Garmin - Venu 4

The Venue 4 everyone was waiting for it you all seem disappointed but you want more metric and a flashlight you have it I think it's an incredible versatile watch I don't qualify it at all as Life style

I have used that function in London and it was quite useful.

I have the v4 and its metal build quality is better than the 970 besides the glass

I never had a problem with it and i went from a forerunner to a venu 4 . I love the simplicity of the v4 especially now with all the running data.

Its better if you count the flashlight

Its basically so cars can see you better

Apparantly asking the question is answering it. When you are not really into sporting (which could change) and no need for supporting training build metrics, the Venu 3 is great (my watch). But if within budget, I’d go for the Venu 4, because you might enter once into training, running etc..and it’s a great (albeit imo overpriced) watch.

Compared to the Venu 3 it has those supporting training build metrics (also to be found on the FR265 and further, as well as the later Fenix series) like Training readiness and components. The Venu 3 is very limited in this respect: only the Recovery item.

What’s even more annoying is the Venu 4 has the metal case but only gorilla glass while the 970 has the plastic case with sapphire glass. Other wise they are so similar the only difference being the 5 buttons on the 970 vs 2 on V4 and maps on the 970 but not on V4. I too have heard the V4 runs very smooth and faster than the 970. It’s insane that it feels like you are compromising on some front with either watch. The Venu and Forerunner line really should just be merged at this point and do like Apple does have a base watch and can pay more for the metal or sapphire glass but otherwise the watch is the same.

I currently have a Venu Sq that I love, but it was uh... run over by a bunch of skiers last winter, has a cracked screen and some dead pixels, but is still truckin along. I posted about it after the incident, and since then, more pixels have died on me. But it has been a good watch! I am not much of a runner, but I play competitive adult softball, enjoy distance biking, hiking, and long walks. I also strength train and feel like Garmin was a huge upgrade from my Fitbit Charge 3 and 4. I was impatiently waiting for the Venu 4 to come out to purchase a new watch, but I am so disappointed! I like the look of it, but It is WILDLY expensive and doesn't feel like it offers much to support that price point. I am super bummed about this. Not sure where to go from here. The Vivoactive is an option, I guess, or I could order another older Venu Sq or SQ2 (mine was a refurb and is still working well, I get 7 days to a charge). I don't know. I'm just disappointed.

Ok so this update is substantial and amazing. I love this and will probably make me scrap the FR 965 and Apple Watch that I wear and can never decide which I like more. This watch looks great and introducing advanced training metrics like readiness and status is a game changer! And the new health metrics and all that is amazing I’ll wait and see if those trickle down to 965 but probably dive into Venu 4 before any update would ever come

I switched from a Pixel Watch 2 to the Venu 3s. The big draw for me was the battery life because my watch is primarily an activity tracker for me and charging the Pixel Watch every day was annoying me. The smart watch functions I used were limited to the watch buzzing when I got a phone call or a notification, which the Venu 3s can do just fine. If you want proper smart watch features where it's an extension of your phone, I don't think the Venu is it. I somewhat miss voice assistant - it doesn't work on the Venu. And I was able to control my lights and other smart devices from the watch directly, which was nice, which I also slightly miss but is outweighed by the Venu being better for the activity/fitness tracking stuff. Nothing about the Venu 4 appeals to me as it seems like the big difference is the features for running and I'm not that into running. I'm very casual about it, I don't race, I don't particularly aim for PRs, I'm not fussed about achieving a particular pace for specific runs, so I basically just use it to track that I ran and that's it. I otherwise mostly strength train and run to make sure my cardio fitness doesn't lag too far behind.

I have been in this ongoing debate of Apple Watch Ultra 3 versus Garmin venu 4 (releases sept 22). I currently have an Apple Watch, and I do use the features of cellular texting without my phone near me, music changing songs, phone calls answering from my watch etc. However I am training for a marathon, as well as the dopey challenge in January. My current struggle is Apple Watch battery life, the only way I can get through my runs (20 miles+) with my current watch is low power mode. I love my Apple Watch for the usage of my iPhone with connection, hate that Garmin does not allow me to reply to texts from the watch itself, as well as the music playlist option. I love that Garmin sleep features as well as the battery life. I need some help advice tips etc!!

All running features and stats! I was missing that lately on my Venu 3 and was hoping on Venu 4-and…there it is!

I'm actually really happy with what I see here. Was scared that they're gonna go bananas with price like with Fenix or Venu X1, but price seems fair. Was considering Epix 2 Pro or Fenix e, but they felt a bit too pricey and this one got few features I wanted from them (like flashlight or better workout plans) and is still cheaper.

