Garmin Venu 2 Plus hands-on: Garmin's best smartwatch yet

[@xJosefxP]

Lexy is one of the few tech reviewers that actually understands the value of a smartwatch and can do a proper review of one

[@Evan_Rodgers]

Garmin secretly makes the best range of smartwatches available.

[@dystopiaisutopia]

Instinct is the best smart watch with no touchscreen.

[@Evan_Rodgers]

@@dystopiaisutopia it’s a good one for sure! So many great models to choose from for literally EVERY type of athlete.

[@doctortray75]

Love this watch, had fitbits and Samsung watches & had to charge them every night but this Garmin Venu 2 is absolutely fabulous- received it Saturday and today is Thursday and battery is at 28% - none of my watches have lasted this long.

[@MrWhaatay]

The Venu 2 Plus has the hardware to do ECG and the ECG app was FDA approved 3 weeks ago. It's the only Garmin watch that has the hardware to do it.

[@flavioinzirillo4858]

I can honestly say this smart watch is fantastic. Function and ease of use is great. And looks stylish enough as a watch on its own regardless of where I’m going or wearing. Looked at apple as my phone and computers all Apple. But couldn’t do it, square design and I don’t need to text and call from my watch.

[@mydjiflights1229]

finally Garmin sent this new release watches to some body with android phone to test and review it. like always nice presentation.

[@jamesrogers2382]

This looks better than any Apple Watch

[@DisticTV]

Not really, Apple watches have a much better OS then circular Watch OSes

[@jamesrogers2382]

@@DisticTV I think it’s subjective. I had the Apple Watch series 6. Thought it was alright but the battery life sucked. I think I may buy this given the longer better life. Also like the way this one looks. I mean, most of the name brand smart watches are pretty good. So Apple, Samsung, garmin- u can’t go wrong with any of them

[@skux20]

@@DisticTV Apple watches are ugly af af and that's coming from an apple watch user

[@DisticTV]

@@skux20 they aren’t ugly… coming from an Apple Watch user

[@BinhTran-ll9ts]

Apple Watch is ugly af, like wearing a mini phone on the wrist 😂 next time Apple will make smart glasses, probably Will look like wearing 2 mini phones on the face as well.

[@crusherman96]

I've had a Fenix 5X Sapphire for the last couple of years. Loved it, but it was too heavy and I never really got used to it. Got a Venu 2+ and it's half the weight, half the price, bigger screen, and has much more functionality. Only downsides is the battery life is a slight downgrade (9 days instead of 12) and the screen is Gorilla Glass 3, which released almost 10 years ago.

[@jasminebrown7150]

Great review! Placed my order on the venu 2 plus today. After using an AW for 6 years, the battery life sucks! Glad Garmin has the voice assistant among other great features!

[@NotoriousVictorious]

Just bought it. I have the venu 1 and love it, can't wait for the new version

[@anarfox]

How's the battery life with the display always on? One of the things I love with my Vivoactive 3 is that I get almost a week of battery life with the screen always on.

[@mas-pt8ym]

I wish to know this as well..

[@WristWatcher]

You're my favorite CNET reviewer, and the prettiest as well.

[@OhhBessell2]

Bro you down BAD

[@thanasis7oropos]

The only "PLUS" version device on earth that is actually smaller then the basic model 🤣

[@guiltseeker]

it is bigger than the Venu 2 s !

[@TarotandWitchery]

THIS was the review I needed! Thank you

[@S5King7]

Great review! This watch looks really nice, but the main thing is 8 days of battery! Wow! I get 2 days at most from my Galaxy Watch 4. Functionality seems similar... Next time I will give Garmin serious consideration.

[@laurensholthof]

8 isn't that much. You can get smart watches for $100 that do 14-20 days on one charge

[@S5King7]

@laurens holthof with full functionality though?

[@laurensholthof]

@@S5King7 Is an always on display good enough? It's a basic watch (talking about the gtr 2e here) but if battery life is all you're after, then there are better options than this.

