Galaxy watch 4 is a real smartwatch with decent/acceptable health and fitness features. The Garmin is a real fitness/health watch with a few smartwatch features.
These were the exact watches I was comparing when I upgraded from my Samsung Gear S3. I went with the Venu 2 since I wanted more accurate fitness tracking and much better battery life. I've had the Venu 2 for a few months now and still very pleased with my choice. The workout creator for Garmin is awesome and I love tracking my weight lifting with it.
Are you still happy with your decision? I want to upgrade from a Samsung gear sport. I don't like the Samsung apps permissions for everything and I want something more fitness focused (mainly strength, running and skiing). But not sure if I will miss the options to reply to notifications, remote control and media control. Many thanks!!
I also got myself a venu 2 mainly because of battery life. The only thing that I am unhappy about is the Spotify integration, I wish it was more than just "play some songs while youre running", I'd like to have some spotify features like selecting songs
Why can't there be one watch with all the features we need!? This is 2022! Long battery life ✅ accurate GPS ✅ microphone & speaker ✅ Google play ✅ Full NRC integration with guided runs & training plans ✅ magnetic charger ✅ offline music ✅
@@DesFit Still wondering why you dont do a collaboration. You both (and DCR ofc) together could perfectly combine your strengths. The 3 best fitness tracking authorities on UA-cam combined could only benefit yourselves and your audience! I see no downsides, only upsides for this. And since you already know and respect each other.. What is stopping you? ;) Many here already watch DCR, DesFit and The Quantified Scientist. You wont steal each others views, and only cement the lead you have on the rest of the UA-cam reviewers.. ;)
@@DesFit Could I ask you? Is existing device only for tracking sleep and most importantly hearth rate? I have hearth arymtia sometimes but they are appearing only few times per week.
Thank you! I was really fluctuating between a more fitness-oriented watch or a wear os watch with likely better app experience for music and other functions. I was equating a lot of the sensors together and the galaxy watch 4 seemed like it had just as much capability as a fitness tracker, but then much better support for other smart watch functions. For my purposes I was more interested in fitness tracking as I like proper mechanical watches for day to day, I now understand how Garmin offers a lot more in that regard in terms of accuracy and more purpose driven design.
I had many Samsung smart watches in the past, but currently I'm using the Venu 2 and I'm loving it. It's lighter to wear while sleeping, more useful for sports and the body battery is a great indicator to know when you can do physical activities
Thank you for a very good comparison. I got the Galaxy Watch4 Classic LTE, buying it pre-launch. Perhaps it was a mistake. My main objective was getting a Wear OS smartwatch, but I will use it as a workout device as well. From a sports tracking perspective there is no doubt the Venu 2 does a better job. This is based on DesFit's comparison but also comparisons over on The Quantified Scientist's channel, using the most thorough testing procedures on UA-cam collecting statistics as well as running regression analyses to show the accuracy of the devices. I'm disappointed in the poor accuracy of the Galaxy Watch4 Classic for HRM (which some users report, but not all...), In addition it performs poor sleep tracking, getting beaten not only the Garmin Venu2 but also by the significantly cheaper MiWatch, and especially by the Fitbit Inspire 2 which does sleep tracking better than any of the competitors. In addition the Galaxy Watch 4's fancy blood pressure monitoring is really, really poor for diastolic blood pressure. Worse than a pair of dice. At least the BIA gets me very stable read outs. A serious disadvantage is Samsung can share all your health data to anyone, say to a health insurance company. That's in the agreement if you use the features. What the Galaxy Watch 4 does does do better than the Venu2 is the other smart stuff. It does home automation, works as a remote control, enables proper message responses and allows leaving the phone at home, it also accesses Google Keep and once it has the Google Assistant it'll be even more powerful, and through apps it gives access to over 100 000 watch faces, or you can even design your own. I hope Samsung improves the HRM and sleep tracking accuracy as it's clearly possible shown by far cheaper devices, but this may be my last Samsung device.
@@ibby81ae There are things the Venu2 can't do that the Galaxy Watch can, so it depends on what you want. Perhaps a Fitbit, or the Mi Watch could provide you with what you want. So you have to know what you want and then gauge the trade offs.
I was in the same boat as you some years ago. I loved the watch faces and other bits on my old Samsung Gear S2, but HRM accuracy was a must-have for my purposes so I decided to go Garmin. My Garmin Venu is a good sports/fitness watch, but screen touch response is rubbish. Looks better on the latest Venu 2 , but I must say if it wasn’t for my need for HRM accuracy, I would have gone back to Samsung.
Good review, consider buying a sleep monitoring system so that you can evaluate sleep, also consider HRM accuracy at a gym, most watches struggle with this.
Wow! Your comparison is astonishing! I love that you also compare with some more probably more reliable device to compare the data as a references to compare two devices!
Fantastic review! As a Samsung Galaxy watch active 2 user I was initially pretty sure I'd pick up the Samsung watch 4. But after watching your video I started to think about the fitness aspects that are actually a lot better in the Garmin watch like for example the heart rate monitoring. It has not improved after the November Samsung watch update according to another video I watched. Samsung has made lots of improvements on this new watch like the ability to measure body composition, but I believe it would be hard to get proper measurements out of the watch. I'm an active bodybuilder so I think I will instead go with the Garmin and a body composition scale and leave the smartwatch gimmicks for now. The price range for an awesome Garmin watch is also now on my price range with this new model! :)
The lack of LTE is what stops me from upgrading my Active 2 for a Garmin device. I have gotten used to not carrying my phone on long runs and bike rides while still being assured that my family can reach me in case of an emergency.
