Leak: Garmin to take on Apple Watch with Garmin Venu Sq

Garmin could be preparing to launch a device that moves in a slightly different direction, pulling it into direct competition with the Apple Watch.

The Garmin Venu Sq has a squared shape, rather than the familiar round design that graces most Garmin devices. Moving a smartwatch into a square or rectangular style now makes it look like the Apple Watch and we can't help feeling that there's a hint of that to the Garmin Venu Sq.

The Garmin Venu launched in 2019 as a round watch, basically picking up the skills of the Garmin Vivoactive 4 but upgrading the display with AMOLED. That makes it a great watch to look at - something that's true of the Apple Watch - but it also means that the battery life takes a hit.

The forthcoming Venu Sq doesn't have an AMOLED display, instead sticking to LCD which is likely to keep the price down - it's said to cost €200. The display will be 1.3-inch with a 240 x 240 pixel resolution.

You'll get the fitness functions that Garmin is known for, including the heart rate sensor and GPS, with support for a range of sports, connection to Garmin Connect and NFC for Garmin Pay.

There's going to be two versions, with one supporting offline music and one without that feature. Typically the addition of music support adds a bump to the price.

There's no word on when we'll see this new model from Garmin launch, but it makes sense to capitalise on the square watch trend with something that's firmly in the lifestyle segment.

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