Garmin - Venu Sq

Garmin now has smaller, less expensive options (no chest strap) like the Venu SQ that are great. You can get one for under $200 and you get all the tracking, heart rate data. Lower models just don’t have all advanced metrics and setting.

Might just depend on the amount you want to spend vs what you are going to get out of it. You could get a less expensive Garmin like a Venu Sq ($100-$150 refurb) that gives you body battery, sleep score, steps, heart rate, etc. The standard run of health metrics that can help with recovery and measuring general activity. I wear a gamin daily and do a lot of weight training. I can confirm that it doesn't do well at measuring anything related to lifting. You'll get a standard heart rate increase, but even intense weightlifting sessions aren't able to trigger the auto activity sensor. I still appreciate the data though. but you don't need a $1,000 Fenix to get helpful data. That is the one thing I wish I would have known before buying a Fenix.

I’ve rowed for years with my Concept 2 and my old Venu Sq. I use a chest strap because the arm isn’t great for activity where the wrist is constantly moving like rowing. RowErg links up with Garmin Connect and adds the activity after it’s synced. I’ll have a new 955 tomorrow so we’ll see how all the additional training metrics are affected by the rowing and running. Just keep in mind if you want to trend VO2Max data over time you’ll need to run or walk occasionally for Garmin to give you an estimate.

I’ve had[ ](https://matrixmaverick14.github.io/website/garmin-venu-sq.html)[this smartwatch](https://matrixmaverick14.github.io/website/garmin-venu-sq.html) for months. pairs easy, notifications work fine, no real complaints.

I got a Garmin Venu SQ from Ebay for $40 and it's pretty good.

my old venu sq has better range than my vivoactive 5

If you also want a smartwatch with payment features: I have a Garmin Venu Sq. Would reccomend

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.

If you only need HR and you prioretize size get the vivosmart If you also want SmartWatch features get the venu sq

I had this for 2 years before I lost it. Fantastic little watch that should be able to do all that OP needs it to!

I have a venu sq which was like $120 7 years ago and it's still going strong to this day

As with food tracking apps, the "best" is one you use consistently. Wrist-based trackers range from mildly inaccurate to wildly inaccurate as far as calorie burn estimates are concerned; there's no "best" device in terms of accuracy. Most of them are somewhat okay at estimating calories burned during steady state cardio (i.e., walking, running, cycling), but get wonky in a hurry with other activities (i.e., lifting, yoga, Pilates). I've seen some absolutely nonsense numbers from Apple Watch users in particular; but some folks swear by them. I found my old Fitbit was hilariously optimistic with some of its estimates; my Garmins seem to be better. I switched from Fitbit to the Garmin ecosystem several years ago with a Venu Sq. That took me from couch potato to running several times per week; I love the activity badges. I upgraded a few years ago to the Forerunner 265s. I also took up cycling last year (more badges!), also picking up a chest strap HRM, power meter clip less pedals, and a Tacx indoor trainer. I developed an overuse injury from running, so running is no longer an option for me. I can hike, though, and I live in a region with a lot of mountains, so I recently picked up a Fenix 7 Pro (solar sapphire) especially for the hike features, including maps. I'm an active person, now; I don't really think of the stuff I do as "exercise". The Garmin(s) I have go well with the life I live.

I have the Garmin venu SQ. It works great for me.

Mine isn't. 2 months old. During normal activity it's good but the moment I start exercising it seems to make wild-ass assumptions, it will say my heart's going off at 170 when it's hardly 110 (and stay that way for several minutes) and often times it won't read above 80 when its actually going 130 bpm. And, this is when I'm using a stair climber or treadmill where I'm holding the hand grips for stability so I can't blame the motion for the lousy readings. Usually it figures itself out after 10 minutes of working out but that's really frustrating. My Venu SQ did kinda the same thing so I think they have similar programming. Wven

Any smart watch is going to auto-sync with your phone to switch time zones. I'm partial to Garmin's line up because their watches are geared toward outdoor sports. The Garmin Venu is the default and their Apple Watch competitor

I'm not sure unfortunately. I have the old version of the Venu Sq and it doesn't look like I can, but they're on version 3+ now so I wouldn't be surprised. Worth the ask to Garmin themselves

I have most bells and whistles turned off on my VenuSQ, but it drains really quickly. I have the screen brightness at the lowest setting too. It’s only 3.5 years old.

