Garmin Enduro 3: One-minute review
The launch of the Garmin Enduro 3 was undeniably overshadowed by the company’s decision to unveil the Garmin Fenix 8 alongside it. The new Fenix brought the AMOLED Epix and Fenix under one name but at a premium price.
The Enduro line puts battery first, all while offering most of the features from the Fenix series. The Enduro 2 did that more than the original Enduro and for the Enduro 3, the remit remains the same.
It promises over a month of battery life on a single charge, with new solar charging display technology to push things even further than a month. Garmin has included its new software, which brings changes to features like mapping and navigation with a new dynamic round-trip routing feature that will let you adjust your route on the fly. Those software changes make using the Enduro 3 feel more like using a smartwatch. It also adds in a new optical heart rate sensor, which brings temperature and ECG-style tracking into the mix as well as offering a boost in heart rate monitoring accuracy.
That’s all while giving you everything great we got on the Enduro 2, for less money than its predecessor and the new Fenix 8. It’s still a very expensive watch and is going to be too pricey for many. You get what you pay for here and if rich sports tracking, training analysis, the best mapping features, and huge battery life are things you want more than anything, that’s what the Enduro 3 will give you.
The Garmin Fenix 8 is deservedly one of the best Garmin watches. But, if you can live without an AMOLED screen and some additional voice-based smartwatch features, the Enduro 3 is great too and will go longer than the Fenix too.
Garmin Enduro 3: Specifications
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | Garmin Enduro 3 |
| Price | $899/£769/AU£1,549 |
| Dimensions | 51 x 51 x 15.7mm |
| Weight | 63g |
| Case/bezel | Fibre-reinforced polymer, titanium bezel |
| Display | 1.4-inch, 240 x 240 transflective |
| GPS | GPS+Beidou+Glonass+Galileo+QZSS |
| Battery life | 90 days (320 hours GPS) |
| Connection | Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi |
| Water resistant | Yes, 10ATM |
Garmin Enduro 3: Price and availability
- Price for Enduro 3 is $899/£769/AU£1,549
- Prices for 43mm Fenix 8 start at $999 / £949 / AU$1,699
The Garmin Enduro 3, unlike the Fenix 8, comes in just one size option and costs $899/£769/AU£1,549. In contrast, Garmin’s Fenix 8 series starts at $999 / £949 / AU$1,699, so is something of a step in price even if you opt for the cheapest model.
When the Garmin Enduro 2 launched it sat at $1,099/£929/AU 1,749, so that’s somewhat surprisingly a drop in price for the latest Enduro, which isn’t typically the case when a new model in a Garmin watch series arrives.
Put that up against other outdoor watches outside of Garmin’s own, it’s pricier than the Polar Grit X 2 Pro and the Suunto Vertical. You can also include smartwatches like the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra as cheaper alternatives to the Enduro 3 that, unlike the Enduro, pack in AMOLED displays.
Garmin Enduro 3: Design
- Comes with a nylon strap
- Less prominent Power Sapphire lens
- Lacks Fenix 8 leak-proof buttons
The Enduro 3 sticks very closely to the design of the Enduro 2, including a slightly thicker 51mm, all-black polymer case, titanium bezel, and a very comfy black nylon strap. The differences lie with the same-sized, 1.4-inch, 280×280 resolution touchscreen. While you don’t get a colorful AMOLED one like the Fenix 8, you do get a display that’s a good size and does a much nicer job of masking its solar charging display abilities.
Garmin is using an improved version of its Power Sapphire lens, which once again has the ability to harvest sunlight to give you more in-between charges. Along with being able to perform that task in a more efficient manner, the red ring on the Enduro 2 to indicate those onboard solar powers is now gone, leaving a much clearer and overall nicer transflective display to look at. It is still a breeze to look at in much brighter outdoor light and marks an upgrade both aesthetically as well as in how effectively the Enduro can now harvest that solar power.
Outside of the changes in the display department, this is a watch that feels very Garmin. You’ve got a pretty standard array of physical buttons that aren’t the leak-proof kind included on the Fenix 8. It’s suitable for swimming up to 100 meters depth and uses Garmin’s go-to proprietary charging cable. If you liked the LED flashlight on the Enduro 2, there’s now a brighter one on the Enduro 3. The strap included is a quick-fit kind, which makes it easier to swap in an official or unofficial band. The nylon one included though makes this watch, which will still no doubt be a hulking one for some, a little more manageable and comfortable to wear 24/7.
