Garmin Venu 2S, Smaller-Sized GPS Smartwatch with Advanced Health Monitoring and Fitness Features, Rose Gold Bezel with White Case and Silicone Band, (010-02429-03)

If you are reading this, then you are probably going through all of the smart watch/fitness watch/adventure watch options and getting dizzy. That was me. After weeks of research, I was down to the Venu 2+ and the Instinct 2 Solar. And then this Venu 2 (non-plus) went on sale during Prime Day. Moving from a Fitbit Charge 4, the Venu 2, Venu 2+, or Instinct 2 Solar would have given me more features, but I was hung up on what the Venu2+ (phone call functionality) and Instinct 2 Solar (infinite battery life) offered that this plain Venu 2 didn't. However, at the Prime Day price, I could not pass it up. Now, after owning this watch for a few months, I have forgotten most of what those watches offered above the Venu 2. I primarily run, hike, and play golf with the occasional bike ride or other activity thrown in. Though I do at least one of those activities 4-5 days a week, I am not a serious participant in any of them and so the truly high end features are not needed. For what I do, the Venu does it all (well, very nearly all) and does it well. And, it looks good doing it. Taking my three primary activities, I'll give you my take: 1. Running. I was looking for a watch to use while training for a set of races. Data screens are nicely configurable and I was able to pair it with my foot pod (for treadmill) and, in the end, managed to beat my race goal time significantly. The watch is easy to see even in the brightest sunshine and the display is crystal clear. It's also easy to configure and navigate through and the choice of watchfaces is infinite. There were only two things that I would have liked but didn't have regarding running: There is no virtual pace partner (my old Forerunner 620 had that) and you can't send PacePro Pacing Strategies to the Venu 2. Neither of these are critical, but if I had to add two features, those would be it. Not specific to this watch, the Garmin Connect app and the training programs offered through it are fantastic. Music controls are easy to use, too, and it holds plenty of tracks. Hiking. The GPS tracking is very accurate and for casual hiking (which is all I do) there is nothing lacking. Though it does gather elevation info, it does not have the pro hiking features found on Instinct 2, Fenix, etc. Not a problem for me. Golf. Now this was my most pleasant surprise. I had a Garmin Approach watch already and I loved it. Notice that the previous sentence was in the past tense. Yeah, I don't use my Approach any more. The Venu 2 works great as a golf watch and is easier to use. The only slight negative is that you have to download the courses manually rather than having them all populated in the Approach. You also have a limited amount of memory available, so you can only download a half dozen or so courses at once. Otherwise, I love it for golf. It will even track your shots as you play giving you distance and direction info for each. I now know that I have been lying about how long I hit my driver and kidding myself that I don't have a slice. Note that my Approach watch is not an S60 or S62, so doesn't have the most advanced features those have, but, again, I don't need those things as data overload would only make the rounds even longer. As for other things, I really enjoy: Beautiful OLED display Watch face customizations for both looks and functionality Sleep tracking (Garmin is brutal about your sleep) Stress tracking Body battery is a great and accurate indicator of how much energy you have left Phone finder (use it all the time) Fall detection (luckily haven't needed it, yet). Battery life if you don't use GPS is nearly 2 weeks. Syncs flawlessly with my phone, tablet, or computer. Spot on heart rate monitor. Things that could be better: The tracking of elevation without GPS is pretty bad. Bezel is a little rough. Some better apps for navigation would be nice. Tracking of nontraditional movement does not always work ( e.g. using a push mower you don't get steps because your arm doesn't swing). Native support for YouTube Music is unavailable(though there is an app to give you most functionality) Garmin makes literally dozens of different active watches and the Venu 2 is one of them. That meaningless statement is meant to say that you just need to decide on the features you need and the price you are willing to pay, and Garmin will have a watch for you. The Venu 2 line of watches are in that area between a fitness watch and a smart watch with some of the best features of both...and you don't have to charge it every 2 days like the true smart watches. It's been funny to see Apple advertising "new" features for the latest Apple Watch. These are features that have been on Garmin watches for years. I know Apple has its eye on Garmin's market and through their cult-like following will undoubtedly take some share, but as long as Garming keeps innovating, they are going to be among the best watches with the most choices anywhere.