Using tla chest strap as ground truth, the PW3 is really close to what my chest strap data set shows.  Within 2/3 bpms Definitely better than my old AppleWatch and Garmin Sq, which were out by up to 15bpms

Forerunner and fenix watches seem to me like a heavier, off grid watch. Longer battery life, super rugged, heavier. Vivoactive is good for all those things but it’s lighter and a good daily wear. I have the venu 3. I lift weight, cycle, and starting to get into running. I wanted a watch that did all the bio tracking but didn’t want something rugged and off grid. 7-10 days battery life. Good daily wear. Good sleep tracking. I’ve worn it for 1.5years now. Had the venue SQ prior. I disable the messaging and notifications but still get calls just in case I don’t have my phone on me. Glad you aren’t looking at Apple Watches. Garmin is the best choice for activity and daily wear.

Garmin venue square eBay around $137 new Refurbished for $109 Great at counting steps Has lasted 3 years and counting

Previously using a garmin SQ, now the fit 3 and the huawei is excellent. Gps lock is fast, works well with cycling as a hr monitor. Ganda pa ng interface at battery life. Daming free watchface na maganda din.

Very small wrists here... I had a venu for years and I loved it. However, I wanted a better battery and more data for running. I went with the forerunner 965 and have no regrets. I was worried it would be too large. It's not. I say go for the forerunner in white. It's the most feminine.

My partner and i have venu watches for health and fitness monitoring, we also had a stronger use case for health. Ours don't have the ekg function, but do provide the sleep tracking, hrv/stress scores as body battery, and the spo2. On that - the battery does drain easily if you have that on 24/7, at least on our watches! 

Just did this. From the series 8 once the battery couldn’t last a day. Ended up going higher to the forerunner (thanks REI 90 day returns) bc the trade offs of losing some of the apple integrations wasn’t enough gained on the venu The activities list is really limited. And its integration with Strava sucked a bit more than the Apple Watch. I could at least pick specific activities through Strava app on my watch if they didn’t come built in on apple activities, but you can’t edit the data fields on that. I wanted both. I only got about 4 days of battery, not super worth it IMO. Just enough I wouldn’t have ti charge it daily but not enough that I wasn’t frequently like “oh, I’m kinda low on battery” No unlocking each other, (phone and watch) or my MacBook for work. I miss it auto doing that the most Media players kinda suck Biggest is custom notifications on my watch vs my phone. I had to basically go in and do an overhaul so it wasn’t constantly pinging me with useless notifications I had silenced on my watch but not my phone Activities pages were limited. They were limited on the Apple Watch too but I was hoping for an upgrade here. I upgraded to the forerunner 970. Big jump. But it has a LOT more data points readily available. It’s more of what I was looking for.

The venu’s activities were extremely limited. It had the basics but that was it. Specifically it didn’t have trail running or backcountry skiing for me, basically my two biggest sports. I’m not sure about tennis. I bet it did tho. So that was probably the biggest reason. Second was the activities data page was limited, only 4 max data points. For backcountry skiing I like knowing distance, current elevation, total ascent, time, and heart rate. For trail running, the same plus pace. So that and I didn’t think I needed the navigation, but Sunday, the day I decided I really should upgrade, I got soooo off course. My bike Garmin would have told me way sooner that I was off course and that’s all I wanted.

