Garmin recently announced two new smartwatches, namely the Venu SQ and Venu SQ Music Edition. Both devices offer many of the same features found on the original Venu watch that was released last year, but are sold at more affordable prices.
The duo features a square-shaped 1.3-inch 240 x 240 pixel full colour LCD touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Both watches are measured at 40.6 x 37 x 11.5mm, supports 20mm bands with a quick-release pin system for attaching new ones, and is claimed to be waterproof up to 5ATM. Garmin says that the Venu SQ series can last up to six days in smartwatch mode, and up to 14 hours in GPS mode. A proprietary charging port is included in the package for topping up the smartwatch’s battery.
Unlike last year’s model, the newer watches lack a barometer or gyro sensors that track elevation. Instead, it relies on its built-in GPS that includes support for GLONASS and GALILEO navigation systems for increased accuracy. The Venu SQ duo features a variety of sensors that measure heart rate and even blood oxygen levels via a pulse oximeter. Also included are typical smartwatch features such as phone-to-watch notifications, call and messaging management, and NFC payment (via Garmin Pay).
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The major difference between the Music Edition and its standard variant is its built-in storage that enables users to save up to 500 songs for listening with Bluetooth-enabled headphones or earbuds. This only applies to those who are subscribed to services such as Spotify, Deezer and the likes.
The Garmin Venu SQ and Venu SQ Music Edition are available now via the brand’s global website, priced at USD199 (~RM829) and USD249 (~RM1,038) respectively. For comparison, last year’s model launched at RM1,799 in Malaysia. Speaking of which, the local availability for both smartwatches have not been confirmed at this time.
(Source: Garmin [Global Newsroom])
