Garmin Venu 4 vs. Forerunner 570: An all-rounder or a running specialist?

Garmin fans that want the brand's renowned health and fitness data without spending a fortune for it will probably turn to the Venu 4 or Forerunner 570. The two fitness smartwatches are each priced at $550, placing them in the mid-tier segment. The next step up in price puts buyers firmly in premium territory, with the Garmin Venu X1 costing $800 and the Forerunner 970 going for $750.

Still, the question of whether to put your $550 toward the Garmin Venu 4 or the Garmin Forerunner 570 is a perplexing one. While the Forerunner is better for running, as the name suggests, it's lacking in other areas compared to the Venu. When you consider the Venu 4 can also handle basic run tracking, it's easy to start looking at that Garmin smartwatch as the more versatile option. Let's compare all the differences between the Venu 4 and the Forerunner 570 to help you decide which one to buy.

Garmin Venu 4 vs. Forerunner 570: Design and display

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Looking at the Garmin Venu 4 and the Forerunner 570, you'll immediately notice that these two smartwatches feature completely opposite design styles. The Forerunner 570 is colorful and lightweight, foregoing premium materials like stainless steel in favor of lightness. The flashy, bright colors make it excellent for visibility and good looks while running, but limits how well the Forerunner 570 can dress up.

On the other hand, you have the Garmin Venu 4 with a stainless steel and fiber-polymer case, plus a fully stainless steel bezel. It looks more premium, with flat sides, fewer buttons, and muted colors. The Venu 4 is also smaller, both in overall footprint and thinness. It's available in both 41mm or 45mm sizes, offering 1.2-inch or 1.4-inch displays.

Despite the Forerunner 570 also offering 1.2-inch and 1.4-inch displays, it's larger, with 42mm and 47mm case options. Each watch sports an AMOLED display with a high peak brightness rating of 2,000 nits.

The watch is slightly thicker, at 12.9mm compared to 12.5mm. However, it's also lighter, which is crucial for a running watch. The 42mm model weighs 42 grams and the 45mm weighs 47 grams, including the strap. By comparison, the Venu 4 weighs 46g and 56g for its small and large size offerings, respectively.

Both ship with silicone sporty straps, but use standard 20 or 22mm watch bands, so they're fairly easy to swap out.

On the back, both Garmin watches feature a health sensor and the company's proprietary charging connector. Notably, the Venu 4 has an LED flashlight, which is great for finding things around the house or working out late at night. The Forerunner 570 only has a display flashlight feature that isn't nearly as effective. Each device has a 5ATM water-resistance rating and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the front.

Garmin Venu 4 vs. Forerunner 570: Hardware and specs

In terms of hardware, the Garmin Elevate v5 heart rate sensor is the core of both the Venu 4 and Forerunner 570. The upgraded sensor suite includes a more-accurate heart rate monitor, plus extras like a skin-temperature sensor and blood-oxygen sensor. The features are inconsistent across the devices, though.

For example, despite both watches using the same Elevate v5 sensor, only the Venu 4 can access the ECG app for electrocardiogram readings. Additionally, it's harder to access skin-temperature graphs on the Forerunner 570 compared to other watches, like the Venu 4.

Both watches have versatile connectivity tech inside, including Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi, NFC, which enables device sync and features like Garmin Pay. There's more storage than before, as the Forerunner 570's onboard space has been upped to 8GB.

The software experience on the Garmin Venu 4 and the Forerunner 570 is quite similar, and it's improved compared to past Garmin — and especially Forerunner — models. The Forerunner 570 has more "smart" features, and it includes a microphone and speaker for the first time to facilitate connected phone calls. Additionally, the new software experience adds more Connect IQ data fields, for a total of four, to the Forerunner 570.

Both the Forerunner 570 and Venu 4 get the same new-look software experience, and it's for the better. It's intuitive, with a notification panel, workouts, and widgets only a swipe away. There are also Morning and Evening reports, which can now suggest daily workouts.

In terms of battery life, both Garmin watches are stellar by smartwatch standards, but are low relative to Garmin's bar. You get 10 days of battery life in smartwatch mode for the Forerunner 570 and the Venu 4 — and that's for the small size. The larger sizes of the Venu 4 and Forerunner 570 can last up to 11 or 12 days, respectively. Even with daily workouts, both watches should last a few days on a single charge.

Garmin Venu 4 vs. Forerunner 570: Fitness and health

Fitness and health features are the name of the game for Garmin smartwatches, so how do the Venu 4 and Forerunner 570 compete in this regard? As mentioned, the Garmin Venu 4 is better for advanced health metrics, with full support for heart-rate monitoring, blood-oxygen sensing, skin-temperature readings, and ECG recordings. The Forerunner 570 can handle some of those, but not all of them. Considering most mainstream smartwatches offer all those features these days, it's perplexing the Forerunner 570 doesn't.

The Forerunner 570's five onboard buttons make it easier to use for high-intensity interval training than the Venu 4. Both watches have the Garmin Run Coach, which can help you train for your next race with personalized workout plans. There are new sport types available on either watch, with over 80 total to choose from.

In terms of specialized run features, the Forerunner 570 offers AutoLap by Timing Gate detection, Projected Race Time predicting, and Suggested Finish Line estimates. For serious runners, these can be seriously cool — AutoLap can detect a race's course markers and automatically snap your GPS signal to them, ensuring accurate recording of a crowded race with wide routes.

Which should you buy?

For most fitness buffs, the Garmin Venu 4 is the better way to spend your $550. It has the same Garmin Elevate v5 sensor you'll find inside the Forerunner 570, but the Venu 4 adds ECG support. On top of that, there are perks like a built-in LED flashlight that make the Venu 4 more helpful on a daily basis. With a stainless steel bezel and a refined case designed, the Venu 4 doesn't look out of place when work as an everyday smartwatch.

Meanwhile, the Garmin Forerunner 570 is a specialized option for serious runners only. If you're the kind of runner that needs five tactical button for precise and quick mid-run controls, grab the Forerunner. The same goes for anyone that cares about the Forerunner 570's lightweight design and strap compared to the Venu's thick and heavy design.

I'd buy the Forerunner 570 in a heartbeat, because if I ever step foot in a gym, it's to get on a treadmill. Many weightlifters and strength trainers are the opposite — their workouts are done in gyms and on mats. For those buyers, or anyone that wants a full-size smartwatch that can pass with workwear or athleisure, the Venu 4 is the best option.