I have just come out of hospital in the UK and had 7 static ECG tests. The pulse monitor on my Venu2 was very accurate in comparison to the Dynamic ECG above me.
Keen to get a Venu 2 Plus to monitor heart health with the ECG. I read that it's only available in the US. Did you spoof your location during setup or is it available in the UK now?
The Dynamic ECG was showing my pulse. It was exactly the same as the Venu2. I should of said Dynamic ECG machine as it showed everything related to the heart.@@jammywesty91
@@jammywesty91 Just tried mine yesterday (Venu 3) in the UK and it was saying only available in the US so I spoofed the location it's working just fine. You only need to spoof the location once to install it.
I got it on my Garmin fenix 7x pro sapphire solar in New Zealand. It just took a few minutes to set it up. I had to open developer mode and change some settings on my Garmin account. Awesome review mate
My Apple Watch detected AFib as I had a strangely high heartbeat after a training. Thanks to that I could go to the hospital on the same day and the diagnosis was right. They kept me there for two days until they managed to normalize the rhythm of my heart. I hope the ECG for the Venu 2 Plus will come to Germany soon, since Garmin is my primary smartwatch.
Got so excited for this assuming the epix would be included I even checked for an update while the video was playing and it started downloading something...what a let down there at the end
this is what happens with greedy companies. Theres no reason that garmin shouldn't have this, touch screen, freedive, and offline maps on every post 2020 watch. These are the most expensive watches, and they know they have a monopoly so they release 1 hardware feature at a time for a 1000$ watch. Reminds me a lot of apple tech but Apple Watch surprisingly changed the game fast for watches. It's the one field that apple paved the way very fast. I wish another company had the same tech as Garmin and overtook Garmin. Sh** company that it's impossible to get away from....
Wow, that is super disappointing that the Fenix 7 and Epic lines are not already equipped with this hardware, especially since Garmin had been working on this ECG for over 2 years?! Not happy Garmin. I just got a Fenix 7S Sapphire Solar and while I love it, for the price, it should have been ready for when this new app they were working on was ready for release.
I guess it will probably be in my next watch and approved in Europe when I upgrade from my 255s in 10 years or so. That's how long my old Garmin lasted.
My AFib was picked up by the Apple Watch I had at the time which was super scary because I didn’t know I had it 😮 I switched to a Fenix 7 last year but was really sorry to lose the ECG function. When the future Fenix series comes with an ECG function I’ll buy it straight away. That function and the Apple Watch literally saved my life.
I what way did it save your life? Afib is rarely life threatening and in asymptomatic stage (you wrote, that you has not known about the arrhythmia) it is not proven to be cause of stroke. So In what way did it save your life to get to know that you have it form a watch? It seems to me, that only thing a watch gave you, was a day of hart disease scare.
@@guciolini123 Actually I was suffering but I didn’t know it was AF at this time. I had symptoms that included extreme fatigue, dizziness, fainting , chest pains and a rapid heart rate (my highest recorded HR was 255bpm although I’m almost certain that wasn’t my highest HR). My resting HR was around 160bpm. I’d been to my doctor several times over 2 or 3 years explaining my symptoms and despite blood tests and other tests, my heart was never checked either through an ECG or a simple listening test. I was told I was simply getting older and I wasn’t as fit as I used to be. I was 44 when I first had symptoms and was diagnosed with AF when I was 48. I’m 51 now. Looking back it was obvious my symptoms were from my heart but I took the advice from a health professional and simply carried on. I was cycling and the weekend for 6 hours with an average HR of 185 which was way above my maximum HR. It was only when I was setting up my Apple Watch and I tried the ECG function that it warned me I may have Atrial Fibrillation. I told my doctor of this the next day and was told to get to them ASAP. Within an hour of arriving I was on blood thinners and had a hospital appointment the very next day. At hospital I was told I was 5 times more likely to suffer a stroke than someone without AF. Whilst there it was also discovered I had a separate heart valve problem that will in later life require open heart surgery. Without that initial ECG from my Apple Watch I wouldn’t have been aware of this more serious heart condition or my AF. To date I’ve had 3 cardio version procedures and more recently pulmonary vein ablation. Non of these procedures have so far stopped my AF.
_Great_ vid. You packed so much useful info into a wonderfully short 6 min timeframe. THANK you. I (sadly) now know my Epix (which I love) will never have this feature and I know exactly why. Every other article that I've read since this feature was released was intimating it'd come to other watches and would mention the metal bezel (which the Epix has) but never anything about the ring on the underside of the watch. Thanks again. I can now put that behind me - and purchase a Kardia ;-). Thanks again!
If people are so concerned about then they should buy a Kardio Mobile at Best Buy for $150. I got mine on sale for $120. It is actually a 6 lead compared to one lead. The battery lasts forever. I’ve done like 50 readings and it’s still at 100 percent. If something wrong you can even send a pdf to your doctor or their cardiologists to read it.
Great work by Garmin, but the key question is how quickly will the revised hardware be released? I can't see fitness focused people who have recently bought any incompatible watches in the Garmin lineup being very happy that their hardware is now essentially out of date, well in advance of the upgrade cycle.
It's not really out of date, though, is it? There was zero chance the Forerunner line would get an ecg function with it being all-plastic and I don't see that changing anytime soon, since Forerunner users generally don't want metal watches.
Just got one in December, and yea I'm pretty upset bc I've definitely been having heart issues after long runs. Woulda been nice to have this feature for sure. Is what it is though. I'm happy enough with my watch.
