The Garmin Venu SQ Music is technically a downgraded version of the original Garmin Venu, with a cheaper price tag and a square watch face. You could also call it Garmin’s answer to the Fitbit Versa 3, while keeping in mind that Garmin definitely trumps Fitbit from a sports tracking perspective.
The original Garmin Venu is one of the best activity trackers that Garmin has ever made. It has an excellent combination of fitness features, sports modes and health tracking abilities, together with a gorgeous high res AMOLED screen.
Now that you have a high level understanding of each watch, let’s dive into the details of this particular product comparison.
Key Similarities - Garmin Venu SQ vs Garmin Venu
Garmin Venu SQ
Garmin Venu
Key Differences - Venu SQ vs Venu
Venu SQ
Venu
Sports Modes Comparison
Garmin Venu SQ Sports Modes
- Strength Training
- Cardio Training
- Elliptical Training
- Stair Stepping
- Indoor Rowing
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Breathwork
- Running
- Indoor Track Running
- Treadmill Running
- Skiing
- Snowboarding
- XC Skiing
- Stand Up Paddleboarding
- Rowing (Outdoor)
- Cycling
- Indoor Cycling
- Pool Swimming
- Walking
- Golf Tracking
Garmin Venu Sports Modes
- Strength Training
- Cardio Training
- Elliptical Training
- Stair Stepping
- Indoor Rowing
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Breathwork
- Running
- Indoor Track Running
- Treadmill Running
- Skiing
- Snowboarding
- XC Skiing
- Stand Up Paddleboarding
- Rowing (Outdoor)
- Cycling
- Indoor Cycling
- Pool Swimming
- Walking
- Golf Tracking
- Floor Climbing (Stairs)
Reasons To Choose the Venu SQ Music
1. It's one of the most affordable golf watches in Garmin's line-up
One of the best aspects of Garmin’s Vivoactive and Venu ranges is that they include golf tracking features, which can rival a dedicated golf watch.
This is great news in the case of the Garmin Venu SQ Music, because it has such a reasonable price tag. You effectively get almost all of the activity tracking features that Garmin has to offer, together with seriously powerful golf tracking abilities.
2. It's almost as good as the Original Garmin Venu, but significantly cheaper
The original Garmin Venu is arguably the best activity tracker that Garmin has ever made (at this moment in time). The combination of sports modes and fitness features makes it a very attractive option for pretty much anyone that does any form of exercise.
Fortunately, Garmin have packed almost all of the same technology into Venu SQ Music. The screen might not be as beautiful, but the price tag should be a lot more palatable for most casual sports and fitness people.
Reasons To Choose the Original Garmin Venu
1. Longer GPS Battery Life
The smartwatch battery of the Garmin Venu SQ (6 days) is actually one day longer than the original Garmin Venu (5 days). However, it’s the GPS battery life where there is truly a separation between the two watches. The bullet points below should make this pretty clear.
- Garmin Venu SQ GPS Battery Life: Up to 14 Hours
- Garmin Venu GPS Battery Life: Up to 20 Hours
2. Beautiful AMOLED Screen
There’s nothing wrong with the screen of the Venu SQ Music. However, the liquid crystal display simply can’t compete with the AMOLED technology packed into the original Garmin Venu.
On the surface, this might not seem like a dealbreaker, but you might be surprised by how much more pleasant a high res screen actually is. It’s noticeable every time you interact with your watch. Once you convert to a high res screen, it’s hard to go back to a lower resolution equivalent.
3. Additional Sensors (Barometric Altimeter + Gyroscope)
The Garmin Venu includes a built-in barometric altimeter and gyroscope. These are fairly powerful instruments that can improve the accuracy of your watch in several ways.
Barometric Altimeter: The barometric altimeter on the Garmin Venu uses barometric pressure to determine changes in elevation, as well as changes to the pressure caused by weather patterns. For most people, this means that the vertical measurements during running and cycling should be more accurate, especially when the information from the barometric altimeter is combined with the GPS readings.
Gyroscope: Garmin fitness watches that feature a gyroscope benefit the following:
- Improved swim feature performance
- Improved rep counting (gym activities)
- Improved distance and direction calculations when GPS is off
4. Automatically Measures Floors Climbed
One of the big benefits of the built-in barometric altimeter is that the Garmin Venu can track how many flights of stairs you walk up and down throughout the day. It’s a bit like how the watch tracks your steps throughout the day, except in this case, the Venu will count every elevation gain of 10 feet (3 meters) as a floor climbed.
If your daily routine include a lot of stairs, it can be quite fun to keep track of how many flights you climb and how many calories you burn in the process. Who knows, it might even help you take the stairs instead of the elevator more often (activity trackers can have this affect on people).
5. On-Screen Workout Animations
The original Garmin Venu includes easy-to-follow, animated cardio, strength, yoga and Pilates workouts preloaded on the watch. In addition, you can download more workouts from the Garmin Connect app.
If you’re planning to use your watch as a potential replacement for a personal trainer, these animated workouts could come in handy. They make it pretty easy to follow, and you don’t have to carry around your phone to remember your planned routine.
Final Thoughts
In the end, choosing between these watches is actually quite difficult. The original Garmin Venu is definitely the better watch overall, but the Venu SQ Music isn’t too far behind, and it’s considerably cheaper. If you’re still trying to make a call, these final buying tips may help.
Go for the Garmin Venu SQ Music if:
- You’re on a tight budget
- You prefer the square design
- You don’t necessarily need the extra sensors
- You’re okay with a lower resolution screen
Go for the original Garmin Venu if:
- You want a gorgeous AMOLED screen
- You’re passionate about running or cycling
- You prefer the circular design
- You want the better watch overall