Garmin Venu Sq Review | technological radar

Garmin Venu Sq Review | technological radar

Garmin Venu Sq: Two-minute review

Garmin Venu Sq Specifications

Price: € 149.99 / € 129.99 / AU € 299.99
Size: 40,6x37,0x11,5mm
Display technology: 1,3" LED display, 240px x 240px
Onboard GPS: Yes
Maximum battery life: up to 6 days

The Garmin Venu Sq is a cheaper alternative to the Garmin Venu, giving you similar functionality to the best fitness trackers and some of the best smartwatches, but now with a square screen.

You can check out our full Garmin Venu review for more on that, but the Venu Sq packs all the basic sensors of its round brother, built-in GPS, heart rate monitor, and also packs the very modern pulse sensor. . There are dedicated modes for running, cycling and swimming to make it a solid sports tracking companion, although we found reception of a GPS signal to be a little slow.

It doesn't skimp on smartwatch functionality either, with the Music Edition (which we tested here) offering an integrated music player and all versions offering contactless payments and access to Garmin's Connect IQ store for downloading apps and watch faces. The Venu Sq promises to do a lot, which causes some issues with the way you move around the clock and it takes some getting used to how things work and where things live.

What you really miss about the main Venu is that more impressive AMOLED display, animated workouts to track on the watch, and an altimeter to track your elevation. If you can live without these features, then the Venu SQ should make a decent sports smartwatch companion.

Our general feeling is that the Venu is a better showcase of what Garmin can do when it combines the best of its smartwatch and sports watch features with a display that compares it to some of the best smartwatches available.

If you doubt between the two Venu models, check out our complete guide: Garmin Venu vs. Garmin Venu Sq. If you are looking for a more powerful Garmin watch, also consider the new Garmin Venu 2, which is more powerful than its predecessors.

If you are looking for something smaller and simpler, you may be interested in the new Garmin Lily. It lacks some of the more advanced sports tracking features of the Venu Sq, but it's worth considering if you want something small and unobtrusive.

Garmin Venu Square

(Image credit: Michael Sawh)

Garmin Venu Sq: price and release date

The Garmin Venu Sq launched in September 2020 for £199 / £179 / AU$300, but is now available for around £149,99 / £129,99 / AU$299,99. There's also a Venu Sq Music Edition (which we tested), which costs $199 / £179.99 / AUS$349 and has built-in storage for up to 500 songs.

By comparison, the original Garmin Venu is £329 / £349 / AUS$649, so the Sq is considerably cheaper whether you opt for music or not. However, it doesn't give you the same sharp AMOLED display.

If you're not a fan of the Venu Sq's silicone strap, there are other options available to purchase separately from Garmin, including leather and woven designs.

Garmin Venu Sq: design and screen

The point of the Venu Sq is to really prove that Garmin is capable of creating a boxy sports smartwatch that houses a color touchscreen.

So you get a 40mm square polymer case that measures 11,5mm thick and weighs 37,6g. This is in contrast to the round Venu, where you get a larger 43mm watch case which, at 12,6mm, is a bigger, heavier watch at 46g.

Although both have the same polymer casings, the Venu Sq uses an aluminum bezel as opposed to the sleek stainless steel found on the more expensive Venu.

Garmin Venu Square

(Image credit: Michael Sawh)

What you do get is a lighter and smaller watch, although we'd say you're not getting a better watch. While the Sq feels well built, it just doesn't feel as polished as the round Venu. Even the two physical buttons feel nicer to use on the larger Venu. Granted, they have different price points, but we were hoping Garmin managed to retain some of that appeal from its first watch to pack a color screen.

Speaking of that screen, you actually get an inferior one on the cheaper Venu. It packs a 1,3-inch 240 x 240 LCD screen. The Venu Prime houses a more vibrant AMOLED touchscreen. While the Sq's screen didn't really pose any major issues in terms of visibility or brightness, the difference in quality compared to what you get on the other Venu is very clear. Thankfully this is an always-on display, though there doesn't seem to be an always-on option available when tracking exercise.

