Garmin - Enduro 3

Love my Enduro 3. Insane battery life and really impressive navigation features for hiking. Great strap too.

Garmin Enduro 3 is the best bang for buck!

If someone is just working out for a 30-60 min a few times a week, sure, it doesn't matter. Many people pursue outdoor activities where they are measuring GPS, elevation, HR, etc. pretty much all day, often multiple days in a row. Canyoneering, backpacking, multipitch climbing, ultramarathons, mountaineering, backcountry hunting, ironman triathlons, etc. In those instances, battery life is a very real issue and the 970 (along with most other AMOLED watches) falls short. I agree that having both is crazy though. If someone needs the battery life, just keep the Enduro and call it a day.

Yes. It's everything I wanted and more. I'm charging it maybe every 14-16 days. It's pretty sweet

I have the Enduro 3. I was skeptical about the size, but stopped noticing it after a few days. I am really happy about the long battery life and glad I didn't choose a Fenix instead. I can run activities with GPS for days on and it barely draining any battery. I like to use the watch for city use as well. The map conveniently shows things like public restrooms and water sources. I would say that Garmin's own maps are pretty shitty, and the GPS is not good at redirecting which is very strange for a premium device. Maybe if you subscripe to the Garmin map subscription it will be better, bit ai havent tried it. I find that using third-party apps like OSMand works much better. Basically, there are two ways the navigation can work when you have a route set. The default is that you have to follow the selected route, otherwise the watch alerts you that you have gone off course. The second option you can configure in route settings that it will redirect you towards your destination if you go off course. Now, if you follow roads or major trails this works decently. However, if you if you go on small trails or completely off any trail, the device gets confused. What happens then is that it completely cancels your course or redirects you back to the beginning, meaning you have to start the course again from the watch. This happens to me even if am walking on a small trail that is visibly marked on my watch. I have had my watch for a few months and still learning to work around it. Maybe I can configure something in my settings, but I haven't found a good solution. If you are doing a backpacking trip where you mostly walk in one direction, it's not an issue, but if you are out exploring while having a course configured it really becomes cumbersome. I have found the workout is to pause the GPS with the action button on the watch, the start it again once I am back on my course. I haven't tried watches from other manufacturer's, so I dont know if the navigation features works better.

I just did the same switch after 5 years on whoop to the enduro 3, no regrets at all. Especially with barely anything changing in the 5.0.

My enduro 3 last around 27 days and use it for open ocean water swimming, it tracks you with gps which uses more battery but ive never once had an issue with battery life. The lowest ive ever gotten it to was 6 days and wasnt even worried at that point lol

You can't know, what updates other watches may get though. I can buy a Garmin Enduro 3 right now just for the features it has, but it would be very wishful thinking to buy an Apple Watch right now, hoping it will get a feature I want in the future. In other words, if I compare watch A and watch B, I will look at what they can do at purchase and not buy the one with less features/worse specs because maybe in the future it will have more/better features than the other.

Not on the list but.. Enduro 3. Look into it. Best garmin in my opinion, best value

Also surprised. I used an Enduro 3 all summer, pretty good watch by the way and last gen OHR sensor from Garmin, and the results vs my AWU1 were bad. A lot of cadence lock for example. It was not bad all the time but it was much less reliable than my Ultra gen 1. Then again those kind of results are also very dependent of the user physical profil so I guess it's hard to make some generality. And I use also an external arm band when I train so...

So I get about 2 weeks out of my enduro 3, how are you getting 30? Caveat - I go for 2-4 bike rides a week, each of them at least 3 hours, often 5, and Garmin does the workout tracking obisouly. I wonder if that's enough to bring battery life down ("down" being a relative term of course, 2 weeks is still very good).

I would certainly go for something with solar, which I think the Forerunner 965 doesn't have, if you do hiking trips of several days and want to track all of it. The Fenix 8 has more "smartwatch" capabilities (e.g. built-in mic) vs. the Enduro 3, which is more of an "ultra outdoor performance" watch. In conclusion, for only gym + running, I would go for the cheaper Forerunner 965. Including the hiking, I would go for the Enduro 3 or the Fenix 8. If you want crazy battery life, you should probably opt for the Enduro 3, but if you want more of the smartwatch capabilities, you can choose the slightly more expensive Fenix 8. Both will surely do the job as they are both exceptional watches.

