Why I’d pick the Garmin Venu 4 over Apple Watch Series 11

I’ve worn an Apple Watch on and off for years, and every time a new one lands I’m tempted. It’s shiny, feels super premium and the apps are always so polished. It just works.

But after the honeymoon period, I always hit the same wall - it slows down, it tells me lots yet rarely guides me and the battery life that means I have to charge it every night gets pretty annoying.

That’s why, this time 'round, I'm leaning more towards Garmin’s new Venu 4. Based on the launch info, Garmin looks the better shout right now - here are just a few reasons why.

More in-depth health tracking

Dedicated health tracking is the star feature that's swaying me towards the new Venu 4 over the Series 11 Apple Watch. Garmin, generally, does a better job of explaining why I’m seeing the stats I am. But with the brand's fresh Lifestyle Logging feature - which lets you tag the little things like late caffeine, a glass of wine, a mid-afternoon nap, for example - you'll actually be able to see those choices reflected in Health Status trends.

Whether it's HRV dips, skin temperature blips, a wobble in resting heart rate, the Venu 4 will join the dots rather than just throwing a graph at you. Meanwhile, Apple’s new sleep score sounds great an all, but a single number without context, I think, wouldn't offer me much in the long term.

The Venu 4 goes further with sleep alignment and circadian insights, which is a fancy way of saying it helps edge your bedtime in the right direction, so mornings feel less tragic.

Small touches that add up

Little touches make a big difference, and there are a bunch of these nifty additions in the Venu 4 that are getting me more excited than Apple's Watch Series 11 is.

For starters, the Venu 4 has a proper LED flashlight (with a red mode), which sounds a bit 'meh' until you’re fumbling for keys or jogging in the dark. And, for me, it sounds massively more useful than blasting a white screen.

There’s also a speaker and mic for quick calls, voice notes and assistant prompts, plus accessibility additions like a spoken watch face and colour filters. None of this is headline-grabbing stuff on its own, but together, the Venu 4 sounds like a watch I'd like to wear (and show off).

A battery that lasts days not hours

One of the biggest reasons why I’d pick a Venu 4 over the new Apple Watch, though? That's an easy one: battery life.

Garmin quotes up to 12 days in smartwatch mode. Even assuming that drops with the always-on display and heavier use, you’re still looking at days rather than hours if Garmin’s numbers hold. That means proper overnight sleep tracking without the 10pm re-juice, and fewer compromises generally once you see that battery dwindling. Apple Watch 11, for its part, still lists “up to 24 hours” of normal use, which is doable, but it keeps you tethered to the charger more often.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the Apple Watch Series 11 is bad - it’s brilliant at looking the part and it's genuinely enjoyable to use day to day. But if your priority is getting fitter, sleeping better and understanding your body, the Venu 4 sounds more like the kind of “smart” I would actually stick with.