Garmin Venu Square

(Image credit: Michael Sawh)

The good news is that Garmin has used their quick release straps that make it easy to remove the 20mm straps and swap them out for one of Garmin's official straps or compatible third-party options that will likely cost you less.

In terms of water resistance, it's something Garmin is always consistent with across all of its watches. So you get a watch with a 5 ATM rating, making it suitable for showering and going swimming with.

Garmin Venu Sq: fitness tracking

Like almost all Garmin watches, tracking your health and fitness is the main reason you'd want to buy it. Garmin does it better than most, and overall you'll have a good experience with Sq.

On the sensor front, you get built-in GPS and support for Galileo and Beidou satellite systems to give you better map coverage around the world. There's Garmin's Elevate heart rate monitor, which can be used for training purposes and for health features like abnormal heart rate alerts and continuous monitoring.

One nice feature is that it also supports the ability to pair additional sensors, including external chest strap monitors if you're not happy with the accuracy of your heart rate. We paired it with Garmin's new HRM Pro and Polar's H9 chest strap without issue.

Garmin Venu Square

(Image credit: Michael Sawh)

You get an accelerometer to track indoor activity and count your steps for fitness tracking and there's also a pulse sensor to measure blood oxygen levels during sleep and with on-the-spot metrics. As is the case with other Pulse Ox-packing Garmins, turning it on will significantly drain the battery.

A remarkable sensor that is sorely missed in an altimeter. That means you can't keep track of elevation, whether you're climbing stairs during the day or if you're on a hilly running or biking route. It is a sensor that you will find in the more expensive Venu.

The basic sport modes are running, cycling and swimming (pool) and there are outdoor profiles for skiing and rowing. You don't get real-time breadcrumbs or the ability to download routes, but it does include Garmin's Return to Home feature to help you get back home or wherever you started your activity.

Garmin Venu Square

(Image credit: Michael Sawh)

For running, it provided reliable running stats, and key metrics were in line with another Garmin watch we've pitted it against. Heart rate was decent for steady-paced runs, but if you're concerned about accuracy and using it for serious heart-rate-based training, our advice is to pair a chest strap. Our only issue with race tracking is that it often took a long time to pick up a GPS signal. On some occasions, it took around five minutes or left us so impatient to wait that we just decided to hit that hint button.

Garmin watches tend to be reliable pool companions and that doesn't change with the Venu Sq. You get a rich set of metrics to review in real time and after your swim, though it's not quite as nice to look at in pool water as the more big. and Venu rounder. Above all, it provided accurate data compared to the highly reliable Form Swim goggles we pitted it against.

If you're expecting a lot of rich training analytics, that's something you won't get here. Things like training load and status information or a recovery advisor, which you'd find on Garmin's Forerunner watches, aren't included here. If you're less concerned with session analysis and more interested in widely trusted sports tracking, that's what you'll get here.

Garmin Venu Square

(Image credit: Michael Sawh)

Another feature you'll be missing here is the animated workout feature first introduced on the Venu and Vivoactive 4. This is the ability to track workouts on the watch face with animations that show you how to perform the moves and exercises. . It's a shame it's not up to the task and it's one of the features you'll have to pay extra to access.

As a fitness tracker, Garmin gives you things like step tracking and sleep monitoring. You can also monitor stress by accessing his more unique approach to guided breathing exercises. For step tracking, it does a reliable job, though we'd say sleep monitoring still struggles to accurately recognize when we fell asleep and woke up, typically recording much longer sleep times.

Garmin Venu Sq: smartwatch features

Garmin does a good job of getting the best of its smartwatch features into its little Venu watch. It works with Android phones and iPhones and we've tested both without any major issues.

You can view and respond to your notifications when using an Android phone. It's a smaller, narrower screen to make than the round Venu, but it can be done with a minimum of fiddling.

There is the possibility to control your music and if you go for music editing you have enough space for 500 songs that can come...