Finally they have proper 'hardware' upgrade for the new Fenix / Epix / Tactix line ;) What's really missing compared to others is the ECG and skin temperature (without this, they'll never get the sleep staging close to the best sleep trackers on the market). Current generation gave us touch screen and flashlight on the X size. I don't count the new gen. sensor, as it's still doing the same thing, just more accurate, hence it's an improvement, not a new feature. Next gen will surely get ECG. Let's hope it'll also have some thermistors added to measure skin temperature and they'll be ready to improve skin tracking, as well as start introducing period and pregnancy tracking for women, as more and more wearables can already do. Since Fenix line isn't updated every year or 2, they should definitely have those 2 hardware additions ready in the 8th generation watch already. Else Garmin will stay way behind in terms of features and will only be mainly a sportswatch again.
great i was waiting for this info, i had a epix in the basked and would have bought it if it had ECG capability hope we get this spring a Fenix 8 with amoled or a new epix
Mind blowing that the flagships didn't include the hardware for something that had clearly been in the works for some time. First world problems, but being satisfied with the Epix and Fenix lines, it could be a long wait before the next upgrade cycle for those... I would guess they will release mid-cycle "plus" options with the new hardware, but selling the current model to "upgrade" for marginal improvements is not worth the friction. Very cool feature nonetheless. As always, great video and hit the like button people!
True, but equipping multiple models with additional hardware for a feature that's yet to be approved and rolled out could be costly in manufacturing. The Venu seems to be marketed as a health/lifestyle device, so I'm pretty sure it was planned like that hand in hand.
@@DoNuT_1985 the epix and Fenix series are upwards of 4 figures with titanium body options. They should have been equipped with what would be a nominal cost for the part. We are talking penmiea per unit here (without being hyperbolic, no more than 2-3 dollars max if the actual sensor is different (not convinced it is), which on a $1000 watch should be value included to the customer). The manufacturing assembly process would not be substantially changed to use a part that is dimensionally cross functional (case back) they would have been tooling their case back production years ago to validate for this change and produce the Venu 2. It's not a valid excuse. If it can be placed on one of these more budget offerings, the flagship models could have been equipped. It's not a critical feature, just a bad perception for recently released flagships.
@@EverythingIsPhotogenic That's a lot of assumptions on Garmin internals we will never know, but it would be a pretty generous move if they had equipped all their upper-spec models with hardware that might be activated in some markets 2 years after launch, it's not just unit cost, it's also 10 instead of one upgraded device-specific firmware plus testing, etc... It's not the first time that we're unlucky with newly added features on a refreshed model, I've had that with several Forerunners and my Edge computers.
@@DoNuT_1985. I believe you are the one that is making assumptions, my statements are made with years of experience in manufacturing from engineering of molding all the way to assembly if you do not agree, that is fine, but this is a big miss for Garmin. The watch Garmin chose to launch this on was released in 2021. It's a miss.
This is a fail by garmin not including this technology in their most premium watches (fenix7/epix). Especially since those haven’t even been released for a year yet ! I love my tactix 7 , but I also want ecg functionality! Not cool garmin , trying to make me buy another watch for this feature !
@@rgmALC it does but it has to be connected to your phone but it doesn't have topomaps i'm pretty sure. THIS IS A GPS MAPS COMPANY. Sure you can download 3rd party apps but they all look like crap. It's a dumb workaround. Even the Suunto 7, at half the price, has all of these features and the watch is like 2-3years old lol.
We bought 2 Garmin watches last year that will be incompatible with the ECG feature. No Garmin, we won't be replacing them any time soon because you failed to future proof your products. They've known about this for years!
I hope they allow the ECG function on heart rates below 50bpm. The Apple watch ECG gives an error for this. My Kardia device provides a very detailed 6 lead ECG below 40 bpm and works well with the cell phone, but I rarely have it with me.
I have the Kardia device as well. Great when it works but I find very glitchy and as you said, normally I dont have it with me. Looking forward to syncing my Garmin world with my afib data world.
One thing I miss in the Garmin App is stats on Body temperature. On the Fenix 7 there is the temperature histogram, but this is not taken over to the Connect App.... Mmm Sounds trivial and might not be so acurite (because your watch is on your arm and temperature differs from say your torso) but would have been nice.... not??
Super stoked that it's on the Venu 2+ having bought one for myself for Christmas, however if it's up to the TGA in Australia, it's going be quite a while before it's available for us down under 🙄🇦🇺
As of the date of this post (May 2024) Garmin ECG app support is USA and territories, Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam. Any idea if the "visit and enable" rule applies to those Countries as well? Much cheaper and easier for people in South East Asia to visit Singapore and enable or purchase than the USA. Is enabling GPS, registration or point of purchase based?
Have had the Venu 2 Plus for a few months now and feel like the ECG app is useful in veiwing my irregular heart rhythm. I have cardiologist diagnosed premature atrial contractions PACs which are not generally dangerous. Am wondering if Garmin can make the ECG app utilize the Garmin brand HRM chest strap used for exercise to take samplings of ECG tracings since the chest strap has better skin conduction and is located around the heart versus using two fingers touching the ring around watch face. I think this would be a wonderful tool especially during exercise to monitor your ECG and not just your heart rate. I thought of this while on the treadmill yesterday at the gym while wearing both Venu2 Plus and the Garmin branded heart rate chest strap. The ECG app is susceptible to a great deal of artifact when using fingers on watch face. That is even when you are perfectly still and wet your fingers beforehand to get better conduction. Anyone have thoughts on this?
Minor thing: Pretty sure you got it wrong about the "metal ring" on the underside. What you show in red, is infact an isolator and the metal ring would be the gold'ish coloured and protruding part around the HR sensor. Simple ohm meter could confirm, if you don't believe me 🙂 And why don't they just use the whole metal back as the conductor??? My guess is that the metal screws, screws into the metal bezel on the front and would have short circuited the whole thing...
