Garmin Venu Sq 2 Review: Function Over Form

Garmin has launched the Venu Sq 2 as its new inexpensive smartwatch in India. The Garmin Venu Sq 2 comes as a successor to the unique Venu Sq which launched in 2020. The Garmin Venu Sq 2 has a bunch of upgrades over its predecessor that aren’t solely restricted to {hardware} but additionally software program, because the watch will get many new exercise modes.

Garmin has additionally launched a Music Version variant of the Venu Sq 2 in India. This lets customers sync as much as 500 songs on the smartwatch by way of Amazon Music or a Spotify playlist. The corporate despatched us the usual Venu Sq 2, which, apart from the offline music playback by way of headphones, has the identical set of options because the Music Version variant.

The Garmin Venu Sq 2 has a beginning value of Rs. 27,990 in India. The worth vary is near the Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), which might be purchased for Rs. 29,900 in India. There’s additionally the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 sequence (Review), which has a beginning value of Rs. 27,999 in India. With that in thoughts, must you take into account shopping for the Garmin Venu Sq 2? We show you how to discover out.

Garmin Venu Sq 2 value in India

The Garmin Venu Sq 2 is available in a single 40mm measurement and is priced at Rs. 27,990. It’s obtainable in Cool Mint, Shadow Gray, and White colors. There’s additionally the Garmin Venu Sq 2 Music Version, which is priced at Rs. 33,490. The Music Version variant is offered in Black, Ivory, and French Gray colors. Garmin despatched us the Cool Mint color of the Venu Sq 2.

Garmin Venu Sq 2 design and specs

The Garmin Venu Sq 2 will get a number of, but key, design upgrades. The display screen is larger than the outgoing mannequin and is now 1.four inches in measurement. I wasn’t too pleased with the 40mm dial measurement, because it appears to be like very small on my wrist. I’ve been an Apple Watch Series 7 (Review) consumer for some time and like the 45mm measurement. I want Garmin provided extra sizing choices for the Venu Sq 2.

Garmin Venu Sq 2 will get an even bigger and brighter AMOLED show

In comparison with its predecessor, the Garmin Venu Sq 2 will get a brighter AMOLED show. The textual content on the display screen can also be bigger, making it simpler to learn, even outside in daylight. There is a pretty thick aluminium bezel round all 4 sides of the sq. show. The remainder of the case is generally plastic. There’s additionally no built-in speaker which suggests you can not reply telephone calls or hearken to voice messages that you simply obtain on prompt messaging apps akin to WhatsApp or Telegram, immediately on the watch.

Garmin continues to supply two buttons on the best aspect of the Venu Sq 2. Each these buttons provide assist for single and long-press menus. It would take a while to get used to the general performance of those buttons, particularly in case you are a first-time Garmin watch consumer. You may single-press the highest button and set one of many a number of exercise modes as your favourites.

Garmin Venu Sq 2 options two buttons on the best aspect

The underside button can be utilized to return to the primary or the earlier display screen. Lengthy-pressing this button will open one other menu for altering the watch faces, opening the clock app, and so forth. The Garmin Venu Sq 2’s touchscreen additionally allows you to undergo a few of the well being and health information — which the corporate calls Glances — by swiping up or down on the primary display screen.

The watch additionally helps At all times-On Show (AoD) however I most well-liked utilizing it with out the battery-consuming characteristic. The show is meant to get up as you increase your wrist however for some odd cause, my evaluate unit failed to do that on a number of events and I needed to depend on the buttons to activate the show. This additionally occurred throughout exercises, which form of obtained annoying.

The underside of the Venu Sq 2 has Garmin’s new fourth-generation coronary heart charge sensor, and above it are the charging pins. There isn’t any inductive charging assist right here such as you get on an Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch and a bunch of different smartwatches on this vary.

Garmin Venu Sq 2 will get a brand new coronary heart charge sensor

The silicone strap is interchangeable. You may merely transfer the tiny pin to tug the strap from one aspect and swap it with another 20mm various. Lastly, the Garmin Venu Sq 2 has a 5 ATM ranking for water resistance.

Garmin Venu Sq 2 software program and app

The Garmin Venu Sq 2 works with any Android smartphone or iPhone. Customers must obtain the Garmin Join app, which might be downloaded without cost from the Google Play Retailer or Apple App Retailer. Whereas the watch itself provides some fundamental choices for customisation, I discovered that the app provides a significantly better expertise. As an illustration, your telephone’s bigger display screen will show you how to navigate via the record of exercise apps significantly better, whereas including them to your favourites. The Garmin Join app additionally provides the choice to customize the Look display screen or arrange Garmin Pay.

Aside from customising the smartwatch, the Join app additionally offers an in depth overview of your well being metrics. You may entry the fundamental particulars on the watch however I discovered the app’s interface quite a bit simpler to grasp and intuitive.

