One would think that Garmin watches are for experienced athletes. However, the Venu 2 Plus is the first true allinone smartwatch that we can unreservedly recommend to people who are not necessarily athletes. While it has most of the Venu 2’s features, it does add a speaker and microphone that allow you to take calls and use the voice assistant.
The previous Venu 2 was already a great fitness tracker. But the main drawback that kept them from competing with the Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch and Fitbit Sense was the lack of a speaker and microphone. Since the Plus version includes most of the features of the Venu 2, this article will focus on highlighting the main differences.
Venu 2 Plus is an easy to use watch.
Venu 2 Plus is similar to Venu 2 and has luminous round AMOLED screen, easy to read in broad daylight. But now he has additional button which allows you to interact with the voice assistant by pressing and holding. You can also assign a shortcut or favorite to a single press of the home button.
Another difference between last year’s Venu 2 and Venu 2 Plus is that the new watch only exists in only one size 43mm, while Venu 2 and 2S have 45 mm and 40 mm, respectively. Like Fitbit watches, Venu 2 Plus compatible with Android and iOS.
The Venu 2 Plus speaker and microphone turned out to be very helpfulwhether it’s a quick call to Siri on iOS, Google Assistant or Bixby on Android, or sending text messages without having to pull out your phone.
loudspeaker delivers clear sound for phone calls, and you can easily use it to listen to music from thirdparty apps like Spotify, provided you have a premium subscription.
Unlike some watches, such as the Apple Watch, you can’t start a workout with your voice. But the Garmin navigation system pretty easy to handleand two clicks are enough to start the workout.
The battery life is up to nine days, which is much longer thanApple Watch Series 8 and a little bit
Galaxy Watch 5that do not exceed two days. In our tests, the Venu 2 Plus withstood
eight full days before needing to recharge. Our usage included receiving phone notifications, daily GPS workouts, and sleep tracking. Most of the other features are the same as the Venu 2 and 2S: builtin GPS, sleep tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, and a wide range of fitness tracking and workout modes.
The main drawback of the Venu 2 Plus is his price. At €450, it’s more expensive than all of its major competitors such as the Apple Watch Series 8, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5.
Google Pixel Watch. But its crosscompatibility with Android and iOS can be worth the extra cost, as can its long battery life. And if you don’t need a speaker and microphone, the Venu 2 and 2S are still in the Garmin catalog and can be found from 300 euros.
CNET.com article adapted by CNETFrance
Images: Lexi Savides/CNET