Woopwoop, I've been carrying my Garmin Women's Smartwatch around my wrist for a few weeks now and now it's time to tell you what I think of this smartwatch. In this review I would like to tell you more about the functions that this Garmin Venu smartwatch has, which I really use and how the connection with my phone (a Huawei) works.
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I was triggered by a friend of mine. She has had a Garmin smartwatch for quite some time, which she is very happy with. I looked at that thing almost in love. The model was a bit too sporty for me, not really a ladies smartwatch to see. But everything she could follow in terms of bodily functions with this, I found very interesting.
After some searching on the internet, I chose a Garmin Venu smartwatch, a real ladies watch that – in addition to the functions of a good smartwatch – also looks beautiful. After all, the eye also wants something, doesn't it? For me this was quite an important condition. I'm starting a smartwatch because I want to record and track my data throughout the day. That means that I will wear the smartwatch all day long and I also like that it looks nice and fits well.
So let me immediately discuss how this Venu smartwatch from Garmin wears. I can say that it is very comfortable to wear. I haven't had a watch on for years and always worked with my phone. I am quite used to that, but especially in the summer it is sometimes difficult. Am I wearing a dress and going to walk the dog? Then I cannot take my phone with me and my movement is therefore not registered. Not even, for example, when working in the garden in my shorts. I personally find that very unfortunate. That is why I eventually wanted to make the switch to a nice smartwatch.
Because I haven't worn a watch for years, I had to get used to wearing the Garmin ladies smartwatch again. Still, it went well for me with this Venu. The silicone wristband wears very nicely and is excellently adjustable. I was worried that it might get a little sweaty wearing it, but that's definitely not the case.
I also wear the Venu smartwatch at night, because I want to see how my nights are going and even then it doesn't bother me at all!
I personally think this Garmin smartwatch really has a ladies and gentlemen version. It is available in gray with a silver watch case, in black with a black watch case or in a sand color with a rose-colored watch case. My choice fell on the last variant of Garmin; as far as I'm concerned the only women's version of this smartwatch. I would have preferred a black version, but then with a rose-colored watch case, which seems completely cool to me. Too bad but unfortunately, it doesn't exist in the Venu model.
I think I use significantly fewer functionalities than is possible, but slowly but surely I am starting to expand. In any case, I already use the functionalities below on a daily basis.
My main goal was to be able to see the calories consumed. Especially now that I'm exercising more consistently, I like to register that really well. That could have been done with the Fitbit I have lying around, but I don't wear it the rest of the day, of course, so you'll miss the total overview. In that regard, my Garmin ladies smartwatch has already passed.
However, the longer I wear this watch, I also notice that I start to like being able to look back at everything. So it is good to see how you have consumed the calories. Was it active or at rest? Working behind my PC, the calories consumed are booked under the heading 'rest', but as soon as I go for a walk with the dog or start exercising, I register my activity, so that these calories are also named separately. Good to see how those proportions are one day. Calories consumed are based on your exercise, your age and your gender so are 'reasonably' adequate.
Because there is GPS on this ladies smartwatch from Garmin, I also use it every now and then. But really only when I go for a walk with the dog. Then I turn on that activity and the route is also immediately tracked via GPS, as you see above. Funny to look back on afterwards, but in principle not really necessary of course.
Very nice if you go running to register that too. I only run on the treadmill because of my knee, so that is not for me for now. But it would be a real plus for me if I still went running or cycling outside, for example. You don't need the GPS for indoor sports.
What I think is super cool is that I can register all the activities I do. At the moment I have divided that into walking, running on the treadmill, indoor cycling, cross training at home and jumping rope. For each activity you have an overview of your performance that you can view in the Garmin Connect app on your phone or your PC. Above are some examples of the phone app.
The great thing is that you can add all imaginable activities to this yourself. In addition, you can set your favorites in your ladies smartwatch so that you quickly have insight into the most used ones on your Garmin watch.
What I personally find a very nice feature is your body battery. After a good night's sleep, your body battery is charged again, and after an activity your body battery can decrease. It is very logical, for example, to have a low body battery at the end of a day. Especially if you've had an active day. Or right after exercise. But if all is well, your body will also recharge during moments of rest, and you will see that again. I've had a few days where I wasn't fully charged during my night's sleep… and do you know why? Too many wines drunk the night before! So good - and confronting - to see what that does to your night's sleep (too little deep sleep and REM sleep).
This Venu ladies smartwatch from Garmin is indeed waterproof. This smartwatch has an ATM of 5, which indicates that you can keep it on while swimming and showering. Very nice if you have swimming as a sport, because you can also keep that registration. I don't swim as a sport myself and I also take off this ladies smartwatch out of habit while showering. But in principle you don't have to;) .
A feature that is undoubtedly used by many people. I have to admit with shame that I haven't used this feature yet. Yes, Spotify is linked, but I haven't listened to a single song through my watch yet. With training indoors and in the gym I always have Netflix at hand so far, so I don't use the music at all. But since I want to build up my training sessions for running outside, I will probably start working on it from next week. To be continued...
The functionalities above are certainly not the only ones! For example, you can set all kinds of goals for yourself, continuously register your weight so that you can see the progress and keep track of your hydration. But you can also add workouts, start training sessions, read the number of stairs you walk, check your breathing and measure oxygen, for example. Or pay with Garmin Pay, although unfortunately this is not yet possible for my bank.
I have just selected a beginners training to start running again carefully outside. I've always liked that so much. It is accessible and also nice outside. My knee may not agree, but I'm going to try to build up with a brace on my knee via this scheme. I still have to find out how exactly it works with such a training, but I think you can implement the schedule as a workout.
I don't have a huge amount of experience with smartwatches, let me be clear about that first. That's why I probably had to get used to using it 😉 . Fortunately, it is all quite user-friendly, so you get used to all the functionalities very quickly. The screen is very bright, which I find very pleasant.
Furthermore, the icons of all functions are large enough, I have never been wrong with tapping. However, it sometimes happens that I accidentally start an activity, haha. Somehow the top button on the right attracts me 😉 . As soon as you press this you can choose an activity, then press it again and you immediately start that activity. This works (of course) with the ladies smartwatch from Garmin, but also with the men's version. Fortunately, you can also delete the activity without saving, so a mistake is quickly fixed.
The battery of this smartwatch lasts about 5 days, depending on the activities you do and whether you often use GPS.
Of course there are several types of Garmin smartwatches for women, but I must honestly say that many of them really look like a male watch to me. I secretly think that's a bit of a shame because as a woman you are quite limited in your choice. I am a black person myself. I like black, but because of the black watch case of the Venu smartwatch from Garmin, but also other women's models, these smartwatches just don't look feminine and I think that's a shame. That is why I opted for a sand-colored model.
The Fitbit that I have used for a while does not make it as far as I am concerned compared to a good smartwatch.
I have not tried a Huawei smartwatch. I still had some doubts about this, because of possible compatibility problems with Huawei. If you search the internet, you will regularly find information about problems with the connection between a Garmin smartwatch and a Huawei phone.
Since I was so charmed by Garmin, I did not delve much further into the Huawei smartwatch vs the Garmin. I read good things about it and the price is of course also a bit more attractive. But because Garmin is rated so positively, I thought I would like to try it.
And then the best news… the Garmin Venu ladies smartwatch turns out to be compatible with my Huawei phone, yay!
I am very happy with it. Even though I haven't discovered everything yet, for now the watch gives me more than enough information. The biggest plus is of course that I no longer have any missing activities, everything is automatically registered for a complete picture.
I will no doubt invent more things about the Venu along the way. Of course I will update this blog with the latest information!
