Garmin Venu 2 Plus vs Vivoactive 4 Fitness Smartwatch Comparison

Choosing the right fitness smartwatch can be a daunting task, especially with so many excellent options available from reputable brands like Garmin. Today, we're diving deep into two of Garmin's popular fitness-focused smartwatches: the Venu 2 Plus and the Vivoactive 4. Both are designed to help you track your health and fitness, but they cater to slightly different needs and come with distinct feature sets. Let's break down everything you need to know to make an informed decision for your active lifestyle.

Garmin Venu 2 Plus Key Features and Target Audience

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus, released in early 2022, is positioned as a premium fitness and lifestyle smartwatch. It builds upon the success of the original Venu series, known for its vibrant AMOLED display and comprehensive health tracking. The 'Plus' in its name signifies the addition of a crucial feature: on-device voice assistant support (for Siri, Google Assistant, or Bixby) and the ability to make and receive calls directly from your wrist when connected to your smartphone. This makes it a more complete smartwatch experience compared to its predecessors and many competitors.

Key Features of Garmin Venu 2 Plus:

• Vibrant AMOLED Display: The Venu 2 Plus boasts a stunning 1.3-inch AMOLED display, offering crisp visuals and vibrant colors, making it a joy to interact with, even in bright sunlight.
• On-Device Voice Assistant: This is a major differentiator. You can use your phone's voice assistant directly from your watch to send texts, make calls, control smart home devices, and more.
• Bluetooth Calling: Answer calls directly from your wrist, a convenient feature when your phone isn't immediately accessible.
• Advanced Health Monitoring: Includes 24/7 heart rate tracking, Pulse Ox (SpO2) sensor, Body Battery energy monitoring, stress tracking, advanced sleep tracking with sleep score, women's health tracking, and a Health Snapshot feature that records a two-minute summary of key health stats.
• Comprehensive Fitness Tracking: Offers over 25 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps, including running, cycling, swimming, golf, strength training, HIIT, and more. It also provides animated on-screen workouts for strength, cardio, yoga, and Pilates.
• Garmin Pay: Contactless payment solution for quick and easy purchases.
• Music Storage: Store up to 650 songs directly on the watch, allowing for phone-free listening with Bluetooth headphones.
• Battery Life: Up to 9 days in smartwatch mode, up to 24 hours in GPS mode, and up to 8 hours in GPS with music.
• Price Point: Typically retails around $449.99 USD.

Who is the Garmin Venu 2 Plus for?

The Venu 2 Plus is ideal for individuals who want a stylish, feature-rich smartwatch that seamlessly blends fitness tracking with everyday convenience. If you value a beautiful display, the ability to make calls from your wrist, and access to a voice assistant, all while maintaining Garmin's robust health and fitness tracking capabilities, then the Venu 2 Plus is an excellent choice. It's perfect for someone who wants a device that can transition effortlessly from a workout to a business meeting, offering both functionality and aesthetics.

Garmin Vivoactive 4 Core Functionality and User Profile

The Garmin Vivoactive 4, released in late 2019, has been a long-standing favorite in Garmin's lineup. It's known for its strong focus on fitness and health tracking, offering a wide array of sports profiles and metrics. While it doesn't have the AMOLED display or the advanced calling features of the Venu 2 Plus, it provides a reliable and comprehensive fitness tracking experience at a more accessible price point.

Key Features of Garmin Vivoactive 4:

• Transflective MIP Display: Features a sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display. While not as vibrant as AMOLED, it's always-on and highly readable in direct sunlight, and it's more power-efficient.
• Comprehensive Health Monitoring: Includes 24/7 heart rate tracking, Pulse Ox (SpO2) sensor, Body Battery energy monitoring, stress tracking, advanced sleep tracking, and women's health tracking.
• Extensive Fitness Tracking: Offers over 20 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps, including running, cycling, swimming, golf, strength training, and more. Also provides on-screen animated workouts.
• Garmin Pay: Contactless payment solution.
• Music Storage: Store up to 500 songs directly on the watch.
• Battery Life: Up to 8 days in smartwatch mode, up to 18 hours in GPS mode, and up to 6 hours in GPS with music.
• Size Options: Available in two sizes: Vivoactive 4 (45mm) and Vivoactive 4S (40mm), catering to different wrist sizes.
• Price Point: Typically retails around $329.99 USD.

Who is the Garmin Vivoactive 4 for?

The Vivoactive 4 is an excellent choice for dedicated fitness enthusiasts who prioritize robust activity tracking and health insights without needing the latest smartwatch bells and whistles. If you spend a lot of time outdoors and appreciate an always-on, highly readable display, or if you're looking for a slightly more budget-friendly option that still delivers on Garmin's core strengths, the Vivoactive 4 is a solid contender. It's perfect for someone who wants a reliable fitness companion that can handle a wide range of sports and activities.