@@Lasombra08 But what is the reasoning behind it? If someone has spent close to $1000 for a new Fenix, realistically, they are not just going to buy a new watch 8 months later. They just irritated a bunch of customers willing to buy expensive hardware.
@@a.j.8809 Well, the Venu 2+ is their AW competitor that doesn't have a lot of performance stats/sport features. I'm kinda glad it's getting some love at least. Since there's no 24h monitoring or any alerts, I'm not really seeing the use here at this point.
@@Lasombra08 Absolutely--I think that it's good that they have the upgrade on the Venu 2. What is annoying is that they could have included it on the Fenix and Epix line as well. I understand that it would be an extra cost to them (and a gamble before the approval), but they are charging a lot for those watches. At a certain point, it makes those of us in the Fenix and similar lines irritated as customers.
Agreed. This should be native to the Fenix 7. Garmin is fragmenting their wearable product line far far too much. Which for many organizations had proved to be a poor marketing/sales strategy for long term growths and mass adoption
Damn, its a real shame I got my Fenix 7 one year too early. But this gave me the excuse to purchase a more sophisticated ECG stand alone device since I'm not going to discard my fairly new Fenix 7 to purchase another one. However, I did get Garmin's blood pressure monitor which is another important piece to making sure we detect heart related issues.
Thank you for the clear and detailed information! I would have been nice to have on my fenix 7x, but I don't see it being more than a gimmick for most people so it will be something for my next watch I guess :P
Its not a gimmick at all. But if you're young and healthy you might not care until you start experiencing heart issues. Still, it doesn't hurt to have this kind of information at your finger tips with other info such as heart rate and blood pressure.
I know Garmin is trying to give people a reason to buy a new watch by excluding this feature. However, leaving this off their flagship devices is just pissing people off.
if I set this up in Canada, and then travel into the US, can I activate the ECG feature while on vacation, and will it continue to work when I return home to Canada?? Or would I need to reset all the data and act as though I am setting up as a new device once I am in the US? Thanks for any advice!
I bought an Epix2 as a long term "investment" (meaning: not planning to upgrade soon). Garmin marketing's strategy bets on the following (like any other tech company these days) is: flagship product buyers are rich geeky kids that will flip their devices for newer ones anyway. Sure some will bark a little (like we salty fellows are right now), but in the end, people fall in line. Tech reviewers like DC and many others will not insist on planned obsolescence or other questionable business practices as 1) they get flooded with new devices every minute 2) they won't critisise big tech as they feed on these companies. As insightful as DC is, the review/influence industry still fundamentally is an echo chamber to all these incremental upgrades.
You bought your Epix based on the features you had at the time. It's gotten new features every single month, and now every single quarter, since released. This feature physically requires hardware built inside of it for ECG to work. If you bought your Epix thinking it was magically going to have ECG someday, that's on you and you're expectations - not me. I was incredibly clear from Day 0 it didn't have ECG, and that it didn't have the hardware to do so. Don't buy products (from any company) based on dreams of future features that nobody has confirmed. Full stop.
I wish they put it in the enduro 2 I just bought but I don’t really need it so it’s fine. I’d rather temperature sensors for better sleep tracking anyway.
Very interesting that they have that built into the VENU 2 Plus, yet their premium models which have been released AFTER the VENU 2 Plus don't have that metal ring on the back, and this includes the new MARQ Gen 2 series - very disappointing Garmin to see that....
Very cool review. Please tell me if the ECG test is performed only with the help of the built-in optical sensor or if the polar h10 is connected, it is possible to get more accurate information, since the Polar sensor has better measurement results
No, it uses the built-in pieces. Do understand though that the optical HR sensor isn't used for ECG. ECG is looking at the electrical side of it, not the optical HR (actual BPM) side.
super helpful explanation. Garmin customer support is great but I'm guessing due to legal liability issues they were unable to explain if, for example, a future app release might uncover ECG capability in my Vivoactive. Your vid explains the hardware requirements and what to expect. Guess I might need to upgrade to the Venu
I'm wondering if it will show up to be able to use this with the Garmin chest heart rate monitor? Is that possible with the hardware on the chest strap?
Hmm...isn't hrv status related to ecg reading? I mean if the ecg reading is bad, then hrv ought to be effected, no? Irregular beats affect hrv...am I mistaken?
Thank you for the review. I wonder if Garmin is going to have an update to the Fenix sooner than the usual cycle. It feels really annoying that this particular App doesn't work on some of their most expensive watches. I have been pondering updating my Fenix5X to a 7X SS, but now I want to wait for this feature and maybe a "bounce-like" LTE option.
Yeah, I am currently looking to buy a Garmin watch and had pretty much decided to get a Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar. But now no thanks, I'll wait until they get an equivalent Fenix with ECG functionality.
@@user-lz5vh9bb5w That's the problem: they rolled out this amazing watch (Fenix 7) and then we keep seeing all these other functionalities on cheaper watches. It's just annoying. I want a true back country watch for when I am out in the mountains--that's why I am in the Fenix line--but I also want the day-to-day functionalities because I live in town and most of my training is where I live.
I recently picked up a Venu 2 on Amazon. I could send it back for the Venu 2 plus, but is it worth an extra $160? I don't think so. This feature would have greater value if it always ran in the background, but it doesn't. I have to set it up to take a reading at the moment an event occurs.
0:14 Can it provide a measure of fitness or is it only a precautionary assessment? Fenix / 955 etc are fitness first vs a Venu style first watch, so I can see why they’re testing the waters with this feature. Still, I respect the argument of “why not Fenix 7/epix”., they’re complete feature watches and you couldn’t help but be disappointed.
I just got the Venu 2 plus a couple of days ago. I'm in the US. But I don't see the option. Do you have any idea why that is? I keep checking my software and I don't see an update either.
