How good is the new Garmin Enduro (2021)?

On February 16th (2021), the Garmin Enduro was released. A serious sports watch for serious runners.

We’re going to have a look at the Garmin Enduro and compare it to both the Garmin Fenix 6 and Fenix 6 Pro Solar along the way.

These are some of the best sportswatches on the market in 2021, so let’s take a look.

Design

You’d be right in thinking the Garmin Enduro and Garmin Fenix 6 have an identical build. However, the Enduro does have a 0.1-inch bigger screen. You get the same chunky 51mm case and a 14.9mm strap.

The Garmin Enduro offers a new UltraFit nylon strap. The watch itself has green and yellow accents instead of the red you typically see on the Fenix range. It comes in two colours which are essentially either light or dark grey (carbon or steel).

The Enduro, Fenix 6 and Fenix 6 Pro Solar are all waterproof to 100m. Perfect for showers, rain, and surface swimming. You should expect the Fenix 7 to be the same.

Features

The Garmin Enduro doesn’t stray too far from older Garmin watches; in fact, the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar offers more. You get music streaming and third-party app integration, and more storage with the latter. Apart from this, you’ll hardly notice any differences, especially with the sports modes.

At first glance, the Fenix 6 Pro Solar offers more balance between function and smart features. However, the Enduro isn’t trying to be anything other than an endurance watch (as you’ll likely have guessed by the name). This is a hint toward its superpower.

The Fenix 6 is the cheapest of the lot, but it’s a bit like comparing the Apple Series 6 and the Apple SE. As the latter is a lighter version of the former, the same situation can be said here. The downside of the Fenix 6 is that it doesn’t have a solar panel. Apart from that, it’s like a lighter version of the Enduro.

As for storage, the official line is that the Enduro and Fenix 6 have the same 64Mb memory. However, the Fenix 6 Pro Solar offers 32GB.

Which is about right as neither the Fenix 6 or Enduro offer music support.

Display and Connectivity

The Garmin Enduro offers a 1.4-inch 280 x 280 display, whereas the Fenix 6 Pro Solar is 1.3-inches with 240 x 240. Both are reasonably low resolution.

Both models have both Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity, meaning you can get smart notifications delivered to your wrist as well as connecting various pieces of fitness equipment (if they’re Garmin, all the better for your user experience).

However, a standout difference is that the Fenix 6 Pro Solar also offers wifi, making it slightly smarter.

Battery Life 

Here we come to the best part about the Enduro. As you probably guessed by the name, battery life is a huge selling part. You can get between 70 and 80 hours when using constant GPS, or up to 95 days using expedition GPS mode. Though, as it’s a solar-powered watch, the obvious point to make is that you need strong and consistent sunlight to achieve this power.

Enduro VS Fenix 6 battery life

If you use the Garmin Enduro in normal smartwatch mode, it’ll go on for up to 50 days. There is no other smartwatch on the market in 2021 that comes even a fraction close to that. We can hear Apple Watch users wincing.

Even the cheapest Fenix 6 will give you 14 days in smartwatch mode and up to 48 if you disable everything but the essentials.

On the other hand, the solar panel on the Fenix 6 Pro Solar boosts this to around 54 days in smartwatch mode and 36 days in expedition GPS mode.

So if you’re here looking for a long-lasting sportswatch, the Enduro is calling your name.

For further comparison with smartwatches, even the best on the market right now like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 doesn’t last more than a couple of days. The Apple Watch 6 won’t give you more than 17-18 hours. Even less sophisticated (and therefore less battery-draining) trackers like the Mi Band can only offer around a month using just the bare necessities.

Is the Garmin Enduro worth the money?

Now you know a little more about these watches, the decision on which is the best is entirely up to you.

As for the new Garmin Enduro, if you want beastly battery life and you’re a hardcore ultrarunner, this is the perfect device for you. If you’re too focused on your trail to worry about distractions like music, the lack of storage won’t bother you either.

The middle man here is the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar. Where it offers better onboard storage and music streaming, it lacks battery life. So if entertainment on the go is important to you, this is your best choice.

Finally, if budget is an issue, the Garmin Fenix 6 is going to be your best friend. The hit you take here is the onboard storage and battery life (which, let’s be realistic, are still phenomenal compared to Fitbit, Samsung and Apple). 

At nearly $800 for the Enduro and the Fenix 6 Pro Solar, it’s worth considering your requirements carefully.

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Last Updated on November 26, 2021