Garmin Venu 4 vs Garmin vívoactive 6
The Garmin Venu 4 lists for about $250 more than the Garmin vívoactive 6. With the screen always on, their makers quote 5 days for the Garmin vívoactive 6 and 3 days for the Garmin Venu 4. For a GPS workout the figures are 21 h and 15 h. Only the Garmin Venu 4 has dual-band GPS. Every other published figure for both is in the table, with the rows where they differ tinted.
Garmin
Garmin Venu 4
~$550
Launched in September 2025, Venu 4 adds an LED flashlight, a stainless-steel bezel, multi-band GPS and the ECG app to Garmin's lifestyle line.
Best for: A health-focused iPhone or Android user who wants an Apple Watch-like design with a week-plus battery
Garmin
Garmin vívoactive 6
~$300
Garmin's April 2025 health-and-fitness watch keeps the price low while carrying music storage, Garmin Pay and an AMOLED screen Garmin calls brighter than before.
Best for: A gym-goer or casual runner who wants music, payments and sleep tracking at the lowest Garmin price with both
| Specification | Garmin Venu 4 | Garmin vívoactive 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$550 (Venu 4, 41 mm or 45 mm with silicone band, $549.99 list on garmin.com/en-US/p/1614061) | ~$300 (vívoactive 6, $299.99 list on garmin.com/en-US/p/1555457) |
| Type | Fitness | Fitness |
| Platform | Garmin | Garmin |
| Case sizes | 41 mm / 45 mm | 42.2 mm |
| Weight | 41 mm: 33 g · 45 mm: 38 g (Garmin spec: '33 g (46 g with included band)') | 42.2 mm: 23 g (Garmin spec: '23 g (36 g with included band)') |
| Battery, smartwatch mode | 10 days (Garmin, 41 mm: 'Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days'; 45 mm: up to 12 days) | 11 days (Garmin: 'Smartwatch mode: Up to 11 days') |
| Battery, always-on display | 3 days (Garmin, 41 mm: '(3 days display always-on)'; 45 mm: 4 days) | 5 days (Garmin: '(5 days display always-on)') |
| Always-on keeps | 30% of the headline figure | 45% of the headline figure |
| Battery, GPS workout | 15 h (Garmin, 41 mm: 'GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 15 hours'; 45 mm: 20 hours) | 21 h (Garmin: 'GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 21 hours'; 'All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 17 hours') |
| Battery, dual-band GPS | 12 h | not published |
| Battery note | Garmin, 41 mm: 'All-Systems GNSS mode + Multi-band: Up to 12 hours' (45 mm: 17); 'Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 18 days' (45 mm: 25) | Garmin: 'Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 21 days'; no multi-band mode |
| Works with | Android; iPhone with limits | Android; iPhone with limits |
| iPhone | Yes, with limits | Yes, with limits |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Phone limits | Garmin's spec table marks text replies and reject-call-with-text as Android only; iPhone owners get notifications but cannot reply from the watch | Garmin's spec table marks text replies and reject-call-with-text as Android only; iPhone owners get notifications but cannot reply from the watch |
| Paid tier | Garmin Connect+, $69.99/year | Garmin Connect+, $69.99/year |
| What the paid tier gates | No watch feature requires it: Garmin's chart keeps activity details, health stats, performance metrics, Garmin Coach plans, courses and LiveTrack in the free app. Connect+ adds Active Intelligence AI insights, nutrition logging, a desktop performance dashboard, live activity on the phone, 3D maps and offline Garmin Trails downloads | No watch feature requires it: Garmin's chart keeps activity details, health stats, performance metrics, Garmin Coach plans, courses and LiveTrack in the free app. Connect+ adds Active Intelligence AI insights, nutrition logging, a desktop performance dashboard, live activity on the phone, 3D maps and offline Garmin Trails downloads |
| Update years | Not published by the maker | Not published by the maker |
| Cleared health features | ECG app (FDA) | None the maker cites |
| Display | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Always-on display | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-band GPS | Yes | No |
| Maps | Route line only (Garmin lists Courses, Back to start and TracBack; no built-in maps) | No maps (Garmin lists Back to start only; no courses or maps) |
| Music on the watch | Yes | Yes |
| LTE | No LTE version | No LTE version |
| Contactless pay | Yes | Yes |
| Flashlight | Yes | No |
| Water rating | Swim, 5 ATM | Swim, 5 ATM |
| Case | stainless steel and fiber-reinforced polymer | fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Released | 2025 | 2025 |
Garmin Venu 4: what it gives up
- Always-on display cuts the 41 mm to three days
- No maps, unlike the Venu X1
- No app store on the scale of watchOS or Wear OS
- iPhone users cannot reply to messages from the watch
Garmin vívoactive 6: what it gives up
- No barometric altimeter, so floors and elevation gain come from GPS only
- No ECG app, flashlight or calls; the Venu 4 has all three
- No courses or maps
Full pages: Garmin Venu 4 · Garmin vívoactive 6