Featured in today’s comparison is Garmin Venu Sq vs Fitbit Sense – which is a better smartwatch? Is what we’ll try to find out in this post. While Venu Sq is a lower-end version of Garmin Venu that was released last year, Fitbit Sense was released alongside Versa 3, and it houses more health tracking features such as an ECG app, stress and temperature sensors. For the record, each of these two is fitness-focused and well equipped to track your daily activities and as well also will help you manage notifications and more. It’s also important to note that each of these two has a long battery life that lets you go long from a single charge. So, let’s take a look at the table below as we compare the design, health tracking, battery life of these two smartwatches.
Table of Contents
Garmin Venu Sq vs Fitbit Sense: Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Garmin Venu Sq Specifications, Features and Price |
 Fitbit Sense Full Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $269.99 | $237.82 |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Garmin Venu Sq | Fitbit Sense |
| Device type | Fitness/Sport smartwatch | Fitness/Sport smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | September, 2020 | September, 2020 |
| Predecessor | — | Fitbit Versa 2 |
| Successor | — | — |
| Versions | — | — |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 40.6 x 37.0 x 11.5 mm | 40.4 x 40.4 x 12.4 mm |
| Weight | 37.6g | — |
| Shape | Rectangular | Square |
| Case material | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Aluminum |
| Strap material | Silicone | Polyester, Silicone |
| Bezel material | Aluminum | Stainless steel |
| Strap size | 20 mm | 140 – 180mm (small), 180 -220mm (big) |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Durability test | — | — |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Color | Black, Navy, Rose-gold, White | Black/black, Blue/gold, Pink/Gold, Thistle/Gold |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.3 inches | 1.58 inches |
| Display type | LCD | AMOLED |
| Display resolution | 240 x 240 px | 300 x 300 pixels |
| Pixel density | — | — |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 2 Physical buttons, Touchscreen | 1 Physical button, Touchscreen |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth v4.0 | Bluetooth v5.0 |
| Bluetooth calling | No | Yes |
| GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS | GLONASS, GPS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | — | — |
| ROM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None |
| Band | — | — |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps alert | Yes | Yes |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Bluetooth music | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | No | Yes |
| Microphone | No | Yes |
| Camera | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | No | Yes |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | No | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | No |
| ECG | No | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| HRM | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse oximeter (SpO2) | Yes | Yes |
| Thermometer | Yes | Yes |
| Other sensors | — | Vibration motor |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | Yes |
| Blood Pressure | No | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | No | Yes |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | No | - |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Incidental fall detection | Yes | No |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking | Yes | No |
| On-screen workout | No | Yes |
| Sport modes | 20 | 20+ |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | — | — |
| Battery life | GPS mode: 14 hours, Smartwatch mode: 6 days | Regular: 6 Days+ |
| Charging type | Charging dock | USB charging |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar power | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | — | — |
| CPU | — | — |
| GPU | — | — |
| Operating system | Proprietary OS | Fitbit OS |
| MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Garmin Connect | Fitbit App |
| Compatibility | Android 5.0+, iOS 11.0+ | Android, iOS |
| Payment system | Garmin Pay | Fitbit Pay |
| Interchangeable strap | 20mm, Yes | Yes |
| Voice command | No | Yes, Alexa, Yes, Google Assistant |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Garmin Venu Sq, Manual, Straps | Charger, Fitbit Sense, Manual, Straps |
| Price | $269.99 | $237.82 |
Features Comparison
- DESIGN
- MEDIA
- HEALTH AND FITNESS TRACKING
- NOTIFCATIONS
- BATTERY LIFE
One thing I like about the design of these two smartwatches is that each of these two is very lightweight. I have used Versa 3, and it’s very comfortable to wear. Each of these two also has a durable build, while Venu Sq has a fiber-polymer case with a silicone strap, Fitbit Sense has an aluminum case paired with a stainless steel bezel and silicone straps. So, in terms of design, Fitbit Sense has a better design that’s more durable and stylish than Venu Sq.
Furthermore, while Fitbit Sense has an AMOLED display, Venu Sq has an LCD display. The AMOLED display is more colorful and interactive than the LCD of Venu Sq, although, it easier to read under direct sunlight. Both smartwatches offer touch-sensitive screen, however, while Fitbit Sense has a haptic button which I don’t fancy, Venu Sq has 2 physical buttons.
As per media features, both smartwatches come with 4GB storage capacity out of which about 2.5GB is available for media storage. Fitbit Sense offers music storage via Deezer playlists, Pandora stations, and the ability to control Spotify playlists, while Venu Sq offers music storage via Amazon Music, Deezer, and Spotify. However, while you can add your personal music to Venu Sq, you can’t add personal music to Fitbit Sense.
Fitbit Sense has both a loudspeaker and microphone, it features Alexa and Google (available in the future) voice assistants that allow you to use your voice to do simple tasks. You don’t get a voice assistant with Venu Sq because it lacks a microphone.
Even though Fitbit Sense has a loudspeaker and microphone, you can’t make and receive calls from this device for now. Perhaps, it may get this feature in the future. Although, both smartwatches will allow you to receive calls that you can accept and continue on your phone or reject.
Like I mentioned earlier, both Venu Sq and Fitbit Sense are fitness-focused and well equipped to track your daily activities and can help you reach more fitness goals. Each of these two will track all the basics like your steps, calories, distance, heart rate, and sleep. You’ll also find stress and menstrual cycle apps on each of these two. Both Venu Sq and Fitbit Sense feature 20 preset sport modes, and have inbuilt GPS that will allow you to track outdoor activities without carrying your phone along.
One feature which Fitbit Sense lacks is incidental fall detection which is present on Venu Sq. It can help you get help when the watch detects a fall, it sends out a call to a preset emergency contact on your phone (your phone must be nearby for this to work).
However, Fitbit Sense is a more comprehensive health tracker than Venu Sq. It features animated workout modes through Fitbit Coach, and it features an ECG app that allows you to take ECG tests from your wrist that can help detect irregular heart rhythm which a common symptom of Atrial fibrillation, and it can also count your floors.
Each of these two will also help you to manage notifications easily by allowing you to select the apps you want to get notifications from on your watch. You can also reply to notifications with preset replies which are limited to Android phones for both smartwatches. However, Fitbit Sense offers more ways to reply to notifications. It allows you to reply with your voice which isn’t available on Venu Sq.
With Venu Sq or Fitbit Sense, you can get multiple days of battery life from a single charge. While Venu Sq can last up to 6 days, it’s about the same number of days for Fitbit Sense.
My Verdict
Going by the design, health tracking features, and battery life of these two smartwatches, I’ll say each of these two is a fine fitness smartwatch, but Fitbit Sense is a more comprehensive fitness smartwatch than Venu Sq.
On the other hand, Venu Sq is a lot cheaper than Fitbit Sense.
