Garmin - Enduro 3

That month doesn't include hours of tracking each day. That will cut it down to about a week or less. (Source: Garmin Enduro 3 owner)

No, Enduro 3 has the longest battery of all of them. "Better" is relative and what do you mean by "performance oriented"? It will help if you can describe what kind of activities you want to do and what expectations you have from the watch.

I had an Enduro 3 from the release date up until December, and I loved mine, but was disappointed with the battery life. From charge to charge, I was only getting 18 or so days with activity tracking. I picked up the Fenix 8 51mm AMOLED, and I’m somehow getting about a week more of battery life. I feel like Garmin has given up on MIP. The Enduro 3 was supposed to be the king of battery life, but I didn’t find the case. You can find tons of complaints on this of people saying MIP battery life is nowhere near what Garmin claims and somehow AMOLED is spot on. 

I feel like with quick charging the Apple Watch battery is no longer a big deal, just plug the watch when you take a morning dump + shower and it's good to go for the next 24h when you're done. And that's with the ones with bad battery life, with Ultra you can do it every 2-3 days instead of daily. And while Garmin is great for fitness, AW is so much better at being a smartwatch (so much smoother, so much better notification handling/app availability etc) that I genuinely think it's a better pick for a lot of people now. I'd only go for Garmin if you're really a serious runner (3/4 times a week) or truly need mapping. Let's not even mention the fact that AWU3 starts at 799$, and Garmin equivalent is ~1200$. Or Apple Watch 11 (399$) vs Venu 4 (549$). And I'm saying it as Enduro 3 owner, who's relatively happy with the purchase.

Which new running metrics are?I rhink enduro 3/fenix8 have all of them.

True, I get about a month on the Enduro 3 and I use GPS activities quite often like MTB for example. Its insane!

You are correct BUT despite the cool features its the frequent charging that made me ditch ANY smartwatch… The Enduro is the only one that does not make me feel that way, that said im fully dedicated to sports features.

My almost 10 year old Forerunner 735XT lasts longer than that, even if I keep it on during showers and record my commute to work and back every day. Newer, more powerful Garmin watches, like the Enduro 3 or Instinct 3, are even more impressive.

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.

I have an E3 but want to try the 970. I still have my T7 Pro and great after 3 years but wanted less weight on my wrist.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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 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.

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…

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.

I tested both. Depending on what you want/like, the Race 2 is half the price of the Enduro. Is payments and a flashlight that difference worth to you. To me it’s certainly not. I always have my wallet and I survived 30 years of endurance sports without that hyped flashlight. Handy? I guess so, so is an automatic vaccüm cleaner. Do I need one? No because I stretch my hams while cleaning. 2 for the same price.

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

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.

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

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. 

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

This! Love my enduro 3

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.

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)

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.

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.

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?

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 

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.

I went from an Instict 1 to a Enduro 3 and can confirm with other comments that the design for the Instinct is certainly the worst of the others for the UI. The Instinct is meant to be more like a Gshock, just smarter, so it is meant to be minimal. The watch face selection by Garmin was mind blowingly awful for me too. I found a lot better selection, and way better customization opportunities from garmin.watchfacebuilder.com. A lot of great pre made ones and it's rather easy to copy an existing watch face and make it what you want. 30 day free trial is a lot of time to create a few and load to your watch. For a 6 day battery life, that is incredibly short. You might have unnecessary tracking turned on maximum or other settings.

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 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

I have had Enduro 3, sold it due to unexpected restarts. Apex 4 is another dimension Absolute reliability, rigorous data, maps are another chapter, immediacy is absolute The small screen, but the big data. Greetings

Well I have been using Gamin products since 2000 where I bought my first handheld GPS. I am on my third watch - is currently rocking a Enduro 3. But I have to say that I am not sure that my next watch will be a Garmin. One thing is that their prices has gone mad but that they on top of that wants me to pay additional for premium experience of my premium paid watch is over the top.

I am on my third Garmin watch (Enduro 3) but if Garmin keep the current direction I expect it to be the last. Should I buy a new watch today I would probably go with one from Suunto.