The Garmin Join app is feature-rich and straightforward to make use of

I additionally most well-liked the app over the watch’s UI because the latter just isn’t as easy or straightforward to discover. Apple’s watchOS feels quite a bit smoother as compared and the contact controls too provide extra options. I really feel Garmin actually must work on enhancing this watch’s UI. The Garmin Venu Sq 2 additionally helps some third-party apps, which might be put in by way of the Join IQ Retailer app.

Whereas the watch’s consumer interface won’t be one of the best one on the market, the Garmin Venu Sq 2 did impress me with a few of its options. Well being Snapshot is one such characteristic the place the watch creates a log of your key stats, which might be accessed in a single place. The log consists of key information of your coronary heart charge, blood oxygen ranges, stress ranges, coronary heart charge variability, and respiration. The log might be accessed by way of the Garmin Join app or by merely swiping up or down on the primary display screen of the watch.

Garmin Venu Sq 2 efficiency and battery life

The Garmin Venu Sq 2 has greater than 25 built-in indoor and GPS exercise modes. It provides the fundamentals, akin to biking, working, strolling, to extra intense exercise modes akin to Excessive-interval intense coaching (HIIT), pilates, and so forth.

The step rely of the watch could be very near being correct. I manually counted 1,000 steps to check the accuracy of the Garmin Venu Sq 2 and the Watch counted 12 additional steps over the 1,000 precise steps that I counted. Compared, the Apple Watch Sequence 7 counted 16 additional steps. The Garmin Venu Sq 2 does a good job of differentiating between sluggish actions in a automobile and precise strolling. That being mentioned, it isn’t fool-proof and I did discover that the watch added about 300 steps when on an 11km drive. The Apple Watch, however, mistakenly recorded the shifting automobile as strolling and added about 550 steps.

Garmin claims that the brand new fourth-generation coronary heart charge sensor is improved to supply correct outcomes and to my shock, it’s virtually nearly as good as a pulse oximeter machine. The identical goes for SpO2 readings. That being mentioned, I might solely advocate counting on the Garmin Venu Sq 2 for reference functions on the subject of coronary heart charge monitoring or measuring your blood oxygen ranges. It’s at all times greatest to belief a medically-approved machine for correct readings.

The readings on the Garmin Venu Sq 2 had been virtually just like a pulse oximeter

The Garmin Venu Sq 2 additionally helps sleep monitoring and offers you a rating when you get up. The watch didn’t mistakenly assume my mendacity on the mattress as sleeping after I was mindlessly scrolling on social media. As an alternative, the sleep and wake-up time was pretty correct (sure, I used to be attempting my greatest to report the time and cross-check).

In case your sleep rating is just too low, the watch provides strategies to enhance your routine like going early to mattress. The sleep rating just isn’t restricted to the variety of hours you sleep but additionally the time you go to mattress. As an illustration, this one time after I slept for eight hours however went to sleep at 2am, the watch prompt that I’m going to mattress earlier the next day.

Coming to the battery life, I’ll charge the Venu Sq 2 very extremely. The corporate claims that customers can rise up to 11 days of runtime on a single cost and with the battery saver mode on, it may be prolonged as much as 12 days.

Garmin Venu Sq 2 claims to supply as much as 11 days of battery life

The wonderful battery life additionally allowed me to go to mattress and take a look at the sleep-tracking characteristic with out having to fret in regards to the battery dying quickly. I additionally recorded a number of logs of the Well being Snapshot and recorded about an hour of some type of exercise. Mixed, the battery life, with the show brightness set to most, lasted for about 9 days. Whereas this won’t be one of the best on the market, the Garmin Venu Sq 2 definitely provides extra backup time in comparison with the Apple Watch Sequence 7 and even the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5.

Verdict

The Garmin Venu Sq 2 is among the many most inexpensive smartwatches launched by the corporate in 2022. It doesn’t compromise on the standard of options being provided, particularly the accuracy of the brand new coronary heart charge monitoring sensor and the blood oxygen measuring system. Options like Well being Snapshot offer you a good suggestion about your key well being metrics with out having to measure every of them individually. There are a bunch of preset exercise modes and to make it extra intuitive, customers can join teaching classes on the app without cost. The battery life can also be very stable because the Garmin Venu Sq 2 lasted pretty lengthy on a single cost, contemplating the variety of actions that I carried out carrying it on a day-to-day foundation.

With what’s on provide, the Garmin Venu Sq 2 feels extra of a sensible health tracker than a smartwatch. Whereas the watch scores excessive factors for its battery, well being and health actions, it loses out on the general software program expertise. The UI wants an overhaul and Garmin ought to perhaps take a web page out of Apple or Samsung’s playbook. The Venu Sq 2 additionally doesn’t look very premium for the value you pay. The minimalist look would possibly entice some however I’ve a sense many can be somewhat underwhelmed. Additionally, the one-size-fits-all method of the one dial measurement restricts somebody like me from buying the Garmin Venu Sq 2, regardless of liking its options a lot.

General, the Garmin Venu Sq 2 is an efficient possibility for these contemplating shopping for a smartwatch that focuses on correct well being and health metrics together with good battery life. Others would possibly wish to take a look at the Apple Watch SE (2nd technology) or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 sequence. *