Since they where already working on it in 2021. It should have been available on the Fenix 7 platform in my opinion (hardware wise). You buy a top of the line product relatively new and it doesn't have it. A lot of users will not be happy for sure. You just bought a Enduro 2 for example... ☹️
excellent to see this added but yet again so frustrating that Garmin trickles out desirable tech (i.e. LTE connectivity for example) to entry and mid-market devices knowing full well it was on the horizon and could have been pre-implemented into premium devices. for people that most need a-fib tracking it probably makes the apple watch the more compelling purchase since they are likely going to have to buy new anyway. the best thing going in Garmin's favor will be the supremely better battery life on their premium offerings - if i was affected by a-fib that would probably be a primary factor to consider.
1- what do you mean by "people who need afib tracking"? 2- I'm a MD. I wouldn't make any treatment decision basing on data form watch. No mother Apple, Garmin or other.
Does anyone know, in Garmin connect I chose an intermediate marathon training plan, on forth day of the second training week there is two scheduled workouts, a and b. Should I do them both, or should I choose one of them?
Tried both the icon and the device option from the drop down menu, still nothin. Refreshed, synced, sang it a song, nothing seems to get the ECG option to pop up.
Contacted Garmin, they had me uninstall/reinstall the app which didn't work, then they told me to remove then re-add the device and that did the trick!
I have the Garmin D2 Air X10. Looks to be identical hardware to the Venu 2 Plus. Metal ring on bezel and around the sensors. So can I expect a software update?
Wondering if the watch can measure ECG mid workout, like if you felt chest pain or something that prompted you to want to test right then. Of course assuming you follow the directions, resting ur arm and staying still, would it work at a high hr.
Should be fine, as long as you are still and it can get the reading. No different than a 12 lead ECG obtained in a medical setting, accurate even with faster heart rate (e.g. a patient walks in to ER in rapid afib). Whats now clear to me is if you save a recording, how many leads? (which would be very relevant for elevating someone with chest pain or shortness of breath if acute coronary syndrome is a possibility).
![АЛАУДИНОВ у Скабеевой: эти их ВСУ нас НЕ ДОГОНЯТ 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/an0anqU4WGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I have just come out of hospital in the UK and had 7 static ECG tests.
The pulse monitor on my Venu2 was very accurate in comparison to the Dynamic ECG above me.
Keen to get a Venu 2 Plus to monitor heart health with the ECG. I read that it's only available in the US. Did you spoof your location during setup or is it available in the UK now?
The Dynamic ECG was showing my pulse. It was exactly the same as the Venu2. I should of said Dynamic ECG machine as it showed everything related to the heart.@@jammywesty91
@@jammywesty91 Just tried mine yesterday (Venu 3) in the UK and it was saying only available in the US so I spoofed the location it's working just fine. You only need to spoof the location once to install it.
I got it on my Garmin fenix 7x pro sapphire solar in New Zealand. It just took a few minutes to set it up. I had to open developer mode and change some settings on my Garmin account. Awesome review mate
I just ordered a new Epix pro from Garmin. Yes, it comes with ECG!
Is this made after the venu 2 he mentioned?
Hope ECG certification will be coming soon to the Europe/The Neterlands as I will wait for upgrading my current Forerunner 945 to New Fenix 8
Great vid. ECG is here!...Only in the US......Only on Venu 2+.....boo.
My Apple Watch detected AFib as I had a strangely high heartbeat after a training. Thanks to that I could go to the hospital on the same day and the diagnosis was right. They kept me there for two days until they managed to normalize the rhythm of my heart.
I hope the ECG for the Venu 2 Plus will come to Germany soon, since Garmin is my primary smartwatch.
In its current state, it isn't all that useful, since it doesn't monitor your heart rate and alert you when it's time to take an ecg.
Got so excited for this assuming the epix would be included I even checked for an update while the video was playing and it started downloading something...what a let down there at the end
this is what happens with greedy companies. Theres no reason that garmin shouldn't have this, touch screen, freedive, and offline maps on every post 2020 watch.
These are the most expensive watches, and they know they have a monopoly so they release 1 hardware feature at a time for a 1000$ watch. Reminds me a lot of apple tech but Apple Watch surprisingly changed the game fast for watches. It's the one field that apple paved the way very fast.
I wish another company had the same tech as Garmin and overtook Garmin. Sh** company that it's impossible to get away from....
@@anonymous134y i'm totally agree. It's a joke for a 1000$ watch not to have many options like others have.
I love all of your presentations. Precise, clear and always informational.
Very interesting. I was expecting it to come to watches released in the past year or so. Thanks Ray! Also eerie heart beat outro 😳
Woah! Just got the email from them today about this. Went to this video to make sure it was not spam.
Amazing!! Little by little closer to an all purpose device. As always, great video, great info, great edit. Thanks man. Saludos desde Mexico 🇲🇽
Wow, that is super disappointing that the Fenix 7 and Epic lines are not already equipped with this hardware, especially since Garmin had been working on this ECG for over 2 years?! Not happy Garmin. I just got a Fenix 7S Sapphire Solar and while I love it, for the price, it should have been ready for when this new app they were working on was ready for release.
Agree. What on earth were they thinking!
@@UTubeSL Normal Garmin - the moment you buy it it's basically deprecated. And no essential new featuers will follow.
I guess it will probably be in my next watch and approved in Europe when I upgrade from my 255s in 10 years or so. That's how long my old Garmin lasted.
OK, the Marq2 just falls from my shopping list. Now I wait for an explanation video how to install the ECG app outside the U.S.
My AFib was picked up by the Apple Watch I had at the time which was super scary because I didn’t know I had it 😮 I switched to a Fenix 7 last year but was really sorry to lose the ECG function. When the future Fenix series comes with an ECG function I’ll buy it straight away. That function and the Apple Watch literally saved my life.
