You can get a similar experience to the Fenix (but without the higher end sports features) with other Garmin sports watches. The Forerunner 255 is well reviewed and very similar to the Fenix for about half the price.
I don't think the Venu line is "smarter" than the others. It's more every day watch design and has an AMOLED touch screen, but the functionality is nearly the same.
You're right, what I mean is it puts less emphasis on the sport and fitness tracking features, compared to Fenix and Forerunner lines, and hence lacks some of the more advanced features and metrics.