Garmin Smartwatch Display Technology AMOLED vs MIP

One of the most noticeable differences between the Venu 2 Plus and the Vivoactive 4 is their display technology. The Venu 2 Plus uses an AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display, while the Vivoactive 4 uses a transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display.

AMOLED Display (Venu 2 Plus):

• Pros: Vibrant colors, deep blacks, excellent contrast, higher resolution, and generally more aesthetically pleasing. Great for displaying detailed graphics and watch faces.
• Cons: Can be harder to read in direct sunlight without increasing brightness (which consumes more battery). Typically requires an 'always-on' mode to be truly always-on, which also impacts battery life.
• Use Case: Best for users who appreciate a modern, smartphone-like display experience and are willing to trade a bit of battery life for visual fidelity.

Transflective MIP Display (Vivoactive 4):

• Pros: Extremely power-efficient, always-on without significant battery drain, and highly readable in direct sunlight (the brighter the sun, the clearer the display).
• Cons: Colors are less vibrant, lower resolution, and the display can appear duller in low-light conditions without the backlight.
• Use Case: Ideal for outdoor athletes and users who prioritize battery life and readability in all lighting conditions, especially bright sunlight, over vibrant visuals.

Your preference for display type will largely depend on your usage habits and aesthetic preferences. If you're often indoors or prefer a more vibrant, interactive screen, the Venu 2 Plus shines. If you're an avid outdoor enthusiast who needs an always-on, highly visible display for long activities, the Vivoactive 4 might be more practical.

Garmin Smartwatch Health Tracking Capabilities and Accuracy

Both the Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 offer a comprehensive suite of health tracking features, leveraging Garmin's excellent Elevate optical heart rate sensor. However, the Venu 2 Plus introduces a new 'Health Snapshot' feature.

Common Health Features:

• 24/7 Heart Rate Monitoring: Both watches continuously track your heart rate, providing resting heart rate data and real-time readings during activities.
• Pulse Ox (SpO2) Sensor: Measures blood oxygen saturation, useful for sleep tracking and altitude acclimatization.
• Body Battery Energy Monitor: A unique Garmin metric that uses heart rate variability, stress, and sleep data to estimate your energy levels throughout the day.
• Stress Tracking: Monitors your stress levels and offers guided breathing exercises to help you relax.
• Advanced Sleep Tracking: Tracks sleep stages (light, deep, REM), movement, and Pulse Ox during sleep, providing a sleep score on the Venu 2 Plus.
• Respiration Tracking: Monitors your breaths per minute.
• Hydration Tracking: Allows you to log your daily fluid intake.
• Women's Health Tracking: Menstrual cycle and pregnancy tracking.

Venu 2 Plus Exclusive Health Feature: Health Snapshot

The Venu 2 Plus introduces the 'Health Snapshot' feature. In just two minutes, the watch records key health metrics, including heart rate, heart rate variability, Pulse Ox, respiration, and stress. This data is then compiled into a single report that you can view in the Garmin Connect app, providing a quick overview of your cardiovascular health and overall well-being. This is a neat addition for those who want a quick, holistic check-up.

In terms of accuracy, both watches utilize similar sensor technology, so you can expect comparable performance for heart rate, GPS, and other core metrics. Garmin is generally well-regarded for its sensor accuracy in the fitness tracking space.

Garmin Fitness Tracking and Sports Profiles

When it comes to fitness tracking, both smartwatches are powerhouses, offering a wide range of preloaded sports apps and metrics. They both provide detailed data for activities like running, cycling, swimming (pool), strength training, yoga, and more.

Key Fitness Features Shared:

• GPS Tracking: Built-in GPS for accurate tracking of outdoor activities without needing your phone.
• Preloaded Sports Apps: Both come with a variety of profiles for common activities.
• On-Screen Animated Workouts: A fantastic feature that provides animated demonstrations for strength, cardio, yoga, and Pilates workouts directly on your watch screen. This is incredibly helpful for proper form.
• Customizable Data Fields: You can customize what data you see during your workouts.
• Garmin Coach: Free adaptive training plans for 5K, 10K, and half-marathon.

Venu 2 Plus Specific Fitness Enhancements:

• More Preloaded Sports Apps: The Venu 2 Plus has over 25 preloaded apps, slightly more than the Vivoactive 4's 20+. This includes newer profiles like HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) with specific timers and tracking for AMRAP, EMOM, Tabata, and custom intervals.
• Fitness Age 2.0: The Venu 2 Plus offers an updated Fitness Age calculation that takes into account your chronological age, activity, resting heart rate, and body fat percentage (estimated via BMI in the Garmin Connect app) to give you a more personalized assessment of your fitness level.
• Improved Strength Training Profile: Better automatic rep counting and graphical representation of muscle groups worked.

