Dive computers are an amazing tool to have when you’re exploring the depths. Problem is, they’re kind of pricey, especially Garmin’s feature-heavy models. The Garmin Descent X10 looks to make the outfit’s dive computers just a bit more accessible.
The outfit’s entrydive computer, it straps on your wrist much like their other diving wearables, giving you an easy way to see vital information while underwater. Except, it’s a little more affordable than the rest of their offerings, making it an attractive option for folks looking to get their first dive computer.
The Garmin Descent X10 has a 2.1-inch monochrome display in a landscape orientation, so it has a wider profile than your typical smartwatch, which is necessary for the kind of information layouts it needs to show. It has a 320 x 240 pixel resolution, which should allow it to offer enough detail on the smaller display panel. The screen is backlit, so you can easily read it in the increasingly dimmer surroundings the deeper in the water you go, while being always-on, eliminating the need to perform any action to activate the display. Since this is just an entry level dive computer, it’s only rated for depths of up to 100 meters, which should be good enough for the entry-level users this wearable is aimed at.
It supports single-gas scuba, apnea, and gauge dive profiles, while using the classic Bühlmann ZHL-16c algorithm for its calculations, with allowances for low, medium, high, and custom conservatism. NDL depth-aware metrics let divers see how specific depth changes affect their no-decompression limits in real time, while offering possible extensions to their bottom time. It offers auditory and vibration alarms for ascent rate, PO2, OTU, NDL, and deco, with the ability to set up to 40 custom alerts for each dive mode. There’s also a rental mode for dive centers and charter operations who plan to rent out the watch, making it easy to configure it to suit each diver’s experience level.
The Garmin Descent X10 can be paired with the Garmin Dive smartphone app, which you can use to simulate a dive before ever getting in the water. That means, you can prepare for the experience before actually going through it, so you can know what to expect when the dive happens for real. Dive logs, by the way, are automatically uploaded to the app, with entry and exit locations marked and saved using your phone’s GPS. Oh yeah, that’s an important one – the dive computer doesn’t have a GPS of its own, so it needs to use your phone for geolocation tasks.
It has an integrated battery that’s rated at up to 50 hours in dive mode, with the charge holding steady for up to six months on standby. Other features include a chemically-strengthened glass lens, leakproof inductive buttons, 120MB of onboard memory, device syncing capabilities with compatible Descent models, and optional plastic bezel guards in four different colors to change up its looks. The housing, by the way, is also compatible with Garmin’s QuickFit tool-free watch straps if you want other strap options.
The Garmin Descent X10 is available now, priced at $349.99.
