Venu 2 Plus is one of my personal favorite smartwatches as it has a lot to offer for the price charged. Vivoactive 4 is a trusted smartwatch variant that has been around since 2019.
Venu 2 Plus is a relatively newer variant unveiled in January 2022.
Which of these two smartwatches should you buy?
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Main differences
The most significant changes between the Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 are mentioned below.
- Venu 2 Plus is costlier than Vivoactive 4 by $100.
- Venu 2 Plus has an AMOLED display while the Vivoactive 4 uses an MIP (memory in pixel) screen.
- Venu 2 Plus has an in-built speaker and microphone.
- Venu 2 Plus supports Bluetooth calling and voice assistant software support.
- Venu 2 Plus has higher device storage than Vivoactive 4.
- Venu 2 Plus also has an ambient light sensor.
- Venu 2 Plus offers sleep score and insights. It also has a comprehensive health snapshot.
In more ways than one, Venu 2 Plus has an incremental set of features. The best of these features has to be the AMOLED display.
Let us look at these features and other capabilities of Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 more closely.
Display
Venu 2 Plus trumps Vivoactive 4 with its display technology.
Venu 2 Plus uses an AMOLED screen. The AMOLED display helps in achieving the following benefits:
- Venu 2 Plus has a much better display resolution than the Vivoactive 4. Venu 2 Plus has a display resolution of 416 x 416 pixels while the Vivoactive 4 has a display resolution of 260 x 260 pixels.
- Venu 2 Plus also supports the ‘Always-on-display’ mode.
The AMOLED display, by itself, is a game-changing experience for the user experience.
Both smartwatches use the third-generation Corning Gorilla Glass on the display screen.
Apart from these differences, we have listed the complete set of display specifications of the Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 smartwatches below.
| Display Specifications | Venu 2 Plus | Vivoactive 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Display lens | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Display size | 1.3″ or 33 mm | 1.3″ or 33 mm |
| Display type | AMOLED | MIP (Memory in pixel) |
| Display resolution | 416 x 416 pixels | 260 x 260 pixels |
| Pixel density | 453 ppi | 283 ppi |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | No |
| Color display | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| LED Flashlight | No | No |
The most significant differentiator between the Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 has to be the AMOLED display of Venu 2 Plus.
The display resolution of Venu 2 Plus is 416 x 416 pixels. This translates into a much brighter, more vibrant and clearer display experience.
Device specifications
In terms of hardware specifications, there are not too many differences between the Venu 2 Plus and the Vivoactive 4 smartwatches.
We look at both smartwatches in more detail below. The device specifications of both watches are listed below for your ready reference.
| Specifications | Venu 2 Plus | Vivoactive 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Watch size | 43.6 x 43.6 x 12.6 mm | 45.1 x 45.1 x 12.8 mm |
| Thickness | 12.6 mm | 12.8 mm |
| Watch weight | 51 g | 50.5 g |
| Watch body | Fiber-reinforced polymer with stainless-steel rear cover | fiber-reinforced polymer with polymer rear cover |
| Bezel | Stainless steel | Stainless steel |
| Band material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Band size | 20 mm | 22 mm |
| Device storage | 8 GB | 200 hours of activity data |
| Water rating | 5 ATM (50 Meters) | 5 ATM (50 Meters) |
| Swimming profile | Pool swimming | Pool swimming |
| Wireless connectivity | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| NFC Payments | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo |
| Multi-band GPS | No | No |
| SatIQ technology | No | No |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| Barometric altimeter | Yes | Yes |
| Thermometer | Yes (addon of tempe sensor required) | Yes (addon of tempe sensor required) |
| Garmin Elevate Heart sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse Ox SpO2 monitor | Yes | Yes |
| iOS compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Android compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Control smartphone music | Yes | Yes |
| Music storage on watch | Yes | Yes |
| Control smartwatch music | Yes | Yes |
| In-built speaker | Yes | No |
| In-built microphone | Yes | No |
| Charger | Garmin wire charger | Garmin wire charger |
Another significant addition to Venu 2 Plus has to be the in-built speaker and microphone. Vivoactive 4 lacks both features.