Indeed Garmin still have to implement LTE (and ECG / bioimpedance). But considering the options today, I rather just keep carrying my phone everywhere, wich is also usefull for taking pics/videos, using apps like weather forecast, etc and even flashlight. Also having my phone means I won't drain watch battery with music and will have a backup device in case watch battery runs out.
Great review once again. I have an Active 2 which I got really cheap a couple years ago and was hoping to upgrade but it looks like I will keep what I have until either the next Garmin watch gets released or if Samsung fixes some of their issues. Still looking for that bliss point between smart watch features, fitness features and price.
I'm a Samsung S21 and Venu owner and I'll be upgrading to the Venu 2 just because of the massive difference in battery life. I just can't be bothered to charge my watch every day.
@@Childfree_Forever technology is about convenience so yeah setting a watch down every day is inconvenient. Because on top of that if you travel for a weekend you need to remember one more cable as well when I can just go with it with the Venu 2.
@@boomson3082 That is ridiculous. Like I said, LAZY. If you are traveling how difficult is it to throw a small charger in your briefcase or luggage? Is it convenient to travel with heavy luggage? Is it convenient to travel with children? Those things are much bigger than chargers, yet people travel with them ALL THE TIME. Then when they are asleep the devices are charging. Seems pretty simple to me. I even carry a dual (android/ios) charger in my purse because devices need charging daily. But that is the price we pay for having the convenience and speed of technology.
@@Childfree_Forever are you commenting from a phone or computer? You are a joke lmao. The hypocrisy of your statement is hilarious. 😂 You do lazy shit every day. Why are wireless chargers a thing when you can plug your phone in? Why type things on your phone when you can carry a laptop? These are your levels of logic, kindergarten level bro. Your comparisons are dumb. Would you rather have lighter luggage or heavy luggage? Would you rather have a phone that you charge once a day or once a week?
@@boomson3082 You are the one that is stupid bro. You are on here complaining about having to charge your devices everyday, yet do things on a daily basis that are even harder. You literally just have to plug them in and forget about them, but that is too difficult for you? Makes no sense. GTFOH !!!
Thank you Des! As a I have used both of the watches, I can say that you nailed it. Excellent and very objective review! I would only add that the Galaxy also has both incident detection (or fall detection to be more accurate) and the ability to trigger it manually. Venu has slightly better GPS in my experience, maybe because they use a more modern chip? Or the smoothing algorithm of Samsung needs some work. With regards to HR, I did not have any drops or any funny measurements, but I know people that has many issues. There is some speculation that it is related to a bug with workout auto-detection and some people that turned this off, saw improvements. I think that I will stick with the Galaxy as I value the smart features and hope Samsung improves the fitness/health features with further updates. But I miss the Garmin battery life. Keep it up!
I’ve tried a few suggestions that people have mentioned like turning off the auto detection and seem to have similar results. Not sure why there are so many people with issues with a few folks not having issues though 🤷♂️ I appreciate the additional info! Thanks!
In fairness to Samsung, they haven't been out as long as the Venu 2 so give it a little longer for Samsung to iron out the kinks and the next update will fix it.
@@DesFit This is the 3rd Samsung wearable I have owned. They are always like this at the beginning. If you can I suggest you test it again after a few months and you will see the GPS tracking improve. 😉
Had Watch 4 Classic, found heart rate inaccurate ended up returning due to ECG quit working. Purchased Venu 2 Couldn't be happier. Also big plus it comes with Garmin Golf built in. Regarding watch 4 battery....not so great My wife has a hard time making it thru the day even with heart rate set to not measure continuously
Just to give my opinon in this, you'll be lucky to get 2 hours of GPS and offline Spotify with the Watch4 and the GPS can be really spotty. For this reason I'm selling the Watch4 and heading for the Venu 2.
Re: Option to off auto step counter. After getting stuck for hours with tech support for the Samsung watch 4, I came to learn that there's no way to shut off the Auto Step Counter. Driving to my mechanic I did 186 steps. Playing the piano I did 600 steps. I'm surprised nobody talks about this. My question is, does the Garmin have the option to shut off auto step counting whereas the Galaxy 4 does not? PS.. You're review was exceptional!
Quite disappointed by my 6 weeks GW4 experience. The battery life is awful and I found the strap to be so uncomfortable I couldn't wait to get the watch off my hand at the end of the day. I did enjoy the first couple times I made a payment with the watch but that wore off quickly and I just went back to using my phone. Taking calls on the watch is "meh" and the software needs a couple generations of refinement- it can be laggy at times. The Garmin Venu 2 has a much more mature software experience and the health tracking is just a lot more sophisticated than on the GW4. I won't judge the GW4 too harshly though - it is the first generation and software updates can improve the experience.
Great review Des, I have a Vivoactive 3, similar to the Venu 2, your vid confirms that my VA3 does 99% of what I need and I wont be considering a change to the W4 until battery life is improved compared to my VA3 and they open up Samsung Health to Garmin devices so I have a choice, one thing though, I still think Garmin is way too pricey and they need to drop prices to be in the market for when Samsung sort the performance of their devices out, thank you again for great content, Kia Ora from Aotearoa
Thank you for doing the test that I was looking for since Galaxy Watch 4 release! I think though that some of the features you mentioned on Samsung model only work fully if you have a Samsung phone (not enough be an Android)… beyond the ones you point out! Is this correct? Thank you again!
