Earlier this year, when Garmin released Venu 2, the latest in the Venu Lineup, we did a similar comparison of Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Garmin Venu 2. Both put up a tough competition and we ended up not declaring a definitive winner. Venu 2 and its smaller counterpart 2S have their due authority in sports watches, Active 2 turned out to be more of a sweet spot between lifestyle and health watch.
Things have changed pretty fast since then. We did inform you about the turn-of-the-century partnership between tech giants Google & Samsung to upgrade the limping Wear OS. It was but obvious that Samsung would release a new smartwatch this year, and a lot of new upgrades were expected. Galaxy Watch4 & 4 Classic proved that right.
Samsung ditched the ‘Active’ branding for its latest lineup. Galaxy Watch 4 is the most logical successor of Active 2 with its touch bezel, whereas 4 Classic tends to be a refined version of Galaxy Watch 3 with its large size and the physical rotating bezel.
Here, we would compare these most anticipated watches of 2021. Though Galaxy Watch 4 has direct competition with Apple Watch Series 6, Fitbit Sense, Ticwatch Pro 4G, and Fossil Gen 5, Garmin has climbed the ladder pretty fast, and with its Venu 2 watches, it has become a serious competitor of Samsung.
Alright, Amigos! Let’s get into the meat of the comparison. We hope you wouldn’t mind a brief ‘General Comparison’.
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Table of Contents
General Comparison:
Price and Value Difference:
Garmin Venu 2 and 2S have different physical, battery and screen sizes, but the company doesn’t offer any discount on the smaller version. You would have to fork out a hefty 400 USD. Samsung in this regard has won our hearts.
The smaller-sized latest Galaxy Watches (40/42mm) are $50 cheaper and also the Bluetooth variants. The Galaxy Watch 4 (40mm) is starting at as low as $270 and goes all the way up to 430 USD.
As far as price and value are concerned, Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 comes at the top of this competition.
Garmin Venu 2 Vs Galaxy Watch 4: Design & Display:
Design Comparison:
| Garmin Venu 2 | Samsung Galaxy Watch4 | |
| Dimensions, Weight | Venu 2: 45.4 x 45.4 x 12.2mm | 49g Venu 2S: 40.4 x 40.4 x 12.1mm 38.2g | Galaxy Watch 4: 44mm: 44.4 x 43.3 x 9.8mm, 30.3g40mm: 40.4 x 39.3 x 9.8mm, 25.9g Galaxy Watch 4 Classic: 46mm: 45.5 x 45.5 x 11.0mm, 52g42mm: 41.5 x 41.5 x 11.2mm, 46.5g |
| Band Size | Venu 2: 22mmVenu 2S: 18mm | 20mm strap |
| Build materials | Stainless steel bezel, reinforced polymer, and hardware Silicone band | Stainless Steel (Galaxy Watch 4 Classic) & Aluminum casing with sillicone strap |
| Colors | Venu 2: Silver bezel with Granite Blue case, Slate bezel with Black case Venu 2S: Slate bezel with Graphite case, Light Gold bezel with Light Sand case, Silver bezel with Mist Grey case, Rose Gold bezel with White case | Galaxy Watch 4 (44mm: Black, Green, Silver | 40mm: Black, Pink Gold, Silver) Galaxy Watch4 Classic (46mm: Black, Silver | 42mm: Black, Silver) |
| Waterproofing | 5ATM (up to 50m) | 5 ATM (up to 50m) + MIL-STD-810G |
In the design department, we might be comparing three different watches: Garmin Venu 2 vs Galaxy Watch 4 vs Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. The latter two are separated by the casing size and primarily by a rotating bezel. The classic variant comes with a rotating bezel like Galaxy Watch 3, whereas Watch 4 seems to be the successor of Active 2 with its touch rotating bezel.
Garmin Watch has a polymer casing, metallic bezel, and silicone strap. Samsung goes premium with its metallic construction which is classy and premium. Though Venu 2 offers more variety of colors and finishes, GW4 doesn’t lag behind. You will find the details in the comparison table above.
All these watches use silicone bands, but the GW4 lineup has been consistent in the sizing of the band: all 20mm. Garmin Venu 2 takes a 20mm strap, whereas Venu 2S takes an 18mm strap. For sure, you can swap these bands for third-party options if you like.
I have already mentioned different sizing of these watches, but the more interesting feature to look at is the weight. Galaxy Watch 4 variants (40/44mm)with its aluminum casing are the lightest of all. Garmin Venu 2 is only a few grams short of Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. All these watches are suitable to wear all day, but the classy look Galaxy Watch allows you to take to special occasions.
We get two buttons on the right side no matter what watch you choose, but the buttons on the Garmin Watch are protruding and more pronounced. Samsung seems to have a change of heart with the GW4 as the buttons have an oblong shape this time. Anyways, Samsung Watch has an edge in navigation with its bezels.
Lastly, we found these watches equally rugged for a harsh environment. Venu 2 is 5 ATM rated for water ingression, whereas Samsung has added two other certifications IP68 & MIL-STD-810G just like the previously released models. These certifications vouch for the durability of the Galaxy Watch, surely it can take a great amount of abuse without getting damaged.
