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
| Product Info |
 Garmin Venu Sq Specifications, Features and Price |
 Garmin Venu Specifications, Features and Price |
 Garmin Vivoactive 4 Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $149.99 | $144.95 | $199.99 |
| 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 CONNECTIVITY | 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 |
| Reply messages | - | - | - |
| 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 |
| HEALTH & FITNESS TRACKING | HEALTH & FITNESS TRACKING | HEALTH & FITNESS TRACKING | HEALTH & FITNESS 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 | — | — | — |
| MISCELLANEOUS | MISCELLANEOUS | MISCELLANEOUS | MISCELLANEOUS |
| 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 | $149.99 | $144.95 | $199.99 |
Garmin Venu Sq vs Venu vs Vivoactive Activity Tracking Features
| Garmin Forerunner 945 | Garmin Vivoactive 3 LTE | Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music | |
|---|---|---|---|
SMART FEATURES |
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| Connect IQ (Downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets, and apps) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| On-device Connect IQ store | No | No | No |
| Text response/reject phone calls with text (Android only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Weather | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Real-time settings sync with Garmin Connect mobile | No | No | No |
| Battery saver - customizable low power watch | No | No | No |
| Controls smartphone music | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Plays and Control Watch Music | Yes | ||
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Find my watch | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virb remote | Yes | Yes | Yes |
HEALTH MONITORING FEATURES |
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| Wrist-based Heart Rate tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Daily resting heart rate | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Abnormal heart rate alert | Yes | Yes (high) | Yes (high) |
| Respiration Rate (24/7) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fitness Age | Yes | ||
| Blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring | Yes (spot-check, and optionally all-day and in sleep) | No | No |
| Battery energy monitor | Yes | No | No |
| Stress tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Relaxation reminders | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Relaxation breathing timer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced sleep tracking/Sleep Score | Yes | __ | __ |
| Menstrual cycle tracking | Yes (in Garmin Connect and optional Connect IQ widget) | Yes (in Garmin Connect) | Yes (in Garmin Connect) |
| Hydration tracking | Yes (in Garmin Connect and optional Connect IQ widget) | Yes (in Garmin Connect) | Yes (in Garmin Connect) |
| Health Snapshot | No | ||
SAFETY AND TRACKING FEATURES |
|||
| Livetrack | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Group Livetrack | Yes | No | No |
| Live event sharing | Yes (Android Only) | No | No |
| Incident detection during select activities | Yes | No | No |
| Assistance | Yes | No | No |
| Spectator Messaging (New) | No | ||
| Assistance Plus (New) | No | ||
TACTICAL FEATURES |
|||
| Stealth mode | No | No | No |
| Night vision mode | No | No | No |
| Dual Grid Coordinates | Yes | No | No |
| Kill switch | No | No | No |
ACTIVITY TRACKING FEATURES |
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| Steps Counter | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Distance travelled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intensity minutes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trueup | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Move IQ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
GYM & FITNESS EQUIPMENT |
|||
| Available gym activity profiles | strength, cardio, elliptical training, stair stepping, floor climbing, indoor rowing, pilates and yoga | Strength, cardio and elliptical training, stair stepping, floor climbing, indoor rowing and yoga | Strength, cardio and elliptical training, stair stepping, floor climbing, indoor rowing and yoga |
| Cardio workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Strength workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HIIT workouts | No | ||
| Yoga workouts | Yes | No | No |
| Pilates workouts | Yes | No | No |
| On-screen workout animations | Yes | No | No |
| Automatic rep counting | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| On-screen workout muscle maps | No | ||
TRAINING, PLANNING & 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 | Yes | No | No |
| Improved interval (Includes open repeats, intervals data page, rest screen and auto detection) (New) | No | ||
| Advanced workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Downloadable training plans | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Power modes - customizable in-activity battery settings | No | No | No |
| Auto lap | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manual lap | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rest timer (New) | No | ||
| Configurable lap alerts | Yes | No | No |
| Heat and altitude acclimation | Yes | No | No |
| VO2 Max. (Run) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max. (Trail run) | No | No | No |
| Real-Time stamina | No | ||
| Training status (lets you see if you're training effectively by tracking your training history and fitness level trend.) | Yes | No | No |
| Training load (your total training load for the last 7 days calculated from estimated epoc) | Yes | No | No |
| Training load focus | Yes | No | No |
| Training effect (aerobic) | Yes | No | No |
| Training effect (anaerobic) | Yes | No | No |
| Primary Benefit (training effect labels) | Yes | No | No |
| Improved Recovery Time (New) | Yes | ||
| Daily Suggested Workouts (New) | Yes | ||
| Custom alerts | Yes | No | No |
| Audio prompts | Yes | No | No |
| Finish time | Yes | No | No |
| Virtual partner | Yes | No | No |
| Race an activity | Yes | No | No |
| Auto multisport activities | Yes | No | No |
| Manual multisport activities | Yes | No | No |
| Course guidance | Yes | No | No |
| Garmin Live Segments | Yes | No | No |
| Strava Live Segments | Yes | No | No |
| Round-Trip course creator (running/cycling) | Yes | No | No |
| Trendline Popularity Routing | yes (available as a wearable map theme) | No | No |
| Touch and/or button lock | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hot keys | Yes | No | No |