While the Vivoactive 4 is certainly capable for most fitness enthusiasts, the Venu 2 Plus offers a slightly more refined and expanded fitness tracking experience, particularly with the addition of dedicated HIIT profiles and the enhanced Fitness Age metric. If you're heavily into structured workouts or HIIT, the Venu 2 Plus might offer a more tailored experience.

Smartwatch Features and Daily Convenience

This is where the Venu 2 Plus truly distinguishes itself from the Vivoactive 4, primarily due to its added communication capabilities.

Venu 2 Plus Communication Advantages:

• On-Device Voice Assistant: As mentioned, this is a game-changer. You can interact with your phone's voice assistant (Siri, Google Assistant, Bixby) directly from your wrist. This means you can send texts, set reminders, check the weather, control smart home devices, and more, all without touching your phone.
• Bluetooth Calling: Make and receive phone calls directly from your wrist. This is incredibly convenient when your phone is in your bag, across the room, or if you're out for a run and don't want to pull it out. The Venu 2 Plus has a built-in speaker and microphone for this purpose.

Shared Smartwatch Features:

• Smart Notifications: Both watches display notifications from your smartphone (calls, texts, app alerts). Android users can also send quick replies.
• Garmin Pay: Contactless payments are available on both models.
• Music Storage and Control: Both allow you to store music on the watch and control music playback from your phone. The Venu 2 Plus has slightly more storage (650 songs vs. 500).
• Safety and Tracking Features: Incident Detection (sends your location to emergency contacts if an incident is detected during certain activities) and Assistance (allows you to manually send your location to emergency contacts).
• Connect IQ Store: Both are compatible with Garmin's Connect IQ store, allowing you to download custom watch faces, data fields, widgets, and apps.

If seamless communication and voice assistant integration are high on your priority list for a smartwatch, the Venu 2 Plus is the clear winner. The Vivoactive 4 offers standard smart notifications but lacks the ability to make calls or use a voice assistant directly from the watch.

Garmin Smartwatch Battery Life and Charging

Battery life is always a crucial consideration for any wearable device. While both offer respectable battery performance, the Venu 2 Plus, with its AMOLED display and additional features, has slightly different endurance figures.

Garmin Venu 2 Plus Battery Life:

• Smartwatch Mode: Up to 9 days
• GPS Mode: Up to 24 hours
• GPS with Music: Up to 8 hours

Garmin Vivoactive 4 Battery Life:

• Smartwatch Mode: Up to 8 days
• GPS Mode: Up to 18 hours
• GPS with Music: Up to 6 hours

Interestingly, despite the more power-hungry AMOLED display, the Venu 2 Plus manages to eke out slightly better battery life in smartwatch mode and significantly better GPS-only battery life. This indicates Garmin's continuous optimization of its power management. Both watches use Garmin's proprietary charging cable.

Garmin Smartwatch Price and Value Proposition

Price is often a deciding factor. The Venu 2 Plus, being the newer model with more advanced features, comes at a higher price point.

• Garmin Venu 2 Plus Price: Typically around $449.99 USD.
• Garmin Vivoactive 4 Price: Typically around $329.99 USD.

The price difference of approximately $120 USD is significant. You're paying extra for the AMOLED display, the on-device voice assistant, and the Bluetooth calling capabilities on the Venu 2 Plus. If these features are essential to you, the Venu 2 Plus offers good value for its enhanced functionality. However, if your primary focus is robust fitness tracking and you don't need the advanced communication features, the Vivoactive 4 provides excellent value at its lower price point.

Garmin Smartwatch Design and Comfort

Both watches feature a round watch face and a relatively sleek design, making them suitable for everyday wear. However, there are some subtle differences.

Garmin Venu 2 Plus Design:

• Size: Available in one size (43mm).
• Materials: Stainless steel bezel, fiber-reinforced polymer case, silicone strap.
• Buttons: Three physical buttons on the right side, plus the touchscreen.
• Aesthetics: More premium and modern look, largely due to the vibrant AMOLED display.

Garmin Vivoactive 4 Design:

• Sizes: Available in two sizes: Vivoactive 4 (45mm) and Vivoactive 4S (40mm), offering more options for different wrist sizes.
• Materials: Stainless steel bezel, fiber-reinforced polymer case, silicone strap.
• Buttons: Two physical buttons on the right side, plus the touchscreen.
• Aesthetics: More utilitarian and sporty, with the MIP display giving it a slightly less 'smartwatch' feel compared to the Venu 2 Plus.