I've had both. Don't even bother with the GW4 if you need HR or GPS tracking; accuracy is a joke. I disagree that GPS is good enough, throw in more turns, like you might see on MTB single-track, and it will be off by 10% or more which is unacceptable. Venu 2 was within a % of what my bike computer showed. I also did walking tests and the GW4 didn't come close to matching my actual path. GW4 sleep tracking was more accurate for me but its battery life is a joke and it charges super-slow. GW4 hardware and build are much better and make the Venu 2 look overpriced. IMO these two watches don't overlap much. Get the Garmin if you want to track fitness and the GW4 if you want a smartwatch.
Samsung's crappy GPS and HR monitoring are iconic at this point.I just wish Venu was better in being a smartphone extension and had better looks, it would be perfect.
I should've watched this video first before purchasing a galaxy watch 4! Overall, I'm still happy with it and will probably be like that for the next 2 years. I'll watch your reviews first next time.
With Garmin, if you're tracking food you'll need the MyFitnessPal app as well. So, Garmin Connect, Garmin Connect IQ, and MyFitnessPal apps -- three apps. Also Garmin Express on your computer for adding music (for music editions of Garmins.)
Idk what's better your vo2max out the level of detail in this video. Both are near perfect. Wish I had a vo2max if 55. I'm fat and it of shape happy to see anything over 40 now. But great video. I love my original venu. I personally dont care for the extra smart watch feature on my wrist it minimally different and redundant to my smart phone. But the health data Garmin gets is amazingly useful and that's stuff your phone can't ever do for you.
@@DesFit I live in Colorado and am an avid cyclist mostly interested in health tracking and working out etc but just wanted to know personally if you could have only one watch which one would it be?
@@DrPippo1234 I moved to CO for ultras this year. I ran my first 100 miler with an apple watch 3. Pretty annoying, but it's doable. If AW had great battery life it'd be the best for me. That being said, I have a fenix 5s plus I use for running. AW gets slammed, but there are a lot of runners and ultra runners that use AW a lot and then use a garmin, coros, ect for longer runs and races. I didn't understand why until I got my garmin. If the AW 6 gets to $250 again it's a great deal imo!
Have you reviewed the galaxy watch 5? Wondering if it stands any better against the venu 2! Great review by the way! Appreciate the side by side stats during workouts!
Thank you, Des. Been waiting for this review. Right now I am using Samsung Active 2, it is ok, and got 2-3 days of batteri life. So for me picking the watch 4 would be a downgrade. Guess I will look a bit closer at the Venu 2 or perhaps one of the other Garmin watches. Thanks again for this review!
Great Review. Garmin could make so much money if it had fall detection for seniors like the Apple Watch. If it could implement that I would be willing to forego blood pressure monitoring. GW4 simply can't hold a candle to Garmin for fitness. Sadly it's not yet time to ungrade my Venu. Waiting to see what is next. Garmin is the best!
I think I saw some reviews abou fall detection and many Garmin has it. Maybe not the Venu 2. But it's worth the search. Maybe you'll find exactly what you need
Grat video as always. Question. Does using an app such as Strava help make the GW4 more accurate? Sometimes 3rd party apps pull more GPS satellite info and offer more accurate readings.
For now i'm happy with my garmin venu sq and garmin vivoactive4, but love seeing this comparison. I've always wondered about how the 2 brands differ, especially with the newer models.
Hello! Congratulations for the video. Please, I have a question: How many battery consumes both watches if you listen music with bluetooth handset and GPS on?. Thanks!!
For 9:36. I have a Samsung gear fit 2 pro watch, which do a similar thing... usually simply not track my heart rate increasing as I start to running or during my workout it simply measures way under.
Would you have any info about the problems of Samsung's corrosion on the motherboard? I just got a Garmin Venu2 instead. Features... Great but reliability would be amazing.
The galaxy watch 4 sleep tracking function is seriously flawed. It doesn't record if I wake up in the morning until I check my sleep. For example i wake up at 4am, busy on my phone for 1-2 hours, then check my sleep on the watch at 6am and it would say I slept until 6am, not recognizing that I actually woke up at 4am. Same thing happen if i wake in the night and do something else. It still records me as sleeping when I am llobviously not, even even creates a light/deep sleep graph for this period. Completely fake and unreliable. I like to know if the venue has the same bug.
Also the galaxy 4 makes you password protect your phone or you cant access the health app for ecg to " protect your privacy" it should be my choice if I want it password protected
Love everything about garmins and other sport watches but the touch screen or frame rate delay or you can say the responsiveness is not as good as galaxy watch and apple
@@lizheinzb4033 a) technically, just to enlarge battery's physical size, if you disassemble such watches, there is plenty room for this. b) as I know amoled\oled screens' technology is also moving forward...
very usefull...may i recomend a video with the best watches on recognizing automatically the exercise you are on in the gym detecting the change from indoor bike to weightlifting to rawing machine etc
You can pair an external HRM to some 3rd party apps like Google Fit but totally agree, better optical wrist HR and external HRM pairing with the native workout app would be great. Thanks!
Nice comparison. Think I will go with the SGW4 as it has a nice full feature set at a great price... will wait until the deals on it start showing up for Black Friday / Cyber Monday.