Seems to be a lot of people with heart issues lately.
@@_Zane__ many people mass forcefully injected with covid vaccines
@@HarryKuloh 😂
I what way did it save your life? Afib is rarely life threatening and in asymptomatic stage (you wrote, that you has not known about the arrhythmia) it is not proven to be cause of stroke. So In what way did it save your life to get to know that you have it form a watch? It seems to me, that only thing a watch gave you, was a day of hart disease scare.
@@guciolini123 Actually I was suffering but I didn’t know it was AF at this time. I had symptoms that included extreme fatigue, dizziness, fainting , chest pains and a rapid heart rate (my highest recorded HR was 255bpm although I’m almost certain that wasn’t my highest HR). My resting HR was around 160bpm. I’d been to my doctor several times over 2 or 3 years explaining my symptoms and despite blood tests and other tests, my heart was never checked either through an ECG or a simple listening test. I was told I was simply getting older and I wasn’t as fit as I used to be. I was 44 when I first had symptoms and was diagnosed with AF when I was 48. I’m 51 now. Looking back it was obvious my symptoms were from my heart but I took the advice from a health professional and simply carried on. I was cycling and the weekend for 6 hours with an average HR of 185 which was way above my maximum HR. It was only when I was setting up my Apple Watch and I tried the ECG function that it warned me I may have Atrial Fibrillation. I told my doctor of this the next day and was told to get to them ASAP. Within an hour of arriving I was on blood thinners and had a hospital appointment the very next day. At hospital I was told I was 5 times more likely to suffer a stroke than someone without AF. Whilst there it was also discovered I had a separate heart valve problem that will in later life require open heart surgery. Without that initial ECG from my Apple Watch I wouldn’t have been aware of this more serious heart condition or my AF. To date I’ve had 3 cardio version procedures and more recently pulmonary vein ablation. Non of these procedures have so far stopped my AF.
_Great_ vid. You packed so much useful info into a wonderfully short 6 min timeframe. THANK you. I (sadly) now know my Epix (which I love) will never have this feature and I know exactly why. Every other article that I've read since this feature was released was intimating it'd come to other watches and would mention the metal bezel (which the Epix has) but never anything about the ring on the underside of the watch. Thanks again. I can now put that behind me - and purchase a Kardia ;-). Thanks again!
Fantastic! My favorite watch is the Vivoactive HR. I hope they update that one! I have the 4s.
If people are so concerned about then they should buy a Kardio Mobile at Best Buy for $150. I got mine on sale for $120. It is actually a 6 lead compared to one lead. The battery lasts forever. I’ve done like 50 readings and it’s still at 100 percent. If something wrong you can even send a pdf to your doctor or their cardiologists to read it.
Thanks. $79 now.
Great work by Garmin, but the key question is how quickly will the revised hardware be released? I can't see fitness focused people who have recently bought any incompatible watches in the Garmin lineup being very happy that their hardware is now essentially out of date, well in advance of the upgrade cycle.
Exactly my thought, imagine you just bought the Enduro 2 🙈
It's not really out of date, though, is it? There was zero chance the Forerunner line would get an ecg function with it being all-plastic and I don't see that changing anytime soon, since Forerunner users generally don't want metal watches.
Just got one in December, and yea I'm pretty upset bc I've definitely been having heart issues after long runs. Woulda been nice to have this feature for sure. Is what it is though. I'm happy enough with my watch.
Finally they have proper 'hardware' upgrade for the new Fenix / Epix / Tactix line ;) What's really missing compared to others is the ECG and skin temperature (without this, they'll never get the sleep staging close to the best sleep trackers on the market).
Current generation gave us touch screen and flashlight on the X size. I don't count the new gen. sensor, as it's still doing the same thing, just more accurate, hence it's an improvement, not a new feature. Next gen will surely get ECG. Let's hope it'll also have some thermistors added to measure skin temperature and they'll be ready to improve skin tracking, as well as start introducing period and pregnancy tracking for women, as more and more wearables can already do. Since Fenix line isn't updated every year or 2, they should definitely have those 2 hardware additions ready in the 8th generation watch already. Else Garmin will stay way behind in terms of features and will only be mainly a sportswatch again.
Such a shame for the Epix !! (And the 7 series) …they could’ve thought of that really
You’d think a watch that’s $1699 in Australia (Epix) would have it!
Planned obsolescence
great, as usual I get to wait for idk how long till it's available in europe
great i was waiting for this info, i had a epix in the basked and would have bought it if it had ECG capability
hope we get this spring a Fenix 8 with amoled or a new epix
Mind blowing that the flagships didn't include the hardware for something that had clearly been in the works for some time. First world problems, but being satisfied with the Epix and Fenix lines, it could be a long wait before the next upgrade cycle for those... I would guess they will release mid-cycle "plus" options with the new hardware, but selling the current model to "upgrade" for marginal improvements is not worth the friction.
Very cool feature nonetheless.
As always, great video and hit the like button people!
True, but equipping multiple models with additional hardware for a feature that's yet to be approved and rolled out could be costly in manufacturing. The Venu seems to be marketed as a health/lifestyle device, so I'm pretty sure it was planned like that hand in hand.
@@DoNuT_1985 the epix and Fenix series are upwards of 4 figures with titanium body options. They should have been equipped with what would be a nominal cost for the part. We are talking penmiea per unit here (without being hyperbolic, no more than 2-3 dollars max if the actual sensor is different (not convinced it is), which on a $1000 watch should be value included to the customer). The manufacturing assembly process would not be substantially changed to use a part that is dimensionally cross functional (case back) they would have been tooling their case back production years ago to validate for this change and produce the Venu 2. It's not a valid excuse. If it can be placed on one of these more budget offerings, the flagship models could have been equipped. It's not a critical feature, just a bad perception for recently released flagships.
