If you are familiar with Garmin watches, you will know that its Venu series belongs to the lifestyle category, its Forerunner series caters to the fitness enthusiasts and the Fenix series is for the hardcore fitness buffs and training athletes. But Garmin has somehow managed to combine functions of all three series in one watch with its latest Venu X1.
- Price: S$1,099, get it at Lazada, Shopee, Amazon and Garmin Online Store
- Display: 2-inch AMLOED touchscreen
- Weight: 40g (with included 24mm ComfortFit nylon band)
| PROS | CONS |
| Sleek design | Not cheap |
| Thin and lightweight | Lacks ECG function |
| Packed with features | Lacks multi-band GPS |
| Large, bright and vibrant display | |
| Handy built-in LED flashlight | |
| Comfortable to wear |
To start, Garmin has stashed a large and bright 2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display on a titanium caseback that is just 8mm thick and 40g (with included 24mm ComfortFit nylon band) light. Yet, the Venu X1 is also packed with plenty of features including a built-in LED flashlight, a speaker, and a microphone. You can reply calls or activate a run via voice commands with it.
Available in moss green (reviewed unit) and black, it certainly looks sleek with its svelte profile. With the included 24mm quick-release ComfortFit nylon band, the Venu X1 is really comfortable to wear as well. Plus, the display is really bright and vibrant, even under Singapore’s blazing sun.
However, I am not sure this watch is something you will wear to an official function or a formal dinner. But I do like the built-in LED flashlight, as it will prove handy during your hikes or even when you are trying to look for a pen you drop in your office.
Unlike conventional Venu series, the Venu X1 comes with over 100 preloaded sports apps, covering almost every sports you can think of. This is usually found in Forerunner or Fenix series. For example, for Racket Sports, it can track the now-very-popular pickleball and padel. Even for your gym sessions, it tracks from stair stepper to indoor row. Not to mention, it has built-in mapping so you will never get lost.
In all honesty, I think it will be an overkill for most people, like myself, who probably only jog or swim a little to keep in shape. Still, it is good to know your stress levels, your body battery (a Garmin feature that estimates your body’s energy levels throughout the day), your training readiness, and how well you sleep.
Most surprisingly, the Venu X1 lacks multi-band GPS, which might affect location accuracy given the urban jungle we Singaporeans are in. But I guess the built-in mapping helps to negate this shortfall.
Additionally, it has no electrocardiogram (ECG) functionality that is found in many flagship smartwatches. Given it costs over S$1,000, you would expect ECG to be available. ECG measures your heart electrical activity to see if the heart is beating too fast, too slow, or irregularly. It helps to assess your heart health.
Otherwise, the Venu X1 is really accurate for tracking your physical activities. Compared to my calibrated Apple Watch Ultra 2, the Venu X1 differed only 4 per cent in terms of steps tracking. On a familiar 4.5km trail that I usually jog, the Venu X1 tracked it as 4.48km. Both are well within the acceptable margins of error.
Considering that the Venu X1 was never calibrated before I went to walk and jog with it, this is pretty impressive. Perhaps, only downer is that it took nearly 23 seconds for it to secure a GPS lock on my first run. But subsequently, it took around 5 seconds to get a GPS fix.
For sleep tracking, I found the recorded sleep stages to be quite consistent with the Google Nest Hub, which has been tracking my sleep for a few years.
Battery life as a smartwatch for Venu X1 is rated at 8 days in smartwatch mode. During the review, I found the battery level of the smartwatch dropping to 43 per cent by the end of fourth day. So, it is close to the advertised battery life.
While Venu X1’s battery life is quite good compared to the likes of Apple Watch, it is not as impressive when compared to other Garmin models. For example, many Garmin Forerunner and Fenix models can easily last up to 12 days in smartwatch mode.
VERDICT: The Garmin Venu X1 is a thin, lightweight and feature-rich smartwatch with accurate fitness tracking as well as advanced training features. However, it is a tad expensive at S$1,099, which might be a tough sell for even fervent fitness enthusiasts. But if you are looking for a premium smartwatch that seamlessly blends style and substance, the Venu X1 is worth considering.