Okay, let’s talk about my time with the Garmin Venu 2 and the Venu 2 Plus. I got curious about what that ‘Plus’ really added, so I decided to grab both and just use them back-to-back for a while.
Getting Started and First Feel
So, I got the boxes open. Both watches felt pretty similar right out of the gate. Nice build, you know, solid. The Venu 2 Plus is just a tiny bit smaller in diameter I think, which I barely noticed at first. The main physical thing you spot on the Plus is the extra button and the little speaker/mic grilles. Otherwise, putting them on, they felt much the same. Comfortable straps, bright screens.
Living with the Venu 2
I started with the regular Venu 2. Strapped it on and went about my usual routine for about a week or so. Here’s what I did:
- Tracked my morning runs. GPS locked on fast, distance seemed right.
- Wore it to the gym a few times. Logged my heart rate, steps, the usual stuff.
- Checked notifications from my phone – texts, emails, app alerts. Easy to read on the screen.
- Monitored my sleep. Got the sleep score and breakdown each morning.
- Checked the time, obviously!
It just worked. Did all the fitness watch things I expected it to do. The battery life was really good, lasted me most of the week without needing a charge, which is always a big plus for me. Simple, solid performance.
Switching Over to the Venu 2 Plus
After getting a good feel for the Venu 2, I swapped over to the Venu 2 Plus. The setup felt almost identical, connecting to the Garmin Connect app on my phone. The extra step was pairing it for the phone features – the calls and voice assistant stuff. That took a couple more minutes in the phone’s Bluetooth settings.
Testing the ‘Plus’ Features
This was the main event, right? Seeing what the Plus could do.
Making Calls: I tried making a call straight from the watch. My phone was nearby, connected via Bluetooth. I picked a contact, hit call, and talked through my wrist. It worked. The person on the other end could hear me okay, and I could hear them through the tiny speaker. Honestly, it felt a bit weird, like Dick Tracy or something. The speaker isn’t super loud, so it’s better for quiet places. Good for a quick “running late” call if your phone’s buried in a bag, but I wouldn’t want to have a long chat on it.
Using Voice Assistant: I linked it up to Google Assistant on my Android phone. Held down that extra button, asked it for the weather, or to set a timer while I was cooking. It used my phone’s connection to do the work. It was kinda handy sometimes, definitely faster than pulling my phone out for quick questions. But again, you gotta speak clearly towards the watch.
How They Stack Up Overall
Okay, beyond the calls and voice assistant, how did they compare day-to-day? Pretty much the same, really.
- Fitness Tracking: Identical. Same sensors, same sports modes, same accuracy for GPS and heart rate as far as I could tell.
- Screen: Both have that nice, bright AMOLED display. Looked great on both.
- Notifications: Handled them the same way.
- Garmin Pay: Both have it, used it for coffee once or twice. Same experience.
- Music: Could load music onto both, connect headphones. No difference there.
The only other real difference I noticed was battery life. Because the Plus has that speaker and mic and does the calling stuff, the battery drained a bit faster. Not drastically, maybe lasted a day or two less than the regular Venu 2 with my typical use. Still decent, just not as long-lasting.
So, Which One? My Final Thoughts
After wearing both, here’s my simple take. The Venu 2 Plus is basically the Venu 2 with the added ability to handle calls and use your phone’s voice assistant directly from your wrist. If those features sound really useful to you, maybe you often have your hands full or your phone isn’t easily accessible, then the Plus is the one to look at. It adds that layer of phone interaction.
But, if you read that and thought “Eh, I don’t really need to talk through my watch,” then the regular Venu 2 is probably perfect. It does all the excellent health, fitness, and smartwatch stuff just as well as the Plus, has slightly better battery life, and might save you a bit of money depending on current prices.
For me, while the call feature was neat to try, I didn’t find myself using it much after the first couple of days. I usually have my phone handy anyway. So, personally, the standard Venu 2 covered everything I really needed. But it’s cool that the option is there with the Plus if that’s your thing.