The Garmin Venu was released alongside the Vivoactive 4 series and it’s the first Garmin smartwatch to have an AMOLED display while also being a comprehensive activity tracker with a distinct design and up to 5 days of battery life. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 now succeeded by the Galaxy Watch 4 is also a comprehensive fitness tracker loaded with lots of features while also having an impressive design and up to 2 days of battery life. In this post, we’re looking at the differences between the Samsung Galaxy Watch active 2 vs Garmin Venu to determine which is a better smartwatch.
Please note that, unlike the Venu, the Active 2 is available in two sizes; 40mm and 44mm, and each of these sizes is available in the Bluetooth and LTE models. The LTE and Bluetooth models are the same except that the LTE model has an eSIM that enables it to make and receive calls. Thus, it’s a standalone smartwatch. Featured in this comparison is the 44mm unit of the Bluetooth model.
Samsung Galaxy Watch active 2 vs Garmin Venu Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) Bluetooth Full Specifications and Features |
 Garmin Venu Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199.97 | $169.00 |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) | Garmin Venu |
| Device type | Fitness/Classic smartwatch | Fitness/Sport smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex, Women |
| Release date | September, 2019 | September, 2019 |
| Predecessor | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active | Garmin Vivoactive 3 |
| Successor | Galaxy Watch 4 | — |
| Versions | Bluetooth only, LTE | — |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 44 x 44 x 10.9 mm | 43.2 x 43.2 x 12.4 mm |
| Weight | 30 grams (aluminum), 42 grams (stainless steel) | 46.3 grams |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Case material | Aluminum, Stainless steel | Fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Strap material | Fluoroelastomer (Aluminum), Leather (stainless steel) | Silicone |
| Bezel material | Aluminum, Bezeless | Stainless steel |
| Strap size | 20 mm | 20 mm |
| Interchangeable strap | Yes | 20mm, Yes |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla glass DX+ | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Durability test | MIL-STD-810G | — |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Color | Aqua-black, Black, Cloud-silver, Gold, Pink-gold, Silver | Black, Gold, Rose-gold |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.4 inches | 1.2 inches |
| Display type | Super AMOLED, Full color | AMOLED |
| Display resolution | 360 x 360 pixel | 390 x 390 px |
| Pixel density | — | — |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 2 Physical buttons, Digital rotating bezel, Touchscreen | 2 Physical buttons, Touchscreen |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v5.0 | ANT+, Bluetooth v4.0 |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | No |
| GPS | Yes, GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | 0.75GB | — |
| 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 | Yes | No |
| Microphone | Yes | No |
| Camera | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | — | Yes |
| ECG | Yes | No |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| HRM | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse oximeter (SpO2) | No | Yes |
| Thermometer | No | Yes |
| Other sensors | — | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | No | Yes |
| Blood Pressure | Yes | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | Yes | No |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Incidental fall detection | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking | No | Yes |
| On-screen workout | No | Yes |
| Sport modes | 39 | 20 |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | Non-removable Li-ion battery | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | 340mAh | — |
| Battery life | Regular: 2 days, Standby :5 days+ | GPS with music: up to 6hrs, Smartwatch mode: up to 5 days |
| Charging type | WPC based wireless charging | Charging dock |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | Exynos 9110 | — |
| CPU | Dual core 1.15GHz | — |
| GPU | — | — |
| Operating system | Tizen 5.5 | Proprietary OS |
| MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Samsung Gear app | Garmin Connect |
| Compatibility | Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+, iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+ | Android 5.0+, iOS 11.0+ |
| Payment system | Samsung Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Voice command | Yes, Bixby | No |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Manual, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm), Straps | Charger, Garmin Venu, Manual, Straps |
| Price | $199.97 | $169.00 |
Which is Better?
- DESIGN AND DISPLAY
- MEDIA
- FITNESS TRACKING
- BATTERY LIFE
Both watches look stunning in their respective appearance, the Active 2 looks quite geeky while the Venu has a classic watch appearance as a result of its stainless steel bezel. Meanwhile, the Active 2 is slimmer than Venu, it also weighs a little less which no doubt makes it more comfortable to wear smartwatch. Though, the Venu is still very compact and lightweight.
In terms of navigation, you get two physical buttons on both smartwatches as well as a touch-sensitive screen. However, the Active 2 has a digital rotating bezel that gives you more ways to navigate. Nonetheless, both watches offer effortless navigation.
Moreover, while both watches feature onboard music storage, the Active 2 is equipped with both a microphone and loudspeaker which the Venu lacks. These two pieces of hardware enable voice assistant powered by Samsung’s Bixby, as well as allowing you to play media files without connecting a Bluetooth headset. You can also make and receive calls directly from Active 2 when your phone is nearby. If you own the LTE model, you don’t need your phone to make and receive calls.
If you’re a fitness enthusiast that’s serious about taking your fitness goals to the next level, then there’s no doubt that any of these two watches will make a fantastic choice for comprehensive activity tracking. In fact, these two are some of the very best fitness smartwatches.
The Active 2 features 39 preloaded sport modes and is able to auto-detect 7 of those including swimming which was recently added. It also features ECG and blood pressure measurements which the Venu lacks.
On the other hand, the Venu although has fewer preloaded sports modes, is also a comprehensive fitness tracker. It’s equipped with a Spo2 sensor that enables it to measure your blood oxygen level 24/7. It also has a thermometer sensor that enables body temperature measurement as well as features onscreen-animated workouts that can guide you through some of your favorite workout activities and can save you some money on fitness workout subscription.
Generally, these two are able to track your heart rate continuously, track your sleep in four stages, calories, steps, and can help you manage stress. Both watches also have an inbuilt GPS that enables outdoor activity tracking for your routes and locations.
The Venu tested to last up to 5 days on regular usage has a slightly longer battery life than the 44mm unit of the Active 2 with about 2 days battery life, the 40mm unit has just about 24hrs+ of battery life. In other words, the Venu lets you go longer from a single charge.
VERDICT: No doubt, both watches are great choices. But while the Active 2 is a more comprehensive smartwatch with a microphone, speaker and a more compact and lighweight design, the Garmin Venu is also an outstanding smartwatch with awesome features and longer battery life.