Display Features:
| Garmin Venu 2 | Samsung Galaxy Watch4 | |
| Display Size | Venu 2: 1.3-inch Venu 2S: 1.1-inch | 44/46mm: 1.36-inch40/42mm: 1.19-inch |
| Screen Type & Resolution | Venu 2: AMOLED 416 x 416 resolutionVenu 2S: AMOLED 360 x 360 resolution | 44/46mm: Super AMOLED450 x 450 resolution40/42mm: Super AMOLED396 x 396 resolution |
| Pixel Per Inch | 326 PPI | 330 PPI |
| Screen Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Galaxy Watch 4: Corning Gorilla Glass with DX+ Galaxy Watch 4 Classic:Corning Gorilla Glass with DX |
| Always-on Display | Yes | Yes |
| Rotating Bezel | No | Galaxy Watch 4: Touch Bezel Galaxy Watch 4 Classic: Physical Bezel |
Garmin Venu 2 is only the second watch by the company with a crisp AMOLED display. You can’t compare it with the pioneer. Though the difference in numbers might fail to convince you, the actual experience is a world apart.
Galaxy Watch has a fast, clean UI as they have years of experience in such a type of display. We mean no disrespect to the Venu 2 lineup as Garmin has brought you a remarkably smooth interface in this watch as compared to its other sports watches, Samsung watch simply offers a better experience.
Overall the display is crisp, vivid, and offers great viewing angles in all these watches. Alway-on mode is there, and the screen is sharp enough to display more widgets in a single view.
Corning Glass, though of different types, makes the screen of these watches resistant to scratches and fingerprints.
Garmin Venu 2 Vs Galaxy Watch 4: Smartwatch Features
| Garmin Venu 2 | Samsung Galaxy Watch4 | |
| Connectivity | BluetoothANT+Wi-FiNFC | Bluetooth 5.0Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, Cellular (Only in LTE models)NFC |
| Companion App | Garmin Connect | Google Fit |
| Storage | 650 songs | 16 GB |
| Processor | N/A | 5nm Samsung Exynos W920Dual-core 1.18GHz |
| RAM | N/A | 1.5 GB |
| Notification Alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar, Weather | Yes | Yes |
| Offline Spotify | Yes | Yes |
| Timer & Alarm | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable Watch Faces | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Assistant | No | Yes (Bixby) |
| Music Storage, Control | Yes | Yes |
| Third-Party Apps | Yes | Yes (Wear OS play store) |
| Make calls, send texts & Emails | No | Yes |
| Browse Web | No | Yes |
| Contactless Payment | Yes ( Garmin Pay ) | Yes (Google Pay, Samsung Pay) |
Garmin Venu 2 in comparison offers a paltry of the above-mentioned features. Contactless payment via Garmin Pay is there, you can store music directly on the watch, or stream and download playlists from your favorite streaming platforms like Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer. Third-party app support is there, but most of the apps are sports and fitness-centric and their number is a fraction of what you get in the Galaxy Watch.
While Garmin allows you to access a ton of third-party watch faces, Samsung goes a step further with its watch face customization tool, one of the few features that makes it the transition to the new WearOS software with One UI overlay.
Another plus of Samsung Watch is the access to Google Wearable Suite (Google Maps, Google Assistant, Google Pay), but some of them would be added later this year via firmware update. The company is still relying on Bixby for now, but then something is better than nothing.
The Galaxy Watch shines as a smartwatch, and not any other watch, let alone Garmin Venu 2, can meet its standard (excluding of course the Apple Watch).
Note: Unlike previous Samsung Watches, this one is only compatible with Android devices and is best for Samsung Galaxy Smartphones.
Garmin Venu 2 Vs Galaxy Watch 4: Fitness & Health Features
| Garmin Venu 2 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 | |
| Built-in GPS | Yes (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo) | Yes (GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, Galileo) |
| Heart Rate Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Blood Oxygen | Yes | Yes |
| ECG | No | Yes |
| Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis | No | Yes |
| Steps, Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| Personal Activity Intelligence | Yes | No |
| Sport Mode | 75+ | 90+ |
| Sync Data With Strava, Apple Health | Yes | N/A |
| Health Snapshot | Yes | No |
In terms of health features, Samsung beats Garmin with the sheer number of metrics it offers. It can track heart rate and blood oxygen both continuously and on-demand.
In fact this time, the company has introduced a 3-in-1 sensor that in combination with the aforementioned metrics also offers Body composition details. This new metric will give you a comprehensive report on body fat percentage, body mass index (BMI), muscle mass, bone mass, body water percentage, and more.
Apart from these health metrics, Galaxy Watch 4 also tracks sleep, stress, and blood pressure. Also, it is one of the few FDA approved ECG smartwatches.
Garmin Venu 2, in comparison, apes the other health metrics except for ECG and Body Composition. In terms of accuracy, it is slightly better than the GW4. Also, it offers handy features like a health snapshot that let you share your health data in pdf format with your doctor, and intensity minutes to make sense of raw data.
