Even if you like to follow everything that happens in the global smartwatch market, Garmin’s decidedly unusual product launch strategy may have made it difficult for you to care about the new Venu 4 or even notice the Fenix 8 Pro series a couple of weeks back.
That’s because pretty much all the industry’s attention is currently focused on Apple, and that’s obviously been the case since before the company’s Watch Series 11, Watch Ultra 3, and Watch SE 3 were officially unveiled last week.
But it’s also equally obvious (to me, at least) that Garmin chose to take the wraps off the ultra-high-end Fenix 8 Pro family right before Apple’s big day this fall and the latest Venu model right after specifically to try to rain on its rival’s parade. That was a pretty wild and risky plan with very low chances of succeeding, but if you ask me, Garmin came incredibly close to pulling off the impossible.
Yes, I believe the Venu 4 is better than the Apple Watch Series 11
In order to steal Apple’s thunder, Garmin only had to do two things. Put out an objectively better product than the Series 11 or Apple Watch Ultra 3 at the right time, and get everyone talking about said product. Simple, eh?
Obviously not, but at least in theory, succeeding on the first front should make the second part of that equation a walk in the park. But that’s clearly not the case here, because I think the Garmin Venu 4 handily beats the Apple Watch Series 11 in many (if not most) key departments, and yet no one’s talking about it or greatly anticipating its September 22 release.
Now, if you don’t agree with me that the Venu 4 is an objectively better device, allow me to quickly list out a few things:
Built-in LED flashlight;
Up to 12 days of battery life;
Health status;
Lifestyle logging;
Sleep alignment;
Fitness Coach.
As you may have guessed, these are all features that the latest Apple Watches are missing or can’t really compete with. And granted, the Series 11 does hold a number of undeniable advantages of its own over Garmin’s newest “mainstream” smartwatch (like hypertension notifications and optional cellular connectivity), but in my book, those have nothing on the Venu 4’s battery life strength.
Do you know how many times you need to charge an Apple Watch in the space of 12 days? That’s right, about 12 times. Of course, we all understand that the Garmin Venu 4 can’t last 12 days between charges in any usage conditions, but even the four days promised with the always-on display functionality continuously enabled is a number the Series 11 can’t hope to come close to.
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Are you buying the Garmin Venu 4?
Definitely Maybe Maybe… if that price goes down a little No, it’s clearly too expensive No, the Apple Watch Series 11 is better No, the Galaxy Watch 8 is better No, another smartwatch is better
Definitely
0%
Maybe
0%
Maybe… if that price goes down a little
0%
No, it’s clearly too expensive
0%
No, the Apple Watch Series 11 is better
0%
No, the Galaxy Watch 8 is better
0%
No, another smartwatch is better
0%
The Venu 4’s powerful LED flashlight is another super-convenient tool Apple cannot rival due to its potential impact on the already modest battery endurance, while the newly added health and fitness tracking capabilities should consolidate Garmin’s clear existing superiority in that very important field (for me, at least).
In short, the Garmin Venu 4 sounds like it will prove more convenient, powerful, and versatile than the Apple Watch Series 11 in areas I legitimately care about (including in-depth sleep tracking), not to mention that it’s compatible with both iPhones and Android handsets rather than playing favorites in the mobile OS support department.
So what’s wrong with this thing again?
Unfortunately, the price point. Yes, probably the most important component of a smartwatch’s value proposition for a lot of prospective buyers. Now, the Venu 4 is obviously not wildly overpriced, like the $2,000 (!!!) Fenix 8 Pro – MicroLED, but at $549.99, it’s an inexplicable $150 costlier than the cheapest Apple Watch Series 11 model and an even more bizarre $100 north of the Venu 3’s starting price back in 2023.
Are Trump’s tariffs to blame here? I don’t know, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t really care. What I can tell you is that there’s no way Garmin will be able to sell many copies of this bad boy at 550 bucks when Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8, for instance, starts at only $350 and the gorgeous Galaxy Watch 8 Classic normally costs $500.
If you’ve been considering a Garmin purchase in the past, you may have also noticed that the company doesn’t discount its products quite as frequently as Samsung, so if you’re thinking of waiting a little to see if the $549.99 tag goes down to $449.99 or at least $499.99, you might be in for a pretty lengthy wait.
And that, my dear friends and readers, is how you ruin an incredibly promising product. Now, do I still think that the Venu 4 is the best smartwatch for me right now? Absolutely. But is it really so much better than the Apple Watch Series 11 or the perfectly acceptable Galaxy Watch 8? I’m starting to have some big doubts. If only it came with built-in 4G LTE support at that price…
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