Garmin Venu, GPS Smartwatch with Bright Touchscreen Display
Garmin Venu, GPS Smartwatch with Bright Touchscreen Display, Features Music, Body Energy Monitoring, Animated Workouts, Pulse Ox Sensors and More, Light Sand with Rose Gold Hardware
| Dimensions: | 4.3 x 4.3 x 1.2 cm; 46.3 Grams |
| Model: | 010-02173-22 |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included) |
| Manufacture: | Garmin |
| Dimensions: | 4.3 x 4.3 x 1.2 cm; 46.3 Grams |
| Origin: | Mexico |
Nice watch, bright clear screen and customisable.
What I didn’t like is it only displays the event(s) for the next day compared to for example FitBit which costs a lot less than Garmin which displays two days.
Have every feature I ever wanted and if you are not someone who needs the newest in-season product I greatly recommend this!
Looks great and keeps me motivated to workout. I can choose my exercise as well as monitor my calories, steps ,heart rate, sleep patterns and oxygen levels in my blood. Easy to access different functions on wrist as well as read text/messages.
Went for this watch as my previous watch had to be charged daily. The battery life on this is very good, although the more apps you have on the less the battery lasts.
The settings took a while to get used too but now find it works well. The heart rate monitor works well as does the sleep app. It’s light on you wrist as well to the point you forget your wearing it.
The watch itself has two buttons – intuitively a sort of forward and backward – and also allows you to swipe the screen. So it’s easy to interact with and get the feel for compared to say the Garmin Instinct which is a total confusing nightmare.
The watch screen is a beautiful bright OLED so it’s great for sunny days outside. Alternatively if you have bad eyesight it makes all the icons nice and extra brightly coloured. However, the bezel is not raised and it does scratch way too easily… grrrr garmin… This effectively means yet again Garmin find a way to limit the life of their products… previously it was the non separable straps failing.
Nevertheless it has steps, heart rate function, stress monitor, sleep monitor, the weather, a facility to hold one of the buttons to send you an emergency notification – useful for an older person – and most importantly my father loves it. So it looks like if you are a golf fanatic than this is worth considering!
Great Watch Lasts 7 more dys for what you need it fo
A good fitness watch for my basic needs. Swimming, cycling, running. Five day charge. Good for tracking rides and runs on map app. Links to Weight Watchers app. Good free watch faces and training tips. Worth spending the money on a well made product that will last 10 times longer than a cheap 30 quid knock off. Very happy with my purchase.
I have never purchased a refurbished electrical item before but it looked and was packaged as if it were brand new. Straight out of the box it was fairly easy tri set up. The Apps that are pre-loaded give this unit great options for health and mobility options. The watch’s face and colors are fantastic and comfortable to wear Battery life is better than expected. I purchased this unit through Barclays Bank with monthly payments without interest. A really great buying option. Although this unit does not have all the bells and whistles that much more expensive units have I am very happy with my purchase
Gone to garmin from a Apple Watch and i can already see a difference. The battery last upto 5 day’s compared to the Apple which it needs charging every day. Plus the workout are much easier to use
This Garmin seemed much better with good water resistance, able to sync up with Strava, and much better battery life. It also looked better than most “sports” watches as it looked a bit more feminine.
After looking around for a bit I bought it here during a sale and I’m glad to say my wife is very pleased with it. Battery life is a big improvement and it still tracks her runs just as well as her phone did.
Love the watch. Great for tracking exercise, more accurate than my Fitbit.
The app is very good, I mainly use it to track my treadmill and strength workouts. I would highly recommended the Venu to anyone looking for a reliable smart watch that can track your exercise, play your favourite playlists and offer NFC.
This watch first came out in 2019, and there is a new version (the Venu 2, which is more expensive) so I don’t know how long they will be selling this model.
As you’d expect from Garmin, running is particularly well served. It features GPS mapped runs of course, and it is easy to set up training runs, such as intervals. You can swipe to view different stats which are presented very clearly.
