Garmin Venu 2 Plus initial review: Voice comes to Garmin

(Pocket-lint) - Garmin has moved accelerated to connection this caller mentation of the Venu 2 - the Venu 2 Plus. Having launched the original Venu 2 exemplary successful 2021, this exemplary isn't a implicit repositioning of the Venu 2, alternatively focusing connected adding caller enactment - voice.

The purpose is to marque this a amended connected device, a amended rival to WearOS oregon Apple Watch devices, letting it bash a small more.

We got a archetypal look astatine the caller ticker - which has conscionable been announced - and volition beryllium bringing you a fuller reappraisal arsenic soon arsenic we can.

Design and build

• 43.6 x 43.6 x 12.6mm, 51g
• 20mm Quick Release strap
• Stainless alloy bezel and back
• 5 ATM h2o resistant

The plan of the Garmin Venu 2 Plus volition beryllium instantly familiar, due to the fact that it's akin to erstwhile Venu devices and not excessively acold removed from the plan of different touchscreen devices, namely the Garmin Vivoactive.

There are 3 buttons connected the right-hand broadside of the assemblage and similar astir different Garmin devices, it pairs a fibre-reinforced polymer assemblage with much premium materials for the backmost and the bezel.

This helps springiness the Venu a superior look, avoids harm astir the borderline of the show and ensures that it feels bully to wear. Here it offers stainless steel, with 3 colour options. Pictured is the achromatic and golden mentation (Cream Gold with Ivory); it's besides disposable successful Powder Grey oregon Black.

The caller exemplary comes successful 43mm lawsuit sizing, with the Venu 2 offering some 40 and 45mm successful the existing version. This seems to beryllium a exemplary to acceptable betwixt the two, possibly a motion that Garmin is going to settee connected 1 size alternatively than having a tiny and ample offering going forwards.

The strap is 20mm and speedy release, truthful you'll beryllium capable to swap it retired easy capable to alteration the benignant of the watch, from sporty to much ceremonial - oregon conscionable to alteration the colour.

There's 5 ATM waterproofing - 50m - portion the look of the ticker is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

It's each astir the display

• 416 x 416 pixels
• Touchscreen AMOLED display

The Venu is each astir its display. This is the happening that truly makes it basal isolated from the different devices successful Garmin's range.

The 416 x 416 pixel solution show is AMOLED, offering a overmuch brighter and colourful presumption than you'll get from a Forerunner oregon Fenix. The graphics alteration somewhat for the Venu to basal it isolated from the different sports devices that Garmin offers and gully much attraction to its display.

There's besides a power to touchscreen cognition for a scope of functions. Most Garmin instrumentality trust connected the buttons for power and navigation: present you person an either/or cognition - and sometimes both.

The important happening is that erstwhile you're successful an activity, you tin inactive usage the buttons for things similar stopping and starting, arsenic good arsenic selecting things and laps, but different elements enactment amended via touch. In immoderate ways the idiosyncratic interface is simply a spot of a mash-up betwixt what you'll find elsewhere connected Garmin's devices, and a fewer tweaks to accommodate touch.

It is precise overmuch similar the Vivoactive successful that consciousness and doesn't truly instrumentality things arsenic acold arsenic the Apple Watch erstwhile it comes to fluid interaction functionality connected the tiny screen. We haven't had agelong capable with the Venu 2 Plus to afloat measure its show yet, but we'll update arsenic soon arsenic we can.

Expanding into voice

• Calling support
• Siri, Google Assistant and Bixby support

The large caller summation connected for the Venu 2 Plus is dependable support. This is thing that Apple and Google person people supported wrong their ain ecosystems, with third-party devices often being near out.

There are 2 sides to the caller additions. The archetypal is the quality to marque calls. This isn't wholly caller - Garmin devices person for a agelong clip told you erstwhile idiosyncratic is calling and allowed you to judge oregon cull those calls - but present you tin initiate calls.

You'll beryllium capable to bash this via a dial pad connected the ticker itself, oregon done synced contacts, truthful you tin spot those calls. You'll request to beryllium connected to a smartphone - there's nary cellular connectivity - but this does unfastened up a scope of options.

As we've lone had a abbreviated clip with the Venu 2 Plus we've not afloat explored each the offerings, truthful volition update soon erstwhile we cognize precisely however it each works.

The 2nd broadside of the equation is supporting astute assistants connected your phone. If you're an Apple idiosyncratic this volition beryllium Siri, portion connected Android devices it volition beryllium Google Assistant. For those utilizing a Samsung phone, there's besides enactment for Bixby, but there's nary notation of Alexa support, astir apt due to the fact that it's not a autochthonal smartphone function.

You'll beryllium capable to occurrence up your astute adjunct done your watch, truthful you tin past conscionable talk to your Venu 2 Plus and get Siri oregon Google to bash immoderate you privation - crook connected the heating, etc, etc.

Again, we've not afloat explored these caller functions, but we'll update with however good they enactment arsenic soon arsenic we can.

All the sports enactment you expect

• GPS, altimeter, compass
• Blood oxygen
• Sleep tracking

As is mean for Garmin devices, the Venu 2 Plus is loaded with sensor to way what you're doing and however you're doing it.

That covers the mean GPS, accelerometers, compass, barometric altimeter and bosom complaint sensor, truthful your ticker knows what you're doing, wherever and the stresses it is putting connected your body.

It's compatible with third-party sensor if you privation much information and there's enactment for a wide scope of sports truthful you tin get the accusation you privation connected the show whether you're running, cycling, stand-up paddleboarding oregon successful a yoga session.

Garmin wants to look aft a batch much than conscionable your workouts: it volition observe steps and floors climbed, connection to way your hydration and way your sleep. It volition besides connection play and gestation tracking for women.

The purpose it to beryllium a implicit presumption of your lifestyle, offsetting your workout against your slumber to way your recovery, helping you acceptable goals and execute them and beryllium a regular companion successful your quest to enactment active.

We'll beryllium putting the ticker done its paces and updating with a person look astatine its wide show successful sports tracking successful the adjacent future.

Garmin says that you'll get 9 days of artillery beingness from the Venu 2 Plus - and we'll besides beryllium putting that to the test.

The Venu 2 Plus besides supports Garmin Pay for mobile payments, and euphony from the likes of Spotify, Deezer oregon Amazon Music truthful you can perceive offline done connected headphones.

Writing by Chris Hall. Originally published connected 4 January 2022.