I've tested every Garmin smartwatch in 2025 - this is the model I recommend to most people

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Garmin Venu X1 is disposable successful 2 colour options for $599 (on sale).
• The large 2-inch show is fantastic, the LED flashlight is brilliant, the bladed lawsuit and airy set marque it a joyousness to wear, and the calculator present has a extremity button.
• The always-on mode reduces artillery beingness significantly, the ticker is expensive, and dual-band GPS is not installed.

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I've been utilizing Garmin sports watches for implicit a decennary and person beauteous wide expectations for erstwhile caller models volition beryllium released, but I was caught wholly disconnected defender by the announcement of the Garmin Venu X1 during the summer.

It's unsocial for Garmin, but it intelligibly looks similar a reasonably nonstop rival to the Apple Watch Ultra.

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The Garmin Venu X1 stands retired with its bold, astir quadrate plan and a vivid two-inch AMOLED surface -- the largest ever connected a Garmin smartwatch. It offers noticeably much surface existent property than adjacent the Watch Ultra 2, making country for up to 8 information fields during workouts. The result? Crisp, easy-to-read stats astatine a glance, adjacent for aging eyes similar mine.

I've worn Venu models before, but usually lone for a period oregon 2 earlier switching backmost to a Fenix, Enduro, Instinct, oregon Forerunner for my regular use. The main crushed was that the Venu bid relies heavy connected a touchscreen with conscionable 2 hardware buttons, and aft getting utilized to Garmin's five-button setup, the UI requires immoderate adjustment.

That said, the Venu was the archetypal Garmin ticker with an AMOLED display, and the X1 takes things to the adjacent level with this new, bigger signifier factor.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Like the Fenix 8 series, the Venu X1 features a talker and microphone, allowing you to marque and person calls from your wrist, grounds dependable notes portion exercising, and activate assorted power functions with your voice. 

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Three shortcuts tin beryllium assigned to the 2 buttons, allowing you to rapidly entree regular functions without swiping oregon tapping connected the display. I person them acceptable to dependable command, flashlight, and alarms, giving maine much inferior quickly.

Speaking of the LED flashlight, Garmin positioned 1 disconnected to the close broadside of the apical connected the Venu X1, and it has the aforesaid 4 achromatic levels and 1 reddish airy level that look connected the show aft activation. Strobe and different precocious LED airy controls during activities tin beryllium enabled connected the Venu X1, and I've recovered them to beryllium plentifulness agleam and utile erstwhile retired astatine nighttime successful oregon darker environments.

The Venu X1 (top) is overmuch thinner than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (bottom).

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

A insignificant diagnostic of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 that I usage regularly is the casual extremity calculator recovered successful the calculator app. I was pleasantly amazed to spot Garmin see a extremity fastener connected the calculator, and these tiny functions assistance easiness the modulation from an Apple Watch to the Venu X1.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

One cardinal differentiator of the Venu X1 compared to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the overmuch longer artillery life. If you crook disconnected the always-on show mode, you tin expect up to 8 days of artillery life. Fortunately, the twist-to-turn-on works flawlessly, truthful I'm not missing the always-on mode. 

In fact, I recovered that the always-on show chopped down Garmin's artillery beingness to astir 2 days, reminiscent of the constricted artillery beingness of the Apple Watch Ultra. With a afloat charge, GPS tracking mode should supply 14-16 hours of enactment tracking.

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Despite the ample show size, the ticker is precise lightweight astatine conscionable 40 grams, acknowledgment to the incredibly airy and comfy caller ComfortFit cloth band. The Venu X1 is besides bladed astatine conscionable 7.9mm, which makes it an adjacent amended ticker for slumber tracking. However, the bladed signifier origin and ample surface whitethorn marque maine compromise connected artillery beingness compared to different Garmin devices.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The Garmin Venu X1 is simply a amended GPS sports ticker than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 acknowledgment to its customizable information fields, autochthonal enactment for much activities, and longer artillery life. However, it lacks cellular connectivity, which would person been beneficial for information reasons, akin to the aged Forerunner 945 LTE.

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This caller ticker is not truly a Venu successor, but much of a slimmer, sleeker Fenix with a ample quadrate display. The deficiency of multi-band GPS and ECG enactment is simply a spot of a miss astatine this terms point, but the bladed signifier origin whitethorn person constricted interior space, and I'm consenting to springiness up those specs for this signifier factor. 

Die-hard Garmin users whitethorn not similar it, but it is simply a large modulation instrumentality for Apple Watch Ultra (and different wearables) fans.

ZDNET's buying advice

Many of america were caught disconnected defender by the motorboat of the Garmin Venu X1, and it remains somewhat polarizing owed to its ample screen, constricted artillery life, and precocious price. However, aft investigating it for months now, it has been a large surprise. 

For those seeking a much susceptible wearable akin to the Apple Watch Ultra, the Venu X1 is simply a invited summation to Garmin's lineup. The ample display, slim signifier factor, and extended Garmin customization options radical person travel to emotion are each recovered successful this compelling smartwatch.