Garmin Venu that was released last year with Vivoactive 4 share a lot in common to Fitbit latest smartwatches, I already did a comparison between Vivoactive 4 and Versa 3, and in today’s comparison, we will be looking at which is better between Fitbit Sense vs Garmin Venu to help us decide which is a better smartwatch for you. The similarities between these two are that both are fitness-focused and well equipped to track your active life, help you stay connected to updates received on your phone, and also have long battery life that lets you go long from a single charge. So which is better? Let’s find out.
Fitbit Sense vs Garmin Venu Specifications Comparison
| Fitbit Sense | Garmin Venu | |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
ABOUT DEVICE |
||
| Device name | Fitbit Sense | Garmin Venu |
| Device type | Sport/Fitness smartwatch | Sport/Fitness smartwatch |
| Predecessor | None | Garmin Vivoactive 3 |
| Successor | None | N |
| Date Released | September, 2020 | September, 2019 |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
WHERE TO BUY |
||
DISPLAY |
||
| Display size | 1.58 inches | 1.2 inch |
| Display type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Display resolution | 336 x 336 pixel | 390 x 390 pixels |
| Pixel density | -- | -- |
| Display always-on | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | Touchscreen Touchkey |
Touchscreen plus 2 physical button |
BODY |
||
| Shape | Rectangular/curved | Circular |
| Casing material | Aluminum | Fiber-reinforced polymer with polymer rear cover |
| Strap material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Bezel Material | Stainless steel | Stainless steel |
| Weight | -- | 46.3 grams |
| Color(s) | Carbon/graphite White/gold |
Gold/black Rose gold/tan Silver/dark gray Black/black |
| Dimension | 40.5 x 40.5 x 12.4 mm | 43.2 x 43.2 x 12.4 mm |
| Strap size | 140 - 180 mm (small) 180 - 220 mm (large) |
20mm |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla glass | Corning Gorilla glass 3 |
| Durability test | ||
| Waterproof rating | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
CLOCK FEATURES |
||
| Time/Date | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm | Yes | Yes |
| Stopwatch | Yes | Yes |
MEMORY |
||
| RAM | -- | -- |
| Internal storage | About 4GB | 4GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
MEDIA |
||
| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Microphone | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | No |
| Camera | No | No |
| Music streaming | Yes | Yes |
CONNECTIVITY |
||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v5.0 | Bluetooth smart v4.2 LE, ANT+ |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No |
NOTIFICATIONS |
||
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| Reminder | Yes | Yes |
CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
||
| Network Technology | No | No |
| SIM | No | No |
FITNESS TRACKING |
||
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max. | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Swim tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Blood pressure | No | No |
| ECG Tracking | Yes | No |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | Yes |
| Preloaded sport modes | Yes, 20 | Yes |
PLATFORM |
||
| Operating system | Fitbit OS | Proprietary OS |
| CPU | -- | -- |
| GPU | -- | -- |
| Chipset | -- | -- |
SENSORS |
||
| GPS | Yes | GPS/GLONASS/Galileo |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | No | Yes |
| Pulse Ox. | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | Yes | -- |
| ECG | Yes | No |
| Thermometer | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes |
OTHER FUNCTIONS |
||
| Interchangeable straps | Yes | Yes, 20mm |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Assistant | Yes | No |
| Compatibility | Android, IOS Check supported devices |
Android and iOS Check if your device is compatible |
| Payment system | Fitbit Pay | Garmin pay |
| Companion app | Fitbit App | Garmin connect IQ store |
BATTERY |
||
| Battery type | Non-removable lithium polymer | Non-removable Li-ion battery |
| Battery capacity | -- | -- |
| Est. battery life | Mixed usage: up to 6 days+ | Smartwatch mode: Up to 5 days GPS mode with music: Up to 6 hours |
| Charging mode | Magnetic charging | USB charging cable |
| Charging duration | About 30mins-1 hours | About 1-2 hours |
BOX CONTENTS |
||
| Fitbit Sense | Garmin Venu | |
| Large band Small band |
Straps | |
| Magnetic charging cable | USB charging cable | |
| Quick start guide | Quick start guide | |
Fitbit Sense vs Garmin Venu – The Differences
DESIGN
From the table above and from video reviews, one thing you would notice from the design of each of these two smartwatches is that each of the two has a very compact design and also very lightweight. I have worn the Versa 3 every day and never felt like removing it, it has the same size as the Sense. While Fitbit Sense has a case made of aluminum and stainless steel bezel, Venu also has a stainless steel bezel and polymer case. The straps of both smartwatches are made of silicone which offers a flexible and non-irritating experience. Although, while Fitbit Sense has a square shape that leaves it with a sporty design, Venu has a circular shape that leaves it with a classic design.
