Garmin Forerunner® 255S vs Garmin Venu® SqSize, Specs & Wrist Fit Compared
The Garmin Forerunner® 255S and Garmin Venu® Sq share a near-identical 41mm case, so wrist presence comes down to thickness, lug-to-lug and weight.
The Garmin Venu® Sq is the slimmer of the two (11.5mm vs 12.4mm), so it slides under a cuff more easily.
Specification Comparison
| Spec | GarminForerunner® 255S | GarminVenu® Sq |
|---|---|---|
| Case Width | 41mm | 40.6mm |
| Lug-to-Lug | 41mm | 37mm |
| Thickness | 12.4mm | 11.5mm |
| Weight | 39g | 37.6g |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life | Smartwatch mode: Up to 12 days GPS-only GNSS mode: Up to 26 hours All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 20 hours All-Systems GNSS mode plus Multi-Band: Up to 13 hours See Details | Smartwatch mode: Up to 6 days GPS mode: Up to 14 hours See Details |
| Display | Sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) | Liquid Crystal (optional always-on mode) |
| Released | 2022 | 2020 |
Full Specification Comparison
246 specs| Spec | Garmin Forerunner® 255S | Garmin Venu® Sq |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Family | Garmin | Garmin |
| General | ||
| Battery life | Smartwatch mode: Up to 12 days GPS-only GNSS mode: Up to 26 hours All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 20 hours All-Systems GNSS mode plus Multi-Band: Up to 13 hours See Details | Smartwatch mode: Up to 6 days GPS mode: Up to 14 hours See Details |
| Display Size | 1.1" (27.5mm) Diameter | 1.3" (33.1 mm) diagonal |
| Color display | Yes | Yes |
| Lens Material | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 |
| Bezel Material | fiber-reinforced polymer | anodized aluminum |
| Memory/History | 4 GB | 200 hours of activity data |
| Strap material | silicone | silicone |
| Charging method | Garmin proprietary plug charger | Garmin proprietary plug charger |
| Large font option | Yes | — |
| Display resolution | 218 x 218 pixels | 240 x 240 pixels |
| Quick Release bands | yes (18 mm, Industry standard) | yes (20 mm, Industry standard) |
| Case material | — | fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Sensors | ||
| GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| GLONASS | Yes | Yes |
| Galileo | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | — |
| Thermometer | Yes | yes (tempe™ sensor required) |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| SatIQ™ Technology | Yes | — |
| Barometric altimeter | Yes | — |
| Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient light sensor | — | Yes |
| Product Info | ||
| Main SKU | 010-02641-02 | 010-02427-01 |
| Product ID | 780165 | 707174 |
| Product Name | Forerunner® 255S | Venu® Sq |
| Release Date | 6/1/2022 | 9/23/2020 |
| Product Variation | Powder Gray | Light Gold Aluminum Bezel with White Case and Silicone Band |
| Clock Features | ||
| Timer | Yes | Yes |
| Stopwatch | Yes | Yes |
| Time/date | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm clock | Yes | Yes |
| GPS Time Sync | Yes | Yes |
| Sunrise/sunset times | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic daylight saving time | Yes | Yes |
| Cycling Features | ||
| Courses | Yes | — |
| Race an activity | Yes | — |
| Power meter compatible | Yes | — |
| Compatible with Varia™ lights | Yes | Yes |
| FTP (Functional Threshold Power) | yes (with compatible accessory) | — |
| Speed and cadence sensor support (w/sensor) | Yes | yes (using ANT+) |
| Bike lap and lap maximum power (with power sensor) | Yes | — |
| Compatible with Varia™ radar (rear-facing radar) | Yes | Yes |
| Compatible with Vector™ and Rally™ (power meters) | Yes | — |
| Compatible with Varia Vision™ (head-mounted display) | Yes | — |
| Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories) | Yes | Yes |
| Running Features | ||
| Run workouts | Yes | Yes |
| Running power | Yes | — |
| Race predictor | Yes | — |
| Foot pod capable | Yes | Yes |
| Running dynamics | Yes | — |
| Lactate threshold | yes (with compatible accessory) | — |
| Grade-adjusted pace | Yes | — |
| Trail run auto climb | Yes | — |
| Performance condition | Yes | — |
| Run/Walk/Stand detection | Yes | — |
| Stride length (real time) | Yes | — |
| PacePro™ Pacing Strategies | Yes | — |
| Vertical oscillation and ratio | Yes | — |
| Ground contact time and balance | Yes | — |
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | Yes | Yes |
| Course- and weather-specific race predictor | Yes | — |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | Yes | Yes |
| What You'll Love | ||
| Display type | Sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) | Liquid Crystal (optional always-on mode) |
| Water rating | 5 ATM | Swim, 5 ATM |
| Garmin Pay™ | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-band GPS | Yes | — |
| Training status | yes (improved) | — |
| Pulse Ox blood oxygen | yes (spot-check, and optional all-day acclimation and in sleep) | yes (spot-check, and optionally all-day and in sleep) |
| Daily suggested workouts | yes (7 days) | — |
