Garmin Venu Sq vs Garmin Venu 2: choose your next smartwatch

The Garmin Venu Sq and Garmin Venu 2 are two of the best Garmin watches available right now, but despite being part of the same range, they're very different. That's why we've put together this guide comparing the key features of both watches, so you can choose the best one for you.

The Venu Sq (like the recently release Garmin Lily) is one of Garmin's most fashion-focused watches, with a smart design and a wide range of colors and finishes, but the Venu 2 is no slouch in the looks department either. While it more closely resembles a typical sports watch thanks to its round face, it's still sleek and minimal, and is available in two sizes for different wrists.

The Garmin Venu 2 is one of the best Garmin watches we've tested to date. While both it and the Venu Sq offer a mix of smartwatch and fitness tracking features, in our opinion strikes a near-perfect balance, resulting in a good-looking watch that's great for all occasions.

There is, however, a big difference in price, with the Venu 2 costing twice as much as the standard Venu Sq. If cost is a limiting factor then the Venu Sq will be the better choice for you. Read on to discover more about both watches, so you can pick the best device for your needs and budget.

Price

Garmin Venu 2 is twice the price of Venu Sq
Garmin Venu Sq was released in 2020
Venu 2 was released in 2021

The Garmin Venu Sq was released in September 2020 for $199 / £179 / AUS$349. There’s also a Venu Sq music edition (which we tested), which costs $249 / £229.99 / AUS$429 and has on-board storage for up to 500 songs.

The Garmin Venu 2 went on sale in April 2021 for $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$629. Both the 44mm and 40mm case sizes are the same price.

Design and display

Design

Garmin Venu Sq is similar shape and size to Apple Watch
Garmin Venu 2 is round and comes in two sizes
Both have touchscreen and two physical buttons

The Garmin Venu Sq has a rectangular case that measures 40.6 x 37 x 11.5mm (almost identical dimensions to the smaller Apple Watch 6).

The Garmin Venu 2 has a round case (which is more typical of Garmin devices) and is available in two sizes: 44mm x 12.2mm, and 40mm x 12.1mm. The smaller of the two models is known as the Garmin Venu 2S.

Both the Venu Sq and Venu 2 have a fiber-reinforced polymer case with a metal bezel. The bezel of the Venu Sq is made from lightweight aluminum, while that of the Venu 2 is stainless steel. The watches come with a silicone strap as standard, but extra bands are available separately, and are easy to change via quick-release pins.

Both devices are operated via a touchscreen and two buttons on the right-hand edge. The lower of these serves as a 'back' button, moving to the previous menu or back to the home screen, while the upper button is context-sensitive and performs different functions depending on the app or widget currently in use. The buttons of the Venu 2 can be locked during workouts to avoid accidental presses.

Display

Venu 2 display is OLED, Venu Sq is LCD
Venu 2 has much higher resolution

The Garmin Venu 2 has a vivid AMOLED touchscreen display with three brightness settings, and different sensitivity levels for waking it from sleep. The 44mm version has a 1.4in display, while the 40mm model is smaller at 1.1in.

The Venu Sq has a more traditional 1.3in color LCD display, which (although good), isn't as striking as OLED, and uses more power.

The Venu 2's display is also much higher resolution - the 44mm version has a resolution of 416 x 416 pixels, while the 40mm model has 360 x 360 pixels. By contrast, the Venu Sq has a resolution of just 240 x 240 pixels.

Both are good quality displays, but the difference is noticeable in testing, and the Venu 2 is capable of showing a lot more information in a similar space, with crisper text and graphics.

Features

Smartwatch features

Both devices support contactless payments
Standard Venu Sq has no internal storage for music
Venu 2 offers period tracking on the watch itself

Both the Venu Sq and Venu 2 allow you to receive smartphone notifications from Android and iOS phones, and Android phone owners can also send text responses and reject calls with a text message (a useful feature if you're in the middle of a workout).

All the usual calendar, weather and stopwatch apps are present and correct, and both devices also allow you to make contactless purchases through Garmin Pay, once it's set up in the Garmin Connect app.

Both watches allow you to control music playback on your smartphone, and can stream songs from Amazon Music or Deezer. You can also use your watch to control your Spotify playlist.

The standard Garmin Venu Sq has no internal storage for songs for offline playback, but the more expensive music edition has space for 500 tracks. The standard 44mm Venu 2 can store up to 2,000 songs internally, while the smaller Venu 2S can store up to 650.

Any Garmin watch user can use the Garmin Connect app to track their period, but only the Garmin Venu 2 and Garmin Lily allow you to enter symptoms and see details of your cycle on the watch itself.

Fitness tracking

Both watches feature accurate on-board GPS
Venu Sq has no altimeter for counting stairs
Garmin Venu 2 puts more health data on your wrist

Both the Garmin Venu Sq and Garmin Venu 2 feature on-board GPS, which proved impressive in our tests. We found that it took a little while for the Venu Sq to achieve a lock, but once it did, results of the two were comparable.

Both watches have a step-counter, and will assign you a daily step goal based on your activity levels. However, only the Venu 2 has an altimeter, which means it's the only device capable of tracking how many stairs you've climbed. Again, you'll be assigned a goal to reach each day.

All-day heart rate monitoring is available on both watches, and both track 'intensity minutes', which is a measure of time spent in each heart rate zone. Both watches also have a pulse oximeter to measure blood oxygen saturation at night and during training sessions.

The two devices both have a wide range of workout profiles for indoor and outdoor activities, but the Venu 2 has more options, including HIIT workouts. It can also show on-screen workout animations, and muscle map graphics to show which muscle groups you've worked, helping you plan your training.

The Venu Sq and Venu 2 can both calculate your fitness age (a metric based on factors including your VO2 max, age, weight and gender), but only the Venu 2 allows you to see it at a glance on your wrist. If you own the Venu Sq, you'll have to open the Garmin Connect app on your phone to see it.

The Venu 2 also features a Garmin Coach tool so you can follow training plans set up in the Garmin Connect app, plus leaderboards for any challenges you've signed up for.

Need more fitness features? Check out our guide to the best running watches

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