Garmin Enduro 3: Features
- New user interface
- Richer mapping and navigation features
- Gen 5 Elevate heart rate sensor
The headline news on the Enduro 3 is that the software it’s running on is all new. You won’t get it on the Enduro 2, but you will find it on the Fenix 8 and future Garmin watches. That new software is really centered around bringing sports watch and smartwatch features closer together and making the Enduro 3’s mapping and navigation modes easier to do on the move. Those new mapping and navigation features are led by a new dynamic round-trip routing mode that will automatically adjust your route in real time for whatever reason you need to adapt your route.
The core sports you can pick from stick largely to the same ones as the Enduro 2 with a bigger emphasis on strength training and letting you follow plans to factor that work into your training schedule. These plans range from 4-6 weeks and aren’t just for people who choose weights over cardio. This is about helping runners, cyclists, and swimmers to incorporate more strength training to reap the benefits of it in those sports.
On the hardware front, Garmin has upgraded the Enduro’s optical heart rate sensor to its latest Gen 5 one, which features inside of the Fenix 7 Pro, Epix Pro, and the Fenix 8. Along with promising the best heart rate accuracy that Garmin has to offer, it also unlocks the ability to take ECG-style measurements and temperature readings from the wrist. Those might not necessarily be the biggest reasons you’d be looking at picking an Enduro 3, but for those wanting a better mix of general wellness and sports tracking, the Enduro 3 offers a little more on that front.
In terms of other software features, this is a watch that arms you with an LED flashlight, offers training insights like altitude and heat acclimation, and gives you daily morning reports to tell you if you’ve slept well and whether you’re in good shape to train. While it lacks the new voice features included on the Fenix 8, does still let you pay your way, download apps and customize watch faces, and download and store music from services like Spotify.
Garmin Enduro 3: Performance
- Impressive battery life once again
- Slightly improved HR performance
- Richer mapping support
The Enduro 3 mirrors a lot of what we got in the Enduro 2 and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. That’s never more true of the Enduro 3’s standout quality, and that’s the battery life. Whether you’re using it like a smartwatch or using it with its best GPS accuracy mode, you won’t be reaching for a charger for weeks. I managed to get just shy of a month from it and that was while mainly using it with its most accurate GPS mode. I used it for outdoor runs, indoor workouts, pool, and open water swims, and the battery performance really impressed
You do get that added reserve of solar charging, which boosts battery performance considerably. 36 days of battery in smartwatch mode becomes 90 days. Getting to that number requires regular exposure to sunlight to top up those reserves. I could see from spending just a couple of hours in strong sunlight how that battery is noticeably topped up too.
The multi-band GPS support is as good as it is on other Garmin watches like the Fenix 8 and the Forerunner 965. If you’re looking for accurate GPS support in more challenging conditions, the Enduro 3 is fit for the job. Moving to Garmin’s latest Gen 5 Elevate optical heart rate monitor does see a small improvement in the reliability of heart rate tracking but as I do find with bigger Garmin watches, it struggles at high intensity such as when I used the Enduro 3 for harder running sessions.
While the first Enduro missed out on Garmin’s great mapping support, that changed for the Enduro 2 and the Enduro 3 gets the best Garmin has to offer on that front now. That includes adding new ways to toggle and change map views and also features Garmin’s new dynamic round-trip routing, which does take a few minutes to adjust routes before you can be on your way again.
Garmin’s efforts to make strength training feel more a part of the tracking experience is a valiant attempt. Especially when elements like rep counting aren’t impeccable on sports watches in general. Adding plans that are presented like Garmin’s running ones makes it easy to follow plans, which is going to be welcomed by those that typically neglect it.
Garmin Enduro 3: Scorecard
| Category | Comment | Score |
| Value | Great value for a top-end outdoor watch | 4/5 |
| Design | Discreet solar power makes it nicer than the Enduro 2 | 4/5 |
| Features | A truly feature-packed sports watch that misses out on a few new smarts | 4/5 |
| Performance | Delivers where it matters most, including battery life | 5/5 |
Garmin Enduro 3: Should I buy?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider…
How I tested
I wore the Garmin Enduro 3 for over a month to completely drain the battery, tracking activities like running, swimming, and using mapping and navigation features. I made use of smartwatch features like notifications and music support and wore it alongside the Garmin Fenix 8 to compare GPS accuracy. I also used a heart rate monitor chest strap to gauge the performance of heart rate tracking for both steady-paced and high-intensity workouts.
First reviewed: December 2024
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