If you're looking for something smaller and more streamlined, you might be interested in the newer Garmin Lily. Most features on the Venu relate to activity and sports tracking, which I’ll come onto below, but it does also offer a range of smart features. On the contrary, the interface is more or less identical to other Garmin devices such as the Vivoactive 4, even if the heart-rate charts and animated workouts do benefit from the improved contrast and resolution. The watch also supports contactless payments via Garmin Pay, though very few UK banks have signed up to the service. The Vivoactive 4’s screen is not as bright and colourful as the Venu’s, but it’s easy to read in all lighting conditions and slightly larger (1.

Garmin Pay is also on board, but the supported banks across the UK, US and Australia certainly varies. Like the Venu, Garmin has employed a different way to navigate its colour touchscreen display-packing watches.Owners of any Garmin device can track their menstrual cycle through the Garmin Connect app, but the Venu 2 allows you to enter symptoms on the device itself through an optional widget available through the activities menu. The lower of these serves to navigate backward through menus, while the top one is context sensitive depending on which app or widget you're using. If you can live without those features, then the Venu SQ should be a decent sporty smartwatch companion. While you get that familiar sports tracking experience, we wished it had more in common with its pricier compatriot in the looks department.

Previously editor of Wareable, he also co-ran the features and reviews sections of T3, and has a long list of bylines in the world of consumer tech sites. On the sensor front, you’re getting built-in GPS and support for Galileo and Beidou satellite systems to give you better mapping coverage around the world. This problem is easily fixed by pairing an external heart rate strap with the Venu via either ANT+ or Bluetooth. It’s a shame it doesn’t make the cut and it’s one of the features you’re going to have to pay more for to access. The Venu has GPS and optical heart-rate monitoring built-in, too, and if you’re a fitness newbie, you’ll benefit from its animated guided workouts and Garmin Coach.Use the Garmin Connect app to track your menstrual cycle or pregnancy and even get a score of your sleep quality. That should be a cause for celebration, but the latter remains largely useless thanks to the lack of UK banks signed up to the service; at present, Santander is the only high street bank it’ll work with. It is thankfully an always-on display, though there doesn’t seem to be an always-on option available when you’re tracking exercise. You can check out our full Garmin Venu review for more on this, but the Venu Sq is packing all the core sensors of its round sibling, built-in GPS, a heart rate monitor and also includes the very on trend pulse ox sensor. Both devices allow you to make contactless payments via NFC (provided your bank is one of those supported).

The Venu 2 lasts up to 11 days in smartwatch mode, which can be extended to 12 days in battery-saver mode. Thankfully it makes up for any shortcomings in this regard with the kind of in-depth fitness tracking we’ve come to expect from Garmin devices. Sign up to receive daily breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis, deals and more from the world of tech.What you’re getting is a lighter, smaller watch, though we’d argue you’re not getting a nicer looking watch. As such, the only real qualm I have with the screen is that it doesn’t add any functionality per se. Garmin has done well to bring an always-on AMOLED screen to the Venu without crippling its battery life. Indeed, even with the screen set to always-on and using the watch for runs every day, I found the Venu lasted three days between charges. Everything is pulled together in Garmin’s Connect app, which we still think can feel a bit of a daunting place to explore for the first time if you’ve never used a Garmin before.