[@Max.527]

@@laurensholthof 14 days with ugly screens or zero functionality

[@S5King7]

@laurens holthof I would need the majority of what Galaxy Watch can do. Stream and save music, good activity tracking, messaging, ideally phone calls. Tired of charging every day, but haven't seen any better options. I currently have a Galaxy Watch 4 and a Tag Heuer X Super Mario Connected

[@Scott93312]

Hmm... The battery life for this watch is amazing, but the UI is very uninspiring. I love the Pixel Watch UI, but the battery life is abysmal... why can't I get a device with both looks and performance?

[@thebigsdog]

Great review Lexy, you really know how to review a product and provide proper consumer feedback.

[@victoriakyivua6929]

Nice review thnx👍🏻 i have one Extra Important Question:) - IS IT POSSIBLE TO SET UP ALARM THERE WITH SOUND +VIBRATION ? This is what i miss in my Garmin Venu 2s compared to my Galaxy watch.

[@shypiece]

Omg I'd like to know too. I never use alarm sounds and have been using vibration on all my devices cuz I can be pretty sensitive to sounds and vibrations are more than enough. But this device is definitely on my wishlist! I currently have a vivoactive 4S and it's been great. (Except for the fact that I can't measure my pulse ox in real time haha)

[@talalshafi9309]

Would you recommend getting this over the Pixel watch?

[@MissSmurfey]

Can you fully use voice assistant now to start a workout? What actions can voice assitant do?

[@Jay-sd9ye]

Now I can ask the assistant what time it is. Nice.

[@Crivoh]

Does the watch do like reminders when I need to do something and it let's me know on the watch?

[@PTLAPTA]

"Wallet is empty" Story of my life.

[@GATonTrax]

Does this have picture previews or just notifications to look at your phone?

[@mantiscity]

This one you can text and make calls with iOS. Can you do that with the old one?

[@mgoodlin1]

No

[@chuyistheshiz6811]

Galaxy classic here. This watch looks awesome also.

[@damifash758]

Was really paying attention and admiring the watch till heard that price 😂 I got my watcg SE for about $220

[@S5King7]

But the Watch SE has been around for a while. The initial price was much higher.

[@damifash758]

@@S5King7 yeah I know I’m just saying bang for buck It makes a lot more sense than getting these And the initial price was $270 That’s still about 200 bucks cheaper

[@yiyoink]

@@S5King7 SE has only been around for a year. And although it's technically on older hardware (Series 5 hardware), Apple should still be supporting it for 4-5 years total.

[@S5King7]

@Yo-yo I'm just saying the price isn't an Apples to Apples comparison (pun intended). A more fair comparison would be a new Apple watch at release MSRP. I think the asking price is fair.

[@Gixx12]

Screw apple watch i have it for a year...always on charger and after a year it has 88 procent battery health

[@slamminsammy24sw]

I have the Instinct just ordered this one super excited to use it when it arrives

[@user-dart]

Good afternoon. I recently bought a Garmin Venu 2 Plus model. I love it and it has everything I need. There is one problem, can you tell me what the essence is. It's about paying with Garmin Pay. I watched earlier reviews in which bloggers claimed that after the watch is put on the hand and the code is entered before payment, then in subsequent times if the watch was not removed, the code does not need to be entered. After entering the code, I still have the opportunity to pay without entering the code for 10 minutes, and then the watch asks for the code again. I deleted and relinked the card but it did not help. I tightened the belt tightly so that the watch always touched the hand, but it did not help. Is it a marriage or raw firmware? It seems that the sensor periodically does not see the watch on the hand? What do you think about this? I really hope you can give me some advice. Reply

[@alandlebq8]

Question: Do you count steps while driving or while sitting? Are they considered accurate?

[@user-dart]

@@alandlebq8 Haven't tested these features. You need to check to understand if the sensors are working correctly?

