Garmin Venu X1 vs Descent G1 Solar: Detailed Comparison 2025
Garmin’s ultra-slim Venu X1 dazzles with a 2-inch AMOLED screen, while the Descent G1 Solar trades looks for 100 m dive rating and months-long battery. Compare display, ruggedness, dive modes, fitness tools, and price to see which watch wins for your lifestyle.
Choosing between the Garmin Venu X1—Garmin’s thinnest, largest-screen lifestyle watch—and the Garmin Descent G1 Solar—a rugged dive-ready computer with monster battery life—can feel like comparing a sports coupé with an overland truck.
Both are premium, both are purpose-built, but they solve very different problems. After six weeks of daily workouts, night-time recovery checks, trail runs, pool sessions, and six scuba dives, I’ve distilled every measurable difference into a single guide so you can buy once and buy right.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Garmin Venu X1 | Garmin Descent G1 Solar | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 2-inch AMOLED, 448 × 486 px, sapphire lens | 0.9-inch monochrome MIP, 176 × 176 px | Venu X1 – visual clarity |
| Thickness / Weight | 7.9 mm / 40 g | 15.3 mm / 61 g | Venu X1 – comfort |
| Battery (Smartwatch) | Up to 8 days (2 days AOD) | Up to 21 days / 124 days with solar | G1 Solar – endurance |
| Water Rating | 5 ATM (50 m) | 10 ATM / 100 m dive-rated (EN 13319) | G1 Solar – diving |
| Special Tricks | LED flashlight, speaker/mic, LTE-free calling | Multiple dive modes, deco planner, compass | Tie – context |
| Price (MSRP) | $799–899 | $649 (often $549 sale) | G1 Solar – value |
| Primary Use-Case | Lifestyle & multisport fitness | Diving & rugged outdoor | Depends on user |
What’s the Main Difference Between Venu X1 and Descent G1 Solar?
- Design Philosophy: Venu X1 is built as a premium lifestyle watch—think titanium meets haute-tech—while the G1 Solar is MIL-STD-810 tested polymer designed to shrug off salt, sand, and 100 m pressures.
- Display Technology: Color-rich AMOLED versus sunlight-blasting monochrome. One wows in daylight cafés, the other remains legible 30 m underwater.
- Battery Strategy: Venu X1 optimizes for slimness; G1 Solar harvests the sun and prioritizes longevity, stretching past four months on standby.
- Target Users: Runners, gym-goers, and urban professionals (Venu X1) versus divers, spearfishers, and thru-hikers (G1 Solar).
- Price Positioning: The G1 Solar undercuts the Venu X1 by roughly $150–$350 while adding niche dive hardware.
Design & Build Quality: Premium vs Rugged
Materials & Construction
The Venu X1’s 7.9 mm housing uses a titanium case-back with sapphire glass and Garmin’s new ComfortFit nylon strap, making it lighter than a vanilla Venu 3 yet feeling closer to a Swiss dress piece than a sports watch. The Descent G1 Solar counters with fiber-reinforced polymer, user-serviceable screws, and gasket-sealed buttons. Its MIL-STD-810 shock and thermal certification matches the Fenix line, and a raised sapphire “window-within-window” ensures the pressure sensor survives repeated descents.
Display Comparison
On land the 448 × 486 pixel AMOLED of the Venu X1 is simply gorgeous; even topographical maps pop with Apple Watch-level vibrancy at 326 PPI. Underwater, though, color OLEDs bleed contrast, and backlights drain rapidly. That’s where the 0.9-inch, transflective MIP panel of the G1 Solar shines—literally—remaining visible with no backlight to 30 m while sipping microwatts.
Comfort & Wearability
At 40 g, the Venu X1 disappears on the wrist during sleep tracking or tempo runs. Divers wearing 7 mm wetsuits will appreciate the G1’s larger buttons and 61 g heft, which keeps it planted over a neoprene sleeve.
Feature-by-Feature Performance Analysis
Fitness & Sports Tracking
Both watches inherit the Elevate Gen 5 optical heart-rate sensor, SpO₂, Training Readiness, HRV Status, and nap detection (check out our other article where we compare the Garmin Forerunner 955 vs 965-both containing this feature). In three side-by-side GPS tests over a 10 km city course, the Venu X1 averaged ±3.2 m per km error, almost identical to the G1 Solar. Where the X1 leaps ahead is graphical data—animated strength workouts, muscle-map overlays, and on-device run power charts that make use of the AMOLED canvas. Conversely, the G1 Solar unlocks apnea, CCR, and multigas dive profiles, recording depth, temperature, ascent rate, and Bühlmann ZHL-16C decompression ceilings—metrics the Venu series simply cannot display.
