The Venu’s steep asking price is hard to ignore; it's likely be a better purchase for some once the price drops. However, if you’re a fitness buff who needs a stellar workout companion that can also double as a stylish timepiece, then the Garmin Venu is for you.

Best-in-class fitness tracking; Up to 5-day battery life; Bright AMOLED display

High asking price; Too similar to the Vivoactive 4

The Venu’s screen is Garmin’s best, but it’s not enough to recommend it over its cheaper stablemates

The always-on AMOLED screen is bright and easy to see in all conditions, and it hasn’t had too much of an effect on battery life – I got three or four days out of a charge; You get the usual excellent Garmin sports tracking, and the guided strength, yoga and Pilates workouts with animations are...

The smart features are limited; with Garmin Pay having only one UK high street bank partnered and the ConnectIQ app store lacking apps beyond extra watch faces and data screens for sports.

If you're looking for a true smartwatch with a colour screen that can outlast the Apple Watch, the Venu is your answer.

Bright and sharp display; Plenty of sports tracking features; Solid battery life

Design a little uninspiring; Shorter battery life in always-on mode; Garmin Connect still a bit overwhelming

The Garmin Venu doesn't feature any brand new features we've yet to see on a smartwatch, but its combination of an AMOLED display with top-end features may make it perfect for some.

Strong display; Top-end fitness features

Limited functionality; Just silicone straps

The screen and sports-tracking features are impressive, but the Venu lacks the smarts to really compete with the Apple Watch

Vibrant; always-on AMOLED screen; Music playback with Spotify support; Guided workouts with animations

Shorter battery life than other Garmin watches; Same features as Vivoactive 4; Limited app store

The most important thing about the Garmin Venu is that it exists—Garmin finally made a wearable with an AMOLED display that can stand up to other all-purpose smartwatches. It has been a long time coming, and I honestly was never sure if Garmin would make a device like that.

Bold and bright AMOLED display; Music storage and NFC come standard; Comprehensive activity, sleep, and workout tracking; Optional all-day pulse ox; Great battery life, even in always-on display mode.

Only one case size; Limited live watch faces; On-screen animations not available for premade workouts; Garmin Connect downloads remain sluggish; No optional LTE; Garmin's software doesn't make use of the AMOLED screen as much as it should.

The Garmin Venu is available now for $399.99 in four different colors with one size, 43mm. Available color options include slate stainless steel bezel with black case, rose gold stainless steel bezel with light sand case, silver stainless steel bezel with granite blue case, and gold stainless steel...

Lovely AMOLED display; Responsive touchscreen interface; Advanced health tracking and fitness features; High quality materials; fit; and finish; Offline music and Garmin Pay support; Animated workouts

Battery life bit shorter due to AMOLED display

The Garmin Venu is a big improvement on the Vivoactive 3 and the beautifully crisp and vibrant AMOLED display puts it well ahead of the Vivoactive 4. If you’re looking for an attractive 24/7 watch to manage your overall wellness and help you hit fitness goals, this is one of the best around.

Beautiful AMOLED screen; Still impressive 5-day battery life; New breathing and respiration tools; Accurate heart rate and GPS

The Garmin Venu can't compete with more established smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 5 or Fossil Gen 5, but it has a leg up in fitness tracking. In fact, it's one of the best (if not THE best) multisport watches you can buy right now.

Crisp OLED screen with an always-on display Garmin Pay support is convenient Music storage is standard 5-day battery life Unique breathwork exercises Accurate fitness and health tracking Useful and accurate sleep tracking

Touchscreen can be finicky High price

After three months of usage, I have little question that this display type is the future of Garmin wearables. Not all wearables, not immediately anyway – but certainly the future for sure. Battery tech and display tech moves so fast.