Coming from an appme watch do not go MIP, you will regret it. I got the enduro 3 and sold it, got the fenix 8 and love it, dont make my mistake

I did about 16.5km of walking yesterday, wearing both my Garmin Enduro 3 and my PW4. What I saw in comparing GPS and distances between the two matched what the YouTube reviewers have said--the GPS on the PW4 isn't currently as good as Garmin, but it's not bad, either. It's close enough that it's good enough for me, unlike tracking activities with my Oura Ring 4's app, which uses the phone's mediocre GPS and resulted in a \*20%\* error compared to my Garmin on both of my test walks. One thing I think that PW4 does better than Garmin is the number of calories and exercise strain, etc., you get for walking. Garmin has always been too stingy with walking, hiking, working hard in the yard, etc. DC Rainmaker as commented on that, too, so it's not just me. On my main, 13.4km fast-paced, walk yesterday, Garmin gave me just over 1200 calories. Fitbit gave me 1597 calories, which I feel is closer to reality, given how fast I was walking and where my HR was. The PW4's sleep tracking seems quite good so far, too, based on just my first two nights. That's another area where I feel Garmin isn't the greatest. I think it might even be doing better than my Oura Ring 4, and that's saying something (not like any of them are even close to 100% accurate, though). I guess that was my "long-winded" way of saying that so far, my experience with the PW4 matches closely with the reviews that are out there as of last night. I'm excited to see how it does tracking my next ride.

Enduro 3 is sure hard to beat. I had Fenix 8 47mm AMOLED but I traded for the Enduro as I wanted longer battery life. I didn't care about the mic and speakers. The Enduro is very light for it's size, has amazing battery life, and I think has better buttons.

I get about 2 weeks. Bought new this January. About 10-15 hours of GPS tracking per week.