| Sleep score and insights | Yes | — |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 12 days | Up to 6 days |
| Touchscreen | — | Yes |
| Activity Profiles | ||
| Gym | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing, Jump Roping | Strength, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Indoor Rowing |
| Swim | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming | Pool Swimming |
| Cycling | Biking, Mountain Biking, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking | Biking, Indoor Biking |
| Wellness | Walking, Pilates, Yoga, Indoor Walking | Walking, Pilates, Yoga |
| Multisport | Triathlon | — |
| In the ring | Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts | — |
| Team sports | Basketball, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Football/Soccer, American Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball | — |
| On the Water | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing |
| Racket sports | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel, Platform Tennis, Racquetball | — |
| Snow & winter | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing |
| Indoor running | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Virtual Running | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running |
| Outdoor running | Running, Outdoor Track Running, Trail Running, Ultra Running | Running |
| Outdoor recreation | Hiking, Bouldering, Archery | — |
| Other activity profiles | Inline skating | — |
| Swimming Features | ||
| Pool swim workouts | Yes | — |
| Critical swim speed | Yes | — |
| Time and distance alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Auto rest (pool swim only) | Yes | — |
| Drill logging (pool swim only) | Yes | — |
| Pacing alerts (pool swim only) | Yes | — |
| Countdown start (pool swim only) | Yes | — |
| Underwater wrist-based heart rate | Yes | Yes |
| "Repeat on" rest timer (pool swim only) | Yes | — |
| Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only) | Yes | Yes |
| Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only) | Yes | Yes |
| Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | Yes | Yes |
| Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | Yes | — |
| Heart rate from external HRM (real-time during rests, interval and session stats during rests, and automatic heart rate download post-swim) | yes (with HRM-Swim, HRM-Pro or HRM-Pro Plus) | — |
| Outdoor Recreation | ||
| Up Ahead | Yes | — |
| Auto rest | Yes | — |
| TracBack® | Yes | — |
| Back to start | Yes | Yes |
| UltraTrac mode | Yes | — |
| Vertical speed | Yes | — |
| Elevation profile | Yes | — |
| Projected waypoint | Yes | — |
| Total ascent/descent | Yes | — |
| Future elevation plot | Yes | — |
| Distance to destination | Yes | — |
| Sun and moon information | Yes | yes (via Connect IQ™) |
| Point-to-point navigation | Yes | — |
| Bread crumb trail in real time | Yes | — |
| Barometric trend indicator with Storm Alert | Yes | — |
| Fish forecast | — | yes (via Connect IQ™) |
| Area calculation | — | yes (via Connect IQ™) |
| Daily Smart Features | ||
| Stocks | yes (optional Connect IQ app) | — |
| Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth®, ANT+® | Bluetooth®, ANT+® |
| Find My Phone | Yes | Yes |
| Find My Watch | Yes | Yes |
| VIRB® Remote | Yes | — |
| Morning report | Yes | — |
| Weather forecasts | Yes | Yes |
| Smart Notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Smart trainer control | Yes | — |
| Smartphone compatibility | iPhone® and Android™ | iPhone®, Android™ |
| Controls smartphone music | Yes | Yes |
| On-device Connect IQ™ Store | Yes | — |
| Find My Phone during GPS activity | Yes | — |
| Pairs with Garmin Connect™ Mobile | Yes | Yes |
| Compatible with Garmin Messenger app | Yes | — |
| Battery saver (customizable low power watch) | Yes | — |
| Realtime settings sync with Garmin Connect™ mobile | Yes | — |
| View images from notifications on watch (Android™ only) | Yes | — |
| Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only) | Yes | Yes |
| Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets and apps) | Yes | — |
| Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields and apps) | — | Yes |
| Gym & Fitness Equipment | ||
| HIIT workouts | Yes | — |
| Yoga workouts | Yes | — |
| Pilates workouts | Yes | — |
| Strength workouts | Yes | — |
| Automatic rep counting | Yes | — |
| On-screen workout animations | Yes | — |
| On-screen workout muscle maps | Yes | — |
| Activity Tracking Features | ||
| TrueUp™ | Yes | Yes |
| Move IQ™ | Yes | Yes |
| Step counter | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | — |
| Calories burned | Yes | Yes |
| Distance traveled | Yes | Yes |
| Intensity minutes | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin Connect™ Challenges app | yes (optional Connect IQ app) | yes (optional Connect IQ app) |
| Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic rep counting | — | Yes |
| Move alerts (displays on device after a period of inactivity) | — | Yes |
| Health & Wellness Monitoring | ||
| Sleep | yes (advanced) | yes (advanced) |