One more thing I thought of this morning OP. Since upgrading to the forerunner, I’ve noticed the stress tracking/training elements are far superior. Mentioning it bc you mentioned the stress tracking specifically. I can’t remember if the Venu had a morning AND nightly report, but the training readiness, training status, running tolerance on the forerunner is so nice to have. You might be able to get that through the venu or the connect app, but I didn’t find it easily. But you should def look into this before purchasing. After I bought it I found out the venu is supposed to be more of a “lifestyle” watch. That makes me feel like it’s for the people who want to say they have a Garmin without the bulkiness of one? I think it’s a lower tiered watch with more smart watch integrations like Siri, but I felt it didn’t even do that well. If you’re in the US, I bought my venu through REI because of their return policy and partnership with Garmin. I think you have 90 days to decide if you like it? After not even 2 weeks I think is when I realized I wanted a higher level Garmin and just straight exchanged it for the forerunner 970.

I would personally always take a Forerunner over the Venu series, as I am pretty serious about my fitness. I don't really care much about smart watch features, just need a bare minimum. And the venu series seems to take tradeoffs with fitness features to accommodate the increase in smart features.

I wouldn’t be afraid of buying a Garmin watch for open water or pool swims. I have a first generation instinct since the summer of 2020. I’ve worn it everyday no matter what. If you don’t like the look of the instinct, I would look at either the Fenix, Enduro. The forerunner has a bezel but it’s not as raised I feel. Really any of their watches that includes the feature of a raised bezel I gravitate towards. For me, anyways, watches that don’t have that feature end up with a cracked screen like the venu and the vivoactive with the rounded edge of glass hasn’t lasted for me which is why I prefer that raised bezel. Garmin has always been good and replaced them for me in the past but once the warranty is done, there’s no more replacement. Hope this is helpful and keep going.

Honestly your best bet would be a Venu or an instinct, Venu is Garmin's health and fitness while instinct is there more traditional "G-Shock" style (best way I can describe it) watch, they don't really do the fitness tracker it's mostly all smartwatches. I have the Venu 4 coming from an instinct 2 solar. The vivo moves might also fit you well but they are older in comparison. If you are set on not having a smartwatch you may have to look into another brand, hope this helps, if you have any questions about the Venu or instinct let me know!

I have a Venu S and really appreciate the smaller size. I do occasionally find myself wishing I had more metrics, but it definitely covers all the basics!

You need to ask yourself what she’ll actually be using it for. If you’re just doing basic fitness tracking, then she likely doesn’t need a Fenix and a Vivoactive or Venu series would be the best bet for her. Use the website to compare devices with the activities she does regularly.

I'm getting a Venu 4. It's 20 bucks less than the 570, and from what I can see, it's missing swim drills, which is something I don't use now. I also like the look of the Venu over the 570, though I wish Garmin would bring back copper/rose gold bezels/cases. I really liked that colour on my original Venu.

You can check with chatgpt, specify all your needs and maybe buy a used one on Ebay or Swappa, thats what I did, I got a Venu for $65, ive had it for 2 years now and so far very good, the gps is very good for running, i can track swimming among other things, I guess you can track padel too

Garmin venu for sure

Garmin venu, several versions and colors

None of the forerunners have a metal bezel. They’re all solid colours. The Venu just looks better period , imo

I can respond to messages when using my pixel on my venu , just not iPhone. I have Google maps on it and homeassistant, suits all my needs.

Garmin lasts about 2 weeks without charging. Venu line.

It is beat with the Garmin Venu line.

Venu is great warch. Inuse it for HR daily tracking and for running (including specific training and workouts).

Certainly not. The Venu is already the best model in the fitness and lifestyle range and if it doesn't have a lactate threshold, then neither do the others. But VO2 Max does exist. I also have the Venu 3s 😊Maybe it has the new 4. Read up on that.

I hike fine with the venu

Had Apple Watch 3 and it was terrible in the pool. Switched to the Garmin Venu and now on the forerunner 955. I’ve had no issues with the Garmin, you can select the screens/info you want and it even logs drill sets. Most people I swim with use Garmin. Just make sure that you check the specifics of the model you get as some have more swim features than others.

