Garmin’s new fitness-focused smartwatch can use Assistant or Siri from your phone

Ben Schoon | Jan 4 2022 - 8:12 am PT

While Android users usually turn to Wear OS for a smartwatch and iPhone owners default to the Apple Watch, there are some great options out there that focus on fitness above all else. That’s what Garmin has been known for, and this year, the company is introducing the Venu 2 Plus and Vivomove Sport, both with a neat take on how to use a voice assistant on your smartwatch.

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus and Vivomove Sport were announced today as the brand’s latest Android and iPhone compatible smartwatches. Like past generations, these are fitness-focused wearables, but they take a softer approach this time around that ought to appeal to more average folks. This includes slimming down the sizes, with the Venu 2 Plus stuffing its fitness features into a 43mm chassis, down from the 45mm Venu 2.

The Venu 2 Plus offers 24/7 health tracking with heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen, stress, woman’s health, workout, and various other forms of tracking to help you keep in shape. The watch can also store music from Spotify and other apps, as well as mirror notifications over from your phone.

The biggest addition or Garmin this year is enhanced voice support, with the Venu 2 Plus being compatible with Google Assistant on Android phones and Siri on iOS. This is accomplished not with an app on the watch, but rather by channeling the voice assistant from your phone to the connected Garmin Venu 2 Plus. Samsung users can apparently also trigger Bixby, and users can answer phone calls while connected to any device. Garmin VP Dan Batel says:

Garmin has quite literally answered the call for adding on-device voice capabilities to the latest Venu smartwatch. For the active lifestyle customer, multi-tasking is crucial, and now Garmin customers have the ability to answer a call or send a text without digging through their pocket or bag.

The Venu 2 Plus a proper smartwatch with a color display and touchscreen, but it manages a whopping nine days on a single charge. It’s also a pricey device at a starting cost of $449. The Venu 2 Plus is available now.

Meanwhile, the Vivomove Sport is an entry-level smartwatch at $179. The hybrid design has an analog clock with a smaller display underneath. This watch is designed mainly for its fitness features and stylish design. Battery life is rated at up to five days. The watch can mirror notifications from your phone as well as let Android users respond to text messages.