Should you buy the Garmin Venu or the Apple Watch Series 5?
- AMOLED display
- 20+ preloaded sports apps
- Music storage for 500 songs
- Pulse Ox sensor
- Sleep tracking
- Doesn't offer LTE connectivity
- Smaller storage capacity
- Limited app selection
- Only one size option
The Garmin Venu comes with 20+ preloaded sports apps, built-in GPS, heart-rate monitoring, on-screen workouts, sleep tracking, and much more. Anyone can enjoy all the perks this smartwatch has to offer.
Ideal for Apple usersApple Watch Series 5
- Now has always-on display
- Two size options
- 32GB storage capacity
- Electrocardiogram sensor
- Optional LTE
- Expensive
- Short battery life
- Lacks native sleep tracking
- Not a major upgrade from predecessor
If you own an iPhone, you simply can't go wrong with the Apple Watch Series 5. You'll enjoy great app support, 32 GB of storage, Apply Pay, and optional LTE connectivity. You can also choose your case size and material.
When looking at the Garmin Venu and the Apple Watch Series 5, you'll notice there are many similarities. They're not identical by any means, but they're definitely rivals. If you want a fitness-focused smartwatch with superior battery life and extra features, like sleeping tracking, Body Battery energy monitoring, and a Pulse Ox sensor.
Maybe you'd prefer a watch that's focused on advanced smart features. The Apple Watch Series 5 offers LTE connectivity, 32GB of storage, and an electrocardiogram sensor. It's a tough call, but iPhone users will understandably be partial to the Apple Watch for various reasons. The Garmin Venu is also a worthy competitor and will likely speak to those who prioritize health and fitness features.
Several similarities
While there are some important distinctions to be made between these two, you'll mostly find a whole lot of overlap. Both of these smartwatches provide you with solid fitness tracking, heart-rate monitoring, built-in GPS, an altimeter for tracking floors climbed, 5 ATM water resistance, smartphone notifications, Wi-Fi connectivity, and mobile payments. Both watches have music storage, but the Venu can hold 500 songs, which is roughly 4GB. The Apple Watch, on the other hand, has 32GB of internal storage.
| Garmin Venu | Apple Watch Series 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 43.2 x 43.2 x 12.4 mm | 44 x 38 x 10.74 mm |
| Display | 1.2" AMOLED always-on display, 390 x 390 pixels | 1.78" always-on retina display, 368 x 448 pixels |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth(R), ANT+(R), Wi-Fi(R) | Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi b/g/n 2.4GHz, optional LTE |
| Sensors | Garmin ElevateTM wrist heart rate monitor, altimeter, compass, gyroscope, Pulse Ox, accelerometer, thermometer | Barometric altimeter, optical heart sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, compass |
| Battery life | Smartwatch mode: 5 days GPS with music: 6 hours | Up to 18 hours |
| Water resistance | Up to 50 meters | Up to 50 meters |
| Onboard GPS | ||
| Notifications | ||
| Mobile payments | ||
| Sleep monitoring |
Other than the shape of the watch case, the Garmin Venu and the Apple Watch Series 5 share similar designs. Make no mistake, both of these wearables are geared toward the fashionable crowd. You have the convenience of an always-on display feature on both models, too.
A few differences
The Garmin Venu is only available in one size (40mm) and comes in a stainless steel case. The Apple Watch Series 5 offers more choices. It comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes with your choice of a stainless steel, aluminum, ceramic, or titanium case. One of the most common features was always missing from the Apple Watch - until now. That's right, it finally has an always-on display. This feature will dim the display rather than shutting it off entirely.
You have the option of LTE connectivity with the Apple Watch but it will cost more. If you want to be able to use your watch at its full potential without your phone present, this feature will come in handy. It also an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, which is capable of detecting an irregular heartbeat that may indicate a more serious health condition. The bad news is that the Apple Watch Series 5 still doesn't have native tracking. The 18-hour battery life is still a disappointment, too.
Bottom lineIf you own an iPhone, either of these wearables will treat you right but the Apple Watch Series 5 will be a more organic experience. Android users, however, won't benefit much from an Apple Watch. Sure, there might be some extensive workarounds out there, but these watches are specifically made to be compatible with iPhone devices. This might be the deciding factor for you but if not, read on.
Do you want a watch with LTE connectivity and tons of storage space? If so, you'll probably prefer the Apple Watch Series 5. Be prepared to pay more for it, though. You'll also need to recharge it daily. That being said, it's an excellent watch with unmatched app support, activity tracking, GPS, heart-rate monitoring, Apple Pay, and ECG.
If you're not worried about LTE connectivity and 500 songs is plenty of storage space, you may be a fan of the Garmin Venu as well as the lower price tag that comes with it. You get 5 days of battery life, built-in sleep tracking, 20+ preloaded sports apps, GPS, heart-rate monitoring, mobile payments, and more.
A solid choice for allGarmin Venu
Features galore
The Garmin Venu gives you a gorgeous AMOLED touchscreen, activity and sleep tracking, GPS, heart-rate monitoring, Body Battery energy monitoring, a Pulse Ox sensor, on-screen workouts, and more. You can store up to 500 songs and make payments from your watch, too.
Ideal for Apple UsersApple Watch Series 5
An iPhone's best friend
If you're an iPhone user, it's hard to compete with anything other than the Apple Watch Series 5. This is the most seamless experience you'll find. It also has activity tracking, GPS, heart-rate monitoring, an electrocardiogram sensor, 32 GB of internal storage, and Apple Pay.