I've been testing the Garmin Venu X1 for months, but my initial impression never changed: it's an incredibly comfortable, painfully expensive fitness watch that prioritizes display space over battery life and traditional style. I love it, even while acknowledging its conspicuous flaws.

Resembling an Apple Watch Ultra on GLP-1, the Venu X1 outshines most smartwatches for battery, weight, and training guidance but falls well short for smarts like messaging or commands.

The Venu X1's 8-day capacity will underwhelm those who typically spend smartphone-level money on a fitness watch. However, if you disregard longevity, it still matches the Garmin Fenix 8 and Forerunner 970, offering 95% of the same features.

The question then becomes, does the Venu X1's gorgeously bright 2-inch display make

See Full Page