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Head-to-head · Best Smartwatches

Apple Watch Series 11 vs Garmin Venu 4

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Garmin Venu 4 comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.3 vs 4.6). The gap is mostly about Serious fitness enthusiasts wanting detailed insights — read the strengths below before deciding.

Apple Watch Series 11
Ranked #2 in Best Smartwatches
Apple Watch Series 11
7 sources1 derived$359.97as of Aug 22

The Apple Watch Series 11 offers subtle but meaningful upgrades over its predecessor, including a notable battery life improvement, 5G support, and the addition of FDA-cleared hypertension alerts. While it maintains the familiar design and retains the same S10 chip, it introduces more reliable connectivity and enhanced durability features. The watch remains a well-rounded option, though its advantages are increasingly shared with competitors and older models.

Strengths
  • — FDA-cleared hypertension notification feature
  • — 24+ hour battery life with fast charging
  • — 5G and more reliable cellular connectivity
Watch-outs
  • — Same S10 chip as previous model
  • — No dual-band GPS support
$359.97 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →
Garmin Venu 4
Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Smartwatches
Garmin Venu 4
7 sources$499.99as of Aug 22

The Garmin Venu 4 represents Garmin's strongest attempt to bridge the gap between traditional smartwatches and dedicated sports watches. It offers a polished circular design with advanced fitness and recovery metrics that help users understand how their training metrics impact performance. While it provides comprehensive health tracking including Body Battery and Training Readiness, reviewers noted that the software can feel sluggish and the UI lacks intuitiveness compared to competitors. The watch supports multi-band GPS for accurate tracking and offers week-long battery life in smartwatch mode, making it suitable for serious fitness enthusiasts who want detailed training insights.

Strengths
  • — Polished circular design
  • — Advanced fitness and recovery metrics including Body Battery and Training Readiness
  • — Multi-band GPS for accurate location tracking
Watch-outs
  • — Software can feel sluggish
  • — UI is not as intuitive as other smartwatches
$499.99 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Apple Watch Series 11

The Apple Watch Series 11 improves battery life and adds 5G connectivity, but it's held back by the unchanged S10 chip, unlike the OnePlus Watch 3 which uses a dual-chipset system for optimized power consumption. Compared to the Garmin Venu 4, it lacks advanced recovery metrics like Body Battery, and while it offers better software updates than the Apple Watch SE 3, it doesn't match the SE 3's affordability. The Pixel Watch 4 also offers more battery life but without the ecosystem integration that the Series 11 provides.

Garmin Venu 4

The Garmin Venu 4 provides advanced fitness metrics like Body Battery and Training Readiness, which the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 11 don't match, but it lacks the battery life of the OnePlus Watch 3 and Xiaomi Watch 5. While it offers more comprehensive health tracking than the Amazfit Balance 2, it's less user-friendly in terms of UI compared to the Google Pixel Watch 4 and lacks the smart features of the OnePlus Watch 3. The Apple Watch SE 3 offers better value with its updated design and speaker capabilities.

Specs side-by-side

SpecApple Watch Series 11Garmin Venu 4
Display Typewide-angle OLED LTPO technologyAMOLED
Connectivity5G, cellularBluetooth
Water Resistance50m5 ATM
OSwatchOS 26Garmin's newest in-house OS
CompatibilityiOSiPhone and Android smartphones
MaterialSteel or titaniumSteel case and bezel
BatteryBuilt-in rechargeable lithium-ion batteryup to 12 days battery life
Dimensions46mm x 39mm x 9.7mm45 mm case with metal design
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