@@EverythingIsPhotogenic My feelings exactly!
@@EverythingIsPhotogenic That's a lot of assumptions on Garmin internals we will never know, but it would be a pretty generous move if they had equipped all their upper-spec models with hardware that might be activated in some markets 2 years after launch, it's not just unit cost, it's also 10 instead of one upgraded device-specific firmware plus testing, etc... It's not the first time that we're unlucky with newly added features on a refreshed model, I've had that with several Forerunners and my Edge computers.
@@DoNuT_1985. I believe you are the one that is making assumptions, my statements are made with years of experience in manufacturing from engineering of molding all the way to assembly if you do not agree, that is fine, but this is a big miss for Garmin. The watch Garmin chose to launch this on was released in 2021. It's a miss.
This is a fail by garmin not including this technology in their most premium watches (fenix7/epix). Especially since those haven’t even been released for a year yet ! I love my tactix 7 , but I also want ecg functionality! Not cool garmin , trying to make me buy another watch for this feature !
Planned obsolescence. We are sheep
I'm so confused as an Epix 2 user. My watch is $700 more expensive than this one but it gets shafted? Very odd
monopoly... Fenix didn't even have a touch screen until 7th gen lol. Venu doesn't even have offline topo trail maps and it's a damn GPS company.
Venu doesn’t have a Hiking activity profile (as far as I know), so why would they include offline topo maps?
@@rgmALC Of course it has a hiking profile.
@@rgmALC it does but it has to be connected to your phone but it doesn't have topomaps i'm pretty sure. THIS IS A GPS MAPS COMPANY.
Sure you can download 3rd party apps but they all look like crap. It's a dumb workaround.
Even the Suunto 7, at half the price, has all of these features and the watch is like 2-3years old lol.
@@Lasombra08 The original Venu does not, the Venu 2 does.
We bought 2 Garmin watches last year that will be incompatible with the ECG feature. No Garmin, we won't be replacing them any time soon because you failed to future proof your products. They've known about this for years!
I hope they allow the ECG function on heart rates below 50bpm. The Apple watch ECG gives an error for this. My Kardia device provides a very detailed 6 lead ECG below 40 bpm and works well with the cell phone, but I rarely have it with me.
Following up to see if it works? Considering many are athletes here they will likely dip under 50.
I have the Kardia device as well. Great when it works but I find very glitchy and as you said, normally I dont have it with me. Looking forward to syncing my Garmin world with my afib data world.
One thing I miss in the Garmin App is stats on Body temperature. On the Fenix 7 there is the temperature histogram, but this is not taken over to the Connect App.... Mmm Sounds trivial and might not be so acurite (because your watch is on your arm and temperature differs from say your torso) but would have been nice.... not??
Super stoked that it's on the Venu 2+ having bought one for myself for Christmas, however if it's up to the TGA in Australia, it's going be quite a while before it's available for us down under 🙄🇦🇺
I've been looking for hacks to allow non US access (I am in Canada) ... no luck so far. I've tried messing with GPS location but that didnt work.
@@tryathletes Ever find a workaround? I'm keen to get it working in the UK
@@jammywesty91 Nope. Tried all of the methods described here and no luck.
As of the date of this post (May 2024) Garmin ECG app support is USA and territories, Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam.
Any idea if the "visit and enable" rule applies to those Countries as well? Much cheaper and easier for people in South East Asia to visit Singapore and enable or purchase than the USA. Is enabling GPS, registration or point of purchase based?
Have had the Venu 2 Plus for a few months now and feel like the ECG app is useful in veiwing my irregular heart rhythm. I have cardiologist diagnosed premature atrial contractions PACs which are not generally dangerous. Am wondering if Garmin can make the ECG app utilize the Garmin brand HRM chest strap used for exercise to take samplings of ECG tracings since the chest strap has better skin conduction and is located around the heart versus using two fingers touching the ring around watch face. I think this would be a wonderful tool especially during exercise to monitor your ECG and not just your heart rate. I thought of this while on the treadmill yesterday at the gym while wearing both Venu2 Plus and the Garmin branded heart rate chest strap. The ECG app is susceptible to a great deal of artifact when using fingers on watch face. That is even when you are perfectly still and wet your fingers beforehand to get better conduction. Anyone have thoughts on this?
Minor thing: Pretty sure you got it wrong about the "metal ring" on the underside. What you show in red, is infact an isolator and the metal ring would be the gold'ish coloured and protruding part around the HR sensor. Simple ohm meter could confirm, if you don't believe me 🙂
And why don't they just use the whole metal back as the conductor??? My guess is that the metal screws, screws into the metal bezel on the front and would have short circuited the whole thing...
Thanks for your work. Really appreciate it.
sucks that I just spent a ton of money on the Epix and it's not capable of this feature
Its super dumb that they didn't plan ahead and put the hardware in the Fenix 7.
Seems like a conscious choice to me. The Venu 2 Plus came out before the Fenix 7, so...
@@Lasombra08 But what is the reasoning behind it? If someone has spent close to $1000 for a new Fenix, realistically, they are not just going to buy a new watch 8 months later. They just irritated a bunch of customers willing to buy expensive hardware.
@@a.j.8809 Well, the Venu 2+ is their AW competitor that doesn't have a lot of performance stats/sport features. I'm kinda glad it's getting some love at least.
Since there's no 24h monitoring or any alerts, I'm not really seeing the use here at this point.
@@Lasombra08 Absolutely--I think that it's good that they have the upgrade on the Venu 2. What is annoying is that they could have included it on the Fenix and Epix line as well. I understand that it would be an extra cost to them (and a gamble before the approval), but they are charging a lot for those watches. At a certain point, it makes those of us in the Fenix and similar lines irritated as customers.
