Within a year of the Venu 2 and 2s, Garmin is already launching the next generation smartwatch. It turns out that it is not Venu 3 but Garmin Venu 2 Plus, because the new functionality is limited and not as good as with the competition. The new Garmin therefore remains a great sports watch with style and smartwatch functionality. Read more about it in this Garmin Venu 2 Plus review.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus
Recommended retail price € 395,-
Colors Black, White, Gray
Platform Android, iOS
Screen 1.3 inch amoled (416×416)
Format 4.4 x 4.4 x 1.3 cm
Weight 51 grams
Sensors Heart Rate Monitor, Accelerometer, Pedometer, Calorie Counter, Sleep Monitor, Altimeter
Connectivity Bluetooth, GPS, Microphone, Speaker
Other waterproof, interchangeable straps, Garmin Pay
Website www.garmin.com 7 Score 70 
- Pros
- Ease of use
- Sports Features
- health features
- Garmin Connect
- Smart functions (notifications, smartphone control)
- Negatives
- Little innovation
- Not a real smartwatch
- Voice assistant slow
It is not often that a press release does not mention the important new parts. It happens with the Venu 2 Plus where instead of ‘microphone’ and ‘speaker’ Garmin only talks about ‘speech functionality’. Rightly so, as it turns out, because there is little music that sounds good through the small speaker of the smartwatch. Listening better via a paired headset, but then the ease of use disappoints.
Speaker and microphone come into their own better as an extension of the telephone. Making or taking a phone call works fine through the Venu 2 Plus and no one I call has complained about the noise. This is also really useful for the athlete who can now not only automatically send out an emergency call in the event of an accident or problem on the road, but can also make real calls even when the phone is, for example, a few meters away.
Smartphone is always necessary
That smartphone is always necessary, the Venu 2 Plus itself does not have 4G/5G. A third application of microphone and speaker is for voice commands. All well-known virtual assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant and Bixby are supported and activated by pressing the additional third button on the side of the watch. It is annoying that you then have to wait several seconds until the assistant is activated on the smartphone.
Here it takes revenge that Garmin does not have its own voice assistant or perhaps even its own smartphone. The usefulness of the microphone and speaker is therefore mainly limited to calling and it is questionable whether this is sufficient justification for the price difference with the other Venu models.
A microphone and speaker don’t make a watch ‘smart’ yet
Although we have to wait at least another generation for a real smartwatch from Garmin, there are many areas where the Venu 2 Plus is convincing. It is an incredibly rich sports watch without the overly masculine design of many of those models. The graceful Venu 2 Plus weighs 51 grams with, thanks to the beautiful thin bezel, plenty of room for the beautiful 33 mm size AMOLED screen with 416 x 416 pixels.
Unlike the Venu 2/2s, the back with the heart rate and oxygen level sensors has a stainless steel cover. The combined operation of a touch screen with buttons works very well and certainly after a few weeks of use, offers an impressive amount of data about health, exercise, sleep, recovery, stress, oxygen level and also some especially for women such as the menstrual cycle and pregnancy.
If you want to, you can do so via the excellent Garmin Connect app and website go wild on analyzes and training plans.
Differences from other Garmin sports watches
Compared to the sports watches in the Garmin Forerunner and Fenix/Epix series, multisport, interval training, distinction between aerobic and anaerobic training and maps, navigation and the option to follow a route are lacking.
The battery life varies from four days with the screen always on to more than a week in power save mode where the screen turns on when it detects you’re looking at it and of course during exercise. Because that remains without prejudice to the great power of the Venu 2 Plus.
Conclusion: buy Garmin Venus 2 Plus?
A speaker and a microphone do not make this Venu a real smartwatch. Anyone who expects this will be disappointed. If you’re just looking for a very good sports watch with useful smart functions, but that doesn’t look like you’re running a marathon every day, the Venu 2 Plus is a great choice.
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