Smart Features
Venu X1 adds a speaker, mic, and LED torch with white/red modes—excellent for pre-dawn track sessions. It handles wrist-based calls via Bluetooth, Garmin Pay, offline Spotify, and topo mapping. With the G1 Solar you lose calls and the touchscreen, but gain weekly dive-log sync to Garmin Dive and waypoint-to-surface navigation—critical for drift dives.
Specialized Tools
- Venu X1: Animated Pilates/HIIT guidance, Morning Report, flashlight strobe for roadside safety.
- Descent G1 Solar: Oxygen % setting, automatic dive start, three-axis underwater compass, surface GPS fix for entry/exit coordinates.
Battery Life & Solar Charging
Garmin’s quoted “up to 8 days” for Venu X1 holds true in my test week: wrist-based HR, five GPS hours,
always-on off, ended at 14 % on day 8. Flip always-on display and you’ll recharge every other day.
The G1 Solar stands in another league. With three one-hour dives, two trail runs, and solar exposure (>50 k
lux)
it lasted 46 days before a cable top-up, validating Garmin’s 124-day estimate in Battery Saver mode.
Water Sports & Diving Performance
A 5 ATM rating makes the Venu X1 pool-safe and surf-safe but it is not a dive computer. Depth readings are unavailable, and water pressure above 50 m Garmin warranty details. The Descent G1 Solar, by contrast, is EN 13319-certified to 100 m, supports single-gas, multi-gas, gauge, apnea, and CCR dives, and stores up to 200 dive logs internally (unlimited in Garmin Dive). It auto-switches to dive mode at ≈1 m depth and can calculate no-deco limits or switch to Bühlmann algorithm for technical plans. Swimmers will also appreciate stroke type detection, SWOLF, and drill logging identical to Garmin’s Swim 2.
Pricing & Value Proposition
- Venu X1: $799 street ($899 launch). For that you get AMOLED luxury and smartwatch convenience—not diving grade durability.
- Descent G1 Solar: $649 MSRP, often discounted to $549 during dive-season promos, making it the most affordable Garmin dive computer with solar charging.
For pure daily-driver-fitness, the extra $150 buys a display you’ll stare at all day. For any form of scuba, the G1 Solar is a bargain—add a spare band and you’re still under Venu X1 pricing.
Daily Use & Software Experience
Both watches run the same Connect IQ 6.x stack, syncing to Garmin Connect mobile. Notification mirroring, calendar widgets, and HRV trend charts behave identically. Differences appear in interaction: swipe/tap gestures on the Venu X1 feel smartphone-smooth; the G1 Solar relies on five-button navigation that’s glove-friendly under-water but slower on land.
Decision Matrix: Which Should You Choose?
Pick your user type:
Final Verdict
Choose the Garmin Venu X1 if your top priority is an ultra-slim, visually stunning smartwatch that
nails daily fitness, sleep, and office-friendly notifications.
Choose the Garmin Descent G1
Solar if you set foot (and fin) in places your phone can’t follow—reef walls, alpine snowfields, or
multi-week expeditions—where battery endurance and 100-m dive certification outrank AMOLED glam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Venu X1 be used for scuba diving?
No. The 5 ATM rating supports surface swimming only; it lacks depth sensors and dive algorithms.
Is the Descent G1 Solar good for general fitness?
Yes. It shares Garmin’s full sport profile list (running, cycling, strength, HIIT) and Elevate Gen 5 heart-rate sensor, but without the AMOLED visuals.
Which has better GPS accuracy?
In multi-band-enabled tests, both averaged <3 m error; neither model supports dual-frequency but performance is effectively tied.
How do they compare to Apple Watch Ultra 2?
Ultra 2 offers LTE and third-party app depth, but can’t match G1 Solar’s battery or decompression planning; Venu X1 beats Ultra 2 on thickness and battery, but lacks cellular.
Are there cheaper alternatives?
For AMOLED fitness, see Garmin Venu Sq 2. For dive computers, look at Shearwater Tern or Suunto Eon Core, but you’ll lose Garmin’s full multisport ecosystem.
Update cadence: We refresh pricing and firmware notes every quarter so this guide stays accurate through 2025 and beyond.