It is very overwhelming. Some are better for runners, hikers, swimmers, some have better music options, some are solar powered, some are smaller. There are quizzes online and Garmin has a comparison tool on their website. I have a Venu, chosen because I was quite disabled for years and didn't need a lot of fitness features and it is more feminine, but now that I'm up and running again, I'm saving for a forerunner. I tell you this because I would be disappointed in your current choice. There are only 5 families. You could simply choose a family based on your lifestyle, then it will be easy to narrow from there. Take a few days and watch some YouTube videos. These watches are amazing, but they're expensive!

I would go for either a venu or a forerunner depending on whether you want to use it for running or more general metrics. Both will suit your needs well but the forerunner will prompt you more to run and has more alerts etc on that department. Also decide on the size of your wrist, I had a bad experience with the 165s as it didn’t measure my hr properly because it was too big so if you have a small wrist go for one of the S versions!

I think a vivoactive or venu would be perfect for you! Make sure you get the S because it is smaller in profile. I’m petite and have small wrists and in comparison to other watches the profile of the S models fits me very well!

I love my Garmin Venu!

Yeah, I think they have too many models. I suspect they could make a more rational lineup starting with the Vivoactive and just putting them in a line. Maybe we don't need both a Venu and a middle Forerunner. Probably we don't need a cheaper forerunner, though who knows if there'll be one this cycle. Looks like DSW on the Venu is nerfed: heart rate only. Otherwise it looks fairly solid for running. It's not much cheaper than the 570 though. From DC Rainmaker, it sounds like they have separate groups doing Lifestyle, Running and Adventure watches. But they've all been converging over the last couple years - I think it made more sense 5-10 years ago.

My issue with the Venu is how exposed the watch is to damage.

Paid subscription doesn’t give any value at all. Are you seriously subscribing to it? Do a poll and you will réalise most of us here aren’t. Don’t waste your money. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, if you are willing to make do with default watch face, another lot of cash saved. Strap might look fragile but quite durable. If you are willing to use till break, you might réalise it would not and you would have saved the third lot of cash. Use your laptop to charge your watch when you are working. No need extra power. In conclusion, it isn’t that ex to own Venu, if you are willing to make some compromises and be a bit more patience with it.

I love my Oura ring and Garmin Venu!

My advice is don't byut a watch for your current fitness needs but one that would serve you well if your needs expand. Fitness needs have a high rate of expanding upon the purchase of a watch. Anything from the FR265 upwards is ideal. I would say the Vivoactive and Venu range might leave you wanting later down the line as they are closer to lifestyle than fitness.

For almost every Garmin wach you can download TennisAI app from garmin store which would capture and recognize your strokes, measure power etc. If you are interested there are two versions of the app and I would recommend to check compatible devices list from the latest one as it has improved interface and match score tracking features ( https://apps.garmin.com/apps/0073ddf4-3ec7-436d-a598-d88cfd0d583a?tid=1 ). The watch shall be worn on the hand that holds the racket so ehen it comes to a device if you buy a havy model like Fenix or Epix (>80gr ) at first it will take you a few sessions to get used to it but if you buy something lighter like venu, forerunner or fenix S version it will not interfere with the game at all.  Also the square devices are in General poorly supported by developers.

Honestly why not a venu? Unless you require maps I think it’s one of the better models (latest components, flashlight, etc).

You can certainly use both. If you want all day health tracking though you'll want to stick with one platform. I prefer Garmin but it isn't a smart watch app platform. I use Garmin Connect, the Garmin heart strap, and the Garmin scale. If I take up cycling I would use the Garmin cycling products also. For me it's about my fitness training, not having an extension of my watch on my wrist. The Venu (which I have) does have some some nice capabilities to receive alerts, phone calls, as well as tracking an EKG. I also have a Garmin Forerunner 945 that I use for running. I have a high end Samsung watch (it was so cheap on sale I couldn't refuse) that I wear very occasionally when I want an app platform on my wrist. The battery life on the Garmins are just amazing and seal the deal.

