Garmin Venu vs Fenix 6: Which Smartwatch Is Better?

If you are in a hurry here is a comparison of Garmin Venu vs Garmin Fenix 6.

Model

Garmin Fenix 6

Garmin Venu

Dimensions

47mm

43mm

Weight

80 grams

46.3 grams

Touchscreen

No

Yes

Display

1.3-inch 260 x 260 4

1.2-inch 390 x 390 AMOLED

Memory

64MB

4GB

Battery life

GPS – 36 hours, No GPS 14 Days

GPS – 6 hours, No GPS 5 Days

Bluetooth

Yes

Yes

Water resistance

5ATM

5ATM

Heart rate monitor

Yes

Yes

NFC

Yes2.8 (kit lens)

Yes

Rating

Price

Since Garmin decided to enter the smart accessory industry, the game has changed. Their primary focus is manufacturing extremely durable smartwatches, packed with features that can track all sorts of activities.

To anyone following the industry, it’s clear that Garmin has made a statement for themselves as the epitome of quality.

Now that you’ve settled on Garmin as a brand, let’s take a look at two of their most popular models and put head-to-head the Garmin Venu vs the Garmin Fenix 6 to find out which is the smartwatch for you.

About Garmin

Garmin has been more prevalent in the GPS technology business than any company on earth. We have seen Garmin technology everywhere, from aviation to the automotive industry, and now they are packing all that knowledge into a smartwatch.

Their focus is on creating durable, outdoor smartwatches packed with many features that will help you live a healthier lifestyle. Choosing a Garmin smartwatch means you can expect premium quality, detailed analysis, and innovative features.

Garmin Venu

Garmin Venu

Venu is a sleek-looking series from Garmin with a simply gorgeous design. This is Garmin’s first smartwatch with a 1.2-inch AMOLED display.

The display makes all the difference in a smartwatch. The Garmin Venu, with its AMOLED display, has deeper and more vibrant colors than other smartwatches with LCDs.

The only issue with an AMOLED display is the reduced battery life. However, if you compare the Venu to other AMOLED watches like the Apple Watch, its 8-day battery life runs laps around its competitor’s mere 24-hour battery life.

Aside from the display, the design is nothing new. It has the traditional cylindrical shape that Garmin has on all watches, but it is thinner and lighter than most of its competitors. It comes with 20mm silicone straps and in a 43mm bezel size, the perfect size for a smartwatch.

This smartwatch is packed with many different features to measure statistics such as: stress level, OX tracking, heart rate, and sleep tracking.

Pros

  • Stunning AMOLED display
  • Packed with features
  • Decent battery life
  • Extremely accurate measurements

Cons

  • The touchscreen should be more responsive

Garmin Fenix 6

Garmin Fenix 6

On the other hand, Garmin’s own Fenix 6 provides the Venu with some fierce competition. Garmin released the new Fenix series in three different models, the 6, 6S, and 6X.

The original version, the Fenix 6, comes with a 1.3-inch LCD display with 260 x 260px resolution. Unfortunately, the Fenix 6 is still controlled using buttons instead of a touchscreen.

Like most Garmin smartwatches, it is packed with sensors like GPS, gyroscope, and accelerometer. Additionally, the Fenix 6 is a great health and activity tracker since it tracks things such as calorie intake burned, distance traveled, sleep quality, steps, heart rate, and much more.

This is a fairly bulky watch with a 47mm bezel size made from stainless steel. This means that the Fenix 6 is also quite heavy, weighing roughly 80 grams. It has the same circular shape as most Garmin watches, and the quality of its build is outstanding.

The best characteristic of the Fenix 6 is its impressive battery life. In smartwatch mode, the Fenix 6 can last up to 14 days between charges. If you activate the GPS, however, then the battery life is reduced to only 36 hours, or 72 hours if you set to max battery GPS mode.

There is also an exciting survival mode on the Fenix 6 that minimizes the use of features, extends the battery to 28 days with GPS, and to a whopping 48 days in power saver mode.

Pros

  • Best outdoor activity tracker
  • Rugged design
  • Accurate tracking
  • Internal memory
  • Impressive battery life

Cons

  • Not a very stylish smartwatch
  • No GPS

Garmin Venu vs Garmin Fenix 6: A Comparison

Design

Design

In terms of design, each has its own style and unique look. In placing both smartwatches side-by-side, the first thing to draw your attention will likely be the stylish design on the Garmin Venu. On the other hand, the Fenix 6 has a more rugged and hard-core look.

Additionally, the Venu’s new AMOLED display unquestionably pops out, highlighting the elegant design of the watch. In contrast, the Garmin Fenix 6 is equipped with a transflective memory-in-pixel display, which is great for improving visibility outdoors.

But the display is not the main problem with the Fenix 6. The massive size adds a bit of weight to the Fenix 6, which may cause some discomfort after wearing it for a long time.

On the other hand, the Venu comes in the perfect 43mm size, and it is very lightweight; in other words, it is an incredibly comfortable watch.

Winner: Garmin Venu

More: Garmin Vivoactive 4 vs Garmin Venu: Which Smartwatch Is Better?

Smartwatch Features

Smartwatch Features

When looking at buying a smartwatch, one carefully considers the smart features that each product has to offer. These Garmin options both come well-equipped, with enough smart capabilities to rival some of the biggest names in the smartwatch industry.