I ran with a friend who has a Coros on Friday. We didn’t get exactly the same distance or total incline though close. Maybe it is me being a Garmin user but I think my Enduro 3 is the most accurate. But one thing that I noticed was that when the trail was hard to follow he had good use of his watch including information on changing altitude on the navigation screen. This just underlines my perception that there is pluses and minuses in the different brands approach to what we need. And that the pricing might be getting too steep from Garmin’s side - at least to me.

The Enduro 2 or 3 is the best option on the market as far as I'm concerned. Maps, tracking, and other features are amazing, battery life is basically infinite if you aren't using GPS. It is expensive, but resale is also good, and you can possibly use your HSA to get it tax free if you buy new. It's worth noting too that the watch is much more efficient on battery life than a phone for GPS tracking, so using a watch like the Enduro may allow you to downsize your external battery pack or maybe leave it entirely at home if you're depending on GPS for navigation.

That's just what's covered by default. You could get an Enduro 3 or Fenix or whatever approved for HSA spending also if you get a letter of medical necessity from your doctor. This is obviously a YMMV situation, but most doctors are happy to write a LMN for their patients simply using it as a fitness and heart rate tracker.

Enduro is more for crazy long activities that require extreme battery life. The other one is just a fancy running watch with some new metrics that will eventually come to the Enduro 3...or maybe they are already there, anyways if you're happy using both then use both and Garmin away.

I have both. AWU2 and an Enduro 3. AWU2 is an iPhone on your wrist. Nothing beats that, specially since I'm a runner and can actually go out without my phone and being reachable by my family just in case. Enduro 3 is my training device since I am an ultra runner. Which one is better? Depends on what you are comparing :) Sleep = AWU, GPS = Garmin (sometimes), HR=AWU (most of the times), you get the idea. Until Apple comes up with a week long battery AWU, I'm stuck with the Enduro on my left wrist.

I have tested a lot of wearables and I can tell you this. Nothing compares to the Apple Watch as far as smart features. If you're looking for top notch sleep tracking Garmin IS NOT THE WAY. Apple's algorithm is far superior to Garmin's. Would the Venu 4 be a good fit for you? Sadly there's only one way to find out. Bite the bullet and get the watch. Worst case scenario you will end up using both, best case you end up making your mind up. I came back to the Apple Watch Ultra because of the integration and the fact that I can go for a run without my phone, but I'm training for a 100k race and the integration of the app I'm using is better in Garmin. I wear my AWU 24/7 and the Garmin when I train. Aaaaand to answer your questions: Why Garmin? The battery life and the metrics during my events (ultras, we're talking about 10 to 17 hours non stop tracking) Regret? Technically not regret, is just that Garmin 24/7 didn't give me as much as an AW did. Since I'm deep into the ecosystem (iPhone and Mac) nothing beats my AW integration. Why AW again? I just decided to test the waters for a bit and now I have more data to back up my decision. Garmin's metrics are nice and all but when you are constantly "harassed" by your watches metrics to do better or that you're not doing enough that is a deal breaker for me. I have enough with my own brain telling me to push harder to have a Goggins watch tell me that my run sucks (looking at you performance conditioning!) just because it is something that goes against the algorithm that Garmin has. From all these experiments (Coros Pace 3, Helio Strap and Ring, Garmin Enduro 3, T-Rex 3 Pro), I can tell you for sure that the best combo for me is the AWU2 24/7 and Enduro 3 while training paired with my Helio Strap (24/7). How did I come up with this? By biting the bullet and actually getting the tech (caveat that most of my tech were gifts from my family who support this nonsense as long as I don't kill myself during training for races XD). Good luck!

Battery life and ease of use sadly would have to go to Enduro 3. I run Ultras and also have the AWU2 and Coros Pace 3. The Enduro 3 is just perfect for what you described. Not even expensive and I think that Garmin does a lot of things wrong but the watch and it's price is spot on on this one. It's beefy but not cumbersome and light for what it looks like.

