Garmin Venu X1 now costs less than 12 thousand. They impress with a huge AMOLED display and pre-installed maps

Garmin sports watches limited many users with their display size. The Venu X1 model, which came last year to change that, now costs 11,990 CZK instead of 18,786 CZK as part of Black Friday on Alza. Compared to the launch price of 19,990 CZK, you will save a full 8,000 CZK. It boasts a 2-inch AMOLED panel with sapphire glass and pre-installed maps of Europe with navigation.

Quick summary:
✅ Makes sense if you want a sports watch with a large AMOLED display that also fits under a shirt sleeve.
⚠️ Consider that with the always-on display enabled, it only lasts about 2 days according to the manufacturer, and you can only reply to messages from the watch with Android.
💡 For 11,990 CZK, you can get them 5,000 CZK cheaper than in the official Garmin e-shop.

Large display in a 7.9 mm thin case

The main draw is the square 2-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 448 × 486 pixels, covered by scratch-resistant sapphire glass. According to Garmin, the case measures 41 × 46 × 7.9 mm, and the watch itself weighs 34 grams; with the ComfortFit nylon strap, it weighs 40 grams. Beware of one marketing shortcut: only the back is titanium; the rest of the body is made of fiber-reinforced polymer. We already covered the new product in more detail during its introduction.

The manufacturer promises up to 8 days in smartwatch mode, but only 2 days with the always-on display enabled, and up to 11 days in power-saving mode. With GPS enabled, it lasts 16 hours; with all satellite systems, 14 hours; and if you also play music, the battery life drops to 7 hours.

Among the practical features, the built-in LED flashlight stands out, with adjustable intensity and a red safety light, useful for evening walks and camping. The watch also has a speaker and microphone, so you can handle calls directly from your wrist via a paired phone. NFC payments with Garmin Pay (only with supported banks), 5 ATM water resistance for swimming, Wi-Fi, and 32 GB of storage for downloading music from Spotify or Deezer (subscription may be required) are also included.

Advanced metrics for runners and maps for trips

Even though the Venu X1 appears more like an elegant everyday watch, it has plenty of training features. In addition to over 100 sports profiles, they offer training readiness, training status, endurance score, running power measurement in watts, or PacePro pace planning. Furthermore, Garmin Coach training plans for running, cycling, and strength training adapt to your recovery.

For trips, the pre-installed maps with navigation and round-trip route calculation are useful, while golfers will appreciate maps of over 43,000 courses. Among health features, the watch tracks sleep, heart rate variability, Body Battery energy, or blood oxygen saturation. However, Garmin warns that it is not a medical device. Furthermore, some running metrics, such as running economy, can only be measured with the separately sold HRM 600 chest strap.

Alza customers rate the watch 4.2 out of 5

Over 200 units of Venu X1 have been sold on Alza, and 22 customers gave them a rating of 4.2 out of 5, with 73% recommending the watch. There are currently 12 written reviews. Alza records a complaint rate of 6.16% for the model.

With an iPhone and on long hikes, you will encounter limitations

If you have an iPhone, be aware that you won’t be able to reply to text messages from the watch; this feature is only for Android. Furthermore, the watch does not have LTE, so calls and notifications only work with the phone within range. Anyone who wants the display always on must come to terms with charging it roughly every other day.

Na dlouhé horské túry nebo ultramaratony může být 14 až 16 hodin se zapnutou GPS málo, tam dávají větší smysl odolnější řady jako Fenix nebo Enduro. A pokud vám hranatý tvar nesedí, kulaté pouzdro, svítilnu i funkci Status zdraví nabízí Garmin Venu 4.

The Black Friday price is especially worthwhile for everyday wear

For 11,990 CZK, the Venu X1 makes the most sense for people who want one watch for both the office and training and don’t want a bulky sports device on their wrist. Recreational runners and gym-goers will get advanced training metrics, a flashlight, and a large display cheaper than the manufacturer sells it. Conversely, those who need weeks of battery life or full message replying with an iPhone should look elsewhere.

Would you prefer a large display or longer battery life in a watch?