[@VanNguyen-nn1xs]

Thanks for your fabulous review. I have couple questions: 1. Do I have to buy cellular to be able to use it without my phone around? 2. Is there a way to listen to music for free on the watch? I just need some sound so that i don't get bored when running. Thanks in advance

[@jmiogo]

Why do they never talk about the apps available?

[@GibbonActivist]

Makes me so mad they don't have pace pro on it... I only want that running feature and primarily want a smart watch. Don't want to have to get a forerunner or Fenix for that one feature

[@bunnie9314]

I have had the Garmin vivo move HR for a few years now. I love that the vivo move still has hands. But I need the functionality of the venu2 plus for work. I dislike it doesn't have hands its the only thing holding me back from buying it

[@pablo_ambient]

Can I save the saved track from physical activity such as trekking or running and export it to another application as a gpx file?

[@Z_3D]

I like the speaker music for snowboarding.

[@paulinauribes]

I have a little wrist, should I get this one or maybe de venu 2s?

[@datmeme8967]

And still, no one can design a smart watch screen without thick bezels since the Moto360 gen 1 and 2. Pretty sad.

[@willsherman3527]

Has to do with pay services

[@cf4574]

Also how well are they paired up with a iPhone?

[@kroppotheclown6288]

apple and samsung dream of that kind of a battery life.

[@vasilivoloshin]

I am considering this ones ( both with and without speaking functionality) for my wife, which now is using a first gen. fitbit and she especially complains about battery. However I am really concerned about size (thickness), like how real is to actually sleep with this device on the wrist ? I tried couple of times with my Fenix 5 plus and it was a nightmare (they are really bulky) and giving this experience a sleep tracking is a joke for me.

[@YAHAY_King]

Is this alright to use for ocean swimming?

[@black79montecarlo123]

I had the Epix 2 and decided to return it since it doesn't really have any "smart watch" capabilities. $1000 and still couldn't use it for calls or texts. Big disappointment. Battery life was awesome though. Not worth sacrificing all the features I utilize daily though.

[@alvisskusano]

Is the strap can change to other colour? As i saw online venu 2 had a white and blue one

[@cf4574]

Can you connect these to Apple or any sort of AirPods? I have an iPhone but looking to get a Venu 2, but have AirPods, do they connect to any AirPods?

[@kimthuangyeu2581]

Is it possible to enable recording on the watch?

[@Insan3AsylumXO]

If I have the memory of a gnat and I'm looking for something I can speak into and go like, say, "remind me in an hour to switch the laundry" or "make a note: get mom x for her birthday" so I can thumbtack my thoughts on the fly, can I do that with this watch?

[@alexandreblanquaert5256]

Hello , is this watch compatible with the mate 20 pro from huawei please ?

[@LeeHanDSOME_BoyNextDoor]

Does anyone know if Garmin will be releasing a Venu 3 this year? Or any other new model with an ecg? I'm just wondering if I should go ahead and buy the Venu 2 Plus or wait for a new watch from Garmin.

[@sebastianlopezgarsco1420]

There are some rumors, but nothing official yet. I was on the same boat than you. I ended up buying the Venu 2 since it does all the things I need to and you can find it heavily discounted

[@huntii]

Does the watch has a SOS gps feature?

[@mikehawk7307]

How long are Garmin watches support?

[@KenzLaw]

I'm using my student discount to get this watch. I've been eyeing Garmin for a while lol

[@kaveman_4242]

Great review :)

[@brunor78]

7+ days with Always on display or raise to wake?

[@sachins4725]

Confused between 40mm and 43mm. Which one to buy? How does it matter? I like to have a huge display! Edit: I am checking in BicCamera, Japan

[@kardo_6627]

Are the buttons durable?

[@nachot6592]

BTW, they updated the watch and now has an ECG function.

