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Garmin makes some of the best smartwatches on the market, the company has been at the forefront of making some of the best fitness-focused GPS smartwatches on the market. The Venu and Vivoactive 4 were released in 2019, these series were followed by the release of Venu Sq which is a cheaper and lower-end version of Venu. The main difference between Venu Sq and Venu is that the latter has a more durable design, features a floor counting, onscreen animated workout modes, and has a more colorful AMOLED display. The difference between Venu and Vivoactive 4 is that the latter has a transflective MIP and longer battery life. Beyond these differences, all three smartwatches are well equipped to track your daily activities like steps, calories, heart rate, sleep, and more. Each of these three also helps you manage notifications received on your phone with a quick reply option, features music storage, and has a long battery that lets you go multiple days from a single charge. This comparison review compares the differences that separate Garmin Venu Sq vs Venu vs Vivoactive 4 to find out which is the best.
Garmin Venu SQ vs Venu vs Vivoactive 4 Full Specifications
Page Contents
| Product Info |
 Garmin Venu Sq Specifications, Features and Price |
 Garmin Venu Specifications, Features and Price |
 Garmin Vivoactive 4 Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $249.99 | $259.79 | $258.66 |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Garmin Venu Sq | Garmin Venu | Garmin Vivoactive 4 |
| Device type | Fitness/Sport smartwatch | Fitness/Sport smartwatch | Fitness/Sport smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex, Women | Unisex, Women | Unisex |
| Predecessor | Garmin Vivoactive 3 | Garmin Vivoactive 3 | Garmin Vivoactive 3 |
| Successor | — | — | — |
| Models | — | — | Captain Marvel, First Avengers, Vivoactive 4, Vivoactive 4S |
| Date released | September, 2020 | September, 2019 | September, 2019 |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.3 inches | 1.2 inches | 1.3 inches |
| Display type | LCD | AMOLED | LCD, Memory-in-pixel (MIP), transflective |
| Resolution | 240 x 240 px | 390 x 390 px | 260 x 260 px |
| Pixel density | — | — | — |
| Customizable watchface | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 2 Physical buttons, Touchscreen | 2 Physical buttons, Touchscreen | 2 Physical buttons, Touchscreen |
| Always-On | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BODY | BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Shape | Circular | Circular | Circular |
| Case material | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Strap material | Silicone | Silicone | Silicone |
| Bezel material | Aluminum | Stainless steel | Stainless steel |
| Strap size | 20 mm | 20 mm | 22 mm |
| Color | Black, Navy blue, Rose-gold, White | Black, Gold, Rose-gold | Black, Silver |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Dimension | 40.6 x 37.0 x 11.5 mm | 43.2 x 43.2 x 12.4 mm | 45.1 x 45.1 x 12.8 mm |
| Weight | 37.6g | 46.3 grams | 50.5 grams |
| Waterproof rating | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Durability test | — | — | — |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No | No |
| Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth v4.0 | ANT+, Bluetooth v4.0 | ANT+, Bluetooth v4.0 |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | — | — | — |
| ROM | 4GB | 4GB | 4GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No | No |
| CELLULAR | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Network technology | None | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None | None |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Microphone | No | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | No | No | No |
| Bluetooth music | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | No | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HRM | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | No | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse Ox. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | No | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | No | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ECG | No | No | No |
| Thermometer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Steps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calories | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | No | Yes | Yes |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Blood Pressure | No | No | No |
| Stress | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | No | No | No |
| Fall detection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Onscreen workout | No | Yes | Yes |
| Preloaded sport modes | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | — | — | — |
| Battery life | GPS with music: up to 6hrs, Regular: 6 days | GPS with music: up to 6hrs, Smartwatch mode: up to 5 days | GPS with music: up to 6hrs, Smartwatch mode: up to 8 days |
| Charging type | Charging dock | Charging dock | Charging dock |
| Charging duration | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar power | No | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Operating system | Proprietary OS | Proprietary OS | Proprietary OS |
| Chipset | — | — | — |
| CPU | — | — | — |
| GPU | — | — | — |
| MISC | MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Garmin Connect | Garmin Connect | Garmin Connect |
| Compatibility | Android 5.0+, iOS 11.0+ | Android 5.0+, iOS 11.0+ | Android 5.0+, iOS 11.0+ |
| Payment system | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Customizable strap | 20mm, Yes | 20mm, Yes | 22 mm, Yes |
| Voice Assistant | No | No | No |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Garmin Venu Sq, Manual, Straps | Charger, Garmin Venu, Manual, Straps | Charger, Garmin Vivoactive 4, Manual, Straps |
| Price | $249.99 | $259.79 | $258.66 |
Garmin Venu Sq vs Venu vs Vivoactive Activity Tracking Features
| Activity Tracking Features | Garmin Venu Sq | Garmin Venu | Garmin Vivoactive 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Features | |||
