Garmin Venu X1 Review: A Thin Yet Powerful Fitness Smartwatch for 2025
Introduction
Garmin has long been known for fitness watches that deliver serious training metrics and long battery life. In 2024 the company surprised athletes by releasing the Venu X1, a thin, rectangular smartwatch that sits somewhere between the mainstream Venu line and its performance‑focused Forerunner and Fenix watches. At just 7.9 mm thick and weighing around 40 g, the Venu X1 is one of Garmin’s lightest watches, yet it still packs a 2‑inch AMOLED screen and many of the company’s flagship training features. This review explores whether the blend of sleek design and advanced metrics is enough to justify its $799 price tag, especially when typical Garmin users value long battery life and ruggedness.
{getToc} $title={Table of Contents} $count={Boolean} $expanded={Boolean}
What makes the Venu X1 unique?
When Garmin introduced the original Venu line it targeted casual athletes who wanted smartwatch convenience and basic fitness tracking. The Venu X1 aims higher. It uses the same two‑button user interface as the Venu series but borrows hardware and software from the top‑tier Forerunner 970 and Fenix 8. You get offline TopoActive mapping, Training Readiness, Endurance Score, hill score, voice notes, on‑device phone calls and even a LED flashlight with both white and red modes. The watch also upgrades to a sapphire crystal display, full titanium case and a ComfortFit nylon band. These upgrades help bridge the gap between everyday smartwatches and serious multisport watches.
Design and Build Quality
Ultra‑thin case and rectangular display
The Venu X1’s design is dominated by its 2‑inch AMOLED display. Tom’s Guide notes that this is the largest screen the reviewer had ever worn. Despite its size, the watch doesn’t feel bulky because Garmin kept the case thickness to only 7.9 mm and the weight around 40 g. The curved caseback and 24 mm ComfortFit nylon band make the watch extremely comfortable for 24/7 wear. A scratch‑resistant sapphire crystal lens protects the screen, and the case uses durable plastic around a titanium caseback for sturdiness without extra weight.tomsguide.com.
Flashlight and minimal buttons
Unlike previous Venu watches, the X1 includes a dual‑mode LED flashlight on the top edge. Tom’s Guide found this flashlight useful for nighttime runs and described four brightness levels plus a red light mode. Because there are only two physical buttons, most navigation is handled through the touchscreen. The reviewer warned that relying on touch can be awkward during sweaty workouts or when wearing gloves.
Sensors and durability
Garmin built the Venu X1 with its latest Elevate v5 heart‑rate sensor, along with a pulse oximeter, barometer, and ability to connect chest straps and cycling power meters via Bluetooth and ANT+ . The watch is water‑resistant to 5 ATM, making it suitable for pool and open‑water swimming, though not diving. It lacks dual‑band GPS capability—a feature found on the Forerunner 970 and Fenix 8—but reviewers still found the all‑systems GPS tracking accurate for running and bike rides.
Display and User Interface
Bright 2‑inch AMOLED screen
A major selling point is the 2‑inch AMOLED display with bright, vivid colors. Tom’s Guide reduced the brightness to minimum and still found it clear to read in all conditions. The larger display makes maps, training data and notifications easy to view. It’s also used for video‑style features like on‑watch workout demonstrations and graphical clocks.
Touchscreen navigation and gestures
The watch uses Garmin’s standard interface: swipe up or down to view widgets like heart rate and Body Battery, swipe right to return to the previous screen, and press the top button to open the control menu. With only two buttons, the interface may feel unfamiliar at first, but after some time it becomes intuitive. During activities, you can assign data pages and press the bottom button to lap or pause. However, if you’re accustomed to Garmin’s five‑button setup, expect an adjustment period.tomsguide.com.
Watch faces and Connect IQ apps
Garmin’s Connect IQ store provides thousands of watch faces, data fields and apps. You can customize the display with your favourite metrics and add third‑party apps like weather forecasts or calendar reminders. Music services such as Spotify, Amazon Music and Deezer can be downloaded for offline playback. That said, Tom’s Guide notes that Garmin’s app ecosystem is limited compared with Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store. There’s no cellular connectivity, so you must carry your phone for streaming or emergency calls.