I love this Garmin Venu2. I poured over reviews, compared the Garmin to similar smartwatches, and spoke to people I know who have this Garmin and its competitors. This Garmin is exactly what I was looking for. I bought the large round shape, which clearly shows the date and time. Flipping the screen down surfaces my step count, calorie count, the weather, water intake, stress level, sleep, emails. I’m notified of incoming calls/text messages with a gentle buzz, and a helpful reminder to move. The little things matter - it’s fun receiving an award when I surpass my daily step goal. I'm also alerted if my blood pressure starts to rise. How I take the watch off when I shower for now, but will test the swimming feature this summer. The only downside is the watch band - not a deal breaker, but it makes my skin itch under the watch band at the end of the day, if I’m out in the hot sun for a long period of time. I might be allergic to the material; I’ll check out the materials for compatible Garmin watch bands. All in all, the Garmin Venu2 is a great smartwatch. I recommend it. It’s the perfect watch for me to track sleep, activity, heart rate, stress, energy levels, water intake, etc..

Works great! Great quality watch, turns on fine, the silicone bands are thin and better than any other watch I’ve had but they can be easily replaced. I replaced mine with leather 18mm bands with no problem. The watch software took a long time to load so be patient, this is a common issue. It took all day for the software to download onto the watch and then I updated the watch through the watch settings for those wondering why the watch isn’t updating right away. It takes a long time and that’s normal. Great watch for such an affordable price! I’m glad I bought through this vendor.

After much research, I decided on the Garmin Venu 2 for several reasons: 1) Battery Life: I knew that if I had to charge my watch every day, I just wouldn't use it. This model's batter does not last as long between charged (6-10 days I find, based on my use type) as some of other Garmin watches, but it works for me (can go on short trips without bringing cable). 2) Access to data/software: I wanted a clean, clear useful data set and presentation. Also, it infuriated me that most other trackers now charge you for access (usually $10 month). Garmin's software is clean looking, clear and helpful...and they do not charge for access! 3) Utility: I found the combination of touch screen + buttons made the most sense for me, so that when in the middle of an activity you can easily utilize the buttons on the watch to select features. 4) Aesthetics: Least important, but still relevant...I wanted a watch/tracker that looked like a classic watch, and not a squarish piece of tech on my wrist. I have been extremely happy with this watch/tracker! I love the data (sleep, the great mapping & results from activities like biking, running, etc). I found the data is presented in a clear, inviting way with recommendations for things like how to achieve better sleep, etc. The fact that Garmin doesn't milk you another $10 a month or more for this is a big deal (philosophically if nothing else). Finally, unfortunately my Venu 2 did recently stop working. However, I went online to customer support (on a holiday) and had the best experience I have ever had. I was immediately picked-up by chat support, guided through a few steps to see if could revive, and then immediately sent a form to send the device back for a replacement. They didn't put me through the usual laundry list of questions (serial number, purchase details, etc). Absolutely the best CX experience I have ever had, and I received my new replacement watch quickly (and am so happy to have it back). I would strongly recommend Garmin activity trackers/watchers, as having owned most other brands, they clearly are just better than the rest for my needs/requirements.