Interacting with any of these two is relatively easy, while the Venu offers you two physical buttons in addition to its touch-sensitive screen, Fitbit Sense has a haptic button combined with a touchscreen. I don’t really like the haptic button as it tends to be unresponsive oftentimes.
AMOLED also powers the display of each of these two which is very colorful, so you shouldn’t have any problem reading complications on the screen, but under direct sunlight, AMOLED doesn’t give the best experience.
HEALTH AND FITNESS TRACKING
Tracking your overall health and fitness is the basic function of each of these two smartwatches, each of these two is equipped with an accelerometer, thermometer, heart rate sensor, gyroscope, altimeter, and inbuilt GPS. These enable each of these two smartwatches to track your heart rate, sleep, calories, steps, distance, and more.
It’s basically the same functions offered in different forms as far as fitness tracking is concerned. Fitbit Sense will track your sleep in four stages and will also show your sleep trend which is also possible with Venu that tracks your sleep in three stages and shows your sleep trend.
Each of these two features 20 preset sport modes for you to choose from, and there’s is inbuilt GPS that allows you to track outdoor activities such as your routes, distance, pace, and more.
For women, you can also log your menstrual cycle with any of these two smartwatches, and there is the water and food intake logging. You can also manage stress with any of these two. There are animated workout modes on any of these two smartwatches that coach you as you train and these can save you money on a subscription.
The different fitness tracking feature is that Fitbit Sense features an ECG app that allows you to take ECG tests directly from your wrist which is not possible with Venu. On the other hand, Venu features incidental fall detection which allows the watch to send a call through a connected phone when the watch detects a hard fall. Each of these two also features blood oxygen tracking, but only the Venu tracks your blood oxygen during the day and night unlike Fitbit Sense that only tracks your blood oxygen at night.
There are other minute differences in health and fitness tracking between these two, however, any of these two can help you reach more fitness goals.
MUSIC STORAGE AND MEDIA
Fitbit Sense has both a microphone and loudspeaker which Venu lacks, this allows you to access voice assistant through Alexa and Google Assistant (yet to be added). You can also answer a call on Fitbit Sense which you can’t do with Venu.
As per music storage, both smartwatches allow you to store music on the watch, but you can’t add your personal music to Fitbit Sense which you can easily do on Venu with the Garmin Express desktop application.
NOTIFICATIONS
Each of these two will allow you to manage the notifications you received on your phone. You can reply to messages on both smartwatches with preset replies (Android only), but only Versa 3 allows you to reply with your voice.
BATTERY LIFE
As per battery life, each of these two will allow you to go multiple days from a single charge. However, from what customers say, Fitbit Sense has a longer battery life than Venu. While you can expect about 5-6 days long battery life from Fitbit Sense, Garmin Venu will only last up to 3-4 days with mixed usage.
MY VERDICT
Each of these two smartwatches has a decent design that’s very durable, lightweight and compact, and also well equipped to track your active life as well as have a long battery life, I think Fitbit Sense is a better smartwatch than Garmin Venu. It features ECG tracking, voice assistants, longer battery life, and offers more ways to reply to messages.
While Garmin Venu has a more attractive appearance and offers more fitness tracking features.
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com