{"id":213149,"date":"2025-06-25T12:43:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T12:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/213149\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T12:43:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T12:43:16","slug":"i-walked-7000-steps-with-the-apple-watch-ultra-2-vs-garmin-venu-x1-and-the-winner-is-clear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/213149\/","title":{"rendered":"I walked 7,000 steps with the Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Garmin Venu X1 \u2014 and the winner is clear"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new Garmin Venu X1<\/a> and Apple Watch Ultra 2<\/a> have a lot in common. Both are flagship smartwatches with big square touchscreens, sleek titanium cases, cutting-edge wellness and fitness tracking tech and $800 price tags.<\/p>\n

These sporty, oversized wearables also come jam-packed with safety features, workout training and recovery tools, useful sleep insights and handy communication features. However, only the Apple Watch<\/a> Ultra 2 is cellular compatible.<\/p>\n

But which one tracks your fitness more accurately? That’s what I set out to find out in this Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Garmin<\/a> Venu X1 walking test.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Garmin Venu X1: Compared <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve already covered how the Garmin Venu X1 could finally be the Apple Watch Ultra 2 alternative I\u2019ve been hoping for<\/a>, though further testing of the former is needed to confirm its bona fides.<\/p>\n

That said, one key advantage the Ultra 2 might have over the Venu X1 is when it comes to location tracking accuracy. This is because the Apple Watch has a comparatively more sophisticated multiband GPS antenna versus the single-band GPS in the Garmin.<\/p>\n

Multiband is especially helpful when using GPS in locations with obstructed skies, like cities or forests. And as a resident of Seattle, Washington, I\u2019m fortunate to have access to both via a short walk out my door.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also fortunate to have just gotten my hands on a Garmin Venu X1 review unit, which means that it\u2019s time for a classic Tom\u2019s Guide smartwatch walk test showdown between two titans of the wearables world: Apple versus Garmin.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Garmin Venu X1: Walk test<\/p>\n

Most of you probably know the drill by now, but for any newcomers, the following is how we test smartwatch tracking accuracy head-to-head. One device is worn on either wrist; in this case, the Garmin was on my left and the Apple Watch on my right.<\/p>\n

The main metric we\u2019re comparing here is step count accuracy, followed by distance and elevation gain. As a control for the first, I manually count each step taken during my walk. With my left foot only taking odd-numbered steps and my right foot taking only even-numbered ones, I keep tally until the total hits on hundred. Then, I click my old-timey manual tally counter and start the process over again at one.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Strava (run on a trusty iPhone 12 mini) acts as a control for distance and elevation data.<\/p>\n

So which of these two powerhouses turned in the more accurate set of metrics, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 or the Garmin Venu X1? Check out the table below for results, followed by my analysis.<\/p>\n

Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Garmin Venu X1: Walk testSwipe to scroll horizontallyApple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Garmin Venu X1<\/p>\nHeader Cell – Column 0 <\/p>\n

Apple Watch Ultra 2<\/p>\n

Garmin Venu X1<\/p>\n

Control<\/p>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

Step count<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

6,959 steps<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

7,056 steps<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

7,000 steps (manual count)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

Distance<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

3.74 miles<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

3.77 miles<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

4.07 miles (Strava)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

Elevation gain<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

458 feet<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

486 feet<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

478 feet (Strava)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

Average pace<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

17 mins, 17 secs per mile<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

17 mins 26 secs per mile<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

15 mins, 46 secs per mile (Strava)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

Average heart rate<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

125 bpm<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

125 bpm<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

n\/a<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

Max heart rate<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

158 bpm<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

159 bpm<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

n\/a<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

Total calories burned<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

547 calories<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

445 calories<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

n\/a<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

Device battery usage<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

5%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

12%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

n\/a<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Across the board, this was a very close one, with both smartwatches performing admirably. However, with a total step count that’s just 41 steps shy of my actual total, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 beats the Garmin Venu X1, which overcounted by a still reasonable 56 steps.<\/p>\n

For what it’s worth, Strava bested both devices with a step count total of 7,004 steps.<\/p>\n

Apple and Garmin both measured roughly the same distance covered, which is \u2014 interestingly and oddly enough \u2014 a full quarter-mile less than Strava’s metric.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Garmin’s elevation gain data more closely aligns with the control, with just 8 feet separating the two; Apple undercounted by a more notable 20 feet.<\/p>\n

Pace data is also roughly the same between the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Garmin Venu X1, while Strava’s elapsed pace metric is quite a bit faster. This makes sense given Strava calculated a further distance covered in the same amount of time as the other two.<\/p>\n

Heart rate data is additionally a near match between these two premium wearables, while the Apple Watch noted slightly more calories burned during my roughly one-hour walk. On the flip side, Garmin burned through more than twice the battery capacity as Apple, using GPS to track my trek.<\/p>\n

Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Garmin Venu X1: Winner<\/p>\n

\"Close<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia\/Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

As predicted, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 had a slight upper hand when it comes to tracking accuracy. However, both devices produced step count totals that I’d consider well within a margin for error. More importantly, across the board, both the Garmin and Apple Watch largely produced the same data, from heart rate to pace.<\/p>\n

There are a few exceptions. This is far from the first time I’ve encountered an Apple Watch that undercounts my climb data compared to the competition. Still, I’d consider either smartwatch to be a rock-solid fitness tracker and more than worthy of your wrist.<\/p>\n

Which wearables should I test head-to-head next? Let me know in the comments below.<\/p>\n

More from Tom’s Guide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new Garmin Venu X1 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 have a lot in common. Both are flagship…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":213150,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3160],"tags":[1685,53,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-213149","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-gadgets","9":"tag-technology","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114744066881727185","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213149\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}