Health and Fitness Tracking
Core health metrics
The Venu X1 monitors 24/7 heart rate using the Elevate v5 sensor, tracks steps, calories burned, floors climbed, stress levels and pulse‑oxygen saturation. Garmin also provides advanced sleep tracking and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measurements, offering insight into recovery. The watch’s Morning and Evening Reports summarise your sleep, recovery, weather and suggestions for daily activities. These features make the Venu X1 a capable wellness companion, though some metrics like stress and Body Battery rely on algorithms that may not be as accurate as medical devices.
Activity and sleep tracking
During daily wear, the watch automatically counts active minutes and uses Move IQ to detect walking, running, cycling or swimming without manual start. The Nap Detection feature recognizes naps and factors them into Body Battery calculations. Sleep tracking provides stages (light, deep, REM) and bedtime recommendations. In our tests the sleep reports were informative, and the watch correctly flagged restless nights, aligning with Tom’s Guide observations that it gives advice on how much sleep you need and displays data on colorful graphstomsguide.com.
Training metrics: Readiness, Endurance and Hill Scores
Borrowed from the Forerunner 970, Training Readiness analyzes sleep, stress, HRV and recent workouts to suggest how hard you should train. Endurance Score evaluates your long‑term ability for sustained efforts, while Hill Score measures how efficiently you climb hills over time. These metrics help athletes avoid over‑training and plan workouts more effectively. Tom’s Guide noted that the Venu X1 now has all of Garmin’s best sports tracking and training analysis tools (except multi‑band GPS) thanks to a software update.
Sports modes and customization
The watch supports over 100 sport profiles, including running, cycling, swimming, golf, triathlon, winter sports and adventure activities. Many modes allow customization of data fields and training targets. For triathlons and swimrun races you can switch between disciplines with a button press. Golf mode provides distances to hazards and the green when playing on one of 43 000 pre‑loaded course maps. All of these modes display beautifully on the large screen tomsguide.com.
GPS and heart‑rate accuracy
Despite lacking multi‑band GPS, testers reported very accurate GPS tracking. DC Rainmaker found the Venu X1’s all‑systems GNSS tracking comparable to multi‑band watches like the Forerunner 970 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Tom’s Guide similarly noted accurate GPS and heart‑rate data when compared with a Garmin HRM600 chest strap. The only time multi‑band GPS offered a noticeable advantage was when running in urban canyons surrounded by tall buildings.
Heart‑rate zones and external sensors
During workouts the watch displays real‑time heart‑rate zones, pace, distance and other metrics. For advanced metrics such as step power, running economy and race planning, you can pair the watch with Garmin’s HRM‑Pro or HRM600 chest straps. The watch also supports cycling power meters, eBike sensors and Shimano Di2 shifting through ANT+ connectivity.
Navigation and Outdoor Features
Offline maps and course creation
A key differentiator of the Venu X1 is routable offline maps. You can create or download routes using Garmin’s Map Manager and follow them without a phone. These maps look excellent on the square AMOLED screen and display metrics alongside the mapt. Tools such as ClimbPro show the remaining ascent and descent, while elevation plots help you visualize the course profile. This combination is especially helpful for trail runners, hikers and cyclists who need navigation along with performance metrics.
Safety features and flashlight
The watch includes incident detection and assistance alerts, which notify designated contacts if you stop moving or press the assistance button. The built‑in LED flashlight (with four brightness levels and a red mode) can be used for low‑light conditions or to signal your locationtomsguide.com.
Swim and water activities
Thanks to its 5 ATM water‑resistance, the Venu X1 can be used for pool and open‑water swimming. It measures strokes, distance, SWOLF (a swim efficiency metric) and heart rate. It is not rated for diving, so you should avoid submerging it beyond shallow depths.
Smart Features and Connectivity
Music storage and NFC payments
Up to 32 GB of internal storage allows you to download music, podcasts and maps for offline use. You can sync playlists from Spotify, Amazon Music or Deezer and listen via Bluetooth earbuds. Garmin Pay offers contactless payments with supported banks, and you can answer phone calls directly from the watch when it’s connected to your smartphone.
Voice assistant and voice notes
Using a paired smartphone, the Venu X1 can access voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant. Voice notes allow you to dictate quick reminders that are saved to your phone. DC Rainmaker notes that voice notes were previously reserved for the Fenix 8 lineup and are now available on the Venu X1.