When using it for weight training it alternates between workout and rest periods, keeping track of the number of reps and sets, with a timer showing how long you’ve been resting. It is easy to edit the weights and number of reps on the watch, or on the phone app.
Another plus for me is that you can download music to the watch without needing a streaming subscription. The music playback controls are also very good.
The navigation is a bit fiddly as it is a mix of swipes and buttons, but you soon get used to it.
Since using it for about 2 weeks I am enjoying it. The battery lasts around 4/5 days which is incredible. The GPS is great. The only Downside is the size of it and the comfort. It’s not as comfortable as the Apple Watch, pinches the skin sometimes . I have really thin wrists so it is a little on the larger side.
All in all I do recommend this watch!
Sleep tracking seems a bit on the generous side. I find I’m charging the battery a fair bit but fine if you keep on top to of it.
Love the choice of watch faces you can download or create from the app. Yet to master how to get the downloaded running / swimming apps onto the watch – early days.
Easy to use and having been used to a Fitbit a it’s sleep tracking is similar but defo different in how long I’ve been awake etc.
Steps are literally actually steps. Cycling with a Fitbit would generate steps to overall daily total. Bike handle vibrations. This watch – nope – proper actual tracking!
It does auto track a walk / cycle / run etc – but it doesn’t give you any further data like a Fitbit would- which is a shame.
You therefore have to actually track / start the watch for the activity of you want to look into distance etc.
As a runner – I’m working on my cadence – this is easily viewed now on my chosen running screen.
Great for swimming too as I no longer have to count lengths – which would hurt my brain in every session
Lights in the dark – sometimes disturb me if my wrist and angle shows the watch trying to scan. Guess the round face makes it easier to see / for light to escape.
So – Just a few couple of things I miss from the fitbit world – plus the step networks / challenges etc but I will learn to live without it and judge my own progress with the garmin and Strava app. Defo counts exercise calories far more accurately. Fitbit always over estimate!!
Price fluctuates – paid 207 – wouldn’t pay much more for it – but a 200 price tag for it is a fair deal!!
I love my watch and feel like this is more negative than positive – but it shouldn’t be. Oh and one other down side – battery life – lasts 3’days max if using to track about 90min of exercise a day.
I’m heavily invested in the Garmin eco system and have a Fenix 5 Plus as my main exercise tracker but was looking for something a little less in your face for everyday wear, the Venu caught my eye as it comes with Pulse OX, something that my Fenix lacks.
Sleep tracking and oximetry seem on par with my Fenix and a finger mounted oximetry tracker whilst HR is within an acceptable range when compared to my chest mounted tracker, wrist HR will never give you 100% accuracy.
Sadly as someone who is Clinically Extremely Vulnerable I have had little chance to test the outdoor and GPS capabilities of the watch however on a treadmill and exercise bike when worn at the same time as my Fenix i got comparable readings so have no reason to doubt it will be the same outdoors.
I’ll return to this to edit and give a full review once I’m able to spend time outdoors again.
This watch is much better than I expected. I was concerned about the battery life, but I typically get about 10 days from a charge. I have ‘always on’ turned off, as well as GPS and auto detection of activities. If I turn on the GPS, for a walk, for example, then I find that it uses about 4% of the battery in an hour, which I think is pretty good. It’s also light and comfortable to wear. My main criticism is that the alarm has only a weak vibration and no sound, but this probably won’t bother most people.
I used to have a vivosport but I thought I would upgrade to something more state of the art. I also bought the screen protector which I would recommend. I’m surprised at the size but then comes bigger screen estate and why the protector is necessary.
Had it for 4 days and used GPS once a day and its now to 24% so hoping 5 to 6 days for the battery. There are alot of settings which don’t appear on the Mobile app but are on the watch for example GPS satellites so you might get a better lock depending on your selection and your location.
I like the different faces and widgets and have no regrets in making this purchase.
This is a great competitor for the Apple iThing (which has a 1 day or less battery). With battery life that extends up to a week, it does everything you really need from a clever watch. From Sports tracking and fitness, blood oxygen, watch faces, Apps and a whole load of stuff you’ll never need or use! Do you really need to spend 450+ on an Apple Watch? Well you have more money than sense ;). You can even buy different straps for it that don’t cost 50 quid.
