I swapped my Apple Watch Ultra for this big-screen Garmin that’s easier to read

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Garmin Venu X1 is offered in two shade choices for $799.99.
• The massive 2-inch show is incredible, the LED flashlight is good, the skinny case and light-weight band make it a pleasure to put on, and the calculator now has a tip button.
• The always-on mode reduces battery life considerably, the watch is dear, and dual-band GPS isn’t put in.

extra shopping for decisions

jun / 2025

I have been utilizing Garmin sports watches for over a decade and have fairly clear expectations for when new fashions might be launched, however I used to be caught utterly off guard by the latest announcement of the Garmin Venu X1. 

It is distinctive for Garmin, however clearly seems like a reasonably direct competitor to the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

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The Garmin Venu X1 stands out with its daring, virtually sq. design and a vivid two-inch AMOLED display — the most important ever on a Garmin smartwatch. It affords noticeably extra display actual property than even the Watch Extremely 2, making room for as much as eight knowledge fields throughout exercises. The outcome? Crisp, easy-to-read stats at a look, even for getting old eyes like mine.

I’ve worn Venu fashions earlier than, however often just for a month or two earlier than switching again to a Fenix, Enduro, Intuition, or Forerunner for my day by day use. The primary cause was that the Venu collection leans closely on a touchscreen with simply two {hardware} buttons, and after getting used to Garmin’s five-button setup, the UI takes a little bit of adjustment.

That stated, the Venu was the primary Garmin watch with an AMOLED show, and the X1 takes issues to the following stage with this new greater type issue.

Just like the Fenix 8 collection, the Venu X1 has a speaker and microphone so you may maintain calls out of your wrist, file voice notes whilst you train, and activate a number of management features together with your voice. 

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Three shortcuts will be assigned to the 2 buttons in an effort to shortly get to common features with out swiping or tapping on the show. I’ve them set to voice command, flashlight, and alarms, giving me extra utility shortly.

Talking of the LED flashlight, Garmin positioned one off to the appropriate aspect of the highest on the Venu X1, and it has the identical 4 white ranges and one pink gentle stage that seems on the show after activation. Strobe and different superior LED gentle controls throughout actions will be enabled on the Venu X1, and I’ve discovered them to be loads brilliant and helpful when out at evening in or darker environments.

A minor characteristic of the Apple Watch Extremely 2 that I take advantage of recurrently is the simple tip calculator discovered within the calculator app. I used to be pleasantly stunned to see Garmin embrace a tip button on the calculator and these small features assist ease the transition from an Apple Watch to the Venu X1.

One key differentiator of the Venu X1 in comparison with the Apple Watch Extremely 2 is the for much longer battery life. When you flip off the always-on show mode, you may anticipate as much as eight days of battery life. Luckily, the twist-to-turn-on works flawlessly, so I am not lacking the always-on mode. 

In truth, I discovered the always-on show to chop down the Garmin’s battery life to about two days, paying homage to the restricted battery lifetime of the Apple Watch Extremely. With a full cost, GPS monitoring mode ought to present 14-16 hours of exercise monitoring.

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Regardless of the big show dimension, the watch may be very light-weight at simply 40 grams, because of the extremely gentle and comfy new ComfortFit cloth band. The Venu X1 can also be skinny at simply 7.9mm, which makes it a good higher look ahead to sleep monitoring. Nonetheless, the skinny type issue and massive display might make me compromise on battery life with different Garmin gadgets.

The Garmin Venu X1 is a greater GPS sports activities watch than the Apple Watch Extremely 2 because of its customizable knowledge fields, native assist for extra actions, and longer battery life. Nonetheless, it lacks mobile connectivity, which might have been nice if it had been obtainable only for security causes, just like the previous Forerunner 945 LTE.

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This new watch isn’t actually a Venu successor, however extra of a slimmer, sleeker Fenix with a big sq. show. The shortage of multi-band GPS and ECG assist is a little bit of a miss at this value level, however the skinny type issue might have restricted inside area, and I am keen to surrender these specs for this type issue. 

Die-hard Garmin customers might not prefer it, however it’s a nice transition system for Apple Watch Extremely (and different wearables) followers.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

Many people had been caught off guard by the launch of the Garmin Venu X1, and it stays a bit polarizing with the large display, restricted battery life, and excessive value. However from testing it for a little bit greater than per week, it has been an ideal shock. 

For many who desire a extra succesful wearable just like the Apple Watch Extremely, the Venu X1 is a welcome addition to the Garmin lineup. The massive show, skinny type issue, and all the Garmin customization individuals have come to like are discovered on this compelling smartwatch.