Mares

Mares Genius

A color-screen computer with 5-transmitter air integration and a 500-cycle rechargeable battery.

Open BLE sync (libdivecomputer)

Syncs wirelessly with third-party apps (Subsurface, Currents, etc.), not just the manufacturer app.

Mares Genius
3.7Comparison Score
$799
Buy on AmazonBuy on Scuba.com
Released2019
Max depth rating150m
AlgorithmBühlmann ZH-L16C with gradient factors
Air integrationwireless
Wirelessbluetooth
Display2.7" full-color LCD, QVGA 320x240, 256,000 colors
Batteryrechargeable
Digital compassNo
Gas typesair, nitrox, trimix
Gas switches5
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
  • Bright, high-resolution 2.7" color display (420 cd/m2)
  • Wireless integration for up to 5 tank transmitters with color-coded readouts
  • Rechargeable 18650 Li-ion battery good for about 40 hours per charge
Cons
  • No built-in digital compass
  • Rechargeable-only battery, no field-swappable option
  • Wireless tank transmitters are typically sold as a bundle or add-on, pushing all-in pricing well past the base computer price
Diver community sentiment
Mixed opinions

Divers generally like the Genius's hardware, praising its large bright color display, intuitive four-button menu, strong battery life, and, per one reviewer's 40-dive test, solid AI transmitter connectivity for single-tank recreational use. Recurring complaints center on software: a clunky, dated interface with no customization, stalled firmware updates, a "squirrelly" compass that stays jumpy after calibration, an oversensitive ascent-rate alarm and premature max-depth alarm that other computers don't trigger under identical conditions, slow tank-pressure detection, and buggy Bluetooth syncing. One independent reviewer scored it 6.9/10 and declined to recommend it, citing Mares' abandoned software/firmware support.

Scubaboard: Mares Genius Computer threadScubaboard: Mares Genius experience threadDiveOtter: Mares Genius review (6.9/10)

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

The Genius is built around a large color display and heavy multi-transmitter air integration, aimed at divers running more than one tank or stage. Mares pairs it with adjustable gradient factors on the standard Bühlmann algorithm rather than its older RGBM implementation. Street pricing swings widely by retailer and bundle, expect somewhere around $570–$800 for the computer alone.