Fossil recently release its Gen 6 smartwatch which is ended up being to a greater extent a perfect balance between the lifestyle and health watch. Whereas, the Garmin with its new Venu 2 shows that replacements can for sure be effective. It’s more costly, however, the good build design, AMOLED Display, and other features like fitness age, sleep score, Health Snapshot, new activity profiles, a battery saver mode, rapid charging, and more may very well merit the cash.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the general comparison of these watches.
Table of Contents
Garmin Venu 2 vs Fossil Gen 6: General Comparison:
| Product Name | Fossil Gen 6 | Garmin Venu 2 |
| Predecessor | Fossil Gen 5 | Garmin Venu |
| Models | 44mm42mm | Garmin Venu 2 (45mm)Gamin Venu 2S (40mm) |
| Release Date | September 2021 | April 2021 |
| Parent Company | Fossil | Garmin |
| Operating System | Wear OS by Google | Garmin OS |
| Compatibility | Android, IOS | Android, IOS |
| Competition | Apple Watch 6,Fitbit Sense, Ticwatch Pro 3 | Apple Watch 6, Fitbit Sense, Ticwatch Pro 3, Fossil Gen 5 |
| Suitable For | Fitness/Classic smartwatch | Primarily Sports, |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Altimeter, Ambient Light, Compass, Gyroscope, Off-body IR, PPG Heart Rate, SPO2 | Garmin Elevate heart rate sensor, GPS, GLONASS Galileo Barometric altimeter Compass Gyroscope Accelerometer Thermometer Ambient light sensor Pulse ox blood oxygen saturation monitor |
Price and Value Difference:
Both the Garmin Venu 2 and Fossil Generation 6 watches have a lot to offer. But what really differentiates them is their price point, which can dramatically affect your buying decision.
$249.99 in stock
5 used from $179.99
If you’re on a budget, check out the Fossil Gen 6 (in 42mm and 44mm case size); it’s an excellent choice that won’t break your bank. However, if money isn’t an issue, you might want to consider the Garmin Venu 2 ( in 40mm and 45mm case sizes).
$169.99 in stock
7 used from $129.89
Design & Display:
Design Comparison:
| Fossil Gen 6 | Garmin Venu 2 | |
| Dimensions, Weight | 44 x 42 x 11.5 mm | | Venu 2: 45.4 x 45.4 x 12.2mm | 49g Venu 2S: 40.4 x 40.4 x 12.1mm 38.2g |
| Band Size | 22MM, Interchangeable | Venu 2: 22mm Venu 2S: 18mm |
| Build materials | Stainless steel case | Stainless steel bezel, reinforced polymer, and hardware Silicone band |
| Colors | Gunmetal Stainless Steel,Purple Silicone,Rose Gold-Tone Stainless Steel,Smoke Stainless Steel,Smoke Gunmetal Stainless Steel,Black Silicone,Brown Leather,Green Camo Grosgrain | Venu 2: Silver bezel with Granite Blue case, Slate bezel with Black case Venu 2S: Slate bezel with Graphite case, Light Gold bezel with Light Sand case, Silver bezel with Mist Grey case, Rose Gold bezel with White case |
| Waterproofing | 3 ATM | 5ATM (up to 50m) |
Both watches offer a classic design with an eye towards both fashion and fitness.
The Garmin Venu 2 is a watch with a classic design, yet smart enough for both daytime wear and workouts. It features silicone bands, metal bezels, and polymer cases. It also comes with different size options to allow for various band types, which makes it more convenient for wearers.
Whereas, The design of the Gen 6 is slightly less traditional than previous models. As it still maintains a black-cased round smartwatch with black flexible plastic watch bands and a crown on the right side. Only the most significant visual difference is a small ridge that runs around the edge of the bezel.
The Garmin Venu 2 watch is a touch screen watch that also has two physical buttons which can also be used to control the functionality of the watch. One button is reserved for the back and the other is context-sensitive, As Icons appear on the screen to indicate what action it will perform at a specific moment.
whereas, In the newest Fossil Gen 6 watch, there is a crown that can be used to access your apps. The crown is hard so it takes a little effort for rotation. Also, the wider ends of the pusher buttons on either side of the crown make pushing them more convenient than previous versions.