You will miss the buttons if you get the Venu (particularly if it rains, you sweat, or your fingers ever get wet).

The most Apple Watch like Garmin is the Venu. Where apple watch is a smart watch with fitness added, Garmin Venu is a fitness watch with smart features. 7 day battery life, but it doesn't have *all* of the features more advanced Garmin fitness focused watches have. If being able to read texts, etc. on your watch is something you'd like to keep, start there. If you care more about the fitness side, venture further. But that's the extent of my Garmin exp.

I am legitimately trying to find a way to justify getting a "smart watch" over the garmin venu (hoping 4 will drop soon), but like that example you just posted is such a gimmick that I will maybe use once. tbf I have a S24 ultra so i can just take out the S pen and use it as a remote shutter, but if I hadn't I could've used a garmin too, without the live view ofc but it's such a small thing for the trade-off of the battery life. And yes, I get that's just one of many examples, but like what of any of those are at all necessary? Everything I could do on a apple or Samsung watch that I can't on my garmin is either way way easier/better to do straight on my phone, and the only reason I would rather use my watch instead of my phone for something is to check a notification if it's something urgent or not and maybe reply (which I also can on the garmin) so I don't need to take up my phone for just a random notification. So yeh, and I have for real been trying to justify for myself going for a smartwatch and just dealing with the worse battery life, but then logic kicks in and I'm like "but why?"

I've had a Venu since Sept 2020, so 4.3 years. Generally do hard-core swimming workouts, including a bunch of butterfly, 3x weekly. So about 700 swims. It's been flawless. But I'll also say, I see other swimmers with Apple watches, including my sister, and while they aren't doing butterfly, they haven't had any problems either. I suspect you just got unlucky.

One of the lower-cost Forerunner or Venu models, and buying new/old stock, like one model older than current, is a way to save money. The features they add when they upgrade probably won't be worth it for you unless you become a regular, in-depth user of those features.

VA is 42mm and takes 20mm bands. Venu is 41mm and takes 18mm bands which makes it looks less bulky. I have small wrists so that was important. Venu has a more premium look with the metal bezel and buttons.Can be worn dressed up. VA looks more plasticky and toy like. Venu also has altimeter, speaker and microphone. I went with the Venu. No regrets

I bought a pretty cheap Garmin, the Venu, when I first started running. It’s done me perfectly through many half marathons and one ultra. Don’t need anything fancier for my basic running, and it looks pretty good.

For years I wore a Fenix 5s and then 6s in rose gold. I have an Epix Pro Gen2 now which has a nice amoled display like the current Fenix 8 series. The Epix 42mm (same size as the Fenix s series) came in soft gold which is also attractive for women. I almost got that but I wanted a little more battery life so I went with a 47mm this time around. But the 42mm would been just fine and if I had a job where I have to dress more professionally I would have gone with that one. The Epix pro gen2 is the last generation and while not cheap, is an excellent deal since it does almost everything the current Fenix series does (certainly everything your wife wants) including the current gen HR sensor and has an amoled display. The Venu watches are okay but are more lifestyle and not true sports watches. I briefly had one and it wasn’t near as durable as the Fenix/Epix. All of these had sapphire glass because I’m not the most girly girl and am tough on my watches.

I love my garmin venu. Not as bulky as an Apple Watch for one but the main reason I’ll never go back is because I only have to charge it like once a week.

I have a garmin venu. It's not a golf watch per se, but works well. Gives yardages to front, middle, back.

I have a Garmin Venu which I think is okay fashionably, at least when a black watch fits my outfit. But I don't think it's super functional if you're not a runner, and if you don't care about functionality then stick to an analog watch

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.

