Having been hugely impressed by the Garmin Venu 2, we're very much looking forward to what Garmin does next with this series – and it's looking increasingly likely that what will be coming next is the Venu 2 Plus.
Well-known and usually reliable tipster @evleaks has posted leaked images of the upcoming Garmin Venu 2 Plus smartwatch, images which look as though they're official device renders produced by Garmin itself.
You may remember that back in November an image supposedly showing the Venu 2 Plus appeared on Garmin's own support site. It was quickly taken down but it tipped us off to the idea that a follow-up to the Venu 2 was on the way.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus pic.twitter.com/P4gFFvaTXdDecember 17, 2021
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As with the previous leak, there isn't much that's new in terms of design when it comes to the Venu 2 Plus. However, there does appear to be a third physical button on the side of the casing, which some have suggested could be used to launch a digital assistant.
The Venu 2 story so far
We don't know too much else about the Garmin Venu 2 Plus at this stage, but considering the nomenclature that Garmin is going with here, we're assuming that there isn't going to be a massive amount of difference from the original Venu 2.
The Garmin Venu 2 offers all the basics you would expect from a smartwatch, plus numerous advanced features to appeal to fitness enthusiasts and runners in particular – there's super-accurate GPS and the Garmin Coach app, for example.
As with most Garmin watches, the Venu 2 is available with a choice of strap colors and case sizes, and starts at $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$629. If a Venu 2 Plus is indeed on the horizon, expect those prices to jump up slightly.
Opinion: smartwatches deserve digital assistants
As impressive as Garmin's wide range of smartwatches are, there's one key feature they lack: an on-board digital assistant. That puts them at something of a disadvantage compared with competing models like the Apple Watch 7 (with Siri) and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (with Google Assistant).
A third physical button on the casing for the Venu 2 Plus suggests that this might be about to change. It's possible that Garmin could add its own digital assistant to the watch – or at least enable voice commands for launching features on the device.
Smartwatches have relatively tiny screens, making them difficult to operate by hand. What's more, they're often being used while our hands are busy, whether that's lugging shopping around or trying to propel ourselves to a new personal best.
That's where voice commands come in: being able to stop and start run tracking, for example, or get a current heart rate reading using a voice command would make the Garmin Venu 2 Plus an appealing prospect (and the feature would then no doubt roll out to other Garmin smartwatches too).
