The Venu Sq is a lower-end version of the Venu, it comes in a square shape rather than the traditional round watch design and it lacks an AMOLED display, stainless steel bezel, animated workout modes, and can’t count floors climbed. Yet, it’s a fantastic cheaper alternative that’s very well equipped to track your daily activities and also help you manage notifications received on your phone. Recall that in 2019, the Venu was released alongside Vivoactive 4 – the difference between the two is that the Venu has a more colorful AMOLED display, but has a shorter battery life than Vivoactive 4. In today’s comparison, we’re comparing the differences between the cheaper Garmin Venu Sq Music vs Vivoactive 4 to understand what separates these two.
Note that the Venu Sq is available in two models; Venu Sq standard and Venu Sq Music. Both have the same features but the Music edition will allow you to download your Amazon music, Spotify and Deezer playlists to the watch so that you can listen offline using a Bluetooth headphone.
The Vivoactive 4 is also available in two sizes; Vivoactive 4S and Vivoactive 4. The difference between these two is that the 4S unit is more compact but has shorter battery life. The price is the same for the two units.
Garmin Venu Sq Music vs Vivoactive 4: Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Garmin Venu Sq Specifications, Features and Price |
 Garmin Vivoactive 4 Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $229.99 | $302.00 |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Garmin Venu Sq | Garmin Vivoactive 4 |
| Device type | Fitness/Sport smartwatch | Fitness/Sport smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | September, 2020 | September, 2019 |
| Predecessor | — | Garmin Vivoactive 3 |
| Successor | Garmin Venu Sq 2 | — |
| Versions | Garmin Venu Sq, Garmin Venu Sq Music | Captain Marvel, First Avengers, Vivoactive 4, Vivoactive 4S |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 40.6 x 37.0 x 11.5 mm | 45.1 x 45.1 x 12.8 mm |
| Weight | 37.6g | 50.5 grams |
| Shape | Square | Circular |
| Case material | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Strap material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Bezel material | Aluminum | Stainless steel |
| Strap size | 20 mm | 22 mm |
| Interchangeable strap | 20mm, Yes | 22 mm, Yes |
| 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, Silver |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.3 inches | 1.3 inches |
| Display type | LCD | LCD, Memory-in-pixel (MIP), transflective |
| Display resolution | 240 x 240 px | 260 x 260 px |
| Pixel density | 261 PPI | — |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 2 Physical buttons, Touchscreen | 2 Physical buttons, Touchscreen |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth v4.0 |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No |
| GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, WLAN 2.4GHz | Yes, WLAN 2.4GHz |
| 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 |
| Reply to Notifications | - | - |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Bluetooth music | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | No | No |
| Microphone | No | No |
| Camera | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | No | Yes |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | No | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| ECG | No | No |
| Gyroscope | No | Yes |
| HRM | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse oximeter (SpO2) | Yes | Yes |
| Temperature | Yes | Yes |
| Other sensors | — | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | Yes |
| Blood Pressure | No | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | No | No |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | No | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Fall detection | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | GPS with music: up to 6hrs, Smartwatch mode: up to 8 days |
| Charging type | Charging dock | Charging dock |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | — | — |
| CPU | — | — |
| GPU | — | — |
| Operating system | Proprietary OS | Proprietary OS |
| MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Garmin Connect | Garmin Connect |
| Compatibility | Android OS 8.0+, iOS 15.0+ | Android 5.0+, iOS 11.0+ |
| Payment system | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Voice command | No | No |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Garmin Venu Sq, Manual, Straps | Charger, Garmin Vivoactive 4, Manual, Straps |
Difference Between Garmin Venu Sq Music and Vivoactive 4
The Venu Sq can do almost everything the Vivoactive 4 can do. They both have almost the same features except for slight differences which are listed below.
- Vivoactive 4 has a better and more durable design
- Vivoactive 4 has an altimeter than enables floor counting
- Vivoactive 4 features On-screen workout modes
- Vivoactive 4 has a longer battery life
The Vivoactive 4 spots a round traditional watch design which is different from the square shape design of the Venu Sq. Moreover, while the Venu SQ has an aluminum bezel, the Vivoactive 4 has a stainless steel bezel which is more durable.
There is an altimeter in the Vivoactive 4 that enables it to count floors climbed. This isn’t possible with the Venu Sq as it lacks an altimeter. As a result, it can’t count the floor you have climbed.
The Vivoactive 4 also has a longer battery life than the Venu Sq. It has up to 8 days of battery life which is longer than about 6 days with the Venu Sq. Meanwhile, with GPS enabled and music playing, you can get about 6hrs of battery life from both watches.
Which is Better?
The Vivoactive 4 is obviously a better smartwatch than Venu Sq, it has more fitness tracking features and longer battery life. However, Venu Sq is a cheaper alternative with decent battery life.
