TechSmartwatchesGarmin Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus: Which fitness smartwatch should you get?The new Venu 2 Plus adds a couple of nifty new features but are these worth the premium?When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

TechSmartwatchesGarmin Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus: Which fitness smartwatch should you get?The new Venu 2 Plus adds a couple of nifty new features but are these worth the premium?When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

The new Venu 2 Plus adds a couple of nifty new features but are these worth the premium?

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Garmin)

Garmin Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus

(Image credit: Garmin)

With theannouncement of the new Garmin Venu 2 Plus, one must ask the obvious question: which is better, the Venu 2 or the Venu 2 Plus? The Venu 2 Plus is somewhat more advanced than theGarminVenu 2 and slightly more expensive. For the extra price, you get a couple of more features added to the already extensive feature list of the Venu 2. But are these extras worth the premium, or should you get a Garmin Venu 2 instead?

TheGarmin Venu 2is one of thebest fitness trackers, and thebest Garmin watchfor people who need something less hardcore than aGarmin Forerunner 945or aGarmin Fenix 6 Pro. It has a beautiful AMOLED display, decent battery life, silky smooth touch interactions and heap loads of health and wellness features. No wonder it received the T3 Platinum Award.

Garmin Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus: Price and availability

The Garmin Venu 2, and its smaller version, the Venu 2S, was released in April 2021 and is available to buy now atGarminfor a recommended retail price of $399.99/£349.99/AU$629.

There are currently five different Garmin Venu 2S and three Venu 2 versions available (different case/strap combinations).

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus was released in January 2022 and is available to buy now atGarminfor a recommended retail price of $449.99/£399.99/AU$725.

The Venu 2 Plus is available in three colourways with stainless steel bezel and hardware and a 20mm industry-standard quick release silicone band.

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Today’s best Garmin Venu 2S, Garmin Venu 2 and Garmin Venu 2 Plus dealsGarmin Venu 2S$287.24ViewSee all pricesGarmin Venu 2$269.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Venu 2 Plus$449.99$399.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Today’s best Garmin Venu 2S, Garmin Venu 2 and Garmin Venu 2 Plus dealsGarmin Venu 2S$287.24ViewSee all pricesGarmin Venu 2$269.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Venu 2 Plus$449.99$399.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

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Garmin Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus: Build quality

From the size point of view, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus sits in between the Venu 2 and Venu 2S with its 43 mm watch case and 20mm strap. The Venu 2 has a 45 mm and the Venu 2S a 40 mm watch case.

A detail that gives the Venu 2 Plus away are two parallel slits on the side of the watch case; you’ll find the speaker and the microphone here. Despite the more open construction of the Venu 2 Plus, it’s water-rated to 5 ATMs, just like the Venu 2 is.

The Venu 2 Plus also has the latest Garmin Elevate V4 heart rate sensor, much like the Venu 2 and Venu 2S.

(Image credit: Garmin)

Garmin Venu 2 Plus on white background

(Image credit: Garmin)

Garmin Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus: Features

There is also a Health Snapshot feature that logs a two-minute window of key health stats and generates a report users can share with a health care provider, similarly to theWithings ScanWatchand theAmazfit GTR 3 Pro.

You also get the 25+ built-in indoor and GPS sports apps that include walking, running, HIIT, cycling, pool swimming, Pilates, yoga, indoor climbing, hiking, advanced strength training with muscle map graphics and more. The Venu 2 Plus is compatible with Garmin Coach free adaptive training plans.

You can even use the Venu 2 Plus as a little external speaker, should you want to. The watch can store music offline (from Spotify and Deezer), and thanks to the built-in speaker, it will be able to play music without the need forBluetooth running headphones.

Garmin Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus: Battery life

All Venu 2 models have a rapid battery recharge feature. A 10-minute charge adds up to one day of smartwatch mode battery life or one hour of GPS + music battery life. Extend the time further with battery saver mode.

Sadly, the Venu 2 Plus has the worst battery life in smartwatch mode of all the Venu 2 models. It lasts for up to 9 days; compare this to the Venu 2’s 11 days and the Venu 2S' 10 days smartwatch battery life. Having the extra features can indeed drain the battery.

(Image credit: John Lewis)

Garmin Venu 2 on white background

(Image credit: John Lewis)

Garmin Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus: Verdict

Is the Garmin Venu 2 Plus worth the extra money?

It’s slightly smaller in size than the Venu 2, which might make the smartwatch more appealing to people with smaller wrists. The voice assistant is a cool gimmick and something that’s included in many other fitness watches, no wonder Garmin added it here, too.

We can’t recall seeing anyone conducting calls from their wrists before, but it might be something people have requested from Garmin. The fact that you can pay with and listen to music on the Venu 2 Plus without ever touching your phone puts the new features into perspective; it just makes sense to have even more contactless features included in the Venu 2 Plus.

The slight issue is the price. The Venu 2 was already an expensive watch, compared to other smartwatches on the market, with the Venu 2 Plus adding a premium on top. You can get the Venu 2 for cheaper nowadays (you can save up to 20% if you’re lucky), making the Venu 2 Plus' price tag all the heftier.

We recommend thinking through how important the additional features are before buying a Venu 2 Plus. If you have other smart appliances in your home and prefer not to use your phone too often, the Venu 2 Plus might be a good option for your next smartwatch.

If you prefer longer battery life and a smaller or larger screen size for less money, the Venu 2 or Venu 2S might be a better option for you.

Still keen on getting a Garmin Venu 2 Plus? Bookmark ourbest Garmin watch dealspage; we always display the best prices based on your location!

Today’s best Garmin Venu 2S, Garmin Venu 2 and Garmin Venu 2 Plus dealsGarmin Venu 2S$287.24ViewSee all pricesGarmin Venu 2$269.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Venu 2 Plus$449.99$399.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Today’s best Garmin Venu 2S, Garmin Venu 2 and Garmin Venu 2 Plus dealsGarmin Venu 2S$287.24ViewSee all pricesGarmin Venu 2$269.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Venu 2 Plus$449.99$399.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Today’s best Garmin Venu 2S, Garmin Venu 2 and Garmin Venu 2 Plus dealsGarmin Venu 2S$287.24ViewSee all pricesGarmin Venu 2$269.99ViewSee all pricesGarmin Venu 2 Plus$449.99$399.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

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Garmin Venu 2 Plus$449.99$399.99ViewSee all prices

Garmin Venu 2 Plus$449.99$399.99ViewSee all prices

Garmin Venu 2 Plus, GPS…

Garmin Venu 2 Plus

Garmin Venu 2 Plus

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$449.99$399.99View

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