Watch would drain out in 18-24 hours.
Health Tracking and other features
| Features | Google Pixel Watch | Garmin Venu 2 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Heart Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| High-low heart alerts | No | Yes |
| Heart rate variability (HRV) | Yes | Yes |
| ECG | Yes | No |
| Blood Oxygenation Monitoring | No | Yes |
| Stress Monitoring | Yes | Yes (Body Battery) |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Breathing or Respiration Rate | Yes | Yes |
| Temperature Sensor (skin-based) | Yes | Yes (tempe sensor required) |
| Fall Detection | Yes | Yes (Incident detection) |
| SOS Emergency Messages | Yes | No |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Blood oxygenation sensor (not activated), Optical heart rate sensor, Ambient light sensor | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Blood oxygenation sensor, Garmin elevate heart sensor, Ambient light sensor, Compass, Barometric Altimeter |
| Menstrual tracking | Yes | Yes (Women Health) |
| Availability | Limited to 9 countries | Worldwide availability |
| Price | $349.99 and $399.99 (LTE) | $449.99 |
From the health perspective, Google Pixel Watch has an ECG app for taking spot ECG readings. However, pulse oxygenation readings and high-low heart rate alerts are not activated on the Pixel Watch as of now. It is, essentially, a mixed bag when you compare Pixel Watch against the Venu 2 Plus for heart health monitoring on a perpetual basis.
The fall detection feature of the Google Pixel Watch is inherited from Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series. On the LTE variant, the watch could send emergency SOS messages to designated emergency contacts. Garmin Venu 2 Plus has an incident detection feature. But, it is not close to the fall detection of the Google Pixel watch. Additionally, Venu 2 Plus lacks LTE connectivity and is incapacitated in terms of seeking assistance from emergency services.
Summary
Google Pixel watch is available in a price range between $349.99-$399.99. Garmin’s Venu 2 Plus is available for $449.99. In our view, Venu 2 Plus is a solid-looking watch. The cross-platform compatibility with iPhone and Android phones ensures that your watch can be used with both mobile operating systems.
Apart from this, the Venu 2 Plus is more than a year-old watch. It has a robust performance track record. In our view, the Venu 2 Plus holds out over the Google Pixel Watch by a decent margin. Plus, Garmin’s eco-system is ahead of the Fitbit ecosystem. Google Pixel Watch is, essentially, based on the Fitbit ecosystem.
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].