Update: my Garmin Venu 2s battery lasted 4 1/2 years. As of now, November 2025, it can’t even hold a charge through one mile with GPS. This morning, it was at 87% when I started a walk with walk mode on and before I hit 1 mile the watch died. 4 1/2 years is an ok run for $400, but I feel like watches this expensive should last 6-7 years. Dropped rating to 4 stars. Added this in case someone considering a Garmin watch can see how long it likely lasts. Moving on to a Ring Conn ring! I got my Garmin Venu 2S in June of 2021. It was quite the investment back then at $400 but it has proven to be worth it. I wore fitbits for the five years before that and always had to replace them after 18 months or so because they’d just start malfunctioning. This watch has paid for itself alone in place of what would have likely been 3 more fitbits. What I really wanted at the time I bought it was a fitness watch and a round watch face that would feel more stylish than a rectangle Apple Watch or Fitbit. This watch is so cute. It’s got an 18mm watch band so you can replace the band with any 18mm band you find. I’ve used a Timex mesh stainless steel and now am using a vegan leather brand that makes the watch look super sleek and less nerdy. I didn’t like the silicone band it came with which gave me a weird red dry skin patch, even when I cleaned the band each day. But it’s so much more than a Fitbit. It tracks reps and sets for workouts, is still pretty accurate with steps, and I just use it all the time for little things like timers and finding my watch around the house. Sometimes I switch up the watch face to match my needs: minimal for anxiety, lots of data when I need it. Once I even got a Disney watch face that reminded me of my childhood watch. I love the built in GPS for walks and hikes. And twice I’ve fallen and the watch has asked me if it should contact my emergency contact. I never ended up using it to make payments with credit cards but it has that capability too. It does a good job of tracking my sleep and sleep score and feels a lot more accurate than my Fitbit did tracking sleep. The Garmin app used to be pretty bare bones, which I why I switched to fitbits back in 2016, after having a Garmin watch for a while, but it has gotten significantly better over the last few years. It tracks my period for me, which I love, and all the other “At a glance” things it tracks look nice. It frequently updates, and doesn’t crash, like, ever. It’s not as interactive with challenges and interactions with friends as Fitbit, and that’s the only drawback between the two brands. Still, the quality and functionality make it worth it. This Venu doesn’t let you text back or answer calls and that was the only drawback compared to an Apple Watch, but if I remember right, the new Venus do one or both of those things now. Compared to the Apple Watch though, this was a waaaaaaay better choice as a fitness watch when I bought it. I did a lot of research before buying it, and in reviews this watch was listed as the best fitness watch choice when compared to both Apple Watch and Fitbit. All this to say, I can’t imagine my watch needing a replacement in the next couple of years, and maybe even longer. I imagine I’ll want to replace it long before it needs replacing, so I’ll probably have it in perfect shape for 6 or 7 years total.

I upgraded to this Garmin from another that I had. I was uncertain about the white plot at first, but have come to prefer it to the black one I had. More importantly, I’ve been incredibly happy with the features it offers. The battery life is great and I can wear it for about 3 days (if not doing heavy training activities or GPS usage) without needing to charge. The display can be customized and is easy to read. In addition to steps and heart rate, this watch does have text and phone alerts, a “body battery” charge, and other statistics that are useful. Like all Garmin’s it tracks various workouts and gives a GPS tracker of your route afterward. One downside is to how easily the face scratches. I ended up buying some covers for the watch face to keep it from scratching and those have been great!

LOVE MY GARMIN! I have small wrists, and this watch is on the smaller size compared to other watches. One of my favorite features is that you can add Spotify playlists and can play them offline! I love the insights the watch has and how you can customize so much!

I got this watch about 7 months ago while preparing for a 10k road race. Having had a garmin vivosmart watch from a few generations back, I already had the app and some history, and this easily picked up where the old one left off. Hardware: the silicone band is comfortable and seems durable. The glass face seems to be extremely durable and scratch-resistant, after 7 months of wearing this in a machine shop, and otherwise not-gentle handling it still looks brand new. The battery life is true to advertising and typically lasts a full week. Activities: I'm not sure about the calorie tracking for general activities (e.g. "Cardio" workout), but for running the watch seems fairly accurate. The GPS and heartrate tracking are spot-on (I once started a workout and ended it after barely moving and it told me I went 2ft). Music: The music controls are fantastic. I can control what my phone is playing to my bluetooth earbuds, or I can sync it directly to the earbuds and play music stored on the watch (loaded using the Garmin Express program on my laptop). The latter is great for runs so I don't have to carry my phone! All-in-all, I would absolutely buy this watch again in a heartbeat