[@nirmalyamisra]

not outside usa

[@Jenrayha]

Thank you for your great review! I've ordered my first Garmin, the Venu 2 Plus, just yesterday, I'm very excited! Currently I'm using the Galaxy Watch 4, just want to be able to switch a little bit from time to time. :)

[@TheSgtFoley]

Hi mate! What are your thoughts about Galaxy watch? I am thinking of purchasing this one or venu 2 but still didn't make a final decision

[@tomacheteful]

How did it work out?

[@Jenrayha]

@@tomacheteful Unfortunately it didn't work for me. I still have the Venue, but I'm not using it anymore. 🫤

[@tomacheteful]

@@Jenrayha thanks for responding. I have been unsatisfied with my galaxy watch 4 classic mainly battery life... im trying the ticwatch pro 3 ultra gps now.. but not happy with it either. Probably gonna return it.

[@strongman7050]

@@tomacheteful So what better to buy now? i think about galaxy watch 5 or this watch... garmin venu 2 plus

[@razza83]

So you have to have a phone near by to take calls or reply to messages and you can't use the assistant to control the watch?? Doesn't sound very well thought through tbh, the regular Venu 2 sounds way more sensible.

[@chrisperez4199]

You can do that with the original Venu 2?

[@razza83]

@@chrisperez4199 No but my point is that if the features are half baked they're not worth spending extra money on, esp when an Apple watch nails it for less

[@Pazaluz]

Anyone have recommendations for cheaper alternatives that support offline music? I've never owned a smart/sport watch except for a fitbit charge 2.

[@fullboxxskater]

iPod nano

[@fabianreah1708]

@@fullboxxskater 😂

[@willsherman3527]

Garmin 245 forerunner?

[@Pazaluz]

@@willsherman3527 i ended up buying the 245 ^^ very glad with it

[@teslatassie8185]

If it had solar assist charging I would buy this in a flash, so I will wait hopefully for the solar version.

[@thundergato84]

It's nice, but $449? A price of $299 to $349 would've been better.

[@Jackawings]

Will it last more than 8 hours just playing music?

[@Lynn-zw7dr]

I bought one yesterday set it up, great, this morning green flickering screen at start up, had to return, another on the way to me! , 🙄

[@Jokamutta]

Does it have any kind of app store?

[@dystopiaisutopia]

Garmin has their own app store for watches. Hundreds of apps.

[@CaptainHookhatesBooks]

Looked into Galaxy watch 4 and 2 days of battery tops somw gets 1 day is a bummer.

[@tuyetnhungnguyenthi8871]

The device is now operating at extreme power saving mode. The calling performance will be reduced to conserve battery life, and also the screen vibrancy will be lowered down. The music and voice may be delayed or not getting at all.

[@Is725i]

Its the best watch but the bezel scratches off easy. That gun metal is white underneath. Lol.

[@gribbler1695]

You can buy shells in various colours.

[@zckom]

RTOS always have better battery life, looking forwards for Samsung and Apple to improve the battery life of their smart watches. However, it is unlikely to see in near future in my opinion.

[@samjam6989]

they just did...look at galaxy watch pro 4 day battery and Apple watch ultra capable of getting 60 hours now instead of 18 hours

[@tavaruslong733]

Can u get of social media on this watch

[@tofu_golem]

1. How waterproof is it? 2. Can it control music playing on my phone?

[@DirkaDirka07]

5 ATM and yes.

[@mart2.n]

You need to play music on your tiny watch because you have shown your kid that it is possible. :D (personal experience)

[@gregmaurice4930]

Very cute and thanks !

[@well-well-well-whathavewehere]

I have the Garmin Vivoactive 4. The pulse oxygen meter doesn't work 99% of the time and when it does, it's way off. If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't.

[@RS-handle]

Qi wireless charging ?

[@LexySavvides]

No just Garmin’s standard 4-pin charger

[@TheJ1s]

That's too much, and for my next smartwatch I'm hoping for better music control, my Galaxy watch has a hard time playing music just to my Bluetooth headphones when I'm switching albums.

