Garmin Venu X1 vs Descent G1 Solar: Which to Buy
The Venu X1 is the better everyday smartwatch. The Descent G1 Solar is the one to buy if you dive. Here's how they compare on screen, battery, water use and price.
Garmin Venu X1 vs Descent G1 Solar comes down to one question: do you scuba dive? If you don't, the Venu X1 is the better everyday watch. If you do, get the Descent G1 Solar, because Garmin says the Venu X1 is intended for surface swimming.
Both are in our Garmin watches lineup. At our prices, the Venu X1 is $699.99 and the Descent G1 Solar is $649.99, which is $50 less. The Descent G1 without solar charging is listed at $549.99, $100 less than the Solar.
Pick the Venu X1 if you want a smartwatch for workouts, sleep, calls, music and a big color touchscreen. Pick the Descent G1 Solar if you scuba dive, freedive or spearfish, or if you want weeks between charges.
Key takeaways
- The Venu X1 is for surface swimming. Garmin says scuba diving with it "may damage the product and will void the warranty."
- The Descent G1 Solar has six dive modes and a depth sensor rated to 100 m.
- Battery: up to 8 days for the Venu X1, up to 21 days for the Descent. Its 124 days with solar assumes 50,000 lux conditions, Garmin's test figure, and 3 hours a day outside.
- Only the Venu X1 lets you talk on calls through the watch and store music on it.
Garmin Venu X1 vs Descent G1 Solar: side by side
| Feature | Venu X1 | Descent G1 Solar |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 2 in color AMOLED touchscreen | 0.9 in monochrome MIP, five buttons |
| Weight | 40 g with nylon band | 66 g (Black listing) |
| Smartwatch battery | Up to 8 days | Up to 21 days, 124 with solar |
| Water rating | 5 ATM, surface swimming only | 10 ATM, dive-rated to 100 m |
| Dive modes | None | Six, including apnea and CCR (rebreather) |
| Calls and music | Speaker, mic, 32 GB music | Call alerts, phone music controls |
| Our price | $699.99 | $649.99 |
The Venu X1 wins on screen, weight and phone features, while the Descent G1 Solar wins on battery, depth and price.
Display, size and comfort
On the Venu X1, you get a 2 in (51.2 mm) AMOLED touchscreen at 448 x 486 pixels. AMOLED is a full-color screen type. You can set it to always-on, but that drops battery life to 2 days.
Over on the Descent G1 Solar, the screen is a two-window 0.9 x 0.9 in (23 mm) MIP display at 176 x 176 pixels. MIP (memory-in-pixel) is a monochrome, sunlight-visible screen type. There's no touchscreen: you run the watch with five buttons.
On the wrist, the Venu X1 is the lighter watch. Its case weighs 34 g, or 40 g with the ComfortFit nylon band, which fits wrists from 140 to 230 mm. The Black Descent G1 Solar listing weighs 66 g with its silicone band (the Ocean Edition page lists a 61 g case).
Venu X1 buyers can pick Black with a slate titanium caseback or Moss with a titanium caseback.
The Descent G1 Solar is listed in Black at $649.99. There is also an Ocean Edition listing at the same price.
Battery life and solar charging
Battery is where the Descent G1 Solar pulls far ahead. The lists below come from Garmin's manuals. Garmin's manual has no always-on figure, so that number comes from our product page.
Venu X1 battery by mode
- Smartwatch mode: up to 8 days
- Always-on display: 2 days
- Battery saver watch mode: up to 11 days
- GPS only: up to 16 hours
- All satellite systems: up to 14 hours, or 7 hours with music
Descent G1 Solar battery by mode
- Smartwatch mode: up to 21 days, or 124 days with solar
- Battery saver watch mode: up to 48 days, or unlimited with solar
- GPS mode: up to 26 hours, or 39 hours with solar
- Max battery GPS mode: up to 56 hours, or 205 hours with solar
- Dive mode: up to 25 hours
The solar figures above (124 days, unlimited in battery saver, 39 and 205 GPS hours) assume 50,000 lux conditions, which is Garmin's test figure. Lux is a measure of light brightness.
The 124-day figure (smartwatch mode) and the unlimited battery saver figure also assume 3 hours a day outside. If you spend less time outdoors, expect fewer days.
Real battery life also depends on what you turn on, like heart rate, alerts and GPS. Each watch has its own Garmin charger: a proprietary cable that plugs into the watch for the Venu X1, and a clip charger for the Descent.
Diving and water use
Here's the water side: the Venu X1 is rated 5 ATM. Garmin's manual says it withstands pressure equal to a depth of 50 m. That's a water rating, not a dive rating, so it doesn't mean the watch is safe for scuba.