I would love someone to go over ease of use. I had an old fitbit where you hit one button and it woukd toggle through heart rate, steps, distance, stairs, etc. If you held the button you could start a timer. I just got the samsung watch 4 and feel like its hard to get to all the functions. Even the heary rate shows a rage of 65-110 where fitbit would show you the rate throughout the day. Either I dont know how to use it or its not user friendly as fitbit was. Fitbit quality just seemed terrible and broke easy so i tried a new brand.
Great review....question when pairing a chest strap using google fit how do the workout numbers compare to say Garmin, Polar .... Calories, Zones and so on
Thanks for a great review. Thinking of replacing my Fenix 5 which has terrible heart rate accuracy. Pool swim lap counts are also off by 10-20%.....so a bit apprehensive about getting another Garmin...
Wow what a great in-depth review. To me, the Samsung is just so bad at heart rate tracking that it's just not worth it. What I am interested in is the Open Water Swim GPS performance on these and your other smart watches. Do you ever measure this?
Garmin has a strange policy of not implementing open water swimming profiles in many watches that are perfectly capable of doing it. Open water swimming only works on Fenixes or higher end Forerunners.
I am a Samsung Watch 4 user, but I'm looking into Garmin. I think for a more accurate comparison you will also need to consider apps. Samsung may have similar sensors, but what it chooses to report in the app is very different. For example, apart from steps, it is hard to see a summary of your week's activity in Samsu g Health. Garmin, on the other hand, provides nice graps/summaries for nearly every metric collected.
thank you so much for the review, as usual it's short and comprehensive, in regard accuracy of GW4, do thing, is it software issue or hardware? and if its software, could an update fix it?
Galaxy watch 4 is a real smartwatch with decent/acceptable health and fitness features. The Garmin is a real fitness/health watch with a few smartwatch features.
Thank you for the simplification! Lol I was going back and forth but your comment made it easier for me, so thanks again!
What about these two compared with forerunner 245
Venu 2 plus Best overall 👌
@@bernondprudenciostephencha3249 plus is also much more expensive so not a fair comparison
@@MrAfusensi not really it's 260 on Amazon ATM
These were the exact watches I was comparing when I upgraded from my Samsung Gear S3. I went with the Venu 2 since I wanted more accurate fitness tracking and much better battery life. I've had the Venu 2 for a few months now and still very pleased with my choice. The workout creator for Garmin is awesome and I love tracking my weight lifting with it.
Glad you found a good replacement!
Are you still happy with your decision? I want to upgrade from a Samsung gear sport. I don't like the Samsung apps permissions for everything and I want something more fitness focused (mainly strength, running and skiing).
But not sure if I will miss the options to reply to notifications, remote control and media control.
Many thanks!!
@@JorgeGonzalez-qf6zq And the fact that all fucntions only available on Samsung Phones are annyoing, like the Bixby and Samsung Pay.
I also got myself a venu 2 mainly because of battery life. The only thing that I am unhappy about is the Spotify integration, I wish it was more than just "play some songs while youre running", I'd like to have some spotify features like selecting songs
@@ohlookachime Can you watch photos on venu 2?
Why can't there be one watch with all the features we need!? This is 2022! Long battery life ✅ accurate GPS ✅ microphone & speaker ✅ Google play ✅ Full NRC integration with guided runs & training plans ✅ magnetic charger ✅ offline music ✅
Great overview Des! It is indeed disappointing that some of the features are only available on a Samsung phone (+region dependent). Have a great day!😊
Saw your SW4's sleep tracking review, thanks! So, my miband 5 looks quite accurate vs sw and even fenix 6 on sleep tracking :)
Thanks Rob! You’re putting out great content!!
@@DesFit Still wondering why you dont do a collaboration. You both (and DCR ofc) together could perfectly combine your strengths. The 3 best fitness tracking authorities on UA-cam combined could only benefit yourselves and your audience! I see no downsides, only upsides for this. And since you already know and respect each other.. What is stopping you? ;) Many here already watch DCR, DesFit and The Quantified Scientist. You wont steal each others views, and only cement the lead you have on the rest of the UA-cam reviewers.. ;)
Just like you need an iphone to use an apple watch.
Nice one Des! These have so much in common but they’re definitely suited for different purposes.
Totally different watches for sure! Thanks Dave!
@@DesFit Could I ask you? Is existing device only for tracking sleep and most importantly hearth rate? I have hearth arymtia sometimes but they are appearing only few times per week.
@@tomas12912 how about you go to a doctor instead of a youtuber
Bwhahahah
Thank you! I was really fluctuating between a more fitness-oriented watch or a wear os watch with likely better app experience for music and other functions. I was equating a lot of the sensors together and the galaxy watch 4 seemed like it had just as much capability as a fitness tracker, but then much better support for other smart watch functions. For my purposes I was more interested in fitness tracking as I like proper mechanical watches for day to day, I now understand how Garmin offers a lot more in that regard in terms of accuracy and more purpose driven design.
I like your pace of talking 😀. The info you squeeze into 13 minutes clip could take other slow talk people 20 minutes to finish. 👍🌹
Ha! Most people say I talk too fast so this was nice to hear. Thanks!
@@DesFit i am watching 0.75 x speed, because you are talking too fast 😃
Usually I have to speed up with other channels but with yours at x1 is just perfect
I agree. I think fast. I speed up other channels because time is of the essence and my brain is permanently in hyperdrive anyway. I love your pace.
I agree I usually have to speed up videos to 1.25 times lol.. I'm glad I didn't have to with this video!