I’ve had my enduro 3 for 2 months now. Came from an Apple Watch Ultra 1 and I couldn’t be happier with the switch. I ran my first 50k and my Apple Watch died at mile 28. I finished it and my reward was an enduro 3

Welcome to the club of charge once a month & forget! I found the charging on the Fenix 8 was too cumbersome so went with the enduro3 and never looked back! On top, the stock band really delivers in comfort more than any band I got for the Fenix!

Howdy -- I'm also an avid Apple user, fully embracing their ecosystem/"walled garden" -- BUT, I'm totally sick and annoyed with the shitty battery life of the Apple Ultra(1), and I just bought a Garmin Enduro 3. I regularly follow TrainingPeaks-based programs, from Cycling, Triathlon, ski-prep, trail running, etc. -- I do lift and follow Matt Fraser's HWPO but haven't yet used the new Strength templates in TrainingPeaks. For those already in the Garmin ecosystem, what are the best apps for each discipline I should be looking at/buying??

to be honest, even without sport, its my favorite watch (in my case Enduro 3) There are so many usecases other than sports!

Heavy is subjective. I wear an enduro 3 daily and was surprised by how light it was when I expected it to be heavier

I have one of these and get nowhere near this once exercise is factored in. The battery life is really good, but 35 days is pushing it.

On Sunday I bought it and charged it to 100% and it predicted 31 days and now it predicts 29 hahahahaha I keep looking at the clock thinking that it won't download quickly, I also have a forerunner 979 and it's also surprising, it wins by far

If you’re looking at the new Forerunner 970 then I would consider the fenix 8 or Enduro 3 as they are both currently on sale. All three are very similar and you really can’t go wrong with either one. I personally like the flat screen on the fenix and Enduro over the curved screen on the Forerunner.

So one always thinks they need a touchscreen on Garmin, and everyone really feels they need it, but after just one month, almost everyone I know, says they almost never touch the screen, the ui is so obviously made for the buttons and that also saves the battery. The exact same thing applies to amoled, everyone’s (except those with serious eye sight issues), I’ve heard say they would have loved mip cause it’s always on without consuming battery - so you can always keep experimenting with watches faces without fast battery consumption. Thus I don’t know whether you should get the 965 or not, but you could consider it on all these metrics. If you asked me which one, I’d say enduro 3, and if you can fork up more money Fenix 8 solar. 965 has the older 4th gen sensor and that’s the heart of the watch. If you’re on absolute budget, and are ok with older sensor then 255 and if you need a new sensor but don’t have the budget for enduro 3 then 570. But that’s cause I am very biased to forerunner.

Garmin Enduro 3. Best watch I’ve owned.

Moved to Garmin a year ago and haven’t looked to go back to Apple. Main thing for me was the battery life cuz I just got sick of the constant charging. Never used the Apple Watch to talk into it or use it for text messaging. I do have the Enduro 3 and love the MIP screen. I run quite a bit too.

I’ve been pretty happy with my Enduro 3. I came from a AWU Ultra 1 and I don’t miss it one bit.

I had the original AWU and at the time the battery life was at like 85% so I was charging every night. So I looked into Garmin cuz I have big running goals and first bought an Instinct Solar 2. Loved it so much I ended up getting the Enduro 3 when it came out. I get 3 weeks of battery, the light on the watch is awesome and I use it all the time. The GPS was another factor cuz with the APPLE Watch it uses MAPS so it’ll actually reconfigured your location to go around a street instead of thru a trail path unlike Garmin. Plus I never really used any of the smart features. I can still view who text me or calling but can’t respond which isn’t a deal breaker for me. Also love the physical buttons when your hands are sweaty or have gloves on. There more plus than negative for me with a Garmin.

enduro 3 owner here if the only purpose is running/gym/day hikes etc 970 if you plan on doing multi day backcountry trips, ultra marathons or basically anything requiring looong battery then enduro

