Good news for Garmin users who’ve long wished for a square watch design: you can now return your kid’s Garmin smartwatch, because Garmin has gone full-on Apple-style square with its latest smartwatch. Folks, meet the Garmin Venu X1. Not only is it the brand’s first square sports smartwatch that isn’t aimed at juniors, but it’s also an ultrathin smartwatch—just 8 mm thick, by the way—with an “industry-leading” 2-inch display.
It’s so sleek it had me, someone currently hunting for an Apple Watch Ultra replacement (RIP screen), drooling all over. Alas, it’s not to be—because it costs as much as the Apple Watch Ultra 2. My bank account simply won’t play along with my desires. Ugh.
Anyway, this slick timepiece is setting the trend with lightweight materials, a built-in speaker and mic, and—wait for it—an LED flashlight. It may have borrowed the square-ish silhouette popularized by Apple, but the Venu X1 is no regular Apple Watch wannabe. It features a titanium caseback, scratch-resistant sapphire lens, and a super-readable AMOLED display—specs you’d find on the Apple Watch Ultra.
With the Venu X1, it monitors your health and wellness 24/7. There is the HRV status, advanced sleep tracking, Body Battery energy monitoring, Pulse Ox, and more. And then there is, of course, the fitness aspect, which it tracks all the ways you move with over 100 preloaded sports apps, including running, golf, strength training, and more. Speaking of golf, it has some pretty serious golfing features, too.
You can make and take calls, customize the watch face, and even adjust font sizes for easier reading. It comes with a 24 mm quick-release ComfortFit nylon band, and unlike Apple’s offering, it delivers up to 8 days of battery life in smartwatch mode.
If you’re sold, the Garmin Venu X1 is available now for US$799.99 in your choice of black or moss.
Images: Garmin.