This is a replacement for my previous Garmin Vivoactive HR, which still works, but I bought the Venu for the brighter screen. Prior to that I had both the Microsoft Band and Band 2, which I liked, before the Band 2 died. Incidentally, I had to change the strap on the vivo, and so have done so on the Venu as well, in order to avoid the rash which seems common on those straps, but not on the MS Bands. The Venu has many other functions over the Vivo, but the one that seems to be the most problematic is the Body Battery. When I first got mine it read 42%, and went rapidly down to 5% during the course of an evening of table tennis and cycling. And there it stayed for several days (I think 5 is the lowest it can go). However, I was expecting that, as a few people on the Garmin forum had said that it took a while to kick in, and so it did. After a week, it has started showing charge after a night’s sleep, and is slowly reaching higher levels day by day. How useful this figure will eventually turn out to be I don’t know, but rest assured, it will start to work. Overall, a nice, if quite pricey, watch.
EDIT: May 5th 2021. Have now had this watch for more than 6 months, and I am still happy with it. I continue to find that the stress and body battery are better indicators of my sleep effectiveness than I expected. I have heard some complaints about the HRM not being accurate. All I can say is that it gives me the same readings as my Polar 10 strap under normal circumstances, like just walking around the house. As soon as the weather improves a little, I shall be doing some strenuous cycling, and will be able to check it under pressure. The only issue I have is with the strap. Currently trying a Milanese steel mesh but I don’t feel it keeps it secure.
I’ve now had the Venu about 3 months, it’s easy to read and use generally. Inaccurate on sleep. My question is, why is it not made clear that connection to Garmin Express is essential to keep the GPS accurate? Things were going well until it recorded one run as being 10 MILES away from where it actually took place. I’ve had some other runs that had ‘gps drift ‘ of about 100metres or going up 3000m in one run!!! It was only connecting to a garmin express (using cable to connect to PC) that these problems stopped. It should be made clear that it must be connected regularly to keep up to date. And why can’t these updates be done via the garmin app as most smart watches manage to do? Or some notification that an update is available and must be installed?? From ready various forums online other people have had same problem.
This is a good watch that is only let down by a few issues. It tracks steps and heart rate well and even does a decent job tracking kettlebell swings. After a little while though, it will only count to 30 and quit despite going to 50. The body battery is a gimmick, but fun. Watch faces are good. I had quite a few issues getting to sync I itially and while installing watch faces, but eventually figured out to only install one at a time. Sleep tracking is decent. The watch randomly connects and disconnects sometimes despite my phone being nearby. Notifications work well, I do miss my Samsung’s rotating bezel as the touchscreen has mediocre response ability. I’ll be testing the running feature soon and may update with those results, but the watch does what it’s supposed to and it’s light and comfortable. Quite happy even if it’s not perfect.
I was debating whether to get a Withings Scanwatch or a Garmin Vivoactive 4 – I was looking mainly for a watch that could do spot SpO2 readings.
As I was looking at the Garmin, the Venu caught my eye with its AMOLED screen.
I find it very easy to read in daylight (unlike other smart watches I’ve had previously) and the ability to change watch faces makes it even easier.
Integration with the Connect phone apps is excellent and the health data provided very useful. Readings seem to be accurate (enough for me at any rate) and the GPS tracks very well considering the size of the device.
On that note, it’s incredibly light and (as I have quite small wrists) not at all obtrusive.
I haven’t tried Garmin Pay yet, but downloading, listening and controlling music is easy enough and works well. I particular like the Hydration widget and hope for more customisation of that in future software updates.
Battery life IS something to look out for if you use more battery draining features (brightness, live faces, screen timeout lengthening etc.). I tend to put mine on charge in the morning whilst in the bathroom and that tops it up enough for me so that I’ve never been below 50%.
All in all, I’ve absolutely nothing to complain about with this watch and am delighted with the purchase.