Both watches are comfortable for all-day wear and during workouts. The choice between them in terms of design might come down to whether you prefer a single, slightly more premium-looking size (Venu 2 Plus) or the flexibility of two size options and a more traditional sports watch aesthetic (Vivoactive 4).

Garmin Connect App Ecosystem and Data Analysis

Regardless of which Garmin smartwatch you choose, you'll be integrating into the excellent Garmin Connect ecosystem. This platform, available as a mobile app and web interface, is where all your health and fitness data is stored, analyzed, and presented.

Key Features of Garmin Connect:

• Comprehensive Data Overview: View detailed summaries of your activities, sleep, heart rate, stress, Body Battery, and more.
• Activity Analysis: Dive deep into your workout metrics, including pace, distance, elevation, heart rate zones, and training effect.
• Goals and Challenges: Set personal goals and participate in challenges to stay motivated.
• Social Features: Connect with friends, share activities, and compete on leaderboards.
• Customization: Personalize watch faces, data fields, and device settings.
• Third-Party Integrations: Sync your data with popular apps like Strava, MyFitnessPal, and TrainingPeaks.

The Garmin Connect app is one of the strongest selling points for any Garmin device. It's intuitive, feature-rich, and provides valuable insights into your health and fitness journey. Both the Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 benefit from this robust platform, ensuring a consistent and high-quality data analysis experience.

Garmin Smartwatch Use Cases and Scenarios

Let's consider some specific scenarios where one watch might shine over the other.

Scenario 1: The Everyday Active Professional

• Preference: Garmin Venu 2 Plus
• Reasoning: This user wants a watch that looks good in a professional setting but can also handle their workouts. The AMOLED display and premium aesthetic of the Venu 2 Plus fit this perfectly. The ability to take calls from the wrist and use a voice assistant means they can stay connected and productive without constantly pulling out their phone, whether they're in a meeting or on a quick run during lunch.

Scenario 2: The Dedicated Outdoor Athlete (Runner, Hiker, Cyclist)

• Preference: Garmin Vivoactive 4
• Reasoning: For someone who spends hours outdoors, the Vivoactive 4's transflective MIP display is a huge advantage. It's always-on and incredibly easy to read in direct sunlight, which is crucial for glancing at stats during a long run or bike ride. The excellent battery life in GPS mode is also a plus for extended adventures. While the Venu 2 Plus has good GPS battery, the Vivoactive 4's display technology is simply superior for outdoor visibility.

Scenario 3: The Budget-Conscious Fitness Enthusiast

• Preference: Garmin Vivoactive 4
• Reasoning: If you're looking for a comprehensive fitness tracker with smart features but don't want to break the bank, the Vivoactive 4 offers exceptional value. It provides almost all of Garmin's core health and fitness tracking capabilities at a significantly lower price point than the Venu 2 Plus.

Scenario 4: The Tech-Savvy User Who Wants It All

• Preference: Garmin Venu 2 Plus
• Reasoning: This user wants the latest technology and all the bells and whistles. The vibrant AMOLED screen, voice assistant integration, and on-wrist calling capabilities of the Venu 2 Plus make it a more complete smartwatch experience, bridging the gap between a dedicated fitness tracker and a full-fledged smartwatch like an Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch.

Garmin Smartwatch Final Verdict and Recommendation

Both the Garmin Venu 2 Plus and the Vivoactive 4 are excellent smartwatches, each with its own strengths. Your ultimate choice will depend on your specific needs, priorities, and budget.

Choose the Garmin Venu 2 Plus if:

• You prioritize a vibrant, high-resolution AMOLED display.
• You want the convenience of making and receiving calls directly from your wrist.
• You frequently use voice assistants (Siri, Google Assistant, Bixby) and want to access them from your watch.
• You appreciate the slightly more refined fitness tracking features, like enhanced HIIT profiles and Fitness Age 2.0.
• You're willing to pay a premium for these advanced smartwatch capabilities.
• You want a watch that looks and feels more like a traditional smartwatch.

Choose the Garmin Vivoactive 4 if:

• Your primary focus is robust and reliable fitness and health tracking.
• You spend a lot of time outdoors and value an always-on, highly readable display in direct sunlight.
• You're looking for a more budget-friendly option that still delivers on Garmin's core strengths.
• You don't need the ability to make calls from your wrist or use a voice assistant directly on the watch.
• You prefer the option of two different watch sizes (40mm or 45mm).

In essence, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus is the more modern, feature-packed, and 'smarter' of the two, offering a more complete smartwatch experience with its communication capabilities and stunning display. The Vivoactive 4, while older, remains a highly capable and excellent value fitness smartwatch, particularly for those who prioritize outdoor visibility and core activity tracking without the added frills. Whichever you choose, you'll be getting a reliable and insightful fitness companion from a trusted brand in the industry.