The new Garmin Venu 2 Plus sports and smartwatch retains all the benefits of the original Venu 2, adding the ability to make and answer calls right from your wrist. There is also support for voice assistants.
The regular Venu 2 is one of the best smartwatches of 2021, thanks to its accurate workout and body tracking and smart software. They supported third-party applications and watch faces, but they did not have voice assistants, call control and other features of the Venu 2 Plus.
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Yes, some shortcomings of the series have still been preserved, in general, the updated Garmin watches are not inferior to the best models on the market, alas, and the price too.
Contents
Comparison of characteristics of Garmin Venu 2 Plus
| Peculiarities | Venu 2 Plus | Venu 2 |
| Screen | 1.3-inch AMOLED 416×416 resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | 1.3-inch AMOLED 416×416 resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS | Android, iOS |
| IP rating | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Sensors | Heart rate Garmin Elevate, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer, ambient light sensor, heart rate monitor, blood oxygen saturation | Heart rate Garmin Elevate, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer, ambient light sensor, heart rate monitor, blood oxygen saturation |
| Communication and connection | Bluetooth, ANT+, WiFi | Bluetooth, ANT+, WiFi |
| Data store | Music: up to 650 songs Activity data: 200 hours | Music: up to 650 songs Activity data: 200 hours |
| Garmin Pay | Yes | Yes |
| Smart features | Make and receive calls, support Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby and Siri, Connect IQ-compatible, smartphone notifications, text answer/reject call (Android only), smartphone music control, watch music playback and control, phone/watch finder, discovery Incidents, LiveTrack | Connect IQ compatible, smartphone notifications, text answer/reject call with text (Android only), smartphone music control, smart watch music playback and control, find my phone/find watch, incident detection, LiveTrack |
| autonomy | Up to 9 days in smartwatch mode Up to 8 hours in GPS mode + music fast charging | Up to 11 days in smartwatch mode Up to 8 hours in GPS mode + music fast charging |
| Colors | Silver bezel with powder gray case, slate bezel with black case, cream gold bezel with ivory case | Silver bezel with granite blue case, slate bezel with black case |
| materials | Stainless steel bezel and hardware Silicone strap | Stainless steel bezel and hardware Silicone strap |
| Dimensions and weight | 43.6×43.6×12.6mm, 20mm strap, 51g | 45.4×45.4×12.2mm, 22mm strap, 49g |
| Price | From ₹41,990 | From ₹37,990 |
Design and differences
In many ways, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus is similar to the original Venu 2, although there are plenty of differences too.
If the updated model is connected to an Android or iOS smartphone, you can make calls thanks to the built-in speaker and microphone. Thanks to them, interaction with the voice assistants Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby or Apple Siri is also provided.
On the underside of the case there is a physical button, when pressed for a long time, the Phone Calling function is activated. A numeric keypad will appear to dial the number, or contacts to make an emergency call. It is a pity that there is no way to access the full list of contacts from a smartphone yet.
The Venu 2 Plus has a slightly larger case, but the battery life has been reduced. But all the functions for tracking workouts and body indicators have not gone away, there is support for contactless payment Garmin Pay and internal storage for music.
Like previous models, the design of the Venu 2 Plus is also great. The case diameter is 43 mm, the display diagonal is 1.3 inches, and the bezel around the circle is not very wide. The 20mm wide straps are perfect for wearing the watch.
The 43mm case is the perfect size, making the wearable look good on any wrist. Made from polycarbonate like the Venu 2, although the back is now stainless steel.
Voice assistants
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is the company’s first smartwatch to support voice assistants.
Garmin does not have its own assistant, so the function is implemented a little differently than on the Apple Watch 7 and Wear OS smartwatches. Instead of launching the watch’s built-in assistant directly from the wrist, the default assistant on the smartphone is called up.
This approach has both advantages and disadvantages. The main plus is that Venu 2 Plus works with any assistants: Google Assistant, Siri or Bixby. This is especially important given that the latest Wear OS competitors don’t support Google Assistant at all.
But, while working with the assistant, your smartphone must be close enough so that the Bluetooth connection is not interrupted. Since the voice is recorded by the microphone on the watch, the smartphone may be in another room.
You can also check the weather, get directions using Google Maps, set reminders, and do many other things that you would normally do on a wearable gadget. Alas, some functions are not available, for example, “Continuing the conversation.”
In addition, between the call of the virtual assistant and the answer, 1-2 seconds pass. Interaction is not as convenient as Apple Watch with Siri or Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 with Bixby.
Tracking workouts and body metrics
In terms of training monitoring and body measurements, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus is almost indistinguishable from the Venu 2.
The new and previous model share the same heart rate sensor, GPS, and blood oxygen saturation sensor. GPS accuracy is on par with Apple Watch and even Coros Vertix 2, which says a lot.
Health Snapshot is one of the most useful features in Venu 2 Plus. The watch measures your pulse, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and stress level within two minutes. All information can be exported to a PDF file and then shown to your doctor.
The only thing missing is an ECG sensor, which is surprising. It has long appeared on models from Apple, Fitbit, Withings and watches from many other manufacturers, it would definitely not interfere with the Health Snapshot function. Perhaps we will see it on new Garmin models this year.
Autonomy Garmin Venu 2 Plus
Battery life isn’t the Venu 2’s strong point, and that hasn’t improved on the Venu 2 Plus.
Garmin estimated the previous model lasted 11 days on a single charge in watch mode and 8 days when using GPS with music. In the updated model, we get 9 and 8 days, respectively, although in reality these figures are still slightly lower.
When using the always-on mode and frequently measuring blood oxygen saturation, autonomy will noticeably decrease. If you use all the functions of smart watches, one charge is barely enough for 5 days. However, 10 minutes of fast charging will give you a full day of battery life.
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Outcome
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is Garmin’s best smartwatch to date and one of the best choices for sports fans.
There was full support for voice assistants and telephone conversations right from the wrist. The workout and body tracking features are still top notch, the only thing missing is an ECG sensor. While even the Venu 2 is very good, the new model is even better.
Is it worth buying
Not only athletes, but also people who decide to start fitness in the New Year will benefit from the Venu 2 Plus from Garmin. There are plenty of sport and training modes for you to enjoy, and a glowing personal trainer display will show you how to perform moves you’ve never heard of before.
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