Should you buy the Garmin Venu or the Forerunner 245 Music?



Ideal lifestyle smartwatch

Garmin Venu

$300 at Amazon

Pros

Built-in GPS
Music storage
Bright AMOLED touchscreen
Garmin Pay

Cons

Shorter battery life
Lacks advanced running features

In addition to built-in GPS and health/activity tracking, you'll also enjoy some other wonderful perks on the Venu. This smartwatch boasts a colorful touchscreen, music storage, Garmin Pay, on-screen workouts, and more.

Runner's dream watch

Garmin Forerunner 245 Music

$296 at Amazon

Pros

Built-in GPS
Music storage
Superior battery life
Advanced running features

Cons

Lacks touchscreen
No altimeter or Garmin Pay

The Forerunner 245 Music is specifically made for runners. That means you'll get more than standard workouts and health/activity tracking. Some examples include training status, training effect, and training load.

Picking out a smartwatch isn't as easy as it seems, especially when there are so many to choose from, like the Garmin Venu and the Forerunner 245 Music. One way to narrow it down is to figure out what you want to use it for: basic workouts or more hardcore running? You can also compare some solid contenders. Garmin is one of the most reputable brands on the market. You'll find an assortment of watches that cater to different needs. Whether you're looking for a lifestyle smartwatch or a running smartwatch, Garmin has options for you.

Cut from the same cloth

Pictured: Garmin Venu

The Venu is one of the latest releases from Garmin and it has grabbed the attention of many. It's the first one the company created with a crisp AMOLED display, for starters. It has two side buttons for bringing up a list of activities and one that serves as a back button, but it complements them with a convenient touchscreen. Given that the display isn't exactly huge , it might be a bit tricky to navigate at first. Even still, you have to admit that a full five days of battery life with a screen this bright is pretty impressive.

While both of these smartwatches are cut from the same Garmin cloth we know and love, they're not identical twins. The case sizes are pretty similar, but the Venu appeals more to those who are looking for a stylish watch. It's got a stunning stainless steel bezel that comes in slate, silver, gold, and rose gold. It comes with a 20mm quick release silicone band, which you can easily replace.

Venu
Foreruner 245 Music

Display
1.2" AMOLED 390 x 390 pixels
1.2" transflective 240 x 240 pixels

Dimensions
43.2 x 43.2 x 12.4 mm
42.3 x 42.3 x 12.2 mm

Sensors
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate, accelerometer, altimeter, compass, gyroscope, Pulse Ox, thermometer...

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