Garmin smartwatches and fitness wearables have been around in India for a long time. While I had heard of these being popular among fitness enthusiasts, I have rarely seen any in use. So, when the Garmin Venu 2 Plus came in for review, I was surprised to see the feature list and price. 46,990 in India, this goes up against the Apple Watch Series 7, which we and many others have rated highly. So, is the Garmin Venu 2 Plus the right smartwatch for you, or would you be better off with an alternative? I tested it to find out.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus price in India
Garmin Venu 2 Plus The price is Rs. 46,990 in India and available with 43mm dial only. You can choose between Graphite Black, Cream Gold, and Powder Grey, and each comes with a matching strap.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus Design
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus features a circular dial with a 1.3-inch AMOLED display. Surprisingly, this is only available in a 43mm dial size; You don’t get other options like you do with apple watch series 7 ,Wait) And this samsung galaxy watch 4 Chain. It fits perfectly with my hand, but many people may find it too small or too big.
The Venu 2 Plus sports a metallic bezel with a textured pattern, which makes it look premium. There are three buttons on the right, while on the left is only the speaker. The case is made of polycarbonate and uses the standard 20mm straps. The supplied strap has quick release pins that make it easy to swap out without the need for any tools. Garmin has used metal for the underbody of the Venu 2 Plus and this is where you will find the health sensors. A recess in this area also houses the charging contacts. Garmin’s cable simply clicks into place for charging, which eliminates any mess.
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus has a 1.3-inch AMOLED display
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus weighs 51g, which means it’s a bit heavier than the Apple Watch Series 7. Compared to the Apple Watch, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus maintains an impressive presence on your wrist. The strap is well designed and there has been no skin irritation during the review period. It held the watch fairly comfortably on the front of my wrist, which helped measure my heart rate and SpO2 levels with precision. The Venu 2 Plus is rated for 5ATM water resistance and can track swims as well.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus Software, Features and Ecosystem
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus runs on proprietary software and can be used with any iPhone or else Android smart Fone. You can use all of its features when paired with an Android phone, but some features aren’t available if you use an iPhone, such as the ability to reply to messages. You can use the speakers and microphone on the Venu 2 Plus to answer incoming calls on your wrist, but you’ll need to raise the watch close enough to your face to clearly hear the caller. The Venu 2 Plus has Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi connectivity and can freely connect to known networks. There is no cellular connectivity on the Venu 2 Plus like you can get with the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series.
I bought the Garmin Venu 2 Plus as a . paired with Samsung Galaxy S21 ,Wait) smartphone for a week and then a . switched to Apple iPhone 12 Pro ,Wait) Next week. Garmin The Connect app is almost identical on both platforms, and it was easy to set up. The home screen of the app is a dashboard that shows all the health parameters recorded by the Garmin Venu 2 Plus. It also displays details of the number of steps taken, number of floors climbed, heart rate, body battery (energy level), stress level and even sleep. You can tap any of these to view additional information. There is also a calendar view of all these statistics, which can be viewed at a glance.
There are several sensors on the bottom of the Garmin Venu 2 Plus to measure heart rate and SpO2
The app lets you take part in fitness challenges and even allows you to create your own. You can add friends and compete with them. If you do this, their fitness activity shows up in the News Feed tab of the app. You can also use the Garmin Connect app to change watch faces, customize quick shortcuts, set activity goals, and toggle various tracking features.
On the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, you can swipe up or down on the home screen to access “Glances,” which are essentially widgets that display information like your SpO2 level, heart rate, sleep stats, and more . There’s also a widget in the UI that makes it easy to view all the information from your paired smartphone at once, although interacting with them requires an extra step. You can customize these widgets using the Garmin Connect app.
The middle button of the Garmin Venu 2 Plus activates the paired smartphone’s voice assistant. The in-built speaker makes it possible for the assistant to answer your commands through the watch. The button at the top right brings up a Favorites menu with a short press, while a long press opens a Controls menu. The bottom button takes you a step back in the UI, but you can also swipe right on any screen to go back. Long pressing it takes you to the setting. When I first started using the Venu 2 Plus, I found this navigation scheme overwhelming, and it took some searching to find the right setting. The learning curve is a bit steep compared to the Apple Watch but things got better after a few uses.
You can summon the personal assistant on your paired smartphone using the Venu 2 Plus
You can track a variety of workouts on the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, from walking and running to basic exercises like strength training. You can also create custom routines by combining various strength training exercises using the app or the Garmin Connect website. It’s easy to create custom workouts on PC and sync them with the Venu 2 Plus, which is a huge advantage of such an ecosystem.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus Performance and Battery Life
I used the Garmin Venu 2 Plus for more than three weeks, tracking my walk almost every day, and compared the results to the Apple Watch Series 7 to check its accuracy. The Garmin Venu 2 Plus uses its built-in GPS to keep track of outdoor exercises. It takes less than 30 seconds to lock the GPS signal on most occasions. Distance tracking was accurate, and the Venu 2 Plus recorded exactly 1km for every 1km I drove. Step tracking wasn’t off at all, and the watch displayed 999 steps for the 1,000 that I counted manually.
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus can track your heart rate continuously and was more accurate than the Apple Watch Series 7. The Venu 2 Plus was also quick to detect changes in heart rate when I was working out. You can monitor your SpO2 level on the Venu 2 Plus and automatically track it throughout the day. It is disabled by default. I found that the SpO2 reading is comparable to the reading shown by a medical-grade pulse oximeter.
You get a complete stop of your sleep cycle if you wear the Venu 2 Plus to sleep
Sleep tracking was accurate and the Garmin Venu 2 Plus managed to track different stages of my sleep as well. The app breaks it down into periods of deep sleep, light sleep, REM and wakefulness. You can enable SpO2 tracking even while you sleep. The Garmin Venu 2 Plus claims to track stress as well, and the results shown were in line with my day to day experience. While all of these parameters pleased my analytical side, at times the sheer amount of information was overwhelming. Garmin must find a way to streamline how it presents all this data to the user. Perhaps adding personalized insights to the app will make it easier to understand all the stats a little better, especially for novice smartwatch users.
The battery life of the Garmin Venu 2 Plus was impressive. With my use, which included tracking evening walks almost every day, notifications from my paired smartphone, being able to monitor heart rate at all times, and even tracking sleep, I Still managed to last the watch for about six days per charge. it’s so much more than what it is apple watch series 7 Is capable – I needed to charge it every other day. I expect battery life to be shorter with all-day SpO2 tracking and with the always-on display feature enabled. Charging the watch with the supplied cable and my own 10W power adapter resulted in a 45 percent charge after 30 minutes, and the watch fully charged after about an hour.
Decision
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is a very capable smartwatch for fitness enthusiasts. It can track a wide range of health parameters and works on Android and iOS. The best part is that the battery life is great for the features it offers. 46,990 in India, it is expensive and may appeal only to specific audiences. Lack of LTE connectivity may also deter some buyers apple watch series 7 ,Wait) it offers but at a higher cost.
If you’re an athlete or fitness enthusiast who wants to actively track workouts and fitness parameters, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus could be a worthwhile investment. iPhone users who just want to casually monitor their fitness and want a simple user interface may find the Apple Watch Series 7 a solid choice. Those with a budget can consider samsung galaxy watch 4 And this Apple Watch SE ,Wait) Instead.