Garmin's new ultra-thin smartwatch takes on the Apple Watch Ultra 2
Garmin has just announced the Venu X1, an ultra-thin fitness smartwatch with a 2in AMOLED display that looks to be a direct rival to the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The premium wearable will cost a rather pricey £679.99 when it launches on 18 June.
With a bold, squared-off design, nylon strap and adventure-proof titanium caseback, the Venu X1 bridges the gap between Garmin 's more smartwatch-y Venu series and its more fitness-focused Forerunner series. As well as featuring the largest ever screen on a Garmin smartwatch – a whole 0.1in bigger than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 – it's the thinnest watch the fitness brand has made at just 8mm.
Garmin says the Venu X1 battery will last up to 8 days with the always-on display switched off, dropping to two days with the display left on – that's shorter than the larger and rounder Garmin Fenix 8. The usual comprehensive suite of Garmin health tracking tools offers 24/7 fitness monitoring and advanced training features. There are more than 100 trackable sports, heart rate variability monitoring, sleep coaching, training readiness and a pulse oximeter to track blood oxygen levels during workouts.
The Venu X1 gets full-colour maps, an LED torch and a scratch-resistant sapphire lens, but misses out on some features found in the Apple Watch Ultra 2, namely multi-band GPS, an LTE option, and an ECG monitor for detecting atrial fibrillation. A built-in microphone and speaker let you make and take calls and use Garmin's voice assistant, with a handful of voice commands available when the watch isn't paired with a phone, like starting activities and setting timers.
Coming in at £120 cheaper than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (£799.99, Apple.com), the Venu X1 will be one of the most premium wearables the fitness band has yet produced when it launches on 18 June. You'll find similar features and a longer battery life elsewhere in Garmin's sprawling range of smartwatches, which includes our current favourite, the Venu 3.
Garmin's lifestyle-focused smartwatch has strong fitness-tracking credentials covering cardio, strength training, run coaching and tracking for more than 30 sports. It also features round-the-clock health monitoring, sleep coaching and meditation modes – plus an ECG sensor not found in the newly announced Venu X1.
In her Garmin Venu 3 review, fitness expert Zoe found that 'With easy-to-follow guided meditations and sleep coaching as well as tracking, the Venu 3 is a huge improvement on other watches in the series and well worth the price upgrade.'
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