Garmin Venu 4 is a sports-watch-smartwatch hybrid that blends advanced fitness metrics with everyday smart features. Its $550 price point and polished design make it a compelling choice for casual athletes who want more than a basic activity tracker.
At a Glance
- $550 for 41mm and 45mm models, $100 above the previous generation.
- 12-day battery life in smartwatch mode; 4 days with always-on display.
- Features multi-band GPS, heart-rate, breathing, blood-oxygen, ECG, and advanced recovery insights.
- Why it matters: It bridges the gap between high-end sports watches and mainstream smartwatches, offering a full-featured experience without the bulk.
The Venu 4’s design and functionality push Garmin toward a broader audience, yet the watch still retains the depth that keeps serious athletes engaged.
Fitness Features
The Venu 4 supports a wide range of activities, from running and cycling to rowing, HIIT, and golf course mapping. Its multi-band GPS provides accurate location tracking even on trail runs without a phone. Heart-rate monitoring closely matches a Polar chest strap during intense sprints.
Key metrics include:
- Heart rate, breathing rate, blood oxygen, stress, ECG, skin temperature, HRV.
- Advanced sleep and menstrual cycle tracking.
- Body Battery, Training Readiness, Load, and other recovery insights.
The watch’s Morning Brief informs users of daily readiness based on sleep and vitals. When the Body Battery dips low, the device encourages rest, helping users avoid overtraining.
Garmin Connect Plus subscribers pay $7 per month for personalized coaching plans and daily suggested workouts that adapt to sleep, recovery, and activity history. The reviewer tested a 10K running plan but found that real-life routines often overrode the suggested workouts.
Battery Life
The Venu 4’s brighter display and improved GPS reduce battery life compared to the Venu 3: 12 days versus 14 days. In smartwatch mode, the 41mm model averaged 10 days per charge, but with the always-on display it drops to roughly four days. While not on the level of Garmin’s Enduro or Instinct lines, the Venu 4 still outperforms most Apple and Samsung watches.
Extended wear improves sleep tracking, which unlocks features like Body Battery and HRV. However, continuous use can cause skin irritation. After five days, the reviewer experienced redness and itchiness beneath the polymer back. A week off, more frequent cleaning, and occasional breaks resolved the issue.
Design and Build
The Venu 4 comes in 41mm and 45mm sizes, both featuring a 1.4-inch AMOLED screen, stainless-steel case in lunar gold, slate, or silver, and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The back is fiber-reinforced polymer.
The bezel is larger than on an Apple Watch Series 11, giving a more substantial feel. Touch responsiveness is adequate but not as snappy as higher-refresh-rate displays on competitor smartwatches. Physical navigation uses two buttons-one for navigation and one for quick settings-replacing the three-button layout of the Venu 3.
A standout feature is the built-in LED flashlight, a real light embedded in the side of the watch, useful for low-light situations without activating the screen.
Smartwatch Functionality
On paper, the Venu 4 covers most smartwatch needs: notifications, Garmin Pay, music storage, voice assistant access, and call handling. Android users can reply to texts; iPhone users cannot. The experience is consistent across iOS and Android, but actions often require more steps than on dedicated smartwatches.
Changing watch faces requires the Garmin IQ app, and the overall app ecosystem remains limited compared to rivals. Navigation can feel sluggish and less intuitive.
Accessibility Features
Garmin added several accessibility options: spoken watch faces that read time and health data, hourly audio alerts, and multiple color filters for color-blind users.
Final Thoughts
The Venu 4 is the closest the reviewer has come to fully embracing a sports watch. Its battery life, training insights, and polished design make it an attractive gateway for those looking to step into the sports-watch world. While it may not be the perfect fit for everyone, especially those who only need occasional workout tracking, it offers enough depth and everyday convenience to justify the $550 price.
Overall, Garmin has created a well-rounded watch that balances advanced fitness data with everyday smart features, making it a solid pick for anyone between casual fitness enthusiasts and aspiring athletes.
