I walked 6,025 steps with the Apple Watch 12 vs Garmin Venu X1 — and the winner is clear
Can the Apple Watch 12 really beat the more premium Garmin Venu X1 at fitness tracking accuracy? I just had to find out.
The Apple Watch Series 12 and Garmin Venu X1 were tested side-by-side to determine which smartwatch provided more accurate fitness data during a 3.30-mile walk. Both wearables included a manual step count for comparison.
In terms of step count, the Garmin Venu X1 came out on top, counting 6,076 steps - 51 steps more than the actual manual count. In contrast, the Apple Watch 12 overestimated the number of steps taken by 391 steps, a notably higher discrepancy.
Both devices registered a similar elevation gain of 246 feet during the walk, though the Garmin Venu X1's figure may be slightly inflated. Strava logged 246 feet of climb, aligning closely with the Garmin's reading.
Strava also measured a slightly longer distance of 3.31 miles, just a tenth of a mile more than both smartwatches. The Venu X1's moving pace metric matched Strava's pace of 16 minutes and 11 seconds per mile, while the Apple Watch 12 did not provide moving pace data.
Heart rate data matched perfectly between the Garmin Venu X1 and Apple Watch 12. Overall, the Garmin Venu X1 demonstrated more precise step count and elevation tracking in this comparison, while the Apple Watch 12 lagged behind in these areas.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Guide's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