Most Garmin watches would do those things. Depending if you want the latest bells and whistles, such as an OLED screen vs a MIP screen from an older generation, a model from an older generation will be more than fine. However, I wouldn't recommend getting a second hand one, but that's just my preference. Take a look models such as the Instinct, the Vivoactive, the Venu and Forerunner 55/165. Those would suit you. I would not recommend more expensive models as the Fenix and the more expensive Forerunners. They would be way overkill and extremely expensive.

The battery life is measured in days, not hours. The Garmin Venu’s AMOLED display is beautiful, and the glass more resistant to scratches. The workout-tracking ability of the Garmin is superior. Tracking your energy as a “body battery” percentage is so much more intuitive, and the Garmin can detect when your sleep sucks or you drank too much. It will admonish you accordingly. The Apple is better as a general smartwatch, but the battery life is appaling.

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.

I’m bias towards Garmin, been wearing a Venu since 2020! It’s taken a few beatings and still works perfectly well.

The venu has way fewer running related metrics. Body battery considers steps, HR, activites, stress the watch detects during the day, if you do not wear it - body battery becomes even less relvant as it is usually is. PS: some people wear their watches on their biceps when they cannot wear them on a wrist.

I had the same debate - bought the venu & ended up returning it for the forerunner & have been beyond happy with my decision. the extra battery life alone makes it so worth it for me, but I also really love the additional metrics & the daily suggested workouts

The choice is up to you and what you really want. Garmin has a ton of watching at different price points. I have the original Garmin Venu. I purchased it in Dec. of 2019 and it’s still a great watch and does everything I need it. Whether you get a Garmin or a general smartwatch is down to the purpose of what you want the watch for. I only wanted a fitness watch and only for this purpose. If fitness isn’t the primary purpose for you getting a watch, then maybe look outside of Garmin. But what i will say is that Garmin’s last a long time and are really good quality and can take a beating. I’m not familiar with the 2 models you posted. If I didn’t have a Garmin, I would get a Suunto or Coros.

I have a Garmin. I have no interest in getting an Apple Watch and don’t feel like I am missing anything.

I have a Garmin Venu. I click the top button ans then tap thr activity I’m going to do and record it. It’s recorded on the watch ans Garmin app. Not on the Apple fitness app. 

What I dislike the most about Garmin is that it's really hard to understand the product lineup Vivoactive vs Venu vs Forerunner is what I looked at. I got the Venu and was surprised by how my brother's cheaper Forerunner 165 can do multiple things my watch can't (like estimate 10K, 21K times and suggest a daily workout). My guess is that most Garmin watches are mostly the same and they use software to tier their products. I doubt there is any technical limitation to offer for example maps in a Forerunner 570 (or even in my Venu). All in all, I wish I listened to the YT channel and got the FR 165 Music. I have no idea what I got for paying extra for the Venu other than golfing (and I don't golf).

The Venu definitely has a more premium look and feel, especially if you change out the watch band. I think it’s a great bridge watch for someone coming from an Apple Watch. I currently have a Forerunner 255s, but have my eye on the new Venu 4 since they integrated more running insights.

My OG Venu is still kicking as my daily driver!

In terms of the Venu, you can easily convert it to use QuickFit bands that take less than 30 seconds to swap out. It’s really a non issue.

I’m exactly the same Apple everything except my Garmin Forerunner. I was tossing up between the two 5 years ago when replacing an old basic forerunner but the battery life of the Apple Watch is what drove my decision to go with a Garmin Venu. I really liked my Venu as it’s stylish and the screen is nicer. Then I wanted to get into ultra Marathons and got the forerunner 955 on clearance (it doesn’t have the fancy OLED screen) it’s so awesome I love the adaptive training and suggested workouts. I know other people don’t but by keeping my training in the load focus correct I have increased my vo2 max and lactate threshold and completed my first ultra 4 weeks ago. 66km over almost 10hrs. The Apple Watch would be impossible to do this. So I guess it depends on what your goals are but I don’t want to wait 30mins to charge my watch before a run as I’m worried I won’t have the battery percentage to complete the run. Btw @spiritual_basil there are many Garmin screens you can download which are as technical or basic as you want in the Garmin Connect IQ store.