| Hydration | yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) | Yes |
| Fitness age | Yes | yes (in app) |
| Sleep coach | Yes | — |
| Nap detection | Yes | — |
| All-day stress | Yes | Yes |
| Women's health | yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) | Yes |
| Health snapshot | Yes | — |
| Relaxation reminders | Yes | Yes |
| Respiration rate (24x7) | Yes | — |
| Daily resting heart rate | Yes | — |
| Abnormal heart rate alerts | yes (high and low) | yes (high and low) |
| Relaxation breathing timer | Yes | Yes |
| Body Battery™ energy monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Wrist-based heart rate (constant, every second) | Yes | Yes |
| Breathwork | — | Yes |
| Respiration rate | — | Yes |
| Resting heart rate | — | Yes |
| Safety and Tracking Features | ||
| LiveTrack | Yes | — |
| Assistance | Yes | Yes |
| Live Event Sharing | Android™ Only | — |
| Incident Detection during select activities | Yes | Yes |
| Incident detection alert on phone for wearables | Yes | Yes |
| Kid Activity Tracking Features | ||
| Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app | yes (optional Connect IQ Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app) | yes (optional Connect IQ Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app) |
| Training, Planning and Analysis Features | ||
| % HRR | Yes | — |
| % HR max | Yes | Yes |
| HR zones | Yes | Yes |
| HR alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Lap® | Yes | — |
| HRV status | Yes | — |
| Load ratio | Yes | — |
| Manual lap | Yes | Yes |
| Rest timer | Yes | — |
| Auto max HR | Yes | — |
| Auto scroll | Yes | Yes |
| Finish time | Yes | — |
| HR calories | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Pause® | Yes | — |
| Audio prompts | Yes | — |
| Custom alerts | Yes | — |
| Physio TrueUp | Yes | Yes |
| Recovery time | Yes | — |
| Training load | Yes | — |
| VO2 Max (Run) | Yes | Yes |
| Course guidance | Yes | — |
| Training effect | Yes | — |
| Virtual Partner | Yes | — |
| Race an Activity | Yes | — |
| Advanced workouts | Yes | Yes |
| Interval training | Yes | — |
| Race glance/widget | Yes | — |
| Training load focus | Yes | — |
| VO2 Max (Trail Run) | Yes | — |
| GPS speed and distance | Yes | Yes |
| Configurable lap alerts | Yes | — |
| Customizable data pages | Yes | Yes |
| Unified training status | Yes | — |
| Touch and/or button lock | Yes | Yes |
| Activity history on watch | Yes | Yes |
| Auto multisport activities | Yes | — |
| Multisport auto transition | Yes | — |
| Downloadable training plans | Yes | Yes |
| Training effect (anaerobic) | Yes | — |
| Manual multisport activities | Yes | — |
| HRM running pace and distance | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable activity profiles | Yes | Yes |
| Respiration rate (during exercise) | yes (with compatible accessory) | Yoga and Breathwork only |
| Primary benefit (Training Effect labels) | Yes | — |
| HR broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+® to paired devices) | Yes | Yes |
| Improved interval (includes open repeats, intervals data page, rest screen and auto detection) | Yes | — |
| Auto Pause® automatic timer halt | — | Yes |
| Auto Lap® interval tracking feature | — | Yes |
| Golfing Features | ||
| PinPointer | — | Yes |
| Digital scorecard | — | Yes |
| Garmin AutoShot™ | — | Yes |
| Round timer/odometer | — | Yes |
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | — | Yes |
| Hazards and course targets | — | Yes |
| Green View with manual pin position | — | Yes |
| Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green) | — | Yes |
| Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit) | — | Yes |
| Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) | — | automatic |
| Workout and Training Plans | ||
| Yoga workouts | — | Yes |
| Cardio workouts | — | Yes |
| Pilates workouts | — | Yes |
| Strength workouts | — | Yes |
Wrist Fit
Garmin Forerunner® 255S
Sits best on wrists ~43–59mm wide (≈ 11.5–15.8cm circumference).
Garmin Venu® Sq
Sits best on wrists ~39–53mm wide (≈ 10.4–14.2cm circumference).
2D Dimension Schematics
Accurate scale drawings based on case dimensions. Drag to pan, Ctrl+scroll to zoom. Works for every watch regardless of photo availability.
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Product Photos
Side-by-side product images at matched scale.
Garmin Forerunner® 255S (010-02641-02)
41mm × 41mm
Garmin Venu® Sq (010-02427-01)
40.6mm × 37mm
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Garmin Forerunner® 255S bigger than the Garmin Venu® Sq?
The Garmin Forerunner® 255S is bigger — 41mm vs 40.6mm case width.
Which fits a smaller wrist better, the Garmin Forerunner® 255S or the Garmin Venu® Sq?
The Garmin Forerunner® 255S suits wrists around 43–59mm wide, and the Garmin Venu® Sq around 39–53mm. The one with the smaller lower bound is the safer pick for a small wrist.
Can I see the Garmin Forerunner® 255S and Garmin Venu® Sq side by side at true scale?
Yes — the schematics and photos above show both watches at matched scale, and our fit tool overlays each on your wrist width.