This is easily the most comprehensive comparison of these watches anywhere on the internet, thank you. I've been undecided as to which of these I'm going to buy and thanks to the video have decided to go with the V2 Plus.
I just upgraded my Forerunner 245 Music to the Venu 2 Plus, I had the Forerunner 265 in mind but it's a little to sporty looking for my taste, plus the Speaker and Assist feature of the venue 2 sold it for me :) its been about a week so far and Im loving it
Venu doesn't have audio prompts, unless you run with your phone. For me personally, the prompts are invaluable, particularly doing quicker intervals or when I'm trying to run to a pace or HR. Always surprises me, when a watch has onboard music but then doesn't have audio prompts.
Venu 2 plus would be perfect if it had HRV status. It's literally the only thing stopping me from buying it. There's a whole movement of health monitoring for people with CFS, long covid, fibromyalgia and many other illnesses that want to monitor their health but don't want the sporty look or a MIP screen (also many of the people interested are women).
I have M.E My first Garmin watch kind of knew before I did. I upgraded to the venu 2 and find the body battery to be really good. I don’t know if it works by measuring HRV but it’s a god send to help me manage my energy and pain levels.
I’ve been enjoying my FR265s and quite surprised by the battery life, it really exceeded my expectations, I thought it would only last for max a week, 5 days is my average guess, but with my usage with 3-4x a week GPS activities, 1-2 gym base activities, PulseOx, AOD & notifications off I can get around 8-9 days & I don’t drain it to charge, day 9 usually still has 30ish% of juice.. This is a significant improvement 🎉
Hello, There is one more difference which can be crucial for some users. In Venu 2 you can set up backlight to work during the activity with no limit. That option is not available in FR265. So if you like to control the time of your exercises without moving your wrist or touching the watch it is more difficult in FR.
I feel like when you buy a watch you just want the always on display, and for that the MIP display was just way better aswell for bright environments. The better batterylife was also a big plus. I think garmin is making the choice to make the ‘sports’ watches more towards the generalized smart watches, which is IMHO a big mistake.
@@pavebadurina3648 I upgraded to Fenix 7, Garmin didn’t give some important metrics for me such as HRV status. And also it was a little small for my wrist. But Venu 2+ was a great watch.
I have the venu 2 plus and I love it. I sent the 955 back for it, but now that the 265 and 965 offer a better display, I’m a little salty. Especially that 965 battery life
For me it's almost time to buy myself a new watch. My 645 Music doesn't connect to my iPhone in a proper way. How is the connection between an Apple and the new Garmin's?
Kind of crazy that Garmin doesn't just make that "all in one watch" with every damn future for all those who are ready to sell their house and spouse for the ultimate tool🙄
they do. They have higher end models: Forerunner® 965, epix™ (Gen 2), MARQ® but if you want to sell your house, or at least your shed get the Adventurer (Gen 2) $2,100 AMOLED
@@TanyaOwens still not every future. Which of those models you named have both a LED light, maps, ECG sensor, etc... I have all the Garmin watches, but still need to swap between them to get exactly what I want at the specific time.
Which do u recommend in order to build muscle efficient with calesthenic and gym and running 1/2 times a week ? Do you would recommwnd the venu3 or the forerunner265 ?( i have iphone ) Thanks in advance
Hi! You mentioned that you can capture HRV 'on demand' using Venu 2 PLUS. Do you perhaps know if this is also possible using Venu 2? Thanks you, your videos are excellent and helpful! :)
The Forerunner 745 is more tailored for running and multisport but the Venu 2 Plus is more current and may receive more updates as time goes on. If you plan on doing triathlon I'd suggest something in their Forerunner series.