Limitations: No cellular connectivity
One major drawback is the lack of cellular connectivity. Tom’s Guide points out that Garmin’s smart features lag behind true smartwatches like the Apple Watch Ultra 2 or Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra because you still need your phone for streaming music, messaging and using some apps. Garmin’s app store also lacks many daily‑use apps found on rival platforms, though it does offer watch faces and some fitness‑oriented apps.
Battery Life
Rated battery life
Garmin promises up to eight days of battery life in smartwatch mode (when the display is set to raise‑to‑wake), two days with the always‑on display, 11 days in battery saver mode, 16 hours using GPS‑only GNSS, 14 hours using all‑systems GNSS, and seven hours of all‑systems GNSS with musicgarmin.com. DC Rainmaker provides the same battery chart and notes that battery life is less than the Venu 3 (which offers 14 days smartwatch and five days always‑on) but still respectable for such a thin device.
Real‑world testing
In practice, Tom’s Guide found the big, bright screen drained the battery: the watch originally needed to be charged daily, but after a software update it lasted just over two days in always‑on mode with an hour of running and indoor workouts each day. Using the raise‑to‑wake mode yielded around a week of battery lifetechradar.com. Long GPS activities significantly reduce battery life; Tom’s Guide measured 14 hours of all‑systems GPS tracking, sufficient for most runs and hikes but shorter than Fenix watches. When comparing to other AMOLED Garmins such as the Forerunner 970 or Fenix 8, which can provide at least five days of battery in always‑on mode and up to 10 days with the largest Fenix, the Venu X1 falls short. However, it outlasts the Apple Watch Series 10 when the screen is set to raise‑to‑wake.
Charging and battery management
The watch uses Garmin’s proprietary charging cable; a full charge takes about an hour. Battery saver options allow you to disable sensors and reduce screen brightness to extend life to about 11 daysgarmin.com. You can also schedule battery saver mode to activate at night and disable the display’s always‑on mode to maximize longevity.
Price and Value
The Venu X1 retails for around $799 USDtechradar.com, putting it in direct competition with premium smartwatches like the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. Tom’s Guide lists the watch at $800 and notes there is only one size available. While that price is steep compared with the Venu 3 ($449), DC Rainmaker argues that the X1’s upgrades—sapphire glass, titanium case, bigger display, offline maps, training readiness, climb scores and voice notes—justify the cost for serious athletes.
|
Aspect |
Strengths |
Weaknesses |
|
Design |
Ultra‑thin
7.9 mm case and lightweight (~40 g), bright 2‑inch AMOLED
display . Titanium and sapphire components add durability. |
Two‑button layout
makes touchscreen navigation essential; not ideal with sweat or gloves. |
|
Training features |
Offers Training
Readiness, Endurance Score, hill score, race planning, ClimbPro, Strava Live
Segments and voice notes. |
Lacks multi‑band
GPS, which could improve accuracy in cities. |
|
Health and
wellness |
Tracks HR, HRV,
sleep, stress and Body Battery; morning and evening reports suggest
sleep and recovery. |
No ECG capability or
blood‑pressure monitoring (present on some competitors). |
|
Smart features |
Music storage, NFC
payments, on‑watch calls, voice assistant integration. |
No cellular
connectivity; app store limited compared with Apple or Samsung ecosystems. |
|
Battery life |
Up to 8 days
(raise‑to‑wake) or 11 days (battery saver); exceeds Apple Watch
Series 10 in raise‑to‑wake. |
Always‑on display
drains battery to about 2 days; shorter than Venu 3 or
Fenix 8. |
|
Price |
Premium materials
and features justify high price for dedicated athletes. |
Expensive relative
to Venu 3; may be overkill for casual users. |
Step‑by‑Step Guide: Getting the Most from Your Venu X1
- Set up your watch: Charge the device fully and connect it to your smartphone via the Garmin Connect app. Complete basic settings such as language, dominant wrist and notification preferences.
- Customize watch faces and data fields: Browse the Connect IQ store for watch faces, widgets and data fields. Choose a watch face that highlights your most important metrics (for example, heart rate and battery level). Configure quick settings for flashlight brightness and do‑not‑disturb hours.
- Configure health and sleep tracking: Enable Pulse Ox measurements, HRV status and sleep tracking in the Health Settings menu. Set your usual sleep and wake times so the watch can provide accurate sleep advice.