[@quangfps]

pretty steep price tho, happy with the venu 2

[@saafewolf69]

Does anyone know if this would be good as a fitness tracker for a wheelchair user?

[@willsherman3527]

Heart rate and HRV is the main thing that fitness trackers look at terms of calorie burning excetera. Just pretend you're jogging or walking or running, and I think you'll get there. The rapid movement of your arms might throw off the heart tracking? Pretty sure you can add an inexpensive heart monitor to it if needed. Polar H10?

[@prawnstar502]

i have no idea why there are like 15 garmin smartwatches and why they are so expensive.. i guess ill just get an apple watch

[@BriefNerdOriginal]

Did you really say "music storage"? Wow :-\

[@dystopiaisutopia]

@Tiago Thinks Going anywhere without your phone is a bad idea. Have you seen the crime wave lately?

[@cristiansasmiresan461]

Hi there! :) Is it possible to listen to music while running without taking the smartphone with us? Thank you 🙏🏼

[@cristiansasmiresan461]

@@LilyW-in7ou does it work with Spotify premium and synchronized with the watch as well? Many thanks 🙏🏼

[@VeNkATesHDXTS]

My samsung galaxy watch which was released 4 years ago plays music over speaker present in the watch ... not sure why this is an exciting feature.

[@nrseifes4090]

I own a GW4 and a Garmin (Fenix 6 Sapphire). Heartrate and related health parameters are - I apologize- crap on the GW4 (accuracy). I so far had the GW4 for the smartwatch features (such as taking calls from the watch). This watch may convince me to go Garmin all the way.

[@FrancisManga]

Watching this on my Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

[@alvzcizzler]

Lexy make a video on the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro, it's very similar to this if not better but costs less

[@rodzz7]

Can you send WhatsApp voice notes through the watch?

[@TellurdogIsayhi]

Damn, i had no idea this thing existed. Wish it had a bio impedance sensor to measure BMI, and an ECG. I’d buy it right now if it did.

[@ezyrhino]

The latest software added ECG.

[@kai84m]

It has ECG

[@haihahoang8848]

Does it have alway on display like Samsung watch?

[@MrWhaatay]

Is there a law that prevents decent looking watch faces?

[@mikephilpot]

Can you surf with this?

[@PatchyAdam]

I'd like more fitness and less smartwatch like the older garmins

[@Simon89Jeppesen]

Touchscreen sucks when running and raining.

[@Azazel518]

Is this waterproof? as opposed to water resistant?. I do a 45 min ocean swim every day and currently use the Fenix 5s but would like to have the LTE function when I'm at work?. If not anyone have any suggestions on which watch would meet my needs? ( oh and no apple watches thanks) 🤓

[@dystopiaisutopia]

What is LTE? The Instinct is waterproof, but it doesn't measure HR while submerged.

[@Azazel518]

It means the watch has its own e sim

[@Proxenga]

945 LTE is available with such features.

[@kuaqimai]

No ecg :( damn and quite expensive

[@dystopiaisutopia]

I don't like touchscreens except smartphones at all. I have a Garmin Instinct and love the simple operation. Also have a Garmin 530, no touchscreen either! Stop making everything with touchscreens!

[@battousaihimura]

Man 450$ 😔

[@rollingreclinerRecumbent]

WOW that $450.00 price, in typical Garmin fashion, is way over priced.

[@dystopiaisutopia]

Lol never buy them at retail. I just got an Instint for $100 on Ebay. In perfect condition. $299 retail.

[@milanzarkov]

Bixby? LOL

[@viperanaf]

overpriced compared to alternatives

[@philippv.767]

lol its so laggy compared to apple watches and is also more expensive

[@firminofire9895]

Won’t be buying. My music is on my phone! 🤯

[@carloslara8117]

I never seen you and I love your review but I think you are really beautiful girl and I am not flirting I am just stating the obvious