Any Garmin watch can do this what you need. The improvements have been very incremental in the past 3-4 years. ECG, microphone, LTE are not very useful, ignore them. Here are a few watches that stand out and I would buy for myself. I use Garmin watches since 2017, and had like 10 different models. I trail run, bike, and swim. Approx prices. For exercise outside, the 5 button setup with MIP screen is the best IMHO. Forerunner 255 is great price/performance, light, slim, does everything. $250 Enduro 3 is top of the line, latest tech, a few weeks battery life easily. But it is a big watch. Has maps and navigation. $800 Instinct 3 Solar Tactical has great battery life and looks cool (all black), is rugged. $450 Less optimal, I wouldnt buy: If you want more a smartwatch style, with bright amoled and touch screen first, check out the Vivoactive 6. But with sweat, sun etc. the buttons and MIP is much better in practice. Cheapest Maps would be Forerunner 955. You can expect 2-4 years from your watch.

Was the ideal watch for me the Fenix 8 AMOLED or Solar, no, after months I got the Enduro 3 and it's what I should have originally gotten! I love mine!

*sits smug knowing that I am pulling off the 51mm*

So background - Diehard MiP user - Had other Fenixs before making the jump from Fenix 7 SS to Fenix 8 Solar as I thought I would use the voice assistant more. I did not and found I had worse battery life then I sent it back and I had AMOLED FOMO, and yes the AMOLED screen is amazing but my issue is that I want to glance and see the time, AoD chews battery but I could deal with that, it was the issue of distroying the display with burn in and at night my watch would glow and I didnt like it, sent that back and got the Enduro 3, I nearly went back to the 7 but I know someone who does ultras and said to try the Enduro 3. All the features (even ECG and advanced sleep stuff) bar the Mic/Speaker and Dive stuff comparied to the Fenix 8. The watch is lighter and I like the Polymer body more on my skin. The buttons have nicer feedback and, this point is subjective and could be conformation bias, but I feel the watch is quicker and more responsive. Its like the CPU doesnt have the voice stuff to run and its nicer to use. The one remaining killer feature is that Nylon quickfit strap that it comes with, keeps the watch snug during activites and just feels nicer that the silicone one. The price point is what sealed the deal to keep the Enduro 3. I use mine for Running, Hiking, Cycling and Indoor Gym work. As I have a GPS with 'Proper' Global Iridium inReach, I cant say the Fenix 8 Pro holds any intrest to me with its Skylo inReach. For the first time in ages I could see me keeping this watch and also replacing its battery like I did with my Fenix 3. It will be a sad day when MiP goes and I think Garmin have to keep in mind that folk want that display tech or something like it.

In daily use and as someone who is clumsy, its been fine. I dont notice the height over any of the Fenix's I have owned, and as a big guy I always get the larger ones. I have 2 quickfit silicone bands, both Garmin ones that came free with orders in the past, one that is the green that matches the Enduro 3 accents (and these are very subdued accents) and its the spare I tend to use, and a black one for anything.. more formal if I remember. These also get used if I know I am going swimming but usually its because the main band is wet or being washed. Enduro 3 matches the Fenix 8 Black DLC style watch so what ever you see that Fenix fitting in to, the Endruo can do it too. I would point out that even though im a function over form guy, its smart enough I wear it all the time. I have no experance with metal link bands as I am not a fan of them but the Enduro 3 uses the 26mm quickfit system so the Garmin ones would work.

If you are willing to spend 800 on the Fenix 7 you should have a look at the Enduro 3. The Enduro has for 99% the same functionality as the Fenix 8 but much cheaper and better battery for hiking. I used to use a GPSMAP 64S for hiking but now I use the Enduro 3 for following the track and if I want to have a overview of the whole track and zoom in and out I use the Garmin Explore app. The app makes real time use of the GPS data of the watch so it saves battery consumption of the smartphone.

Wait till 255 fails unless you have too much money to spend. I would rather go 955 or Enduro 3 rather than the always on/off Amoled 970. But as long as my 255 is working, I will not switch.

I might go for the enduro considering the weight. Meantime had ordered the fenix amoled from the offer but cancelled when I saw its close to 95 grams… that’s too much :(

Ended up getting the Enduro 3. Thanks for helping me decide :)

You might also consider the Enduro 3.