After using the Whoop for approximately 5 years (with an current streak of 1874 consecutive days) and recently purchasing a Garmin Enduro 3, I've put together a side-by-side comparison of the two. This analysis focuses on my primary use cases: hiking/rucking/walking, weightlifting, sleep tracking, and recovery monitoring. **Disclaimer:** The Whoop 5.0 is being released today. This comparison focuses exclusively on my experience with the Whoop 4.0 vs. the Garmin and does not discuss any new features that may be available in the Whoop 5.0. # Hiking/Rucking/Walking **Winner: Garmin Enduro 3** The Garmin is superior for outdoor activities: * Built-in GPS tracking without requiring cell signal * Access to maps directly on the device * More accurate step counting * Ability to view metrics directly on your wrist instead of opening an app Whoop 4.0 requires a cell signal for tracking, which is often unavailable on trails, severely limiting its usefulness for hikers and outdoorsmen. # Weightlifting **Result: Close Tie** Both devices have their strengths for strength training: **Garmin Pros:** * Phone-free workout experience * Automatic rep tracking (though not always accurate) * Slightly better heart rate tracking during lifting sessions **Whoop Pros:** * Easier logging of warm-up sets and weights * Exercise demonstrations available * Custom exercise options * Converts workouts into daily strain score Your preference may depend on whether you value the phone-free experience of the Garmin or the more detailed logging capabilities of the Whoop. # Sleep Tracking **Winner: Whoop 4.0** Sleep tracking is Whoop's specialty and primary strength: * More accurate sleep and wake time detection * Better overall sleep analysis However, after tracking sleep for 5 years, I've learned my sleep patterns and the factors that affect them, so the additional insights from Whoop have diminishing returns. # Recovery Monitoring **Winner: Garmin Enduro 3** While Whoop excels at sleep tracking, Garmin provides better overall recovery insights: * "Body Battery" metric offers an intuitive energy level gauge * "Recovery Time" provides specific guidance * Less likely to use poor recovery scores as an excuse for inactivity With Whoop, I sometimes found myself using low recovery scores as justification for skipping workouts. The Garmin's Body Battery approach feels less intrusive to my thinking, really only taking it very light when I hit <15%. # Cost Comparison **Winner: Garmin Enduro 3** * Garmin: Higher upfront cost, but no recurring subscription * Whoop: Lower initial investment, but continuous subscription fees Over my 5 years with Whoop (mostly on month-to-month payments), I could have purchased \~2-3 new Garmin watches (depending on the model) for the same cost. Additionally, the new Whoop 5.0 requires all new accessories, as they're incompatible with the 4.0 model. # Battery Life **Winner: Garmin Enduro 3** The battery life difference is substantial: * Garmin: Solar panel enables potentially unlimited battery life; currently showing 10 days remaining at 23% charge * Whoop: I find my Whoop 4.0 only lasting me about 4-5 days, and the wireless battery is hard to keep up with. Even the new 5.0 model maxes out at 14 days For those who dislike frequent charging, the Garmin is clearly superior. Also Garmin has the added subconscious benefit for me of "if I spend more time outside I can get longer battery." # Comfort **Winner: Whoop 4.0** Whoop is significantly more comfortable for 24/7 wear: * After 5 years of continuous use, comfort has never been an issue * Only discomfort occurs when the band gets wet (not an issue if you don't swim or shower with it) The Garmin Enduro 3 is fairly comfortable but kind of giant even on my thick wrist making it more noticeable and also sometimes difficult to sleep in. # Screen vs. No Screen **Winner: Depends on Personal Preference** I think one of the biggest selling points for people on the Whoop is that there is no screen. Something that appealed to me for a while until I decided I wanted to cut back screen time on my phone. Do you see where I'm going with this? Any time I want to check my whoop data or do a workout, it means more time on my phone, which feels counterproductive to my less screen time goal. With the Garmin, I can check metrics without using my phone right there on my wrist. I think it's important to note here, I don't use any "smartwatch" features on my Garmin and have it set to receive zero notifications from my phone. I use it as a fitness and recovery tracker and that's it. # Conclusion For my specific needs, the Garmin Enduro 3 has proven to be the better overall choice, despite Whoop's superior comfort and sleep tracking. The Garmin excels in outdoor activities, provides comparable strength training features, offers better recovery insights, has significantly longer battery life, and eliminates recurring subscription costs. Your ideal choice may differ based on your specific priorities, but after 5 years as a dedicated Whoop user, I've found the Garmin Enduro 3 to be a more comprehensive and cost-effective solution for my fitness tracking needs. \*\*\*EDIT\*\*\* For anyone wondering, if you have Blue Cross Blue Shield for insurance you can probably get 20% off Garmin devices through their discount program.

Can you wait until Black Friday or Boxing Day? Might be a good deal on a Garmin Fenix7 to 8 or COROS Pace/Apex 2. Garmin Enduro 3 is probably the best for ultras >100miles with it's solar recharging capacity, but it's a steep price.

Here I am reading Reddit posts and shopping around to replace my Fenix 6 Pro (non solar) which has been my daily driver for 5 1/2 years which I always kept every bell and whistle activated and now I have to charge every 3-5 days depending on what activates I do. I would get 8-10 days when new. Hiking, golf, walks, mountain biking, HIIT, strength training, and even mowing the lawn. 3-9 GPS activities a week. Then I see you guys referencing 18-34 days with the Enduro 3 and I think you sold me. Especially over the Summer months when I'm putting in 15-20 hours a week on my road bike but I'm using an Edge head unit. The watch should just keep itself charged. I was considering waiting for the new Forerunner but this just makes more sense to me.

I have one too. Relatively light on activity, about 5 hours of gps tracking a week, but I hit those numbers. Around 30-35 days on a full charge.