I could not have asked for a better video. Exactly the information I was looking for!
Glad it helped!
I had many Samsung smart watches in the past, but currently I'm using the Venu 2 and I'm loving it. It's lighter to wear while sleeping, more useful for sports and the body battery is a great indicator to know when you can do physical activities
I forgot to mention weight and comfort but thanks for mentioning that!
@@DesFit you've done a great job in your comparison 👏 👍
Thank you for a very good comparison. I got the Galaxy Watch4 Classic LTE, buying it pre-launch. Perhaps it was a mistake. My main objective was getting a Wear OS smartwatch, but I will use it as a workout device as well. From a sports tracking perspective there is no doubt the Venu 2 does a better job. This is based on DesFit's comparison but also comparisons over on The Quantified Scientist's channel, using the most thorough testing procedures on UA-cam collecting statistics as well as running regression analyses to show the accuracy of the devices. I'm disappointed in the poor accuracy of the Galaxy Watch4 Classic for HRM (which some users report, but not all...), In addition it performs poor sleep tracking, getting beaten not only the Garmin Venu2 but also by the significantly cheaper MiWatch, and especially by the Fitbit Inspire 2 which does sleep tracking better than any of the competitors. In addition the Galaxy Watch 4's fancy blood pressure monitoring is really, really poor for diastolic blood pressure. Worse than a pair of dice. At least the BIA gets me very stable read outs. A serious disadvantage is Samsung can share all your health data to anyone, say to a health insurance company. That's in the agreement if you use the features. What the Galaxy Watch 4 does does do better than the Venu2 is the other smart stuff. It does home automation, works as a remote control, enables proper message responses and allows leaving the phone at home, it also accesses Google Keep and once it has the Google Assistant it'll be even more powerful, and through apps it gives access to over 100 000 watch faces, or you can even design your own. I hope Samsung improves the HRM and sleep tracking accuracy as it's clearly possible shown by far cheaper devices, but this may be my last Samsung device.
So you are saying get the venu 2?
@@ibby81ae There are things the Venu2 can't do that the Galaxy Watch can, so it depends on what you want. Perhaps a Fitbit, or the Mi Watch could provide you with what you want. So you have to know what you want and then gauge the trade offs.
I was in the same boat as you some years ago. I loved the watch faces and other bits on my old Samsung Gear S2, but HRM accuracy was a must-have for my purposes so I decided to go Garmin. My Garmin Venu is a good sports/fitness watch, but screen touch response is rubbish. Looks better on the latest Venu 2 , but I must say if it wasn’t for my need for HRM accuracy, I would have gone back to Samsung.
I have the Venu 2 and I'm extremely happy with it
Nice!
Holy cow, man, you packed it in! Great job - loved it.
Thanks FGH! 🙌💪
Good review, consider buying a sleep monitoring system so that you can evaluate sleep, also consider HRM accuracy at a gym, most watches struggle with this.
I am so happy I chose the Garmin Venu 2, especially as i do not own a Samsung phone.
Wow! Your comparison is astonishing! I love that you also compare with some more probably more reliable device to compare the data as a references to compare two devices!
Glad the information helped! Thanks!
Fantastic review! As a Samsung Galaxy watch active 2 user I was initially pretty sure I'd pick up the Samsung watch 4. But after watching your video I started to think about the fitness aspects that are actually a lot better in the Garmin watch like for example the heart rate monitoring. It has not improved after the November Samsung watch update according to another video I watched. Samsung has made lots of improvements on this new watch like the ability to measure body composition, but I believe it would be hard to get proper measurements out of the watch. I'm an active bodybuilder so I think I will instead go with the Garmin and a body composition scale and leave the smartwatch gimmicks for now. The price range for an awesome Garmin watch is also now on my price range with this new model! :)
great job, very few reviewer show the phone app and limitations! more of that, please!
Definitely! 👍
Best video ever! Clarified lot of questions!! Thanks and GREAT work!
Sure thing! Thanks!
The lack of LTE is what stops me from upgrading my Active 2 for a Garmin device. I have gotten used to not carrying my phone on long runs and bike rides while still being assured that my family can reach me in case of an emergency.
Agreed and the ability to text back, not just canned responses.
Indeed Garmin still have to implement LTE (and ECG / bioimpedance).
But considering the options today, I rather just keep carrying my phone everywhere, wich is also usefull for taking pics/videos, using apps like weather forecast, etc and even flashlight.
Also having my phone means I won't drain watch battery with music and will have a backup device in case watch battery runs out.
Excellent comparison. This is what I was looking for.
Thank you
Sure thing!
Great review once again. I have an Active 2 which I got really cheap a couple years ago and was hoping to upgrade but it looks like I will keep what I have until either the next Garmin watch gets released or if Samsung fixes some of their issues. Still looking for that bliss point between smart watch features, fitness features and price.
I'm a Samsung S21 and Venu owner and I'll be upgrading to the Venu 2 just because of the massive difference in battery life. I just can't be bothered to charge my watch every day.
Technology really has made people lazy. Imagine not wanting to bother to set your watch down on a charger everyday. Oh the horror 🤣🤣🤣
@@Childfree_Forever technology is about convenience so yeah setting a watch down every day is inconvenient. Because on top of that if you travel for a weekend you need to remember one more cable as well when I can just go with it with the Venu 2.
