Garmin

Garmin Descent G2

AMOLED display comes to the G-series, with recreational, technical, and freediving modes.

Manufacturer app only

Not supported by libdivecomputer. You're locked into the manufacturer's own app to get dive logs off this computer.

Garmin Descent G2
3.2Comparison Score
$699.99
Buy on AmazonBuy on Scuba.com
Released2025
Max depth rating100m
AlgorithmBühlmann ZHL-16C with gradient factors
Air integrationnone
Wirelessbluetooth
Display1.2" AMOLED touchscreen, 390x390 resolution, sapphire lens
Batteryrechargeable
Digital compassYes
Gas typesair, nitrox, trimix
Gas switches12
CCR capableNo

"Gas switches" is how many different mixes this computer can be programmed to switch between mid-dive, mostly relevant for technical/staged-decompression diving. It doesn't tell you which gas types (air, nitrox, trimix) are supported. See Gas types and the product description above for that.

Pros
  • AMOLED display, a step up from the G1
  • Supports recreational, technical, and freediving (including pool apnea) modes
  • Dive Readiness score, variometer, and velocity chart carried over from Garmin's dive line
Cons
  • No air integration
  • 100m depth rating, same ceiling as the G1
  • Still a smartwatch form factor, not built for tec/CCR use like the X-series
Diver community sentiment
Mixed opinions

Existing Descent G1 owners on Scubaboard were lukewarm on the G2, arguing its main gain is the AMOLED screen (at a battery-life cost) and questioning whether new software like the Dive Readiness score is worth the price. Independent reviewers were more enthusiastic, praising the display's sunlight readability and the wellness/dive integration. On r/diving, owners similarly describe it as a solid, no-drama recreational computer with strong battery life for a color touchscreen, but say its display is small for reading data quickly underwater and several would only recommend it to divers who also want a everyday smartwatch, otherwise pointing them to a dedicated Shearwater. Recurring complaints across sources: no wireless air integration, a proprietary charging cable, and battery draining faster than advertised on multi-dive days.

Scubaboard: Garmin Descent G2 launch discussionDiving Life: Garmin Descent G2 reviewDiverBliss: Garmin Descent G2 review after 40+ divesr/diving: Garmin Descent G2 any good?

Summarized from public forum discussion (Scubaboard, Reddit, and similar), not a survey we ran ourselves. See the linked threads for the original conversations.

The G2 keeps the G1’s watch-style form factor but swaps its monochrome MIP screen for a 1.2“ AMOLED touchscreen, the same panel tech Garmin uses across its higher-end wearables. Underneath, it runs the same Bühlmann ZHL-16C algorithm with adjustable gradient factors as the rest of Garmin’s dive lineup, off a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery rather than a swappable cell. It’s a capable recreational-to-technical computer for divers who also want an everyday GPS smartwatch, but the 100m depth ceiling and lack of air integration keep it out of serious tec territory.