Good watch, stays more in line with regular watches and has a great battery life . Taking a decision on a watch was tough and I think given the current market this is the best I can get for a fitness,gps and music enabled. I have Apple music and prime music so that did play into the decision .
Good: works with my ecosystem , battery , tracking features , nice screen display
Cons . Iffy touchscreen controls, connectivity to app has issues, syncing to Nike run club, not really intuitive , poor store outside of the one animated screen that looks good , sports like badminton and general training does not really fit.
I had had several smartwatches from other manufacturers which I enjoyed using. However, I wanted a watch with a colour screen and one which looked more like a conventional watch. The Garmin Venu was the one I chose and I’m not disappointed. It’s a lovely looking watch and isn’t too heavy to wear. I have to say I’m also impressed with the sand-coloured silicon wristband as after two months continuous wear, it still looks as clean as the day it arrived.
The watch is easy to use and navigate. I really love the fact it displays blood oxygen levels as well as showing stress levels. The app supplies you with loads of data each day. It has helped to motivate me to become more active and to aware of my water intake as well as keeping tabs on my sleep.
Like others, I have experienced some irritation from the back of the watch if I wear it too tight for too long. I now only have it tight on my wrist when exercising to alleviate the issue. Swapping wrists and wearing it with enough space between your skin and the watch really helps. Garmin were keen to help out when I reported the issue and they encourage you not too wear the watch tight unless exercising. They also recommend cleaning the watch regularly. Having followed their guidance I no longer have any issues. I’m now looking forward to receiving a new screen protector as I mistakenly ordered a matte finish which makes the beautiful OLED screen look dull. Hopefully I’ll be able to place the new protector on without bubbles!
I think it may not suit non techy users quite as well, at least initially. I very nearly put it back in the box to return – really glad i persisted though. The garmin way of doing things. settings, screens etc is a bit weird and non intuitive I think. the features are there – but not where you might expect. Having said that – wade in – it really is worth it.
I love the always on feature and its way of presenting info generally is really clear and very user configurable.
Just tried two walks – one planned and I turned on walk activity, one not.Ten minutes into the second walk my watch buzzed ‘ activity started message. Both walks were correctly logged with maps. The GPS tracking ties up with any other GPS device I have tried – apart from Fitbit that is. (Fitbit would log the track correctly but badly miscalculate the distances.).
I find it comfortable. It logs sleep accurately as far as I can tell. turns off unwanted display during the night. (I’d wake up with my Fitbit Blaze filling the room with light – not so with this.)
The only slight concern is that it crashed my Nexus Phone on the first bike ride. All the data was there – but I needed to restart my phone. Hope this was a one off issue. I was hoping to have escaped flaky software issues having abandoned fitbit.
This is a great watch with a couple of problems. The display is a big improvement on the always on but pretty dull Vivoactive HR, The way it gets round the extra power draw of the OLED is by activating it when you turn it to your face or if there is a notification. There is a pronounced delay when it does this making it impossible to just glance at it like you would with a normal watch. The buttons aren’t that well thought out. I’ve triggered the activity stop button mid workout when the edge of my glove pushes up my wrist. You can mitigate this by loosening it and pushing it up your arm a bit before you get going.
However, the functionality is very good. Much better sensors, it can track breathing and blood oxygen. It communicates much better over bluetooth than the Vivioactive HR. The GPS seems more accurate and I get much better altitude change precision with it.
Battery life is good unless you engage the PulseOX blood oxygen level tracking at which point you’ll be lucky if you get two days out of it.
Overall, great watch, well worth it. Get plugs for the charger port though or it will clog.
It’s everything I want in a watch, but there have been 3 occurrences of this losing bluetooth connection with my phone (Oneplus 7 pro). To fix it, I had to remove the device from the app, and remove the Venu from the Bluetooth devices in the system app. Sometimes that didn’t work so I also had to delete the Bluetooth connection cache on the phone.
Apart from these quite annoying occurrences, it gives me great stats and tracking info. Though the sleep tracking isn’t too accurate as it only relies on movement and heart rate – if I’m on my phone in bed late at night and not moving much, the watch records that as me being asleep. Though this is a minor grievance.
