(Image source from: Gizmochina.com)
Garmin has introduced its new smartwatches for pilots, named the D2 Air X15 and D2 Mach 2, tailored for aviators and those leading active lifestyles. The D2 Air X15 comes with a 45mm casing made from stainless steel and reinforced polymer, paired with a black silicone band, while the D2 Mach 2 is offered in sizes of 47mm and 51mm featuring titanium or DLC-coated bezels along with QuickFit straps. Both models boast 1.4-inch AMOLED screens, aviation connectivity through PlaneSync, advanced flight information, health and fitness monitoring, GPS navigation, and durable battery performance, merging functionalities suited for pilots with those of a standard smartwatch. The cost of the Garmin D2 Air X15 is $649.99, which is approximately Rs. 57,100, and the Garmin D2 Mach 2 is priced at $1,349.99 for the 47mm model (around Rs. 1,18,600) and $1,499.99 for the 51mm version (roughly Rs. 1,31,800). These smartwatches can be bought in the US through the Garmin website.
Garmin's D2 Air X15 and D2 Mach 2 are smartwatches created for pilots and active individuals. The D2 Air X15 has a 45mm casing made from stainless steel and reinforced polymer, comes with a black silicone strap, weighs 38g, and fits wrist sizes between 135mm and 200mm. The D2 Mach 2 is available in two sizes: 47mm and 51mm, featuring cases made of reinforced polymer, bezels from titanium or coated titanium, and options for QuickFit silicone or Italian leather bands. It weighs 73g with the strap and can fit wrist sizes from 125mm to 208mm with silicone bands and from 132mm to 210mm with leather bands. Both models include 1.4-inch AMOLED displays with a resolution of 454x454 pixels. The Garmin D2 Air X15 offers an optional always-on display and protection with Gorilla Glass 3, whereas the Garmin D2 Mach 2 has a screen visible in sunlight, protected by a sapphire lens and a sensor guard. Both watches feature touchscreens and the option to use large text.
For aviation use, the Garmin D2 Air X15 and Garmin D2 Mach 2 can connect to avionics systems and PlaneSync for access to aircraft dashboards. They provide flight information and alerts for crew, share aviation morning updates, support voice commands directly on the device, and enable pilots to make geo-referenced voice notes. Pilots have the ability to personalize aircraft icons based on whether they are flying a piston, turboprop, jet, or helicopter.
The Garmin D2 Mach 2 includes detailed aviation maps featuring landscape details, terrain shading, airspace limits, waypoints, VOR stations, a tracking path, and notifications for weather that goes beyond personal safety thresholds, such as crosswinds, height limits, and visibility conditions. The Garmin D2 Mach 2 also caters to recreational divers with a diving capacity of 40 meters, allows single-gas scuba diving, and has a timer to track when it's not safe to fly. Both watches merge flight-oriented tools with standard smartwatch options, giving pilots and active individuals a versatile device for training, fitness, and exploration. Both the Garmin D2 Air X15 and the Garmin D2 Mach 2 monitor blood oxygen levels with Pulse Ox, ECG through the Garmin app, sleep quality and data, training status, and overall readiness. They come with integrated maps, music storage, support for Garmin Pay, multi-band GPS, a speaker and microphone, and provide voice calling and messaging when connected to a compatible smartphone, along with an LED flashlight. The D2 Air X15 has a water resistance rating of 5 ATM and comes with 8GB of storage, while the D2 Mach 2 boasts a water resistance rating of 10 ATM and offers 32GB of memory. Both devices use a special plug charger made by Garmin for power.
The D2 Air X15 is said to provide up to 10 days of battery life when used as a smartwatch, up to 25 days in battery saver mode, and up to 20 hours when only using GPS. The D2 Mach 2 claims to deliver up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, up to seven days when continuously on, up to 23 days in battery saver mode, up to 47 hours using only GPS, and up to 37 hours for flying activities with GPS and SpO2 monitoring. Depending on how it is used, the smartwatch can last up to 26 days, according to the manufacturer.
