Garmin Venu X1

The Garmin Venu X1 is the company's attempt at a thin, large-screen smartwatch that still behaves like a Garmin. Announced on 12 June 2025 at a suggested retail price of $799.99, it combines a 2-inch AMOLED display with a case only 7.9 mm thick, a titanium caseback, a sapphire lens and a built-in speaker, microphone and LED flashlight. Garmin said availability would follow "in June"; the announcement does not give an exact on-sale day, so the date used here is the announcement date. This review is based on the published specifications and the manufacturer's information rather than hands-on testing, and it looks at who a watch this expensive is really for.

Where it sits in the lineup

Garmin's Venu family has always been the lifestyle branch of its watch catalogue: AMOLED screens, strong health tracking and music, with less emphasis on multi-band GPS and navigation depth than the Forerunner, Fenix or Instinct lines. The Venu X1 pushes that idea to a premium end. At $799.99 it sits at the top of what a screen-first Garmin costs, so the price has to be justified by the screen, the thinness and the materials rather than by sports depth. If you want a running-focused watch, the Garmin Forerunner 970 is the obvious comparison; if you want an expedition tool, look at the Garmin Fenix 8. The Venu X1 is for those who would otherwise consider an Apple or Samsung flagship but prefer Garmin's battery life and training data.

Design and display

The headline number is the screen: a 2-inch (51.2 mm diagonal) AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of 448 x 486 pixels and 1,304 sq mm of display area. Garmin calls it an industry-leading size for its smartwatches, and the large rectangular face is meant to make maps, workout data and notifications easier to read. An optional always-on mode is available, though it costs battery life. The lens is sapphire crystal, the case is fiber-reinforced polymer with a titanium caseback, and the whole watch measures 41 x 46 x 7.9 mm. It weighs 34 g, or 40 g with the included 24 mm quick-release ComfortFit nylon band, which fits wrists from 140 to 230 mm. Black and moss colours are offered.

A slim, light body matters more than a spec sheet suggests: heavy watches get taken off at night, and a 34 g watch is comfortable to sleep in. Garmin also added larger font options for notifications. Garmin describes the case as rectangular with rounded corners, and that shape will not suit everyone. Water resistance is rated 5 ATM, equal to a 50 m depth, which covers swimming but not diving.

Health, sensors and training

The sensor package follows Garmin's modern mainstream setup: the Elevate wrist heart-rate monitor, Pulse Ox blood-oxygen sensor, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer and ambient light sensor. Positioning uses GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou. The Venu X1 tracks heart rate every second, sleep with a score, sleep coach and nap detection, Body Battery energy monitoring, all-day stress, respiration and skin temperature. On the training side, Garmin lists HRV status, Training Readiness and Training Status, a running coach, daily suggested workouts and a long list of activity profiles from running, cycling, swimming and triathlon to strength, HIIT, yoga, Pilates, golf, pickleball and skiing. Workouts include on-screen animations and muscle maps, which is helpful for strength sessions.

Spot-check Pulse Ox is available, and all-day and sleep readings are optional. As with other wearables, none of this is a medical diagnosis, and Garmin positions the data as wellness and training information.

Smart features, calls and maps

The built-in speaker and microphone let you take and make calls from the wrist when the watch is paired with a compatible smartphone, and reply to texts by voice using the phone's voice assistant. Some commands, such as starting a running activity or setting a timer, work on the watch without a phone connection. The LED flashlight is an unusual addition for a lifestyle watch and, in practice, a nice way to find a keyhole or see a path at night. The watch includes 32 GB of memory with music storage, Garmin Pay for contactless payments, Wi-Fi alongside Bluetooth and ANT+, and Connect IQ support for extra watch faces and apps. Built-in mapping, as well as preloaded maps shown on the large display, support navigation without a phone.

Notifications work with both iPhone and Android phones; on Android, the watch can send text replies and show images from notifications. These functions fall short of a full smartwatch app ecosystem, so check that the features you rely on are covered.

Battery and charging

Garmin quotes up to 8 days in smartwatch mode and 2 days with the display always on, up to 11 days in battery saver mode, up to 16 hours in GPS-only mode, up to 14 hours using all satellite systems and up to 7 hours with all systems plus music. Those are strong figures for a watch with a 2-inch AMOLED screen, but they are manufacturer figures and will fall with brightness, always-on use and calls. Charging uses Garmin's proprietary plug charger, and the box includes the cable.

Who it is for

The Venu X1 is for people who want the biggest, most legible Garmin screen without a bulky case, and who are happy to pay a premium for materials and thinness. It suits runners and gym-goers who want training readiness and sleep coaching but also want a watch that looks good with a shirt. It is also attractive to those who want a phone-free flashlight and the ability to make a call on the wrist. If you mainly care about endurance racing and navigation, a Forerunner or Fenix gives more for the money, and if you want an outdoor-style AMOLED, the Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED is worth a look. For a direct comparison, see Venu X1 versus Forerunner 970, or check the rankings.

Compromises

• Price. $799.99 is high for a polymer-cased watch, even with a titanium back.
• Only a 5 ATM rating and no mention of diving features.
• Battery drops sharply with the always-on display, to about 2 days.
• Not a dedicated sports tool. Features are broad but less specialised than on Forerunner or Fenix watches.
• Rectangular case. A matter of taste, and a larger footprint on small wrists.
• Exact on-sale date not stated in Garmin's launch announcement.

Bottom line

The Venu X1 is a very capable, very thin AMOLED smartwatch with Garmin's health and training layer, a flashlight and a speaker. Its weakness is price: the more you value sports depth, the less sense it makes next to Garmin's own Forerunner line. If display size and comfort are your top priorities and the price fits, the published numbers make a strong case. Alternatives at the same price are easy to find, but few combine screen size, weight and health features in quite this way, and that combination is what Garmin is really selling here.