As a user who previously owned Venu 2 plus, I would say that the watch is quite far from smart. Yes, it has a speaker and it can trigger Siri, but that's as far as it can go. With Forerunner 265/965, I found Venu 2 Plus redundant. Even the price difference is not that huge, to make Venu 2 plus a valuable watch. To be honest, Garmin doesn't really know what a "smartwatch" is. Yes, they have one of the best watches for athletes, but that's it. "Smart" is not just putting a touchscreen, some colourful animations on a nice looking watch faces and triggering a voice assistant. They need to grow their application ecosystem and make their watch os (or whatever is called), more user friendly, with a lot more useful functions not just for people who runs a marathon, or go for a swim or whatever. For example, using Garmin Pay is a nightmare. It's so frustrating to add a card, and after that it's so hard to pay at a post-terminal. Something that is so easy with an Apple Watch for example. And with the cellular support that Apple Watch has now, Garmin is lagging even more. I can use may Apple Watch Ultra, without even bringing my iPhone with me. You can't even customise anything on the watch faces, most of them are quite ugly... and that's not really on the "smart" side of things.
I like all Apple products. But I had a bug in my Apple Watch that after 2 days the screens stays black and it stops registering my vitals. Only a big reset with putting it on a charger helps to reset it. It not just happened once but almost every time.
I don't agree. Garmin watches can do everything I'd want from a smartwatch while having decent battery life and provide way more training feedback. I don't want to make calls with my watch. It has my QR/barcode wallet, I could even navigate with it if I wanted to and it plays my music. And the only thing that sucks about garmin pay is their bank support. I actually have to use Curve just to be able to use my CC, because my bank is not supported.
@@channul4887 I've personally had issues with it on my Fenix 6, added a card but it wouldn't show on the watch. Took a while to fix. I ended up having to remove the first card, then add a totally different card, then add the one that wouldn't show and it started showing. I think it was because the card I previously had on there had to be canceled and I don't think I removed it properly, which caused the bug. That being said it's worked just fine before, and after that. I also agree with the thread at large, my Fenix 6 is "smart" enough for me. I like that it's not another phone on my wrist and that it works independently of and compliments my phone, rather than replaces it. It feels like a purpose built tool, rather than a toy.
I think all Garmin lines are basically sportwatch/fitness watch with some smartwatch features.. And what you need is pure smartwatch 😅 so not quite Apple to Apple 😆
Hi Des! Thank you for another great comparison (as usual) What are your thoughts about FR265 vs FR255? (I bought it 8 months ago, and so far I have only excellent and seamless experiences with all of my androids - phones and tablets)
@@DesFit thank you for the prompt reply. I have a vivosport at the moment and I purchased a Venu plus and it's on its way soon. I'm excited! Your video has just confirmed that I have made the right decision. I asked the range as I prefer to leave my phone in the gym locker (to avoid theft) and work on my phone during workouts only.
Yes, I just got the 265, and for each type of notification (phone, text, apps), you can set either tone and/or vibration to be enabled. However, there is only one "level" for the vibration and it is kinda strong imo. My old Vivoactive HR had 3 levels of vibration and the lowest setting was perfect to me.
I wear polarized sunglasses when I am outside. Will I be able to SEE the AMOLED screen while wearing my glasses? As a cyclist it seems like the FR 265 is a bit fit than the Venu. But the Venu is a much more attractive watch. Lastly, I love your reviews, please consider getting a manicure. They do great ones for men where they clean up your cuticles and just buff your nails, no polish.
I tend to get pretty good results. Check out some tips on getting better accuracy from your wrist based HR sensor: ruclips.net/video/SbiQjQK8PsM/видео.html
Im so frustated why Garmin didn’t combine these 2 watches into one watch that looks good but also has serious fitness and sport features 😢
Thanks Des, been waiting for this review comparison.
Very welcome!
This is easily the most comprehensive comparison of these watches anywhere on the internet, thank you. I've been undecided as to which of these I'm going to buy and thanks to the video have decided to go with the V2 Plus.
Happy to help and thanks!
R u using venu 2 plus for gym activities? Is there any big difference between the venu 2 plus and venu sq?
I see the FR as a more running focused watch while the venu 2 is more of an overall watch. Both got good screens and similar sensors.
I just upgraded my Forerunner 245 Music to the Venu 2 Plus, I had the Forerunner 265 in mind but it's a little to sporty looking for my taste, plus the Speaker and Assist feature of the venue 2 sold it for me :) its been about a week so far and Im loving it
How do you like it so far?