They both have all the usual smartwatch features like notifications, safety, tracking functions, weather, calendar, and Garmin Pay.

With that said, the Garmin Venu has one significant advantage over the Fenix 6; thanks to its internal memory, it has the ability to download up to 500 songs from streaming services like Amazon Music or Spotify.

Pair that with Bluetooth earphones, and the Venu lets you forget about your phone every time you go for a run. It is worth mentioning that the Garmin Fenix 6 can control the music played on your smartphone.

Winner: Garmin Venu

More: Garmin Vivoactive 3 vs 4: Does It Worth to Upgrade?

Tracking Features

Tracking Features

When it comes to tracking features, it is hard to find anything missing from either the Garmin Venu or the Fenix 6. They are indeed two of the most the most advanced smartwatches available on the market.

They have all the basic features you are likely to find in a smartwatch, like a stress tracker, sleep monitor, step counter, and much more. Beyond these basics, they are also packed with sensors like a GPS, gyroscope, heart rate tracker, and accelerometer, designed to track everything about your body and surroundings.

The most innovative quality of these watches is the Body Battery Energy Monitor which is a unique feature that lets you know how much energy you have based on tracking heart rate, activity, and stress. Features like TrueUp and Pulse Ox are also included.

If you like to exercise, you will surely love the new feature on the Garmin Venu, which allows you to preview animated workouts as a guide to show you how to execute workouts properly. This feature is not available on the Fenix 6.

  • On the other hand, the Fenix 6 is equipped with more features for the outdoors. For example, it has ClimbPro and RacePro to improve your running and climbing. On top of that, it comes with UltraTrac for hikers and open-water swimmers.

To put it simply, the Fenix 6 is more of an outdoors tracking smartwatch, whereas the Garmin Venu has more features for casual use.

Winner: Garmin Fenix 6

More: Garmin Vivoactive 4 vs Fenix 6: Which One To Pick?

Battery Life

Battery Life

Hands down, both smartwatches are amongst the greatest performers on the market in terms of battery life.

Obviously, you have to sacrifice a bit of battery life for the Garmin Venu’s gorgeous AMOLED display. Thankfully, the loss isn’t too significant since it can still last up to five days in smartwatch mode or six hours in GPS mode.

Meanwhile, the Garmin Fenix 6 battery can last up to 14 days in smartwatch mode or up to 36 hours in GPS mode.

Winner: Garmin Fenix 6

Stand Out Features of The Garmin Venu

Beautiful AMOLED Display

The most noticeable difference is the AMOLED display, which gives the smartwatch that premium, elegant look. The colors are outstanding, and the blacks are darker, which provides a nice contrast.

Additionally, since the Venu is brighter, it provides perfect viewing even in direct sunlight. It has an always-on mode that also works flawlessly.

Design

The Garmin Venu looks exquisite. That sleek-looking body made from high-quality material gives you the sense that you’re wearing a watch from the future.

As an added benefit, it is also thin and light, making it a wonderfully comfortable smartwatch.

The design on the Venu is genuinely remarkable, and it is without a doubt one of the most stunning smartwatches on the market.

More: Fitbit Charge 4 vs Fitbit Charge 3: Does It Worth the Upgrade?

Internal Storage

The Garmin Venu has 4GB of internal storage (with slightly less usable space) and supports many streaming services like Amazon Music, Deezer, Spotify, and iHeartRadio, where you can download your songs for offline listening.

You can also drag your own music files onto the watch using your computer.

Stand Out Features of The Garmin Fenix 6

Battery Life

If you end up purchasing the Garmin Fenix 6, you will likely get used to forgetting when you last charged your smartwatch.

With its massive Li-ion 270mAh battery, this watch can last up to an incredible 48 days in battery saver mode. However, since the most used feature is often the smartwatch mode, you will more likely be charging your battery every 14 days.

Rugged Build

It is clear by its design that the Garmin Fenix 6 is built for the outdoors. The smartwatch itself is very tough and made from extremely durable materials. It seems like Garmin’s main goal was to build the ultimate outdoor watch that can withstand anything you threw at it, and they’ve certainly succeeded.

More: Fitbit Versa 2 vs Charge 4: Which One Should You Buy?

Packed with Outdoor Features

If your main priority is for your smartwatch to track all sorts of outside activities, you can forget about any other watch right now; the Fenix 6 is the clear choice for you. It is full of features that will give you mind-blowing statistics at the end of the day.

Things like UltraTrac, ClimbPro, or open-water swimming metrics comprise just a fraction of the capabilities of the Fenix 6.

So, Which is Better, the Fenix 6 or the Venu?

Choose the Garmin Fenix 6 if:

  • You want better battery life.
  • You want a bigger bezel option.
  • You are comfortable with an LCD display.
  • You want outdoor features.
  • You want a rugged design.

Choose the Garmin Venu if:

  • You want an AMOLED display.
  • You want a more comfortable smartwatch.
  • You want internal storage.
  • You want a better-looking smartwatch.

Both smartwatches are excellent. Garmin created each smartwatch with a different approach; it made the Garmin Venu more conventional, for everyday use, and in contrast, created the Garmin Fenix 6 with its rugged design for more outdoor, physical activities.

Based on your personal preferences and activities, you just have to choose which smartwatch is best for you. The great news is you won’t make a mistake by purchasing either one of them.

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