Garmin launches new Venu 2 Plus and cheap vivomove Sport fitness smartwatches at CES 2022

Garmin might have been quiet in the last few months, but as expected, the American company is back with some exciting announcements for CES 2022. The new Garmin Venu 2 Plus adds voice assistant control and the ability to conduct phone calls on the wrist, while the Garmin vivomove Sport hybrid smartwatch has real ticking watch hands that move to reveal a hidden touchscreen display for an amicable price.

Garmin's timing is always impeccable: January is when everyone is trying to get fit for 2022 and lose weight. Both of these activities can be achieved easier by wearing a fitness tracker or a running watch as these wearables can track heart rate and calories burned all day long, among other things.

For the best Garmin watch prices, check out the T3's best Garmin watch deals guide where you'll always find the cheapest prices based on your location!

• RELATED: Garmin Venu 2 vs Venu 2 Plus - Which fitness smartwatch should you get?
• READ ALSO: New Withing smart scale can measure ECG, assess nerve activity and measure segmental body composition

Garmin Venu 2 Plus: Fitness smartwatch controlled by your voice

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus builds on the foundation laid by the brilliant Garmin Venu 2, one of the best Garmin watches right now, and includes health and fitness features including 24/7 heart rate tracking(with user-configurable alerts for high or low readings), advanced sleep monitoring with sleep score and insights by Firstbeat Analytics, breathwork activities, fitness age, respiration, Pulse Ox, all-day stress, hydration, and women’s health (menstrual cycle tracking and pregnancy tracking) and so on.

Being a fitness smartwatch first and foremost, the Venu 2 Plus also offers 25+ built-in indoor and GPS sports apps that include walking, running, HIIT, cycling, pool swimming, Pilates, yoga, indoor climbing, hiking, advanced strength training with muscle map graphics.

The Venu 2 Plus can display 75+ preset animated workouts for cardio, yoga, strength, HIIT and Pilates that demonstrate proper form and technique in Garmin Connect and on the wrist using its AMOLED screen. The watch is also Garmin Coach compatible and can store music offline from providers such as Spotify and Deezer.

From a physical design point of view, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus has a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 touchscreen AMOLED display with an optional, always-on mode. Battery life is up to 9 days in smartwatch mode and 8 hours in GPS + Music mode.

Rapid battery recharge with 10 minutes of charging adds up to 1 day of smartwatch mode battery life or 1 hour of GPS + music battery life. Extend the time further with battery saver mode.

Now, most of these features can be found on the Venu 2 and Venu 2S but what's new in the Venu 2 Plus is that it has voice assistant control and is compatible with Siri, Google Assistant or Bixby. You can use your smartphone’s voice assistant to send texts, ask questions, control compatible smart home devices and more.

Plus, you can also make and take phone calls with the press of a button, right from the wrist.

The Venu 2 Plus has a suggested retail price of $449.99/£399 and is available now at Garmin US and Garmin UK. AUS price and availability TBC. 

Garmin vivomove sport: Fashion forward hybrid smartwatch

Hybrid smartwatches such as the vívomove Sport are ideal for people who wouldn't mind having a smartwatch but don't like the digital look of modern smart wearables. And indeed, the Garmin vivomove Sport is designed with real ticking watch hands and a hidden display that only appears when needed. Interact with the touchscreen, and the hands dynamically move away.

The vivomove Sport includes many of the top Garmin health and fitness features. It monitors respiration, blood oxygen levels, stress and has an advanced sleep tracking feature as well as hydration logging and 24/7 heart rate (with user-configurable alerts for high or low readings). 

It also has women’s health features, including menstrual cycle tracking and pregnancy tracking, to support women during each stage of their reproductive cycle with the ability to log symptoms alongside their other health and wellness data in the Garmin Connect. 

Being a Garmin wearable, the vivomove Sport includes built-in sports apps for yoga, strength, Pilates, cardio, treadmill, cycling and more but lacks built-in GPS. Instead, the watch connects to a compatible smartphone’s GPS to track distance and pace during outdoor walks, runs and bike rides.

Battery life of up to 5 days in smartwatch mode with up to an additional day in watch mode (hands only). 

The vívomove Sport has a suggested retail price of $179.99/£159.99/AU$279 and is available now at Garmin US, Garmin UK and Garmin AUS.