Venu 4 Garmin's lifestyle watch goes metal and adds a torch

What is new about the Venu 4?

The Venu 4 was announced in September 2025 and went on sale on 22 September in 41 mm and 45 mm sizes. This first look covers the 45 mm model in silver with a silver grey silicone band, part number 010-03014-01 in the UK. The RRP is £439.99 on Garmin UK, down from £469.99 at launch, as reported by Notebookcheck and T3.

The headline changes are physical. Tom's Guide reports that the Venu 3 used a plastic case with a steel bezel, while Garmin now lists a stainless steel bezel over a stainless steel and fibre-reinforced polymer case. There is a built-in LED flashlight, the first on a Venu according to Tom's Guide. Multi-band GPS replaces the single-band setup of the Venu 3, and Garmin cuts the side buttons from three to two.

Software adds plenty. Garmin lists lifestyle logging (log caffeine or alcohol and see the effect on sleep, stress and HRV), a Health Status view that flags when your overnight metrics drift from your usual range, sleep alignment and consistency tracking, an evening report and daily suggested workouts. Tom's Guide adds that Training Readiness and Training Load tools, previously kept for the Forerunner range, now appear on a Venu.

How big is it, and how will it wear?

Garmin quotes 45 x 45 x 12.5 mm and a weight of 38 g for the watch alone, or 56 g with the silicone band. That is a little heavier than the Venu 3, which Tom's Guide puts at 46 g with its band. Garmin says it fits wrists from 135 to 200 mm, and the 22 mm quick release lugs take any standard strap.

The 1.4 inch AMOLED screen has 454 x 454 pixels, the same size and resolution as the 45 mm Venu 3, but T3 quotes peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits. T3 says the watch "doesn't feel too heavy despite the steel" and is fine to sleep in. If you have a small wrist, the 41 mm version with its 1.2 inch screen is the one to look at.

How long does the battery last?

Garmin quotes up to 12 days in smartwatch mode, 4 days with the display always on, up to 25 days in battery saver mode and up to 19 hours of GPS with all satellite systems. Those figures are slightly down on the Venu 3, which Tom's Guide lists at 14 days, 5 days always on and 20 hours of GPS.

In real use the claims hold up. T3 reports about nine days between charges with a few workouts a week and the always-on display off, and four to five days with it on. That is still far beyond a typical Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch, which most owners charge daily.

How well does it track health and workouts?

This is where the Venu 4 earns its price. Garmin lists more than 80 preloaded sports apps, Garmin Coach plans for running, cycling and strength, Body Battery, HRV status, Pulse Ox, skin temperature, women's health tracking and an ECG app that checks for signs of atrial fibrillation. T3 reports that the multi-band GPS "locked on within seconds" and held its route under tree cover, with heart rate showing "only minor drift during high-intensity intervals".

Smart features are adequate rather than rich. You get notifications, calls through the built-in speaker and microphone, voice commands, Garmin Pay and offline music storage. T3 notes there is no app store in the Apple sense and no LTE option, and that Garmin Pay bank support is still patchy in the UK.

Is it good value against its rivals?

At £439.99 the Venu 4 sits above the mainstream smartwatches. T3 lists the Apple Watch Series 11 from £369 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 from £319, both with stronger apps but much shorter battery life. Within Garmin's own range, the Forerunner 570 costs about the same and leans harder into running, while the outgoing Venu 3 (launched at £399, per T3) is now sold for considerably less and shares most of the health tracking.

So the value case rests on the extras: the steel build, the brighter screen, the flashlight and multi-band GPS. If you would use all four, the premium over a discounted Venu 3 makes sense. If you mostly want sleep and step data, it may not.

What is the catch?

Three things. First, price, as above. Second, the two-button layout: T3 found it fiddly mid-workout with sweaty fingers, and Venu 3 owners on Garmin's forums miss the old swipe-right shortcut, which Garmin has not brought back. Third, software polish. A long-running Garmin forum thread reports the watch crashing or dropping its connection while playing music to Bluetooth headphones during runs, with some owners saying firmware 18.30 did not fix it.

None of that changes the core appeal. The Venu 4 is a well-made, long-lasting health and fitness watch that looks at home with a shirt. Just be clear that you are paying for Garmin's tracking, not for a better smartwatch than an Apple or Samsung.

“You are paying for Garmin's tracking, not for a better smartwatch than an Apple or Samsung.”

What do owners say?

Themes from public owner feedback, paraphrased. We never copy Amazon reviews or ratings.

• Owners upgrading from the Venu 3 miss the third button and the swipe-right shortcut, which the Venu 4 does not offer.

  Garmin Forums (opens in a new tab)

• Several runners report the watch crashing or dropping Bluetooth headphones while playing music, and say firmware updates have not fully fixed it.

  Garmin Forums (opens in a new tab)