The advantage of having an in-built speaker and microphone on the smartwatch is the ability to make Bluetooth calls directly from the watch.
We look at the Bluetooth calling feature of Venu 2 Plus in the next section.
Bluetooth calling and voice assistance support
The internal speaker and microphone on the Venu 2 Plus smartwatch help in making calls or answering calls directly from the watch.
Venu 2 Plus needs to be connected to the smartphone using Bluetooth connectivity. Once Bluetooth connectivity is established, you can use the Venu 2 Plus watch to initiate calls or answer calls directly from the watch.
Apart from the Bluetooth calling feature, Venu 2 Plus can also integrate with voice assistant apps or software on the paired smartphone.
So, Venu 2 Plus can work with voice assistance applications that include Siri, Google Voice Assistant, and Bixby.
Using your phone’s default voice assistant (Siri, Google Assistant, or Bixby), you can do the following actions on a Venu 2 Plus smartwatch:
- Start a phone call.
- Compose and respond to text messages.
- Ask your assistant questions.
- Control compatible smart home devices.
Bluetooth calling and voice assistance support on Venu 2 Plus is a significant additional feature in the Venu 2 Plus watch. It is worth the incremental cost of the Venu 2 Plus.
Battery
There is a marginal difference in battery backup offered by Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4. Venu 2 Plus offers a slightly higher backup than the Vivoactive 4 smartwatch.
The only difference we can think of is the availability of ‘Battery saver mode’ in Venu 2 Plus. The ‘Battery saver mode’ is not available in Vivoactive 4.
We list the battery backup of Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 in different watch modes below.
| Watch mode | Venu 2 Plus backup | Vivoactive 4 backup |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 9 days | Up to 8 days |
| GPS mode without music | Up to 24 hours | Up to 18 hours |
| GPS mode with music | Up to 8 hours | Up to 6 hours |
| Battery saver mode | Up to 10 days | Not available |
Battery backup of Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 is not a major differentiator. You cannot go wrong with either of these smartwatches.
Other features
There are a few unique features on each smartwatch that you may want to be aware of.
- Venu 2 Plus has HIIT workouts and on-screen workout muscle maps.
- Venu 2 Plus can detect the ‘Run/Walk/Stand’ state of a runner automatically.
- Venu 2 Plus offers additional profiles for Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, and Snowboarding in outdoor recreation.
- For cyclists, Venu 2 Plus has a cadence sensor to detect speed and cadence.
- Venu 2 Plus can integrate with the Garmin Golf app.
- Venu 2 Plus can also send incident detection alerts on the phone.
Costs
Venu 2 Plus has a list price of $449.99 and the Vivoactive 4 has a list price of $349.99.
Final verdict
Our money and experience with Venu 2 Plus suggest that it is worth each extra penny. I will buy the Venu 2 Plus over a Vivoactive 4 for the following reasons:
- The AMOLED display of the Venu 2 Plus.
- In-built speaker and microphone in Venu 2 Plus.
- Bluetooth calling and integration with Siri, Google voice assistant, and Bixby.
- Higher device storage helps in getting additional maps on the watch.
- Higher device storage affords more space for storing music on the watch.
Between the Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4, you can pick a Venu 2 Plus automatically.
Suggested reading
You may like to read additional smartwatch comparison studies shared below.
- Garmin Venu 2 Plus vs Venu 2
- Garmin Venu 2 Plus vs Instinct 2
- Garmin Instinct 2X Solar Tactical vs Instinct 2X Solar
- Garmin Forerunner 255 vs Instinct 2
- Garmin Instinct 2 Crossover vs Instinct 2
- Garmin Forerunner 265 vs Instinct 2
- Garmin Forerunner 965 vs Instinct 2X Solar
- Garmin Instinct 2X Solar vs Instinct 2
- Garmin Forerunner 955 vs Epix 2
- Garmin Forerunner 965 vs Epix 2
- Garmin Epix 2 vs Fenix 7