Agreed. This should be native to the Fenix 7. Garmin is fragmenting their wearable product line far far too much. Which for many organizations had proved to be a poor marketing/sales strategy for long term growths and mass adoption
It’ll be great when watches like the Instinct (🤞🏻) and Fenix great the metal ring upgrade.
Damn, its a real shame I got my Fenix 7 one year too early. But this gave me the excuse to purchase a more sophisticated ECG stand alone device since I'm not going to discard my fairly new Fenix 7 to purchase another one. However, I did get Garmin's blood pressure monitor which is another important piece to making sure we detect heart related issues.
Will wait for Forerunnner or Fenix with this functionality
Good video, i really hope this comes to europe soon
Cool. Fitbit has had this for a while now.
Will the Venu 3 be released this year?
Really like the look of the Venu 3, but there doesn't seem any recent news on this feature rolling out to the UK.
This is awesome! Not sure if I’ll ever need it, but cool nonetheless. Thanks, Ray!
Not planning to ever get old buddy? Good luck with that...
@@skilledjack7054 actually, no. Thanks for asking!
Thanks for the video
Thank you for the clear and detailed information!
I would have been nice to have on my fenix 7x, but I don't see it being more than a gimmick for most people so it will be something for my next watch I guess :P
Its not a gimmick at all. But if you're young and healthy you might not care until you start experiencing heart issues. Still, it doesn't hurt to have this kind of information at your finger tips with other info such as heart rate and blood pressure.
Guess i have to upgrade now if I want it
Oddly enough the regular price for the Epix 2 just went up $50 in Canada at major retailers like Best Buy, etc.
I know Garmin is trying to give people a reason to buy a new watch by excluding this feature. However, leaving this off their flagship devices is just pissing people off.
if I set this up in Canada, and then travel into the US, can I activate the ECG feature while on vacation, and will it continue to work when I return home to Canada?? Or would I need to reset all the data and act as though I am setting up as a new device once I am in the US? Thanks for any advice!
I have been trying to find a work around to get it to work in Canada. No luck so far.
I bought an Epix2 as a long term "investment" (meaning: not planning to upgrade soon). Garmin marketing's strategy bets on the following (like any other tech company these days) is: flagship product buyers are rich geeky kids that will flip their devices for newer ones anyway. Sure some will bark a little (like we salty fellows are right now), but in the end, people fall in line. Tech reviewers like DC and many others will not insist on planned obsolescence or other questionable business practices as 1) they get flooded with new devices every minute 2) they won't critisise big tech as they feed on these companies. As insightful as DC is, the review/influence industry still fundamentally is an echo chamber to all these incremental upgrades.
You bought your Epix based on the features you had at the time. It's gotten new features every single month, and now every single quarter, since released. This feature physically requires hardware built inside of it for ECG to work. If you bought your Epix thinking it was magically going to have ECG someday, that's on you and you're expectations - not me. I was incredibly clear from Day 0 it didn't have ECG, and that it didn't have the hardware to do so. Don't buy products (from any company) based on dreams of future features that nobody has confirmed. Full stop.
Is A-Fib the only arrhythmia it can detect? What about atrial (aka supraventricular) tachycardia or atrial flutter?
Hello! Is it possible with the Garmin Vivoactive 5 to get the ECG? Thanks!
I wish they put it in the enduro 2 I just bought but I don’t really need it so it’s fine. I’d rather temperature sensors for better sleep tracking anyway.
Very interesting that they have that built into the VENU 2 Plus, yet their premium models which have been released AFTER the VENU 2 Plus don't have that metal ring on the back, and this includes the new MARQ Gen 2 series - very disappointing Garmin to see that....
Very cool review. Please tell me if the ECG test is performed only with the help of the built-in optical sensor or if the polar h10 is connected, it is possible to get more accurate information, since the Polar sensor has better measurement results
No, it uses the built-in pieces. Do understand though that the optical HR sensor isn't used for ECG. ECG is looking at the electrical side of it, not the optical HR (actual BPM) side.
@@Dcrainmaker thank you very much for your reply
Will it come to fenix 7?
No.
Wish you had said the US only thing as the 1st sentence xD Would of saved my time and exitement
Thank you
I wonder if ECG will work for the Venu 2?
did you find an app for it ?
No
super helpful explanation. Garmin customer support is great but I'm guessing due to legal liability issues they were unable to explain if, for example, a future app release might uncover ECG capability in my Vivoactive. Your vid explains the hardware requirements and what to expect. Guess I might need to upgrade to the Venu
Yeah, no chance for existing Vivoactive units sadly, just doesn’t have the hardware inside.
Still don't have it in Canada! :(
Great video - sad that it's on that device only though?
I wonder if anyone who wanted to could use a GPS spoofing app on thier phone to get this even if they were not in the US? 🤔
Not working with gps spoofing and VPN:( Update: it works after a watch reset.
Worked for me with Fake GPS, no need for VPN. EU located.
Thanks. It works after a watch reset!
@@DanielAndreifotograf I tried above and couldnt get it to work (Canada). Will try again today. GPS spoof > phone sync > reload app > restart watch?
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 have ECG, since 2021.
Is this Feature on the New Marq Gen 2 Series of watches?
No, it doesn't have the correct internal hardware.
Good job
Will there be an updated chest strap to allow backwards application to other garmin watches?
any idea when health canada will approve the ECG app?
I'm wondering if it will show up to be able to use this with the Garmin chest heart rate monitor? Is that possible with the hardware on the chest strap?
Great question. Wouldnt this make it compatible with all of their watches?
I'm in Australia, and I'v got this on my 245 music
😂
Disappointed that Fenix/Epix didn't get this. Now my hope is for a Epix 3X or Fenix 8X AMOLED soon...