@@boomson3082 That is ridiculous. Like I said, LAZY. If you are traveling how difficult is it to throw a small charger in your briefcase or luggage? Is it convenient to travel with heavy luggage? Is it convenient to travel with children? Those things are much bigger than chargers, yet people travel with them ALL THE TIME. Then when they are asleep the devices are charging. Seems pretty simple to me. I even carry a dual (android/ios) charger in my purse because devices need charging daily. But that is the price we pay for having the convenience and speed of technology.
@@Childfree_Forever are you commenting from a phone or computer? You are a joke lmao. The hypocrisy of your statement is hilarious. 😂 You do lazy shit every day. Why are wireless chargers a thing when you can plug your phone in? Why type things on your phone when you can carry a laptop? These are your levels of logic, kindergarten level bro. Your comparisons are dumb. Would you rather have lighter luggage or heavy luggage? Would you rather have a phone that you charge once a day or once a week?
@@boomson3082 You are the one that is stupid bro. You are on here complaining about having to charge your devices everyday, yet do things on a daily basis that are even harder. You literally just have to plug them in and forget about them, but that is too difficult for you? Makes no sense. GTFOH !!!
Thank you Des! As a I have used both of the watches, I can say that you nailed it. Excellent and very objective review! I would only add that the Galaxy also has both incident detection (or fall detection to be more accurate) and the ability to trigger it manually. Venu has slightly better GPS in my experience, maybe because they use a more modern chip? Or the smoothing algorithm of Samsung needs some work. With regards to HR, I did not have any drops or any funny measurements, but I know people that has many issues. There is some speculation that it is related to a bug with workout auto-detection and some people that turned this off, saw improvements. I think that I will stick with the Galaxy as I value the smart features and hope Samsung improves the fitness/health features with further updates. But I miss the Garmin battery life. Keep it up!
I’ve tried a few suggestions that people have mentioned like turning off the auto detection and seem to have similar results. Not sure why there are so many people with issues with a few folks not having issues though 🤷♂️ I appreciate the additional info! Thanks!
In fairness to Samsung, they haven't been out as long as the Venu 2 so give it a little longer for Samsung to iron out the kinks and the next update will fix it.
This is the 5th Samsung wearable I’ve reviewed where I’ve experienced these sort of issues. Maybe 6th time the charm? 😜
@@DesFit This is the 3rd Samsung wearable I have owned.
They are always like this at the beginning. If you can I suggest you test it again after a few months and you will see the GPS tracking improve. 😉
A few months? 🤦♂️
Thank you for the review Des. Heart rate accuracy is 9:20. Timestamps in the description may need some editing
Thanks for the heads up! Fixed! 👍
Excellent review Des. I'll be getting the Venu 2. Thanks.
Thanks and enjoy your watch!
Had Watch 4 Classic, found heart rate inaccurate ended up returning due to ECG quit working. Purchased Venu 2 Couldn't be happier. Also big plus it comes with Garmin Golf built in. Regarding watch 4 battery....not so great My wife has a hard time making it thru the day even with heart rate set to not measure continuously
Thanks for sharing your experiences! 👍
Just to give my opinon in this, you'll be lucky to get 2 hours of GPS and offline Spotify with the Watch4 and the GPS can be really spotty. For this reason I'm selling the Watch4 and heading for the Venu 2.
To me the Galaxy watch is just a smart watch that can be used for sports. While the Garmin is a real fitness watch.
You litteraly said the same thing for both...
Amazing review and cudos to you recording your sleep sound; heavy breathing vs snoring, very detailed review.
Thanks!
So do you want a fitness watch with ok smart features or a smart watch with OK fitness features 🤔
I wanted this video so much! Thanks a lot!
Sure thing! Thanks!
Thank you for the unbiased review. Been questioning the heart rate alot on my galaxy s4 .
You’re welcome
Re: Option to off auto step counter. After getting stuck for hours with tech support for the Samsung watch 4, I came to learn that there's no way to shut off the Auto Step Counter. Driving to my mechanic I did 186 steps. Playing the piano I did 600 steps. I'm surprised nobody talks about this. My question is, does the Garmin have the option to shut off auto step counting whereas the Galaxy 4 does not?
PS.. You're review was exceptional!
Quite disappointed by my 6 weeks GW4 experience. The battery life is awful and I found the strap to be so uncomfortable I couldn't wait to get the watch off my hand at the end of the day. I did enjoy the first couple times I made a payment with the watch but that wore off quickly and I just went back to using my phone. Taking calls on the watch is "meh" and the software needs a couple generations of refinement- it can be laggy at times. The Garmin Venu 2 has a much more mature software experience and the health tracking is just a lot more sophisticated than on the GW4. I won't judge the GW4 too harshly though - it is the first generation and software updates can improve the experience.
Thanks for the review! Was really on the fence about the two.. Seeing that garmin lacks speaker, call/text reply, keyboard, talk reply, lte
A very helpful rundown of pros and cons for each. Thank you!
Sure thing!
Great review Des, I have a Vivoactive 3, similar to the Venu 2, your vid confirms that my VA3 does 99% of what I need and I wont be considering a change to the W4 until battery life is improved compared to my VA3 and they open up Samsung Health to Garmin devices so I have a choice, one thing though, I still think Garmin is way too pricey and they need to drop prices to be in the market for when Samsung sort the performance of their devices out, thank you again for great content, Kia Ora from Aotearoa
That’s great that your VA3 is going strong! Thanks!
Literally just was looking for a video on this
Good timing then!
Thank you so much for this review! I stumbled on it.. and your pace and details were perfect! 👍🏾subscribed!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!
