Garmin's new Venu 2 Plus takes a great smartwatch and makes it better
But Garmin still insists on charging an arm and a leg for its premium smartwatch.
- Garmin launches the new Venu 2 Plus with more software capabilities.
- The new Venu 2 Plus can make phone calls while tethered to a smartphone.
- With support for Siri, Google Assistant, or Bixby, the Venu 2 Plus can send texts and perform other actions.
Garmin has taken to CES to announce its latest premium smartwatch, the new Venu 2 Plus. Taking after its predecessor, the Garmin Venu 2, this smartwatch comes with a few new software features to make the watch more, well... smart.
One of the biggest additions to the Garmin Venu 2 Plus is the new connectivity feature, allowing the smartwatch to make and take phone calls with the new built-in microphone and a new button. This was a curious omission from the original Venu 2, even though the feature only works while tethered to a smartphone. That means there's still no cellular connectivity here, unfortunately.
Users will also be able to send text messages with the Venu 2 Plus, although this functionality will be accessible via the new voice assistant capability. This gives the Venu 2 Plus access to the smart voice assistant from your smartphone, whether it's Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant, allowing you to perform actions and control smart devices from your wrist.
Design-wise, the Venu 2 Plus looks nearly identical to the Venu 2 besides the additional button for mic functionality. You'll also find many of the same features, including all-day health monitoring, built-in fitness tracking, GPS, music apps, and support for both iOS and Android smartphones.
However, there are some differences with the new Venu 2 Plus launching in only one 43mm case size, a nice medium between the 40mm and 45mm case size of the original Venu 2S and Venu 2, respectively. However, battery life is slightly smaller, clocking in with nine days. It also features a slightly smaller 20mm industry-standard band size.
One thing that's not smaller is the price tag; the Garmin Venu 2 Plus will set you back a whopping $450, a $50 premium over its predecessor. While that's a lot to ask for considering there's no LTE support, Garmin makes some of the best Android smartwatches in the market, so it'll be up to you to decide whether the battery life, health and fitness tracking, and new connectivity features are worth it.
Premium trackingGarmin Venu 2 Plus
It gets even better
For anyone thinking of buying a Venu 2, you might want to consider Garmin's latest variant, thanks to its built-in microphone for making calls and giving commands to your smartphone's virtual assistant.