Venu doesn't have audio prompts, unless you run with your phone. For me personally, the prompts are invaluable, particularly doing quicker intervals or when I'm trying to run to a pace or HR. Always surprises me, when a watch has onboard music but then doesn't have audio prompts.
Another good difference to point out. Thanks!
Really? Boo. 😢
@@DesFit Hello Des,
Can I buy best the Garmin Enduro 2?
Very good? Please let me know.
Venu 2 plus would be perfect if it had HRV status. It's literally the only thing stopping me from buying it. There's a whole movement of health monitoring for people with CFS, long covid, fibromyalgia and many other illnesses that want to monitor their health but don't want the sporty look or a MIP screen (also many of the people interested are women).
I have M.E My first Garmin watch kind of knew before I did. I upgraded to the venu 2 and find the body battery to be really good. I don’t know if it works by measuring HRV but it’s a god send to help me manage my energy and pain levels.
@@lucyilly428Isn't HRV still measured on Venu and available in the phone app?
Thank you for this comparison. This has been helpful.
Glad to help 👍
I’ve been enjoying my FR265s and quite surprised by the battery life, it really exceeded my expectations, I thought it would only last for max a week, 5 days is my average guess, but with my usage with 3-4x a week GPS activities, 1-2 gym base activities, PulseOx, AOD & notifications off I can get around 8-9 days & I don’t drain it to charge, day 9 usually still has 30ish% of juice.. This is a significant improvement 🎉
Wondering if your AOD on or off?
@@kevinmendres6614 default setting : off, but if you want it on, the battery life shortens to 4-6 days depends on the activities you do
Hello, There is one more difference which can be crucial for some users. In Venu 2 you can set up backlight to work during the activity with no limit. That option is not available in FR265. So if you like to control the time of your exercises without moving your wrist or touching the watch it is more difficult in FR.
I feel like when you buy a watch you just want the always on display, and for that the MIP display was just way better aswell for bright environments. The better batterylife was also a big plus. I think garmin is making the choice to make the ‘sports’ watches more towards the generalized smart watches, which is IMHO a big mistake.
It's not a mistake if they still maintain wide product range portfolio of non-smart watch options
I find the main difference is ForeRunner navigation support, with built-in maps and the ability to follow a track using wikiloc
This is SO helpful thank you
🙌
Great review. Just what I needed. Thank you very much!
Very welcome!
Great video! It helped me a lot, thanks
Thanks!
I would love to have that morning report/message on my Garmin Venu
Thanks for a good comparison.
I would like to see a comparison between Venu 3 and Forerunner 265.
Keep up the good work
Coming up!
@@DesFit sounds great 👍😊
In my country the Venu2plus is 390 euro, but the 265 is 500 euro. That is a big difference. Seems to me Venu2plus wins in most aspects.
The advanced sports functions for running are missing or very basic on the Venu series.
Venu 2 plus will be my next upgrade from vivoactive 3 music
Venu 2 plus doesn’t support native power meter support for cycling … which was disappointing after the purchase
When will Garmin introduce Venu 3? Im super interested in Venu 2 but worry that gen3 would come not long after i eventually purchase the 2...
same - which is why I am considering the FR 265
Supposedly somewhere this summer!
Huh!! Didn't know about the ECG thingy. Don't know when that'll come in handy buy it definitely looks cool
Venu 2 for me in 2023. I was able to pick one up on Facebook for $150!
U bought from.fb?
great stuff! I would add at the end which Garmin model has both feature around the heart rate feature and the electro cardio. Thanks.
2 different teams of developers within one company. 2 different products. It's funny how much they lack each others features.
Garmin venu 2 plus doesn't even have a race Predictor on. It's 400 quid and lacks features the 150 quid watches have....
I was getting +9 days, even 12 days with my Venu 2+ before selling it. Of course without AOD, and with 4 workout sessions per week.
Why did you sell it, if I can ask?