Superior review. Something to shoot for in terms of being a professional reviewer. 😄. Also, I’m now getting the venu 2.
Thanks and enjoy your watch!
That was comprehensive Des.. about 5 days to go for Amazon sale and I will have my hands on the venu 2. Or the other way around ;)
Enjoy your watch! Thanks!
Thank you for doing the test that I was looking for since Galaxy Watch 4 release! I think though that some of the features you mentioned on Samsung model only work fully if you have a Samsung phone (not enough be an Android)… beyond the ones you point out! Is this correct? Thank you again!
It should just be ECG and Blood pressure monitoring since that app is only available for Samsung phones.
Thanks, great review. I might see you on a ride someday you're riding in my neighborhood 👍
Thanks for the great detailed comparison
You’re welcome!
I've had both. Don't even bother with the GW4 if you need HR or GPS tracking; accuracy is a joke. I disagree that GPS is good enough, throw in more turns, like you might see on MTB single-track, and it will be off by 10% or more which is unacceptable. Venu 2 was within a % of what my bike computer showed. I also did walking tests and the GW4 didn't come close to matching my actual path. GW4 sleep tracking was more accurate for me but its battery life is a joke and it charges super-slow. GW4 hardware and build are much better and make the Venu 2 look overpriced. IMO these two watches don't overlap much. Get the Garmin if you want to track fitness and the GW4 if you want a smartwatch.
Great review. Thanks!
You’re welcome and thanks!
Awesome watch face on the samsung galaxy watch classic! What is it called?
Those were just the stock watch faces.
@@DesFit thanks!
Thanks. All the info I need to make a choice. Impressive content.
Glad the video helped. Thanks!
Samsung's crappy GPS and HR monitoring are iconic at this point.I just wish Venu was better in being a smartphone extension and had better looks, it would be perfect.
Thanks for this video, has really helped me make a decision!
Sure thing!
Outstanding Review 👌👍
I have the venue 2 s ,
Genuinely the best fitness watch I have ever had , and I love the Garmin app to find it fantastic 👊👊👊
Glad you like your watch 👍 thanks!
I have a gear S3 and it stopped working this weekend that I went swimming with my daughter, you know if SW4 is really waterproof?
I should've watched this video first before purchasing a galaxy watch 4! Overall, I'm still happy with it and will probably be like that for the next 2 years. I'll watch your reviews first next time.
Glad it’s working for what you need it to do 👍
Hi Des, can you do a comparison on venu 2 vs Huawei watch 3 please?
Much appreciated.
With Garmin, if you're tracking food you'll need the MyFitnessPal app as well. So, Garmin Connect, Garmin Connect IQ, and MyFitnessPal apps -- three apps. Also Garmin Express on your computer for adding music (for music editions of Garmins.)
Idk what's better your vo2max out the level of detail in this video. Both are near perfect. Wish I had a vo2max if 55. I'm fat and it of shape happy to see anything over 40 now. But great video. I love my original venu. I personally dont care for the extra smart watch feature on my wrist it minimally different and redundant to my smart phone. But the health data Garmin gets is amazingly useful and that's stuff your phone can't ever do for you.
Shoutout from Fort Collins!!
🙌
Excellent review/comparison!!
Thanks!
Great job as always, Des!
Thanks John!
Great video. One question? If you had an iPhone and wanted to buy a smart fitness watch, only one.
Des which one would you buy?
Kind of depends on how many smartwatch features you’d like to have. Do you need stuff like replying to texts or call functionality? Thanks!
@@DesFit I live in Colorado and am an avid cyclist mostly interested in health tracking and working out etc but just wanted to know personally if you could have only one watch which one would it be?
@@DrPippo1234 I moved to CO for ultras this year. I ran my first 100 miler with an apple watch 3. Pretty annoying, but it's doable. If AW had great battery life it'd be the best for me. That being said, I have a fenix 5s plus I use for running. AW gets slammed, but there are a lot of runners and ultra runners that use AW a lot and then use a garmin, coros, ect for longer runs and races. I didn't understand why until I got my garmin. If the AW 6 gets to $250 again it's a great deal imo!
I went with the galaxy watch because of software. companies don't realize that having a pretty watch is not everything.
Excellent video! What watch are you wearing on your wrist in this video?
This one: ua-cam.com/video/VXnyLD2UDK0/v-deo.html Thanks!
Have you reviewed the galaxy watch 5? Wondering if it stands any better against the venu 2! Great review by the way! Appreciate the side by side stats during workouts!
Thank you, Des. Been waiting for this review. Right now I am using Samsung Active 2, it is ok, and got 2-3 days of batteri life. So for me picking the watch 4 would be a downgrade. Guess I will look a bit closer at the Venu 2 or perhaps one of the other Garmin watches. Thanks again for this review!
Sure thing! Thank you!
Didn't even know I needed this
👍
Vídeo 100% correto. Já tive os 2 e concordo com tudo. Parabéns
Great Review. Garmin could make so much money if it had fall detection for seniors like the Apple Watch. If it could implement that I would be willing to forego blood pressure monitoring. GW4 simply can't hold a candle to Garmin for fitness. Sadly it's not yet time to ungrade my Venu. Waiting to see what is next. Garmin is the best!
I think I saw some reviews abou fall detection and many Garmin has it. Maybe not the Venu 2. But it's worth the search. Maybe you'll find exactly what you need
Venu 2 has it.