Hmm...isn't hrv status related to ecg reading? I mean if the ecg reading is bad, then hrv ought to be effected, no?
Irregular beats affect hrv...am I mistaken?
Thank you for the review. I wonder if Garmin is going to have an update to the Fenix sooner than the usual cycle. It feels really annoying that this particular App doesn't work on some of their most expensive watches. I have been pondering updating my Fenix5X to a 7X SS, but now I want to wait for this feature and maybe a "bounce-like" LTE option.
It also doesn't work on their $2000 Marq 2 watches, which is really effing weird.
@@Lasombra08 That's just annoying!
Yeah, I am currently looking to buy a Garmin watch and had pretty much decided to get a Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar.
But now no thanks, I'll wait until they get an equivalent Fenix with ECG functionality.
@@user-lz5vh9bb5w That's the problem: they rolled out this amazing watch (Fenix 7) and then we keep seeing all these other functionalities on cheaper watches. It's just annoying. I want a true back country watch for when I am out in the mountains--that's why I am in the Fenix line--but I also want the day-to-day functionalities because I live in town and most of my training is where I live.
0:36 Ray - you had the watch set for the wrong wrist; that ECG waveform is inverted
I have a D2 AirX10. It also has the metal ring. But it’s not coming up in the app.
Great!
I recently picked up a Venu 2 on Amazon. I could send it back for the Venu 2 plus, but is it worth an extra $160? I don't think so. This feature would have greater value if it always ran in the background, but it doesn't. I have to set it up to take a reading at the moment an event occurs.
Canadian wondering why his didn't work -- makes sense now.
So this feature will never come to instinct/instinct 2. Bummer, I just upgraded. I am surprised the Fenix 7 can't be accommodated.
is there any working tested hack that allows it to work outside US?
Hi, would it be possible to measure ECG using heart rate strap with any garmin watch.
Hello can this announce other functions such as the recovery time on the garmin venu 2 plus ?
How about D2 Air X10, it should be basically same watch as Venu 2 Plus?
Does garmin share our health data . İs there any privacy policy or security guaranty about our health data privacy.
They do not share your data. They have an extensive page detailing this.
0:14 Can it provide a measure of fitness or is it only a precautionary assessment?
Fenix / 955 etc are fitness first vs a Venu style first watch, so I can see why they’re testing the waters with this feature. Still, I respect the argument of “why not Fenix 7/epix”., they’re complete feature watches and you couldn’t help but be disappointed.
Is this available to all countries?
I just got the Venu 2 plus a couple of days ago. I'm in the US. But I don't see the option. Do you have any idea why that is? I keep checking my software and I don't see an update either.
Nuce 🤝😎
can the Garmin Fenix 6x pro measure glucose?
No
Since they where already working on it in 2021. It should have been available on the Fenix 7 platform in my opinion (hardware wise). You buy a top of the line product relatively new and it doesn't have it. A lot of users will not be happy for sure. You just bought a Enduro 2 for example... ☹️
I would imagine eventually.
excellent to see this added but yet again so frustrating that Garmin trickles out desirable tech (i.e. LTE connectivity for example) to entry and mid-market devices knowing full well it was on the horizon and could have been pre-implemented into premium devices. for people that most need a-fib tracking it probably makes the apple watch the more compelling purchase since they are likely going to have to buy new anyway. the best thing going in Garmin's favor will be the supremely better battery life on their premium offerings - if i was affected by a-fib that would probably be a primary factor to consider.
1- what do you mean by "people who need afib tracking"?
2- I'm a MD. I wouldn't make any treatment decision basing on data form watch. No mother Apple, Garmin or other.
Does anyone know, in Garmin connect I chose an intermediate marathon training plan, on forth day of the second training week there is two scheduled workouts, a and b. Should I do them both, or should I choose one of them?
Is there a delay for android users in the US? I updated my Venu 2+ and the app but it still isn't showing up to activate in Garmin Connect
Did you go to your watch icon and click on that? From there it had it top and center asking me to finish the set up.
Tried both the icon and the device option from the drop down menu, still nothin. Refreshed, synced, sang it a song, nothing seems to get the ECG option to pop up.
@@Julius2132 Lol. Well hopefully it starts for you soon.
Contacted Garmin, they had me uninstall/reinstall the app which didn't work, then they told me to remove then re-add the device and that did the trick!
@@Julius2132 I'm surprised at that fast response!
Garmin have done this in purpose not applying the ECG to their premium models. Not nice and not good.
Which watch has the best ECG in your opinion? Will it come on other watches?
I'm looking for a good watch with ECG but dont want an Apple Watch
Honestly, as long as it’s FDA or CE approved, it’s met the medical threshold and is a wash.
samsung galaxy watch already have this feature few years back........
I have the Garmin D2 Air X10. Looks to be identical hardware to the Venu 2 Plus. Metal ring on bezel and around the sensors. So can I expect a software update?
Maybe. It sure looks like Venu 2+ hardware.
Wondering if the watch can measure ECG mid workout, like if you felt chest pain or something that prompted you to want to test right then. Of course assuming you follow the directions, resting ur arm and staying still, would it work at a high hr.
Should be fine, as long as you are still and it can get the reading. No different than a 12 lead ECG obtained in a medical setting, accurate even with faster heart rate (e.g. a patient walks in to ER in rapid afib). Whats now clear to me is if you save a recording, how many leads? (which would be very relevant for elevating someone with chest pain or shortness of breath if acute coronary syndrome is a possibility).
It says on the app it can’t detect with HR higher than 100
The MARQ gen2 case (bottom and sides) are conductive. (I just tested it with an ohmmeter). I wonder if this qualifies it for the ECG feature?
No.