Battery life and also the price compared to the Fenix 8. The only downside is the screen since its MIP but has solar charging. But if you prefer AMOLED go with 975 or Fenix 8. To give you some perspective I made the switch from AW to Garmin. AW6 -> AW Ultra 2 -> Garmin 965 -> Enduro 3.

Garmin enduro 3. You won’t need another watch.

Enduro 3 is light weight, and comfortable to wear. It also lasts forever.

I run the enduro 3. Its super light weight.

I have a Garmin 955, AWU, Coros 2, the Garmin is the only one I wear. Coros doesn’t play well with others, AWU battery barely makes it through a single day, and the Garmin charge lasts about a week. The more training you do the faster the battery dies, for me as an Ironman Triathlete the AWU is an absolute no go. The Coros has connectivity issues with other training apps & equipment and the Garmin works with everything and has good battery life. I had a Garmin Enduro3 which was far better than the FR955 but it was too big for my girlie sized wrists.

My enduro 3 does 15 days max

I have a Garmin Enduro 3 and a UWU3 (preordered). I might keep both for now but we’ll see. I mainly used the garmin for running and hiking so I might keep it. I like the AW for everyday and I just like bigger watches

I have the enduro 3 and use it for golfing and in the gym! Absolutely love it

I went to Garmin a long time ago and haven’t looked back. Yes, Garmin has rolled out their own subscription service recently (which I don’t use or need) but all the core info is there for free and I feel for me at least, very accurate. I wear my Enduro 3 24/7 and routinely get 3-4 weeks of charge from it. Fuck Whoop.

Just got one two weeks ago, loving it so far. I'll be taking it into the Grand Canyon in 3 weeks... Maybe. If the shutdown doesn't stop me from entering the park.

The Garmin Enduro 2, or Garmin Enduro 3 are the best watches on the market for backpackers. These two watches offer the largest watch faces on the market, the longest battery life on the market, the best GPS-location and maps available on the market. For use case, I personally own the Enduro II, and have hiked 8,000 miles with it already. So it is a competition between the Enduro 2 and the Enduro 3 for best watch on the market. I have not yet upgraded to the Enduro 3, because I don't think the Enduro 3 offers enough of an improvement to warrant upgrading to it. Hear me out. A used Enduro 2 sells for $300 without taxes, and $400 with taxes. A new Enduro 3 sells for $950 after taxes. As someone who has extensively used the Enduro 2, I will explain as a real end-user, not the marketing fluff. The Enduro 3 offers 2x the battery life, and 2x the solar charging of the Enduro II. It stops there, these are the only meaningful improvements. But how useful is this addition, and is it worth 3x the cost? The answer is that the extra battery life is essentially never put to use use as a backpacker. You can run the Enduro II in GPS mode for 6 full days, and the enduro III for 12 full days. Consider, the longest hiking day most people would hike is 12 hrs. So if you run GPS-mode from 6 AM to 6 PM, you're actually good for 12 days of hiking on the Enduro 2 and 24 days of hiking on the Enduro III. As somebody who has hiked 8,000 miles and lived outside for a year, the longest stretch I ever went without hitting a town to re-supply was 8-days across the sierra nevada, and 6-days across the Bob Marshall wilderness. In my extreme case usage, 12-days is more than enough. Neither the Enduro II nor the Enduro III's solar can bring a dead watch "back" from dead, but the Enduro III's solar is better. Lastly, as a backpacker, you're already carrying a powerbank, so in the rare case that your watch were to die on an unexpected longhaul trip, you could nearly always re-charge your watch in the field. The nice thing about both the Enduro 2 and 3, is that in 99.9999% of use cases, you'll never actually have to do this. Hence, the Enduro 3 sells at 3x the price of the Enduro 2, for a marginal gain of battery life that won't ever actually be used by anybody, not even me after 8,000 miles. Based on all these considerations, I think the Enduro 2 on offer for $300-$400 used is the best watch on the market.