All in all, a great watch, though very rarely unreliable.
Received the item yesterday. I am a Garmin supporter and have been using their kit for more than five years now. This watch was purchased for my daughter who wanted the watch to be able to play music without having to carry an ipod with her during runs.
The watch is sturdy, just like all other Garmin devices but the execution is a notch over norm. Flawless.
It has been just a day so cannot say much about battery life – feature wise is pretty much like a Forerunner 945 (maybe some high end features are not there), again did not play with it too much. Will write another review in six months after we get to see how it works.
I researched a lot because I was looking for a wearable with music built-in and since I was gonna spend some money went for the Venu instead of Vivoactive 4 because of its incredible AMOLED screen.
No regrets at all!!
It is gorgeous, great battery life!
I struggled a little bit of how to increase the battery life and the settings but there are many reviews and step by step on Youtube.
I am not a pro runner so it fits me perfectly.
Garmin is ready to beat Apple devices!
Screen – the standout feature and the main reason to go for this watch rather than any other Garmin offerings
Battery life – surprisingly good (4-5 days continuous use without always on display) and in any case it charges up really quickly
GPS tracking – rock solid and finds signal very quickly. It probably gives you at least 10 hours without music.
Appearance – looks very good
Mobile app – excellent for data vultures like me
Connectivity – no problem staying connected to my smartphone
Weight – very light and comfortable to wear
Activity tracking – all aspects work well, including plausible step and floor counting
Pulse Ox tracking – not sure what the point is but it is a lot of fun
Not so good features
Sleep tracking – doesn’t do a good job, as it thinks you are sleeping all the time you are in bed. However, this is common to all Garmin devices. The Fitbit does a much better job here. This means that the body battery reading which is based partly on sleep data is highly suspect too
Notifications – OK but doesn’t display icons consistently and there’s not much possibility of interaction. The Fitbit does a better job here
No microphone or speaker – Personally I don’t care but it might be an issue for some
Screen bezel a tad on the large side though not noticeable if watch face with dark background selected
Price – high but you are getting a very good watch for your money
I’ve owned many smart and not so smart watches, including Garmin, Pebble, Huawei, Samsung, TicWatch and Fitbit offerings. This is the best one I’ve owned. In my opinion, for what it’s worth, the good massively outweighs the not so good and therefore 5 stars is justified.
Possible (cheaper) alternatives:
Fitbit Versa 2 – also very good display and sleep tracking is excellent. Notification handling much better. Steps tracking is appalling though and it only has “connected GPS”. There are also many connectivity problems.
Huawei GT Watch 2 – phenomenal battery life and good display but notifications handling is even worse than Garmin, sleep tracking is also suspect and, although workout tracking with GPS is excellent, it cannot be shared with Strava.
Garmin Vivoactive 4 – almost the same as the Venu but with transflective (i.e. always on) display and it’s a bit cheaper.
I would recommend this watch
Then I discovered the Venu which was marketed as a Vivoactive 4 with a better screen.
The one (tiny) gripe I always had with my V3 was that the screen colours were not very good and quite flat (even though it’s very good in bright light).
The Venu changed all that. Very deep colours on a 390 x 390 AMOLED display (vs the 240 x 240 on the V3).
The watch has a great number of features and options, but most of them will be familiar to Garmin users. The Body Battery is a neat feature, as is the Pulse Ox, even though I haven’t had the chance to test this thoroughly yet.
I find the device quite responsive and the battery life (so far) seems very decent.
The Venu is very light but looks and feels like a premium product.
One difference with the V3 (in the V3’s favour) is that the Venu is doesn’t have an ‘always on’ feature, i.e. you have to double tap the screen or press the top button to view. Not an issue though and I can see why they’ve done that as it would be a huge drain on the battery.
All in all I’m very happy with my purchase. There have already been several software updates and I’m sure there will be more going forward to dial in this new product.
If functionality comes first and display quality is less of a consideration, go for the Vivoactive 4. If you want the functionality and also enjoy a great display, go for the Venu.