Grat video as always. Question. Does using an app such as Strava help make the GW4 more accurate? Sometimes 3rd party apps pull more GPS satellite info and offer more accurate readings.
For now i'm happy with my garmin venu sq and garmin vivoactive4, but love seeing this comparison. I've always wondered about how the 2 brands differ, especially with the newer models.
Glad to make the video!
Great job ! Thanks !
You’re welcome and thanks!
Hello! Congratulations for the video. Please, I have a question: How many battery consumes both watches if you listen music with bluetooth handset and GPS on?. Thanks!!
For 9:36. I have a Samsung gear fit 2 pro watch, which do a similar thing... usually simply not track my heart rate increasing as I start to running or during my workout it simply measures way under.
Would you have any info about the problems of Samsung's corrosion on the motherboard? I just got a Garmin Venu2 instead. Features...
Great but reliability would be amazing.
Thanks for your test
Sure thing!
The galaxy watch 4 sleep tracking function is seriously flawed. It doesn't record if I wake up in the morning until I check my sleep. For example i wake up at 4am, busy on my phone for 1-2 hours, then check my sleep on the watch at 6am and it would say I slept until 6am, not recognizing that I actually woke up at 4am. Same thing happen if i wake in the night and do something else. It still records me as sleeping when I am llobviously not, even even creates a light/deep sleep graph for this period. Completely fake and unreliable. I like to know if the venue has the same bug.
Also the galaxy 4 makes you password protect your phone or you cant access the health app for ecg to " protect your privacy" it should be my choice if I want it password protected
Love everything about garmins and other sport watches but the touch screen or frame rate delay or you can say the responsiveness is not as good as galaxy watch and apple
The trade off being battery life with those higher refresh displays
@@DesFit make sense
As always great review. Thanks. The only problem of these watches is amoled screen which drains the batt significantly!
Pretty but they definitely consume some battery! Thanks!
Any recommendations on alternatives?
@@lizheinzb4033 a) technically, just to enlarge battery's physical size, if you disassemble such watches, there is plenty room for this. b) as I know amoled\oled screens' technology is also moving forward...
very usefull...may i recomend a video with the best watches on recognizing automatically the exercise you are on in the gym detecting the change from indoor bike to weightlifting to rawing machine etc
Possibly the Apple Watch, especially with the new cycling detection but unsure of anything else. Thanks!
Another top video, if only Samsung could nail the HR monitor and / or make it easier to pair an external HR device. Thanks Des
You can pair an external HRM to some 3rd party apps like Google Fit but totally agree, better optical wrist HR and external HRM pairing with the native workout app would be great. Thanks!
I love that you did this video
👍
Just north of the state line from you. Lol Hello from Wyoming!
Heya neighbor!
if Venu2 has LTE feature, that'd be perfect for me.
I got my Galaxy watch 4 classic from Costco. With $50 off promotion, I paid $299.
Nice comparison. Think I will go with the SGW4 as it has a nice full feature set at a great price... will wait until the deals on it start showing up for Black Friday / Cyber Monday.
Great review, thanks for your efforts
Thanks!
Thank you
You're welcome
I enjoy your channel very detailed comparison. For the Venu 2 do you have to have a service from Garmin to use the gps features?
Definitely not, buy I’m actually not sure of any company that requires a subscription to use GPS.
Could u maybe also compare new garmin epix vs galaxy watch 4 classic vs Apple Watch 7
I would love someone to go over ease of use. I had an old fitbit where you hit one button and it woukd toggle through heart rate, steps, distance, stairs, etc. If you held the button you could start a timer. I just got the samsung watch 4 and feel like its hard to get to all the functions. Even the heary rate shows a rage of 65-110 where fitbit would show you the rate throughout the day. Either I dont know how to use it or its not user friendly as fitbit was. Fitbit quality just seemed terrible and broke easy so i tried a new brand.
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO, DES!!!
sure thing
Great review....question when pairing a chest strap using google fit how do the workout numbers compare to say Garmin, Polar .... Calories, Zones and so on
I haven’t done extensive testing with Google Fit but I may look into that in the future. Thanks!
Thanks for a great review. Thinking of replacing my Fenix 5 which has terrible heart rate accuracy. Pool swim lap counts are also off by 10-20%.....so a bit apprehensive about getting another Garmin...
I love your reviews
Thanks!!
Great review,
Thanks!
Awesome.. you just earned a subscriber 🎉
Thanks!
This man rips off the reviews ....hats off .
Rips off as in copies?
Wow what a great in-depth review. To me, the Samsung is just so bad at heart rate tracking that it's just not worth it. What I am interested in is the Open Water Swim GPS performance on these and your other smart watches. Do you ever measure this?
Garmin has a strange policy of not implementing open water swimming profiles in many watches that are perfectly capable of doing it. Open water swimming only works on Fenixes or higher end Forerunners.
I am a Samsung Watch 4 user, but I'm looking into Garmin. I think for a more accurate comparison you will also need to consider apps. Samsung may have similar sensors, but what it chooses to report in the app is very different. For example, apart from steps, it is hard to see a summary of your week's activity in Samsu g Health. Garmin, on the other hand, provides nice graps/summaries for nearly every metric collected.
thank you so much for the review, as usual it's short and comprehensive, in regard accuracy of GW4, do thing, is it software issue or hardware? and if its software, could an update fix it?
Tough to say but what I can say is that this is the 5th Samsung watch I've tested with similar issues. Thanks!