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8.5 / 10 Score Cnet Score CNET provides expert, unbiased reviews of products and services. When we assign a score, we use a scale of 1-10. Each product we score is evaluated by criteria specific to its category with most assessing pricing, quality, features and performance. Read more on: How we test Garmin Venu 4 $550 at Target Pros Week-long battery life in smartwatch mode
Polished circular design
Advanced fitness and recovery metrics Cons $100 more than previous generation
Software can feel sluggish
UI is not as intuitive as other smart watches
Until the Garmin Venu 4 landed on my wrist, I mostly shied away from using dedicated sports watches from brands like Garmin or Polar as my daily driver. Part of that was imposter syndrome; I'm a fitness enthusiast, not a full-blown athlete (yet). But mostly, I wasn't willing to accept the trade-offs that came with them: clunky software, limited smart features and designs that felt more like gym gear than something I'd want to wear all day.
The Venu 4 isn't the only good-looking sports watch on the market, but it's the first one that's come close to convincing me to go all-in. It's well-rounded (literally and figuratively) and packed with fitness features that don't feel condescending to an athlete wannabe like me.
Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET
The line between sports watches and traditional smartwatches seems to get blurrier each year. Both Apple and Samsung now have rugged Ultra smartwatch lines, and sports watches are starting to look (and act) more like traditional smartwatches.
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