I was in the exact same shopping dilemma as yourself about 2 weeks ago. I opted for the Fenix Solar 47mm. More expensive than the Endruo3 but I didn't want the larger sizing. I had a Fenix 5 47mm and wanted similar sizing. On a pure practicality basis - Enduro3 is the clear winner. I wear my F8 Solar 47mm to the office, gym, beach and it's never looks out of place. Personally the 51mm of the large Fenix and Enduro don't sit nicely under a closed cuff of a shirt. I also have slim/medium wrists, so the 47mm works better for me Just don't touch the F8 Pro, waste of money . Another really good option is the F7Pro. Personally too, I deliberately at length over the AMOLED screen vs MIPS. As others say the AMOLED feels too much like a device and gadget. F8 Solar MIPS is certainly bright enough and in "gesture" mode, disappears into the background when not "using" Good luck shopping

For health monitoring and not multi day or very long outdoor use cases, I think you'd be better suited by the AWU3. If you want health tracking as a primary goal, the evidence is clear that the AWU sensors and data is more accurate. FWIW I love my Enduro 3, clearly the best Garmin I've ever had, but it will only be used on race day. The AWU3 gives me so much more every day help for my health and wellness.

the enduro 3, name says it all, spend a bit more and get a lot more, there are offers around

I recently switch from my AWU 1 to the Enduro 3 in July. I originally got the FR970 and it was fantastic, but the Enduro just spoke to me, and I loved the idea of a MIP display that was always on and still allowed 30 days of battery life. Anyways, the first few days I was comparing the 970 too much to an Apple Watch. After my first few runs, the Garmin finally clicked for me, and I will be sticking with Garmin for the long haul. The way the data screens work, the way it helps you stay on pace with an interval meter showing high/low pace, the way it counts down with beeps before the next interval, and the way the buttons make it seem so simple to navigate... I just fell in love with it. Mind you, it did have a learning curve and some frustration coming from watchOS, but it was also fun learning something new after the stagnation that is watchOS. My biggest learning point was to disable the "back" button from being the lap button lol.. accidentally cut an interval way short trying to fiddle with menus on that one. I don't subscribe to anything and I find that Connect works fantastic for me, and integrates better with Runna than Apple Health. And to put one more thing out there.. my non-techy wife was tired of her Apple Watch dying every day and recently got into lifting and running. I somehow convinced her to try a FR570 and she is never going back to her AW. So.. idk, Garmin has been great for us.

the Enduro 3 has the same buttons as the previous Fenix versions, so they are waterproof. Garmin just did some marketting effort to sell the new F8 button as leakproof, implying that the other design was not. I've been swimming with my F6 for 4y and never had any issue with water ingress.

Enduro 3 is the best... Large Battery and solar 🔋

Worth it for me. Even with strength training it can show you that you are overdoing it. Training readiness, recovery and HRV trend insights are still useful. New devices also have access to free strengths workouts and easier manual entry of reps and weights during the exercise. (Fenix 8, Enduro 3, FR970, not sure about 570)

I just switched from the whoop to the Enduro 3. Thought the screen less concept would make sense but when my training got more serious it was lacking