| Connect IQ (Downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets, and apps) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Text response/reject phone calls with text (Android only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Weather | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery saver - customizable low power watch | No | No | No |
| Controls smartphone music | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Find my watch | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virb remote | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Safety and Tracking Features | |||
| Livetrack | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Group Livetrack | No | No | No |
| Live event sharing | No | No | No |
| Incident detection during select activities | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Assistance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tactical Features | |||
| Stealth mode | No | No | No |
| Night vision mode | No | No | No |
| Dual Grid Coordinates | No | No | No |
| Kill switch | No | No | No |
| Activity Tracking Features | |||
| Move bar (displays on device after a period of inactivity; walk for a couple of minutes to reset it) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep monitoring (monitors total sleep and periods of movement or restful sleep) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calories burned | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | No | Yes | Yes |
| Distance travelled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intensity minutes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trueup™ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Move IQ™ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fitness age | yes (in app) | yes (in app) | yes (in app) |
| Body battery™ energy monitor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| All-day stress tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gym & Fitness Equipment | |||
| Available gym activity profiles | strength, cardio and elliptical training, stair stepping, floor climbing, indoor rowing, pilates and yoga | strength, cardio and elliptical training, stair stepping, floor climbing, indoor rowing, pilates and yoga | strength, cardio and elliptical training, stair stepping, floor climbing, indoor rowing, pilates and yoga |
| Cardio workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Strength workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yoga workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pilates workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| On-screen workout animations | No | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic rep counting | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Training, Planning and Analysis Features | |||
| GPS speed and distance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable data pages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable activity profiles | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Pause® | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Interval training | No | No | No |
| Advanced workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Downloadable training plans | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Power modes - customizable in-activity battery settings | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto lap | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manual lap | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Configurable lap alerts | No | No | No |
| Heat and altitude acclimation | No | No | No |
| VO2 Max. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Training status (lets you see if you’re training effectively by tracking your training history and fitness level trend.) | No | No | No |
| Training load (your total training load for the last 7 days calculated from estimated epoc) | No | No | No |
| Training load focus | No | No | No |
| Training effect (aerobic) | No | No | No |
| Training effect (anaerobic) | No | No | No |
| Primary Benefit (training effect labels) | No | No | No |
| Custom alerts | No | No | No |
| Audio prompts | No | No | No |
| Finish time | No | No | No |
| Virtual partner | No | No | No |
| Race an activity | No | No | No |
| Auto multisport activities | No | No | No |
| Manual multisport activities | No | No | No |
| Course guidance | No | No | No |
| Garmin Live Segments | No | No | No |
| Strava Live Segments | No | No | No |
| Round-Trip course creator (running/cycling) | No | No | No |
| Trendline™ Popularity Routing | No | No | No |
| Touch and/or button lock | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hot keys | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto scroll | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Activity history on watch | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Physio Trueup | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Heart Rate Features | |||
| HR zones | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HR alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HR calories | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| % HR max. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| % HRR | No | No | No |
| Recovery time | No | No | No |
| Auto max HR | No | No | No |
| HRV stress test (measures your heart rate variability while standing still, for 3 minutes, to provide you with an estimated stress level; the scale of this is 1 to 100; low scores indicate lower stress levels) | No | No | No |
| HR broadcast (broadcasts hr data over ant+™ to paired devices) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Respiration rate (during exercise) | Yoga and breathwork only | Yoga and breathwork only | Yoga and breathwork only |
| Respiration rate (all-day and in sleep) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Running Features | |||
| Available run profiles | Running, indoor track running, treadmill running | Running, indoor track running, treadmill running | Running, indoor track running, treadmill running |
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Running dynamics | No | No | No |