@@pavebadurina3648 I upgraded to Fenix 7, Garmin didn’t give some important metrics for me such as HRV status. And also it was a little small for my wrist. But Venu 2+ was a great watch.
Great review!!!❤
Thanks!
I have the venu 2 plus and I love it. I sent the 955 back for it, but now that the 265 and 965 offer a better display, I’m a little salty. Especially that 965 battery life
Sell it, buy the 955
@@vpnconsult 965
Just bought a Venus 2 Plus durinh this video. Lets see how it plays out.
I'm laughing that you were so kind by saying an Apple Watch lasts 2-3 days. I'm lucky if it lasts a whole day, lol.
Since the last software update to 13.12 the battery life of my Venu 2S is a real drama. Have to recharge it every other day. Apple watch be like...
So I'm curious which watch is your daily driver?
For me it's almost time to buy myself a new watch. My 645 Music doesn't connect to my iPhone in a proper way.
How is the connection between an Apple and the new Garmin's?
Can you please share the name and source of the watchface you have for the Venu 2 Plus? I have this watch but don't seem to find that one. Thx
why will no one talk about the reduced framerate on epix 2 and forerunner 965 (among others) versus the venu 2?
I'd love to see a Garmin Venu 3 vs. Garmin Forerunner 265. 😊
Literally editing it right now! Aiming for publishing tomorrow morning.
That's awesome!! Thanks!
Thx Desfit, does the Venu 2 got physical haptic feedback?
Four runner 265 better sports RUNNING 🏃♂️
Hi, what about morning report in Venu plus ?
Unfortunately not available on the Venu 2 Plus currently.
You don't get it standard. It is possible to get an awareness message if you sleep bad for multiple days.
Kind of crazy that Garmin doesn't just make that "all in one watch" with every damn future for all those who are ready to sell their house and spouse for the ultimate tool🙄
I hear ya!
they do. They have higher end models: Forerunner® 965, epix™ (Gen 2), MARQ® but if you want to sell your house, or at least your shed get the Adventurer (Gen 2) $2,100 AMOLED
@@TanyaOwens still not every future. Which of those models you named have both a LED light, maps, ECG sensor, etc...
I have all the Garmin watches, but still need to swap between them to get exactly what I want at the specific time.
@desfit : Would you still suggest a Pace 2 now ?
Hell no. Pace 2 sucks. Mine died completely in a year.
is venu 2 plus still worth now oct 2024?
Which is better for road biking ?
Which do u recommend in order to build muscle efficient with calesthenic and gym and running 1/2 times a week ?
Do you would recommwnd the venu3 or the forerunner265 ?( i have iphone )
Thanks in advance
So you cant track golf activity in the 265?
Hello , is it possible to couple the venus 2 plus to a mate 20 pro without bugs please ?
you didn't mention music
Hi! You mentioned that you can capture HRV 'on demand' using Venu 2 PLUS. Do you perhaps know if this is also possible using Venu 2? Thanks you, your videos are excellent and helpful! :)
Probably not, the only thing plus has over the others is microphone
This review was extremely helpful. Now I am struggling between the Venu2plus and the Forerunner 745. Any suggestions?
The Forerunner 745 is more tailored for running and multisport but the Venu 2 Plus is more current and may receive more updates as time goes on. If you plan on doing triathlon I'd suggest something in their Forerunner series.
As a user who previously owned Venu 2 plus, I would say that the watch is quite far from smart. Yes, it has a speaker and it can trigger Siri, but that's as far as it can go. With Forerunner 265/965, I found Venu 2 Plus redundant. Even the price difference is not that huge, to make Venu 2 plus a valuable watch.
To be honest, Garmin doesn't really know what a "smartwatch" is. Yes, they have one of the best watches for athletes, but that's it. "Smart" is not just putting a touchscreen, some colourful animations on a nice looking watch faces and triggering a voice assistant. They need to grow their application ecosystem and make their watch os (or whatever is called), more user friendly, with a lot more useful functions not just for people who runs a marathon, or go for a swim or whatever. For example, using Garmin Pay is a nightmare. It's so frustrating to add a card, and after that it's so hard to pay at a post-terminal. Something that is so easy with an Apple Watch for example. And with the cellular support that Apple Watch has now, Garmin is lagging even more. I can use may Apple Watch Ultra, without even bringing my iPhone with me.