Really? I looked it up online, and they said that while the Venu 3 has a mic, it can not store audio recordings on the watch. There may be an option when connected with your phone using voice commands to take notes, but the phone has to be present. Can you confirm that? It's actually the only reason I didn't hop on the watch. Im a football official and want to record the fouls but can not have my phone on me

Venu 4 is the first Venu to have DSW, but it only supports heart rate for DSW, not pace and heart rate like the 570.

The Venu 3 or 4 is the closest Garmin make to an Apple Watch (non-LTE but does have mic & speaker for calls), but the Fenix 8 Pro is the only one that has LTE and is thus independent of a phone. But the F8Pro costs a lot more than the AWU3 and needs a Garmin subscription to use the LTE and satellite communication features. Garmin Pay works exactly the same as Apple Pay but is useless in my country as no banks support it (it's nothing to do with the retailers).

I don't know.about the samsung fit 3 (msntioned below) but most galaxy watch will have 1 to 2 days of battery life. I get 2.5 days with my Galaxy Ultra. My 70 years old dad is not a runner (walk) but I got him a basic and cheap Garmin forrunner 55 instead (he loves it) - 1.5 to 2 WEEKS battery life (my dad won't charge a watch every day) - always on display (reflective display, not amoled) - display phone notifications on the watch - basic vital, sleep tracking, HR, GPS etc - emergency call/fall detection over BT (needs phone nearby, not LTE, which he has with him all the time). - not touch screen, button only, but he prefers that too. Other Garmin (venu series) have amoled touch screen etc and still have a week of battery life. The forerunner was good.enough for my dad's need (long battery, notification,readable screen). https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/741137

Most people coming from apple go vivo active or venue. Venue being closest to a smart watch. Personally, I'm a instinct guy. Although I'm wearing a Fenix today since I didn't charge my Instinct for 2 weeks and it died before bed. I've swam tens of thousands of meters (more like hundreds but..) in pool, open and salt water with my Garmins. Done free diving (only to about 40ft, I'm not very good) and press the buttons regularly sub surface. I've also done cliff jumping with every watch, and haven't lost a garmin to water intrusion. I would definitely select a 100m rated model for water sports. Any watch can fail but I've had 6 garmins and none have. I also had a bunch of Casio and Timex over the years and not one failure.

Been wearing the same Garmin for 5 years now. Sometimes the splurge is worth it. If you can wait, there will probably be some deals for the upcoming holidays and Black Friday, but that is a bit away. Personally I do like an all in one smart watch for fitness tracking and phone syncing.

Garmin Venu series are comparable to an Apple Watch. Garmin’s GPS tracking for outdoor activity is a little bit better/accurate. That’s something to consider if you want to log hikes, bike rides, walking, running etc. I use an iPhone and just download the Garmin Connect app, that’s where all the data is stored. The Venu series are more fashionable. The first Venu model has the basic sleep tracking. I know the newer ones have some other updated features. I do find the sleep tracking, body battery, active/resting calories data to be pretty accurate based on how I feel.

From what you have written, budget is not a constraint for you. I'd go for a watch. Tracking sleep is very useful. I am implementing small changes to improve sleep and the data from the watch is helpful. Eventhough it's not perfect. If i could afford it, I'd buy a Garmin Venue right now. Also, while a chest strap may be a tad bit more accurate for heart rate tracking, it is not something you want to wear for hours at a stretch every day. There a watch is useful.

Garmin ecosystem is chocked full of goodness. Since I run and cycle, it’s great for multi sport. A lot of folks who only run seem to love Coros watches and their environment. I think either of those (with Strava integration) would be an improvement over your Apple Watch.

People have to stop comparing these. These are for two different people. I would never wear an Apple Watch based on battery life alone. I specifically got the Garmin for a wrist based gps and mapping tool to track and orient myself. You buy an Apple Watch to use smart features and be connected to your phone. Garmin has never been in that market. It’s a whole company based on gps systems for outdoor activities . You buy an Apple Watch to have Apple ecosystem. you can’t use half the feature of the fenix on an iPhone bc they only want you to use their watch… Garmin are all specifically made for their audience even down the the model . Apple watches are just to keep you plugged into your phone and have no bearing on actual outdoor activities despite calling it ultra. The Millitary has been orienteering with Garmin wrist based gps systems forever. You’d never catch an Apple Watch on patrol in Afghanistan. 😂