| Vertical oscillation and ratio (the degree of 'bounce' in your running motion and the cost-benefit ratio with stride length) | No | No | No |
| Ground contact time and balance (shows how much time, in the running motion, your foot is on the ground rather than in flight and lets you check your running symmetry) | No | No | No |
| Stride length (real time) | No | No | No |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Performance condition (after running 6–20 minutes, compares your real-time condition to your average fitness level) | No | No | No |
| Lactate threshold (through analysis of your pace and heart rate, estimates the point where your muscles start to rapidly fatigue) | No | No | No |
| PacePro™ pacing strategies | No | No | No |
| Run workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Race predictor | No | No | No |
| Foot Pod Capable | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Golf Features | |||
| Preloaded with 41,000 courses worldwide | No | No | No |
| Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Digital Scorecard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom targets | No | No | No |
| Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin Autoshot™ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Full vector map | No | No | No |
| Auto Courseview updates | No | No | No |
| Green view with manual pin position | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hazards and course targets | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pinpointer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Playslike distance | No | No | No |
| Handicap scoring | No | No | No |
| Truswing™ compatible | No | No | No |
| Round timer/odometer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Outdoor Recreation | |||
| Available outdoor recreation profiles | Skiing, snowboarding, xc skiing, stand up paddleboarding, rowing | Skiing, snowboarding, xc skiing, stand up paddleboarding, rowing | Skiing, snowboarding, xc skiing, stand up paddleboarding, rowing |
| Point-to-Point navigation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bread crumb trail in real time | No | No | No |
| Back to start | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tracback® | No | No | No |
| Ultratrac Mode | No | No | No |
| Around me mode | No | No | No |
| Elevation profile | No | No | No |
| Distance to destination | No | No | No |
| Barometric trend indicator with storm alert | No | No | No |
| ClimbPro™ ascent planner | No | No | No |
| Trail run auto climb | No | No | No |
| Vertical speed | No | No | No |
| Total ascent/descent | No | Yes | Yes |
| Future elevation plot | No | No | No |
| Preloaded Topographical maps | No | No | No |
| Preloaded Ski resort maps | No | No | No |
| Downloadable cartography support | No | No | No |
| Compatible with Basecamp™ | No | No | No |
| GPS coordinates | No | No | No |
| Sight 'N GO | No | No | No |
| Area calculation | No | No | No |
| Hunt/fish calendar | No | No | No |
| Projected waypoint | No | No | No |
| Sun and moon information | No | No | No |
| Xero™ locations | No | No | No |
| Expedition GPS activity | No | No | No |
| Tides | No | No | No |
| Cycling Features | |||
| Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Courses | No | No | No |
| Cycle map (routable cycling-specific street map) | No | No | No |
| Available cycling profiles | Biking, indoor biking | Biking, indoor biking | Biking, indoor biking |
| Bike lap and lap maximum power (with power sensor) | No | No | No |
| Race an activity | No | No | No |
| FTP (Functional Threshold Power) | No | No | No |
| Compatible with Vector™ (Power Meter) | No | No | No |
| Power Meter compatible | No | No | No |
| Compatible with Varia Vision™ (head-mounted display) | No | No | No |
| Compatible with Varia™ Radar (Rear-Facing Radar) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Compatible with Varia™ Lights | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Speed and cadence sensor support (with sensor) | Yes (ANT+® and Bluetooth® Smart sensors) | Yes (ANT+® and Bluetooth® Smart sensors) | Yes (ANT+® and Bluetooth® Smart sensors) |
| Swimming Features | |||
| Available swim profiles | Pool swimming | Pool swimming | Pool swimming |
| Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | No | No | No |
| Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Drill logging (pool swim only) | No | No | No |
| Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Countdown start (pool swim only) | No | No | No |
| Pool swim workouts | No | No | No |
| Time and distance alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater wrist-based heart rate | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate from external HRM (real-time during rests, interval and session stats during rests, and automatic heart rate download post-swim) | No | No | No |
The Main Differences
- All three smartwatches are fantastic choices, each of these three has a fine design that is both durable and elegant. Although, the Vivoactive 4 and Venu which both have a circular face that leaves these two with a classic watch appearance are more durable than Venu Sq. These two have a stainless steel bezel compared to the anodized aluminum bezel of Venu Sq.
- Furthermore, both Venu and Vivoactve 4 can count floors climbed which aren’t available on Venu Sq, and it lacks the preset animated workout modes present on both Venu and Vivoactive 4. This is an interesting feature that can save you money on subscriptions for workout programs.
- The battery life of all three smartwatches also varies, but you can get multiple days of battery life from each of these two. However, Vivoactive 4 has the longest battery life that can keep you going for about a week compared to about 5 days with Venu and Venu Sq.
Verdict
The bottom line, all three smartwatches are fantastic choices. Although, Venu and Vivoactive 4 have more to offer, and these two also look more attractive with a more sophisticated design than Venu Sq. Meanwhile, the Venu Sq is a cheaper option if you’re low on budget.
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