You can't even customise anything on the watch faces, most of them are quite ugly... and that's not really on the "smart" side of things.
I like all Apple products. But I had a bug in my Apple Watch that after 2 days the screens stays black and it stops registering my vitals. Only a big reset with putting it on a charger helps to reset it. It not just happened once but almost every time.
I don't agree. Garmin watches can do everything I'd want from a smartwatch while having decent battery life and provide way more training feedback. I don't want to make calls with my watch. It has my QR/barcode wallet, I could even navigate with it if I wanted to and it plays my music. And the only thing that sucks about garmin pay is their bank support. I actually have to use Curve just to be able to use my CC, because my bank is not supported.
@@channul4887 I've personally had issues with it on my Fenix 6, added a card but it wouldn't show on the watch. Took a while to fix. I ended up having to remove the first card, then add a totally different card, then add the one that wouldn't show and it started showing.
I think it was because the card I previously had on there had to be canceled and I don't think I removed it properly, which caused the bug.
That being said it's worked just fine before, and after that. I also agree with the thread at large, my Fenix 6 is "smart" enough for me. I like that it's not another phone on my wrist and that it works independently of and compliments my phone, rather than replaces it. It feels like a purpose built tool, rather than a toy.
I think all Garmin lines are basically sportwatch/fitness watch with some smartwatch features.. And what you need is pure smartwatch 😅 so not quite Apple to Apple 😆
I've had zero trouble with Garmin Pay. It's very stable and easy to use
Which one better for beginner runner FR265 or FR955.??
Either one. The 955 will have built in maps and more navigation features though if you need those.
265 or instinct 2x ?
Same question lol. Think they both keep all the same metrics. Guess just have to go what look you prefer
Hi Des! Thank you for another great comparison (as usual)
What are your thoughts about FR265 vs FR255? (I bought it 8 months ago, and so far I have only excellent and seamless experiences with all of my androids - phones and tablets)
Hi, 255 is the best! :) I love it, looks a bit classical (screen), no amoled! It is better. vote 255
How close is the range between the phone and the watch for the venu 2plus?
The Venu 2 Plus uses BT 5.0. Range will vary based on the version of BT on your phone and physical surroundings.
@@DesFit thank you for the prompt reply. I have a vivosport at the moment and I purchased a Venu plus and it's on its way soon. I'm excited!
Your video has just confirmed that I have made the right decision.
I asked the range as I prefer to leave my phone in the gym locker (to avoid theft) and work on my phone during workouts only.
With notifications, does the 265 have physical haptic feedback or it just audible? Thanks!
Yes, I just got the 265, and for each type of notification (phone, text, apps), you can set either tone and/or vibration to be enabled. However, there is only one "level" for the vibration and it is kinda strong imo. My old Vivoactive HR had 3 levels of vibration and the lowest setting was perfect to me.
@@josephbarrett7204 Thanks for the info.
@@josephbarrett7204 Thx, and does the Venu 2 got vibrating feedback?
I wear polarized sunglasses when I am outside. Will I be able to SEE the AMOLED screen while wearing my glasses?
As a cyclist it seems like the FR 265 is a bit fit than the Venu. But the Venu is a much more attractive watch.
Lastly, I love your reviews, please consider getting a manicure. They do great ones for men where they clean up your cuticles and just buff your nails, no polish.
Shut up 🙄
Why garmin's HR sensor sucks ass?
I tend to get pretty good results. Check out some tips on getting better accuracy from your wrist based HR sensor: ruclips.net/video/SbiQjQK8PsM/видео.html
@@DesFit I plan to wear my chest HR monitor, especially when riding and doing cardio, is it possible to do that with the FR 265?
It doesn't.
Yes Tanya, the FR 265 connects to external HR straps