Unlike many of the best Garmin watches that cater to specific sports styles, the Venu series embraces the lifestyle elements that have made competitors in the same price range such as the Apple Watch Series 6 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 so popular.

To increase its appeal and challenge the best smartwatches, the Venu 2 lineup improves on the original with advanced fitness metrics, larger music storage, and twice the battery life. However, these upgrades add $50 to the price, with the first Venu starting at $349.

Is the premium worth it? To find out, we need to try Venu 2. Until then, here's everything you need to know about Garmin's latest GPS smartwatch.

The Garmin Venu 2/2S will be available on April 22. It can be ordered now from Garmin.com.

Both the Garmin Venu 2 and Garmin Venu 2S cost $399.99. The main difference between the two models is size: the Venu 2 comes with a 45mm watch case and a 22mm band; the Venu 2S has a 40mm watch case and an 18mm band for a smaller fit. Both versions are available in a variety of colors.

The Garmin Venu 2 series includes Garmin's Health Statistics feature. This includes Body Battery Energy Monitoring, which analyzes the body's energy levels throughout the day. It also displays fitness age and allows users to quantify their health using a variety of body metrics.

The watch also supports activity tracking for several workout types, enhanced by onboard GPS. In our experience, the GPS on Garmin watches is very accurate, so we expect the Venu 2 to be no different. The new HIIT workout animations offer a variety of timer types, including Tabata, AMRAP, etc.

We also like Garmin's sleep tracking in recent releases, and in Venu 2, the company has added a sleep score metric. Users' scores are based on sleep quality, heart rate, stress, and SpO2 levels. Garmin even says it provides actionable insights to help users improve their scores.

In terms of more traditional smartwatch features, the Garmin Venu 2 and 2S are compatible with the Garmin Connect IQ Store, allowing users to download watch faces, apps, and widgets. They also support NFC payments and mirror notifications, and can store up to 650 songs so you can listen to them without streaming them on your smartphone. The original Venu supported only 500 songs.

According to Garmin, users should experience up to 11 days of battery life with the larger Venu 2 and up to 10 days with the Venu 2S; in GPS mode, expect up to 8 hours with the Venu 2 and 7 hours with the Venu 2S. This is a significant improvement since the original Garmin Venu only had a 5-day battery life.

The Garmin Venu 2/2S is capable of fast charging. According to Garmin, a 10-minute charge provides one day of standard battery life and one hour of battery life in GPS mode.

The first Garmin Venu is a well-designed smartwatch for those who are health-conscious but have more versatile needs. It is a lifestyle smartwatch that tries to cut into the wearables market share of Apple, Samsung, and even Fitbit, as well as golfers, runners, and outdoor sports enthusiasts.

If the battery life lives up to expectations and the added metrics seem accurate, Garmin's sequel could be a winner. The smartwatch business is incredibly saturated right now.