Today, Garmin unexpectedly unveiled the Venu 4, a significant upgrade to its “lifestyle” smartwatch series. This update features a sleeker metal design, the incorporation of an LED flashlight, and advanced health-tracking features aimed at competing with the Apple Watch.
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An LED Flashlight, Like the “Pro” Models
The most noticeable hardware update is the addition of an LED flashlight built right into the watch’s casing. This handy feature, previously exclusive to Garmin’s high-end outdoor-oriented models such as the Fenix and Forerunner 970, is now available on the more stylish and urban Venu line, which is certainly a welcome enhancement.
A “Wellness Coach” on Your Wrist
Garmin has also significantly expanded the software capabilities of the watch, drawing inspiration from the latest trends in wellness coaching. A new feature called “Health Status” continuously monitors your key metrics overnight (heart rate, HRV, temperature, etc.) and alerts you if there are deviations from your usual averages, which could indicate illness or overtraining.
Another addition, “Lifestyle Logging“, allows you to manually log your caffeine or alcohol intake and then visualize in the app how these choices affect your sleep or stress levels.
The Garmin Venu 4 will be available in France from September 22, in two case sizes (41 and 45 mm), starting at 549.99 euros.
What’s the Verdict?
With the Venu 4, Garmin is more directly challenging the Apple Watch Series 11 than ever before. Both watches are now competing in the same space: high-end wellness smartwatches. Garmin retains its historical strengths (multi-day battery life, detailed sports data), but adds very “consumer-friendly” features like the flashlight.
Meanwhile, Apple, with features like “Sleep Score” and the “Vitals” app that analyzes underlying trends, shows it is increasingly aligning with Garmin’s philosophy. The contest for the wrists of casual athletes has never been tighter between these two titans. So, when it comes to smartwatches, do you lean more towards Garmin or Apple Watch?