Garmin Just Announced Its Answer to the Apple Watch Ultra
Garmin released a new watch today, the square-cased Venu X1 , which retails for $799.99 and will be available to order starting June 18. Garmin told me via email that it’s “not a successor to the Venu 3/3S,” which I think hints that a Venu 4 could be coming soon.
The Venu line, if you’re not familiar, contains Garmin’s smartest watches. The Venu 3 and its smaller version ( the 3S ) can make voice calls and use a phone assistant like Siri, and can also take ECG readings. Unlike the cheaper Vivoactive 6, it has a built-in altimeter to measure how many flights of stairs you climb in a day. It also boasts the most advanced version of Garmin’s heart rate sensor, making it potentially more accurate than lower-end models. The Venu 3 and 3S originally cost $449.99 each, though they’re both currently on sale for $349.99.
What’s new in Venu X1?
The square shape is new, though the older Venu model, the 2 Sq, also had a square shape. But the Venu 2 Sq was a lower-end watch, and the X1 is clearly higher-end, with its price and shape positioning it as a competitor to the Apple Watch Ultra 2. (The Ultra 2 starts at $799.99.)
The Venu X1 offers some nice new features for the price, including:
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LED flashlight , like the new Forerunner 970 (and Fenix 8, and some Instinct models). People love their LED flashlights, saying that once you have one, you can’t go back.
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The screen measures 41 x 46 mm , which Garmin says is its largest screen.
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Sapphire crystal instead of Gorilla Glass for extra scratch resistance.
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Fully vector-style maps , including trail and bike route maps, plus thousands of preloaded golf courses.
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Battery life is rated at eight days—less than the Venu 3 (or most other Garmin watches), but significantly longer than any Apple Watch.
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Training readiness and training status – This feature was previously only available on running watches like the Forerunner and Fenix.
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Garmin training plans for running, cycling, and strength training.
Unlike the Apple Watch, there’s no cellular version of the Venu X1, so you’ll need your phone if you want to make calls or talk to Siri. And it’s much lighter than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 — just 34 grams for the X1 versus about 60 for the Ultra 2.
Although there is no ECG.
The Venu X1 is missing one important thing that the Venu 3 and 3S have: an ECG app for taking electrocardiogram readings (this is what tells you whether your heartbeat is in “atrial fibrillation” or “normal sinus rhythm”). You can see a full breakdown of the differences between the Venu 3 and Venu X1 here .