Display Features:
| Fossil Gen 6 | Garmin Venu 2 | |
| Display Size | 1.28″ | Venu 2: 1.3-inch Venu 2S: 1.1-inch |
| Screen Type & Resolution | Color AMOLED / 416 x416 | Venu 2: AMOLED 416 x 416 resolutionVenu 2S: AMOLED 360 x 360 resolution |
| Pixel Per Inch | 326ppi | 326 PPI |
| Screen Protection | Gorilla Glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Always-on Display | Yes | Yes |
| Rotating Bezel | No | No |
The Garmin Venu 2 features a crisp AMOLED display, As Fossil’s latest generation 6 watch has a full-color AMOLED touchscreen interface. The watches have different Display sizes which is one of the major differences between them. Where Venu 2 has a screen that is 1.3 inches, while Gen 6 has 1.28 inches. But they both show graphics at 328 pixels per inch, which means it will be easy for you to see what is on the watch!
Also, both Garmin venu 2 and Fossil gen 6 have the same screen resolution technology, But The Garmin Venu 2 has gorilla glass 3, which is stronger than the gorilla glass on the Fossil gen 6. Anyway gorilla glass makes it harder for scratches to happen to your screen.
Both watches also have an always-on display so people can see what time it is all of the time without touching their phone or watch.
Smartwatch Features:
| Fossil Gen 6 | Garmin Venu 2 | |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 LE, GPS, NFC SE, WiFi | Bluetooth ANT+ Wi-Fi NFC |
| Companion App | Google Pay, Google Fit | Garmin Connect |
| Storage | 8GB | 650 songs |
| Processor | Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Wear 4100+ | N/A |
| RAM | 1GB | N/A |
| Notification Alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar, Weather | Yes | Yes |
| Offline Spotify | Yes | Yes |
| Timer & Alarm | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable Watch Faces | Yes | No |
| Voice Assistant | Yes | No |
| Music Storage, Control | Yes | Yes |
| Third-Party Apps | Yes | Yes |
| Make calls, send texts & Emails | Yes | No |
| Browse Web | No | No |
| Contactless Payment | Yes | Yes |
Fitness & Health Features:
| Fossil Gen 6 | Garmin Venu 2 | |
| Built-in GPS | Yes | Yes (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo) |
| Heart Rate Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | No | Yes |
| Blood Oxygen | Yes | Yes |
| ECG | No | No |
| Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis | No | No |
| Steps, Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| Sport Mode | 75+ | |
| Sync Data With Strava, Apple Health | No | Yes |
The good news is that both the Fossil Gen 6 and Garmin Venu 2 have a very good GPS system. It uses a lot of satellites, including GLONASS and GALILEO. In this way, the GPS quality is premium. The great thing about these watches is that they also have strong connectivity with their devices. The accuracy in tracking in both watches is fairly accurate too – in other words, neither watch has a clear advantage over the other when it comes to accuracy!
Gamin Venu 2 is a watch that can detect many types of sport automatically. It can sense running, cycling, walking, hiking, and swimming. It covers anything that you do! There are barometric altimeters that help people who climb mountains or go on hikes. whereas, The Fossil Gen 6 does not have all the Sport features that the Garmin Venu 2 has. However, it is possible to take it out and exercise with it.
Garmin Venu 2 has a premium health feature watch. One of them is that they help you to know about your heart rate. it will provide you with real-time data about your heart, so you can know how fast you are beating. You can customize your watch face with the heart rate info on it too.Sleep is important too, so Garmin venu 2 helps you to know about your sleep tracking. it shows how much sleep you are getting and what kind of sleep it was too – deep or light, awake at night, etc!
Whereas, Fossil has also added a heart rate monitor to their latest Gen 6. The new sensor will track your heart rate all day and be more accurate than before. The company also added a pulse oximeter which can test your blood oxygen levels at any time and throughout the day and night.
Battery Life & Charging:
| Fossil Gen 6 | Garmin Venu 2 | |
| Battery Performance | 24 Hr + multi day Extended Mode | 7-11 days (mixed usage), It varies with the smartwatch size, GPS and Music, and Always-on feature usage. |
| Battery Size | 300mAh | Not specified |
| Charger Type | USB data cable with magnetic dock snaps | USB Charging Cable, with pogo pin connectors |
| Fast Charging | Approximately half an hour to reach 80% | Yes (takes 90 minutes to fully charge) |
The difference in battery life between these two smartwatches is very huge. The Garmin Venu 2 can last for 11 days,(10 days if you have Venu 2s.) However, the battery life on the Fossil Gen 6 varies depending on how you use it but according to the Fossil claims it should be able to last at least 24 hours before needing to charge again.
Fossil has a USB Charging Cable with magnetic dock snaps technology. If you charge gen 6 for 30 minutes, then you will have 80% of your battery back. But the Garmin Venu 2 is different and takes a long time to charge. You need 90 minutes for it to be charged 100%.
Kevin is a Tech journalist for over a decade. He writes on Wearables, Headphones, and Laptops. When he is not glued to his laptop, You will find him working on exciting projects that include Unboxing new Gadgets, comparing them, and tweaking their hardware.