| Auto scroll | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Activity history on watch | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Physio Trueup | Yes | Yes | Yes |
HEART RATE TRACKING FEATURES |
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| HR zones | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HR alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HR calories | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| % HR max. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| % HRR | Yes | No | No |
| Recovery time | Yes | No | No |
| Auto max HR | Yes | No | No |
| Morning report (New) | No | ||
| Race glance/widget (New) | No | ||
| HRV status (New) | No | ||
| Training readiness (New) | 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) | yes (with compatible accessory) | No | No |
| HR broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+ to paired devices) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Respiration rate (during exercise) | yes (with compatible accessory) | No | No |
RUNNING FEATURES |
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| Available run profiles | Running, treadmill running, indoor track running, trail running, virtual running and outdoor track running | Running, indoor track running, treadmill running | Running, indoor track running, treadmill running |
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Running dynamics | Yes (with compatible accessory) | No | No |
| Vertical oscillation and ratio (the degree of 'bounce' in your running motion and the cost-benefit ratio with stride length) | Yes (with compatible accessory) | 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) | Yes (with compatible accessory) | No | No |
| Stride length (real time) | Yes (with compatible accessory) | No | No |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Running power (New) | No | ||
| Performance condition (after running 20 minutes, compares your real-time condition to your average fitness level) | Yes | No | No |
| Lactate threshold (through analysis of your pace and heart rate, estimates the point where your muscles start to rapidly fatigue) | Yes (with compatible accessory) | No | No |
| PacePro pacing strategies | Yes | No | No |
| Run workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Race predictor | Yes | No | No |
| Course and weather-specific race predictor (New) | No | ||
| Foot Pod Capable | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Run/Walk/Stand detection | __ | ||
GOLF FEATURES |
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| Preloaded with 42,000 courses worldwide | Yes | 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 | Yes | No | No |
| Green view with manual pin position | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hazards and course targets | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pinpointer | No | Yes | Yes |
| Playslike distance | No | No | No |
| Touch-targeting (touch target on display to see the distance to any point) (New) | No | ||
| Handicap scoring | No | No | No |
| Truswing compatible | Yes | No | No |
| Round timer/odometer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory) | No | No | No |
| Tournament Legal | No | ||
OUTDOOR RECREATION |
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| Available outdoor recreation profiles | Hiking, climbing, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, xc skiing, stand up paddleboarding, rowing and kayaking | Skiing, snowboarding, xc skiing, stand up paddleboarding, rowing | Skiing, snowboarding, xc skiing, stand up paddleboarding, rowing |
| Point-to-Point navigation | Yes | No | No |
| Bread crumb trail in real time | Yes | No | No |
| Back to start | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TracbacK | Yes | No | No |
| Ultratrac Mode | Yes | No | No |
| Around me mode | Yes | No | No |
| Up ahead | No | ||
| Elevation profile | Yes | No | No |
| Distance to destination | Yes | No | No |
| Barometric trend indicator with storm alert | Yes | No | No |
| ClimbPro ascent planner | Yes | No | No |
| Trail run auto climb | Yes | No | No |
| Vertical speed | Yes | No | No |
| Total ascent/descent | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Future elevation plot | Yes | No | No |
| Preloaded Topographical maps | Yes | No | No |
| Preloaded road and trail maps (New) | Yes | ||
| Preloaded Ski resort maps | No | No | No |
| Downloadable cartography support | Yes | No | No |
| Compatible with Basecamp | __ | No | No |
| GPS coordinates | Yes | No | No |
| Sight 'N GO | No | No | No |
| Area calculation | Yes (via Connect IQ) | No | No |
| Hunt/fish calendar | Yes (via Connect IQ) | No | No |
| Projected waypoint | Yes | No | No |
| Sun and moon information | Yes (via Connect IQ) | No | No |
| Xero locations | Yes | No | No |
| Expedition GPS activity | No | No | No |
| Tides | No | No | No |
CYCLING FEATURES |
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| Available cycling profiles | Biking, indoor biking and mountain trail biking | Biking, indoor biking | Biking, indoor biking |
| Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Courses | Yes | No | No |
| MTB Grit & Flow | Yes | No | No |
| Cycle map (routable cycling-specific street map) | Yes | No | No |
| Bike lap and lap maximum power (with power sensor) | Yes | No | No |
| Race an activity | Yes | No | No |
| FTP (Functional Threshold Power) | yes (with compatible accessory) | No | No |
| Compatible with Vector (Power Meter) | Yes | No | No |
| Power Meter compatible | Yes | No | No |
| Advanced cycling dynamics | Yes | ||
| Compatible with Varia Vision (head-mounted display) | Yes | 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 | Yes | Yes |
SWIMMING FEATURES |
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| Available swim profiles | Pool swimming, open water swimming, swimming/running | Pool swimming | Pool swimming |
| Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | Yes | 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) | Yes | No | No |
| Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Repeat on" rest timer (pool swim only) (New) | Yes | ||
| Auto rest (pool swim only) (New) | Yes | ||
| Time and distance alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pacing alerts (pool swim only) (New) | Yes | ||
| Countdown start (pool swim only) | Yes | No | No |
| Pool swim workouts | Yes | No | No |
| Critical swim speed (New) | Yes | ||
| Underwater wrist-based heart rate | Yes | No | No |
| Heart rate from external HRM (real-time during rests, interval and session stats during rests, and automatic heart rate download post-swim) | Yes (with HRM-Tri and HRM-Swim) | 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.
Available Best Prices