Depending on the types of weights you utilise in your training, you may want to consider a Garmin with Sapphire Glass. It's pretty much bulletproof (I have hit mine with a 24kg kettlebell more times than I care to mention). That said the Venue range is great if you are not juggling kettlebells.

TL;DR Yes, overall, this IS a good switch from the Apple Watch if you're prioritizing battery life, fitness tracking, and a cute, dainty look. When my SO and I started a weight loss journey early this year, I encouraged her to get a Lily 2 -the Classic, because she's frugal and was unsure if she'd like it or use it. Recently, she said to me, "This is something that I never thought I needed, that I now can't imagine not having." She jokingly calls herself "Princess Luddite" (she's not, really). She's an executive, and the size & style of the Lily was a huge plus, as well as the reasonable cost. She loves that most people simply see it as a watch, not a fitness or smart watch. Battery life IS terrific on Garmins. GPS use will run down the battery, but my Venu is still a multi-day smart watch unless I'm using the GPS all day long, like skiing or sailboat racing. The Classic is missing the onboard GPS, which the Sport has. That should do the trick nicely for tracking your outdoor runs, as it does on my Venu 3 for my cycling, skiing, and more -no need for your phone to be with you. Specs say that it does control smartphone music, but neither of us does that. We use Tidal, which is not compatible. Spotify is compatible, IDK about Apple Music. She isn't much of a fitness person. However, as a walker, she particularly enjoys the step tracking and sleep tracking features. Lily tracks her sleep better than my Venu, which seems iffy on my falling asleep (could be me!). Sleep tracking might be the weakest feature on Garmins in general. Notifications/message reading work well with all of my messaging apps (I'm not sure about Viber, but it should work the same), and are customizable as you desire, so you're not overwhelmed with unimportant ones. Bands are easy to change; she wears a more posh, dressy, jewelry-like, less sporty-looking band. I change my bands and watch faces for everyday casual wear vs more formal events. She hasn't mentioned any durability concerns or wear in 2 years of daily use, even from gardening. She's mainly in an office, so not really beating it up. The Sport has nearly all the activity tracking features available on my old Fenix 5, as well as on my Venu 3. It's not missing much, TBH. Apple compatibility appears comparable. As Android users, we just have access to messaging response options that Apple does not allow, but all the notifications should be the same on an iPhone. She doesn't use any third-party apps, but they should work, I guess?

100% agree here. Apple Watches and Oura have been tested and rank higher in terms accuracy in predicting your sleep and stages. The Apple Watch SE is much cheaper and probably a better option! Garmins don’t track sleep stages quite as accurately, but if you’re not going to be using it for the fitness features it’s probably not worth the money. My Garmin honestly doesn’t really get the times I fall asleep very accurately and it’s usually skewed by quite a bit. If you do want a Garmin go for the Vivoactive, Venu or very base model forerunner 55! I can highly recommend Garmin specifically for the amazing battery life.

I've only owned two Garmins and I've loved them both. Have had a Venu for years now, still love it.

For running? Literally any Forerunner watch will do, just like any Instinct, Fenix, Venu… Just choose one that you like the look of. Start evaluating with the Forerunner 55, it’s probably the cheapest. Consider buying used because these watches tend to last a long time and they’re usually good value.

Garmin. Better privacy policy than most of the others. Some concerns, still, but if you want you could keep everything on your watch, not connect it to your phone, and just get your data off periodically via usb and then use an open source 3rd party desktop app for analysis. Also pretty reasonably priced, since they'll sell the older models new at a discount and these are more than good enough unless you really want serious tracking of lots of specialised activities. You can get the 's' versions of e.g. the Venu which is a smaller face and thinner strap.