Hey folks, I've been an Apple Watch guy since 2021. Picked up the SE (1st gen) back then and it's been on my wrist every single day since. I mostly lift, cycle, swim, hike - and just recently got into running. The SE was a great entry-level watch for me. Cheap, reliable, and did what I needed. I never bothered with the fancy models because... honestly, I just needed something to track my workouts. But after 4 years of daily use, the battery finally gave up on me. It was never great to begin with (charging once a day was standard), but recently it got to the point where I had to charge it multiple times a day. If I went for a 1-1.5 hour outdoor run, it would drop from 100% to 20-30%. Super annoying. I looked at the newer Apple Watches, but honestly? Not much has changed. Same story, same battery issues. So I started exploring Coros and Garmin. And after way too many YouTube reviews and Reddit rabbit holes, the Garmin Enduro 3 kept popping up. King of battery life. Rugged. No-nonsense. Problem: it's $1500 AUD new in Australia. Way over budget. Solution: second-hand marketplace hustle I stalked FB Marketplace, Gumtree, eBay - everything - for months. And last week... jackpot. Someone listed a 2-month-old Enduro 3 for $950. Basically brand new. But here's the kicker: • Brand new Garmin HRM 600 included • Two official UltraFit bands also included • Everything legit, receipts, etc. I honestly thought it was a scam at first 😂 but after verifying everything and a bit of back-and-forth, I negotiated it down to $900. Easily my best tech deal ever! First Impressions after 7 Days of use- Coming from an Apple Watch, the Enduro 3 feels different... but in the best possible way. I've got a 165mm wrist, and despite how big it looks online, it's shockingly light and comfy. Here's what I've done since charging it to 100% on Day 1: • 3 outdoor runs • 2 cycling sessions • 3 weight training sessions • 3 long walks (one was over 2.5 hours) • Slept with it every night Battery right now? Still at 70% with 27 days left. 🤯 I'm used to babysitting my Apple Watch charger like it's a Tamagotchi, so this feels unreal. I did tweak some settings to optimize battery: • SpO2 set to "On Demand" instead of "All Day" or "During Sleep" (saves around 20-30%) • Notifications off (I don't need pings on my wrist, I had most notifications off on my AW as well) • Backlight at 10% brightness (still plenty bright) • Everything else on default How It's Been to Use- • GPS: rock solid so far. • Heart rate: surprisingly accurate, and pairing with the HRM 600 was instant. • Flashlight: I thought this was a gimmick... it's not. It's stupidly bright. • Solar charging: it actually works. Not magic, but it does slow battery drain outdoors. I tested it on a sunny day where I left the watch in direct sun, showing over 200% intensity. In 1 hour it harvested over 100k lux hours and battery went up 1%. So no, it's not replacing a charger, but it does help stretch the battery out. 1 % in enduro 3 context translates to several hours of use, even days under right settings. Yeah, you could put the watch in low power mode and sunbathe it for hours to squeeze out more, but at that point... just plug it in 😂 (unless you're out in the wilderness or doing some crazy ultra adventure). Final Thoughts - Honestly, I'm blown away. Everything I didn't like about the Apple Watch is basically solved with this. I haven't even thought about charging this thing all week. It tracks everything I need, feels great on the wrist, and just works. And with the deal I got, it's a no-brainer. But even at full price, I can totally see why people rave about this watch. It's built like a tank, crazy battery, and zero fluff.

Ma batterie sur enduro 3 .. en mode econo me dire 50j. Et 30j en mode normal. C'est une grosse montre par xontre. Pas pour tout le monde

So... I have the Enduro 3 myself... yes it's a slightly bigger watch for small wrists but also very light and comfortable to wear and to use for activities, battery life is insane, solar function even better than Enduro 2. Personally I'm happy (it's also cheaper than the Fenix 8) but I've seen several posts now on the Garmin forum about GPS accuracy which would be even more important if you go on multiday hikes depending your routes... [https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/enduro-3/420425/inquiry-about-enduro-3-gps-accuracy](https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/enduro-3/420425/inquiry-about-enduro-3-gps-accuracy) I have not yet figured out myself if GPS settings have become too complicated or if there is indeed a problem - maybe someone else has more experience?

Hahah yeah f Garmin at this point. Always been a fan but damn these last few years are going down steadily. Love my E3 and T7 pro before but woof this is awful

Fenix, at that range can prob pick up thr 7x pro these days in sales and specials, or look at the enduro 3 if your budget will stretch to the new range. I've tried lots, (do triathlons and alot of mountaineering, at all altitudes) and nothing comes close to the garmin ecosystem, especially when you start adding on inreach etc for sat comms and weather if going remote. I do alot of remote stuff and yea the inreach is super useful for trips that dont need a full on dedicated sat phone in which case it becomes a back up option but also allowing progress to be monitored remotely. Any other watch just are not durable enough or primarily handle the battery requirements. Sadly as far as I can see on a practical level garmin have no competition at present for high end users. Note I use a chest band also for HR, again garmin, but the one on the watch is perfectly good for most scenarios. Edit also in terms of wristwatch ive yet to find a barometer as good as the garmin for accuracy but also for ease of seeing trend. Again vital for safety.