Garmin announces the $450 Venu 2 Plus, with a 43mm case and support for voice assistants and voice calling, and the $180 Vivomove Sport
The Venu 2 Plus and Vivomove Sport are meant for people who want more than a fitness-first smartwatch — When you think of Garmin wearables …
Context & Ripple Effects
Garmin had already been layering smartwatch features onto its fitness lineup, from Garmin Pay and new sport profiles in the Vivoactive 3 to music storage and sleep tracking in the Vivoactive 3 Music. The Venu 2 Plus extends that arc into communications through voice-assistant and calling support, while the Vivomove Sport preserves a lower-cost hybrid option.
The later Venu X1 launch at $799 shows Garmin continuing to stretch the Venu line upward in price and hardware ambition. That makes the Venu 2 Plus a meaningful step in separating a communications-capable smartwatch tier from simpler wearable designs.
First-order effects
- Garmin gives buyers a $450 Venu option with voice calling and voice-assistant support, shifting the Venu 2 Plus beyond a fitness-led proposition.
- The $180 Vivomove Sport gives Garmin a lower-priced hybrid alternative for buyers who want wearable features without choosing the Venu 2 Plus.
Second-order effects
- Garmin’s own portfolio becomes more explicitly segmented: calling and voice-assistant functions support the Venu 2 Plus premium, while the Vivomove Sport anchors an entry hybrid tier.
- The move raises the feature bar for Garmin’s smartwatch offerings relative to its earlier $299 Vivoactive models, whose differentiators centered on payments, sports profiles, music, and tracking.
Third-order effects
- If Garmin continues adding interaction features while maintaining hybrid and fitness-oriented tiers, its wearable strategy points toward broader use-case segmentation rather than a single fitness-watch ladder.
- Voice interaction becomes a durable smartwatch differentiator only insofar as it can coexist with Garmin’s established fitness and tracking product identity.
The trend: Garmin is broadening its wearables from fitness tracking into tiered smartwatch experiences that combine health-oriented features with everyday communication and voice interaction.