The Venu is the one you're looking for.

Not a Venu if you are serious about running. There are running metrics the FRs have that the Venus don't But not wearing modern training watches 24/7 will not get you training related data, only single activity related data. So a 255 would be the most expensive I'd recommend.

Vivoactive and Venu (non X1, that thing should have had a name of its own) don't have the advanced running metrics. So it's Forerunner , then check whether the features you want are in Instinct, Fenix, Enduro or Epix if you like one of those better.

I’ve had every Venu ever made and this jump was underwhelming. I think I’ll be going the X1 route as I think having a real map during hiking and other activities would be a game changer for me personally. Nervous about the battery life but I’m hoping the trade off is with it in the feature that come with it.

Returned my 570 :\ couldn’t even play MP3’s properly out of the box for my runs. Had to stick with my Venu.

Have a look at the other Garmin Watches as well. The Venu is more lifestyle oriented but should offer similar swimming performance. I use a Fenix7s as I also do open water swimming

Depending on how much you want to interact with your watch, the lack of buttons on a Venu might be frustrating. For that reason a Forerunner might be better as you can lock the touch screen during runs and use the buttons.

So unlucky I used an AW s2 for 6years swimming 2 or 3 times a week for about an hour each time and never had an issue… I’m fact I have it to someone and is still running… Back to your question I ve had a garmin venu as well and it was ok… it is more middle ground between sports and smartwatch

I had a Venu for almost 5 years up until a couple weeks ago when I upgraded to the 965. I didn't even need the upgrade but I got a good deal so I jumped on it. I loved my Venu as a starting point, but the depth of post-run information with the 965 has been really great.

Also a Venu line gal. Love the chic!

I recently cannot really run due to injury. Started going to the gym. It’s not great and I would not buy the watch for that alone. But I like my Venue nonetheless and appreciate the tracking in general.

I had both the AW Series 8 & a Garmin Venu. I ended up selling the AW and Garmin replaced my Venu (screen burn) with the FR255. The 255 is far better than the other two when it comes to running. The MiP screen is ideal and I much prefer it to AMOLED. If you want to run, get a Garmin.

If you want a watch that leans more towards the social side in appearance, go with one of the Venu series that fits your budget. If you want a watch that leans more towards the sporty side in appearance, go with one of the Forerunner series that fits your budget. Both will fit your requirements.

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.

That's only if you need AOD and if you don't use the backlight a lot. Otherwise, the backlight on the MIP consumes way more battery than AMOLED display. I know that because my mother has a Fenix 7s Pro and at first we enabled her the wrist gesture, so that her screen lights up when she raises the hand (MIP is unreadable in low light conditions without the backlight, becuase her also has the Solar panel on it which makes it darker). The battery lasted for 2 (letters: TWO) days lol. So if you really need AOD, then yes, MIP is better, but you need to disable the wrist gesture and backlight on it. But if you don't use AOD on AMOLED, battery life is basically the same. My mother charges her Fenix as often as I'm charging my Venu, but was not using AOD till recently. And you're wrong, even with AOD and AMOLED, it's nowhere near the Apple Watch! My Venu can last more than 4 days with AOD. And if I have regular GPS activities, it lasts 2-3 days. AW can't last that much even with AOD off. I had a Samsung before and without AOD, it would last max 2 days (no activities). With AOD, it would last 10-12 HOURS.

Garmins are more fitness tracker than smartwatch. So if you're not really after those smartwatch features, maybe a Venu series or vivoactive series would do.

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. 😂

Garmin - They have a lot of watches at different price points. There is built-in GPS and the battery lasts for several days, unlike a smart watch that you typically need to charge every night. The Garmin app easily syncs with other fitness apps, if that's important to you. If you have a smaller wrist, go for the "S" models that will look and fit better.