For surface swimming, it's a fine watch. It tracks pool swims and open water swims, like the Descent does.
Garmin rates the Descent G1 Solar at 10 ATM. Garmin says it is designed to comply with EN 13319, a European standard for diving depth gauges. Its depth sensor is accurate from 0 to 100 m (328 ft). It has a built-in decompression model, and you can create open-circuit decompression plans on the watch.
The Descent G1 Solar's six dive modes
Garmin lists six dive modes:
- Single-Gas: dive with one gas blend, with up to 11 backup gases
- Multi-Gas: switch gas blends during a dive (oxygen from 5% to 100%)
- CCR: for closed-circuit rebreather diving
- Gauge: basic bottom timer features
- Apnea: freediving with faster data updates
- Apnea Hunt: like Apnea, tuned for spearfishers, with no start and stop tones
GPS and other watch features turn off during the dive itself. After a dive in Gauge mode, the watch only allows Gauge or Apnea mode for the next 24 hours.
Everyday smartwatch features
The Venu X1 is the better everyday smartwatch. Its speaker and mic let you take calls through a connected phone, talk to your phone's voice assistant and record voice notes. It also has an LED flashlight with a strobe mode, plus Garmin Pay.
It stores music from Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music on 32 GB. It pairs with iPhone and Android, and sleep tracking includes a Sleep Score and Sleep Coach.
You can wear the Descent G1 Solar every day, too. It shows call and text alerts, and gives you a sleep score and Training Readiness. It also runs apps from Connect IQ, Garmin's app store for watches. It can control your phone's music and turn its screen into a flashlight.
It has no speaker or mic for calls, though, so calls are taken on your phone. It doesn't store music. Garmin's manual covers Garmin Pay but says it isn't on every model, so ask us before you count on it.
Which one should you buy?
Buy the Venu X1 if...
- You want one watch for the gym, runs, sleep and your phone.
- You like a big color touchscreen.
- You want calls, voice commands and music on your wrist.
The downsides: up to 8 days of battery is short next to the Descent, and always-on drops it to 2 days. It has no dive modes. It also costs $50 more at our prices. See the Venu X1 product page for both styles.
Buy the Descent G1 Solar if...
- You scuba dive, freedive or spearfish.
- You want weeks between charges and spend time outside.
- You prefer physical buttons to a touchscreen.
The downsides: the screen is small and monochrome, and there's no speaker for calls. The Black Descent G1 Solar listing weighs 66 g with its silicone band (the Ocean Edition page lists a 61 g case). Check the Descent G1 Solar product page for current availability. If it shows as unavailable, contact us about availability.
Weighing a rugged outdoor watch instead? See our Venu X1 vs Fenix 8 guide. Coming from an older Venu? Our Venu X1 vs Venu 3 comparison covers what changed.
Shipping, returns and warranty
Both watches carry a 1-year Garmin limited warranty. We're a direct-ship retailer, so orders ship from Garmin or an authorized distributor. Handling takes 1 to 3 business days, and most orders arrive in 2 to 10 business days. We offer free standard shipping on most orders in the contiguous U.S.
Our return window is 30 days from delivery, and the watch must be unopened, unused and in its original packaging. A 10% restocking fee applies, you pay return shipping, and we don't do exchanges.
Frequently asked questions
Can you scuba dive with the Venu X1?
No. Garmin's manual says scuba diving with the Venu X1 "may damage the product and will void the warranty." If you dive, choose the Descent G1 Solar.
How long does the Descent G1 Solar battery last?
Up to 21 days in smartwatch mode, or up to 124 days with solar. The solar figure assumes 50,000 lux conditions, which is Garmin's test figure, and 3 hours a day outside. In dive mode, it lasts up to 25 hours.
Can the Venu X1 take phone calls?
Yes. It has a built-in speaker and mic, and calls go through your phone over Bluetooth. The Descent G1 Solar shows call alerts but has no speaker or mic, so you take calls on your phone.
Is the Descent G1 Solar good for swimming?
Yes. It's rated 10 ATM and has pool swim and open water swim modes.
Final recommendation
For the Garmin Venu X1 vs Descent G1 Solar choice, start with diving. If you never go below the surface, the Venu X1 is the better daily watch. If you dive or want weeks of battery, the Descent G1 Solar is the right tool and costs less.
Sources
- Garmin Venu X1 Owner's Manual: Specifications
- Garmin Venu X1 Owner's Manual: Battery Information
- Garmin Venu X1 Owner's Manual (PDF)
- Garmin Descent G1 Series Owner's Manual: Dive Modes
- Garmin Descent G1 Series Owner's Manual: Specifications
- Garmin Descent G1 Series Owner's Manual: Battery Life Information
- Garmin Descent G1 Series Owner's Manual (PDF)