The sport tracking is the stronghold of Garmin, and Venu 2/2S doesn’t disappoint. It has multiple sports and workout profiles and offers comprehensive data for popular ones like running, swimming, and weightlifting. However, the Galaxy Watch4 doesn’t lag too far behind. Given, the Garmin would offer better accuracy, but is it really worth investing way more money for it? It’s up to you.
No doubt, Garmin Venu 2 is a better sports watch as we can expect from a company founded on the back of its strong navigational capability. Other than GPS accuracy, you wouldn’t find the animated guides for workouts on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.
Garmin Venu 2 Vs Galaxy Watch 4: Battery Life & Charging
| Garmin Venu 2 | Samsung Galaxy Watch4 | |
| Battery Performance | 7-11 days (mixed usage), It varies with the smartwatch size, GPS and Music, and Always-on feature usage. | 1-2 days (mixed usage), It varies with the smartwatch size, and usage of features like GPS and Music, and Always-on |
| Battery Size | Not specified | 44/46mm: 361mAh40/42mm: 247mAh |
| Charger Type | USB Charging Cable, with pogo pin connectors | WPC-based wireless charging |
| Fast Charging | Yes (takes 90 minutes to fully charge) | No (Takes almost 2 hours to fully charge) |
Battery performance is a controversial feature as the experience of users varies greatly. Before we share our two cents on the battery life of these watches, it is pertinent to share the claim of both companies.
Garmin Venu 2/2S boasts a battery life of 11 and 10 days respectively, whereas Samsung’s claim for Galaxy Watch 4 isn’t so audacious. At max, the watches in this lineup claim 3 days of the performance.
In the case of Garmin, we have found the claim consistent with the real-time performance. These watches would last you a week for sure if not two with average usage of battery-hog features. Unfortunately, Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 turned out to be a 1-day watch if you unleash its full potential: GPS tracking, Music Playback, Always-on Display, overnight blood oxygen, and most importantly, LTE connectivity.
Keep in mind that the smaller variants of both watches would have slightly less battery power, and the difference is more pronounced in the case of Galaxy Watch 4.
It is worth noting that Galaxy Watch 4 has made no significant improvement on its predecessor the famous Watch 3, though the leaks suggested otherwise. For many like us, it was a big disappointment.
Though Garmin Venu 2 supports fast charging, Galaxy Watch does have to offer something to compensate for its okay-ish power. It supports WPC-based magnetic charging, so charging the watch is a hassle-free process. Whereas, the pogo-pin outdated connectors on Garmin Watch may not be as attractive for those who prefer convenience at all costs.
Overall, Garmin Venu 2 is an undisputed king of this arena. With its 10 days long performance, it is way ahead of many great watches in the market, including the newly released Galaxy Watch.
Garmin Venu 2/2s Vs Galaxy Watch 4/4 Classic: Key Similarities:
- All watches in this comparison feature a circular casing with two buttons on the side for navigation.
- Silicone Strap is the industry standard for smartwatches, and both Samsung and Garmin feature silicone straps. However, you are allowed to replace the default straps with third-party straps.
- You get plenty of colors and finishes in both Galaxy watches and Garmin Venu 2/2S
- You can make contactless payments on these watches: Garmin watches uses ‘Garmin Pay’; Samsung watches relies on Samsung Pay
- You get the option of Music Storage on both watches, but Galaxy Watch has significantly more storage (16 GB)
- Health features like Heart Rate, Blood Oxygen Sleep, Stress Tracking are accurate and reliable on both these watches.
- These watches are 5 ATM rated for water ingression, enough to submerge upto 50m.
Garmin Venu 2/2s Vs Galaxy Watch 4/4 Classic: Key Differences
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4/4 Classic’s LTE models have cellular connectivity, so you can make standalone calls, send texts and stream music.
- GW4 models offer a brand new BIM sensor that can take both ECG readings and a comprehensive measure of your body mass index.
- Samsung Watch has a superior display, offers better UI interface. Navigation is fast and so do the apps.
- Galaxy Watch 4 is a fully-fledged smartwatch, whereas Venu 2 is a sports and fitness device first.
- Sports tracking is more comprehensive on the Garmin Venu 2, GPS tracking is more accurate.
- Garmin beats Samsung in battery performance in almost all competitions, so it was only natural that Garmin Venu 2 would reign supreme in this competition.
What should you buy: Garmin Venu 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
There are only two reasons to buy Garmin Venu 2/2S: they offer superior battery performance and sports tracking is somewhat better on these watches. Other than these two, Galaxy Watch 4/4 Classic offers everything its competition is offering plus a lot more features as a bonus. Your investment in the Galaxy Watch can never go wrong as this one is future-proof with the latest Wear OS platform. The best thing about this latest Galaxy Watch is the value it is offering. Even the most expensive Galaxy Watch 4 Classic LTE demands only a fraction more than the Venu 2 while offering a ton of more features. My ultimate vote goes for the Samsung Watch 4.
