Garmin has recently unveiled the Garmin Venu 4, the newest addition to its lineup of lifestyle and fitness-focused smartwatches. With the release of the Apple Watch Series 11, consumers are now faced with the dilemma of choosing between these two powerful devices. The Venu line aims to compete directly with Apple’s offering, providing not just fitness tracking, but communication capabilities as well.
The Garmin Venu 4 is equipped with a speaker, microphone, and voice assistant, in addition to a vibrant AMOLED screen and an extensive array of fitness tracking software. Complemented by the comprehensive Garmin Connect app, these features make the Venu models versatile for both health monitoring and everyday communication.
Following the success of the Garmin Venu 3, which topped many best-buy lists, expectations are high for the Venu 4. Priced at $549.99 in the U.S., £469.99 in the U.K., and AU$949 for both the 41mm and 45mm variants, it represents a significant investment compared to its predecessor, which sold for $450 / £399 / AU$749. This pricing also puts it above the standard Apple Watch Series 11, which starts at $399 / £369 / AU$679 for the GPS-only 40mm version.
Despite the higher price tag, the Garmin Venu 4 boasts features that may justify its cost for the right user. Below are five standout features that the Apple Watch Series 11 does not offer.
1. LED Flashlight
While the Apple Watch includes a flashlight mode that merely lights up the screen—resulting in battery drain—the Garmin Venu 4 offers a dedicated LED flashlight. It shines at four different intensities and includes a red-light mode, which is particularly useful for nighttime activities such as running or walking, as well as for safely navigating in dark environments.
(Image credit: Garmin)
2. Battery Life
Although the Apple Watch Series 11 has improved its battery life to a total of 24 hours, the Garmin Venu 4 excels with a claimed 12 days in smartwatch mode—notable especially when compared to its predecessor, the Venu 3. While enabling the always-on display will reduce this battery life, the Venu 4 still offers a significant advantage for users who prioritize longevity in a smartwatch.
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3. New Holistic Health Features
The Garmin Venu 4 introduces innovative Lifestyle Logging features, similar to those found in devices like Whoop and Oura. This tool allows users to log daily activities such as caffeine and alcohol consumption, offering insights into how these factors affect their overall health data. A Health Status widget will also quickly alert users if their statistics deviate from their normal ranges, potentially indicating stress or illness.
(Image credit: Garmin)
4. Circadian Rhythm Detection
While the Apple Watch provides a sleep score, the Garmin Venu 4 takes it a step further by estimating circadian rhythms. This feature helps users understand how closely their daily schedules align with their natural sleep cycles. By leveraging this data, users can make informed adjustments to their bedtime for improved sleep quality. Additionally, the Venu 4 offers Sleep Consistency metrics, which track average bedtimes over the past week.
5. Fitness Coach
Garmin smartwatches have always been fitness-centric, and the Venu 4 is no exception. Its Garmin Connect app is particularly robust, especially for athletes—in offering detailed insights to runners, cyclists, hikers, and swimmers. With the introduction of Fitness Coach, Garmin enhances its algorithmically driven personalized workouts by providing daily exercise suggestions across 25 different workout profiles, including walking, running, indoor cycling, and HIIT. While the Apple Workout app offers solid functionality, it simply cannot match the depth of guidance provided by Garmin.
As we prepare for a thorough review of the Garmin Venu 4, it’s likely to emerge as a strong contender in the smartwatch category. Keep an eye out for it in our upcoming best smartwatch rankings and see how it stacks up against its competitors.
For more details, you can check the full review Here.
Image Credit: www.techradar.com
