RW verdict: Garmin's most lifestyle-friendly running watch yet, the Venu X1 pairs a premium AMOLED display with powerful training features and full-colour mapping. It’s not built for extreme multi-day ultras, but for most runners and adventurers, it strikes the ideal balance between smartwatch-style and running watch smarts.
Pros
- Health & Injuries
- Full colour, offline maps
- Summer running gear sale
- Built-in flashlight
- Surprisingly lightweight
Cons
- Huge, bright display screen
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| Size | 51mm |
|---|---|
| Display size/type | 2"/AMOLED |
| GPS | Yes (multi-band) |
| Battery life (smartwatch) | Battery life not suitable for ultrarunners |
| Battery life (GPS) | Up to 16 hours (depending on GPS type) |
| Water rating | 5ATM |
While Garmin has long led the way on running features, it’s often lagged behind Apple in smartwatch stakes – particularly when it comes to blending those features into a sleeker, more lifestyle-friendly design. The Venu 3, which rivals the Up to 8 days, Health & Injuries Fenix 8 – complete with Garmin’s full kitchen sink – isn’t really playing in the same style league. You could wear an Ultra 2 to the office and a race, but can you say the same about a Fenix?
reasons to get the Shokz OpenRun this Prime Day Garmin's line-up, featuring a stunning 2-inch AMOLED display, some serious running tech and full colour, built-in mapping. I’ve been living and training with the watch over the past six weeks, putting it to the test on a 100km ultramarathon and hiking in Slovenia’s Julian Alps. Here’s my verdict.
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Design
The Venu X1 packs the largest screen of any Garmin watch yet, with a 2-inch square AMOLED display, protected by a scratch-resistant sapphire lens, framed in a titanium case. You can choose between the Black or Moss (green) case, which both come with a matching ComfortFit Nylon band. I tested the black model, which looks very nice on my wrist, but I'd personally like to see some lighter case options (e.g. white, silver or gold) released further down the line – especially if Garmin is serious about going down the smartwatch route. I found the Nylon strap to be sweat wicking for the most part, save for after sweaty summer treadmill sessions where it got so damp I had to leave it off to dry after.
The Venu X1 measures just 8mm thick and weighs 34g (without a strap), borrowing the rectangular shape and rounded corners of the older Venu 2, but with a much sleeker, premium finish. For context, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 measures 14.4mm thick, weighs 61.4g and boasts a 1.92-inch display. The Venu X1 certainly feels much lighter on the wrist in comparison, and it hasn't felt cumbersome when I've been going about my day-to-day life or even when sleeping.
In a further effort to prove Garmin can corner the smartwatch market, you can choose from different watch faces and change the font size for easy readability – though there’s arguably still less choice than Apple offers.
In terms of controls, the Venu X1 operates via a touchscreen, though there are two physical buttons on the right-hand side (much like the Ultra 2) should you need them. I've found I only really use the top right button for starting and pausing an activity. Otherwise, the touchscreen caters for all of my needs, enabling me to easily navigate through training and recovery insights (more on these below), notifications, weather alerts and other settings.
Features
The Venu X1 comes preloaded with 100+ sports, including Running, Golf, Strength Training and Hike. For runners, you can get even more specific with Track Run, Treadmill, Trail Run and Ultra Run.
You can access Garmin Coach plans for running, strength and cycling, alongside Garmin’s most advanced training insights, including Training Readiness, Training Status, Endurance Score, Hill Score, Running Power, Race Predictor and a plethora of running metrics within the Garmin app, from cadence to ground contact time. The Venu X1 even packs in Garmin’s Pacepro tool, with GPS-based pace guidance for selected courses or distances, and Climbpro for real-time information on upcoming climbs.
When it comes to health, you get Garmin’s 24/7 suite of health monitoring features. That includes Body Battery, Sleep Coach, Morning Report, HRV status and heart rate monitoring, stress tracking, a blood oxygen sensor, altitude and heat acclimation, and even jet lag advisor — pretty neat.
In terms of running functionality, the Venu X1 packs in some seriously handy features that Apple still hasn’t mastered. Take navigation, for example. The Ultra 2 relies on third-party apps for uploading and exporting GPX routes, whereas the Venu X1 benefits from full-colour, built-in mapping, with an altimeter, barometer and 3-axis electronic compass providing precise navigation. In my opinion, this is a big draw over the Apple Watch for trail runners and adventurers.
I took on Race to the King 100km at the start of June wearing the Venu X1 and downloaded the race's GPX file onto the watch to follow along. To be fair, the course was so well marked that I hardly needed the route loaded, but it still gave me peace of mind to know that I was on course. I also downloaded hiking routes from AllTrails while holidaying in Slovenia, with the full-colour maps making it a lot easier to follow along without having to constantly check my smartphone.
Finally, aiming to nail the smartwatch brief, the Venu X1 features a built-in speaker and microphone, enabling you to make and take calls straight from your wrist. Certain voice commands like ‘start a running activity’ and ‘set a timer for 5 minutes’ can be activated right from the watch, you can download songs and playlists from your Spotify, Deezer or Amazon Music accounts, and there's even a built-in LED flashlight. Talk about hardcore.
Accuracy & battery life
In terms of GPS, the Garmin Venu X1 comes with two primary modes: GPS Only and All Systems for better accuracy. That means there’s no top-tier Multi-Band here, like you'll find on the (even) pricier Fenix models. That said, I’ve found All Systems mode to be quick to connect – even at 2100m in the Julian Alps – locking to routes well for the most part (see below) and landing well within the margin for error over total distance. If you're worried about battery life, you can enable UltraTrac, which is less accurate but means you can go for longer without having to charge.
On that, perhaps the major flex over Apple is the Venu X1’s battery life. On paper, it boasts up to eight days of battery life in smartwatch mode, up to 16 hours in GPS-Only GNSS mode and up to 14 hours in All-Systems GPS. That’s a huge leap on the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which went for around two days with general daily usage between runs in our tests. During my 100km ultra, the Venu X1 lasted for just over 13 hours in All-Systems GPS mode before dying (which was, ironically, the same point at which I DNFd). This is decent, especially for a watch with such a bright display, but it falls just short of the billed 14 hours runtime. If you are taking on a longer endurance race (we’re talking over 10 hours in one stint), I’d opt for the Forerunner 970, Fenix 8 or Enduro 3 instead.
I also put the Venu X1 through its paces on a week-long trip to Slovenia, which included four separate hikes through the Julian Alps (4.5 hours, 4 hours, 1.5 hours and 4 hours-long, respectively), along with three runs (5k, 12k and 10k). I had to charge the watch twice over the course of the week. That’s still miles better than the Apple Watch Ultra, but the Forerunner 970 made it through the entire week without any time on the plug.
RW verdict
For me, the Venu X1 plugs a real gap in Garmin’s line-up – finally offering a true smartwatch that blends premium aesthetics with Garmin’s industry-leading fitness and navigation features. It’s the first Garmin watch I’ve worn that genuinely competes with the Apple Watch Ultra 2 in terms of style and smarts – and, in many ways, surpasses it.
The lack of Multi-Band GPS might put off hardcore ultra runners, and the battery life won’t stretch to multi-day adventures without a top-up. But for most runners, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, the combination of full-colour mapping, deep training insights, lightweight design and a bright, beautiful AMOLED display makes this Garmin’s most complete lifestyle watch yet – if your budget can stretch to the £679.00 price tag.
Come the autumn, Apple better have something good up its sleeve – because Garmin might just have nailed it.