- Plan training sessions: Use the Garmin Coach feature in the Connect app to download personalized training plans for running, cycling or triathlon events. The watch will sync workouts and provide real‑time guidance.
- Load offline maps and routes: In Garmin Connect, download TopoActive maps for your region. Plan routes or import GPX files, then sync them to the watch. During workouts select the course and use ClimbPro to monitor upcoming ascents.
- Configure battery modes: Decide whether to use the always‑on display or raise‑to‑wake. Access the battery saver menu to schedule battery saver mode during sleep or long hikes. Monitor battery usage through the Power Manager widget.
- Pair external sensors: For advanced metrics, pair a chest strap (e.g., HRM‑Pro) or cycling power meter via the Sensors menu. These sensors enhance accuracy and unlock running power and economy metrics.
- Use smart features: Set up Garmin Pay with your bank, sync playlists from Spotify or Amazon Music, and enable notifications from selected apps. Configure the voice assistant button to trigger Siri or Google Assistant via your phone.
Comparison to Competitors
vs. Venu 3
Garmin’s Venu 3 is still a strong option for athletes who prioritize battery life and value, offering 14 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and five days with always‑on display. However, it lacks offline maps, ClimbPro, Training Readiness, endurance and hill scores and uses a smaller 1.4‑inch round display. The Venu 3 also doesn’t include a flashlight or titanium case. If you value mapping, training metrics and a bigger screen, the X1 justifies the price difference.
vs. Forerunner 970 and Fenix 8
The Forerunner 970 and Fenix 8 are designed for serious endurance athletes. They include multi‑band GPS and longer battery life (at least five days always‑on and up to 10 days with Fenix 51 mm). They also offer features like solar charging, satellite messaging (in Fenix) and ECG capability (in some Fenix models). However, they are bulkier, heavier and more expensive (often over $1 000). The Venu X1 provides a similar set of training metrics in a much thinner, lighter package.
vs. Apple Watch Ultra 2
Apple’s Watch Ultra 2 features a smaller 1.93‑inch display, cellular connectivity, and an extensive app store with third‑party apps ranging from banking to home automation. Its battery life is around 36 hours with typical use, but you can stretch it by disabling always‑on display. The Ultra’s dual‑frequency GPS and tighter ecosystem integration make it a compelling option for iPhone users. However, the Venu X1 offers longer battery life in raise‑to‑wake mode and has more robust training metrics like hill score and endurance score.
Conclusion
The Garmin Venu X1 represents one of the most ambitious smartwatches Garmin has ever produced. By combining a slim, rectangular design with a large AMOLED display, offline maps, training readiness metrics and a flashlight, Garmin created a watch that appeals to both athletes and gadget enthusiasts. Reviewers from TechRadar, Tom’s Guide and DC Rainmaker praise its comfortable fit, bright screen and comprehensive training metrics, but they also caution that the watch’s battery life is shorter than traditional Garmins—around a week in raise‑to‑wake mode or two days with always‑on displaytechradar.com. The absence of multi‑band GPS and cellular connectivity are notable omissions for the price.
For athletes who want a slim watch with serious training features and are willing to charge it every few days, the Venu X1 is an excellent choice. It offers nearly everything found in Garmin’s highest‑end watches while delivering a more comfortable form factor. Casual users who value battery life over advanced metrics may be better served by the Venu 3 or Fenix 8. If you’re deciding between Garmin and an Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch, consider whether you prioritize training insights, offline maps and battery life over app variety and cellular independence. Regardless, the Venu X1 proves Garmin can innovate beyond round, bulky sports watches without sacrificing its reputation for data‑driven performance.
FAQ
What is the new Garmin Venu X1?
Does Venu X1 have ECG?
When was the Garmin Venu X1 released?
Which Garmin Venu model is the best?
What is the battery life of the Garmin Venu X1?
How long will a Garmin Venu last?
How accurate is Garmin ECG?
Does Garmin sell watch bands?
What is the best ECG watch?
What is the newest Garmin Venu model?
What's the difference between Forerunner and Venu?
Is Garmin Venu GPS?
Related pages on FrediTech
-
Garmin Venu 3 vs. Venu X1: Which is right for you? – Compare the Venu 3’s long battery life with the X1’s advanced features.
-
Fenix 8 Pro review – A deep dive into Garmin’s flagship multisport watch with solar charging and multi‑band GPS.