Enduro 3 ~40 days (although lately my battery has been draining about 5-10% daily or at least it seems that way despite having not worn it in a while) Instinct 3 Tactical Solar ~40 days Tactix 7 Pro ~25 days

Have had the Enduro 3 for about a month. Actually snagged an open box for $600 on ebay. I'm rather pleased.... I actually didn't want the new buttons on the Fenix 8. Sounds like people hate them, and I like a good click when I press a button.

Enduro 3 100% i love my Enduro 3 and the MIP display its a battery beast!

Its 36 days in smartwatch mode and 72hours with GPS so if you are a ultra runner/hiker Enduro 3 is the king!

Maybe your right i still think for sport use only Enduro 3 is peak!!

Best value 955, Best in my opinion no money spared would be enduro 3. If i also dived still maybe a fenix 8.

I decided to get an Enduro 3. Basically the same just...much cheaper and better solar recharging like an instinct.

Enduro 3 has much worse flashlight as well and it’s bulkier and thicker

Meanwhile, charged my enduro 3 a week ago. Had more than 20hrs gps activities since then and now have about 21d battery left.

Enduro 3 should have same latest HR sensor elevate 5. Also, Enduro 3 display is not bleak. It is MIP. Probably best MIP display in the market. Answering OP. You probably don’t need enduro 3 for your purposes.

If you are ok with the size and MIP display I would say Enduro 3 is the best garmin watch for the price right now. Have it for 6 months, it’s an absolute beast.

Garmin Enduro 3: day 25 still going strong

Enduro 3 if you don’t mind the MIP and the size. I wouldn’t worry about the weight, it is pretty light for its size.

I would try to wear it in a shop. Again, it doesn’t feel as heavy as it may look. Wearing it 24/7 and having no discomfort at all.

Enduro 3 is too big for my wrist so I went with the instinct 3 solar 45mm and have no regrets. I can get 3-4 days out of it tracking with HR(Bluetooth turned off). It’s very quick to add some charge off a battery bank if needed. I do collect a lot of solar up here in the Colorado alpine but to be honest when gps recording solar isn’t keeping up much at all because the drain is higher than the solar can take in. Enduro 3 is the better option but probably overkill. If you can afford it and like how it sits on your wrist go for it. If it feels too big then switch to an i3 solar.

Yeah I got the E3 and was just a little disappointed with the color (still) and the fact that the battery life wasn’t that much better in practice than my Fenix 7X. I now have the Tactix 7 AMOLED and I get all the features and a nicer display, still maxxing battery at 34 days with AOD off which is fine. Also Tactix looks amazing imo. Glad you like the enduro!

Yeah I got mine used and paid less than I did for the E3 I bought a few weeks before

I've run extensively in both, and ultimately use a Garmin Enduro 3 as my watch of choice for my specific circumstances (which are probably different from yours). A major blocker for me to use an Apple Watch has always been the touch screen. Living in Seattle, where running in wet weather is a common situation, it's super annoying to not having enough physical buttons to do workouts the way I want to. This was somewhat improved with the Apple Watch Ultra because it does have an extra physical button you can map to things like "next interval". The Garmin has full capabilities through physical buttons though. This is specifically an issue because when it's wet, particularly if you are wearing gloves or sleeves that might brush the screen, the Apple Watch touch screen is completely unusable because it'll trigger spurious touches. You can lock it, but that limits usability. If you don't lock it, it's a mess. I frequently had runs abruptly stopped and canceled. Super frustrating. The other blocker, which likely doesn't apply to most people, is the battery life. I can run with full tracking and mapping with my Garmin for over twice the time my Apple Watch Ultra can. As a mountain ultra runner that does distances of 100+ miles, this is very important to me. Even the Ultra 3, with much improved battery life, doesn't seem like it'd be enough to do a big vert 100+ miler without stressing over it dying. You can also use a Garmin, paired to HR monitor, to track an activity while it's charging so even something like the Cocodona 240 is within it's capability. I don't think that works on an Apple Watch, but I admit I've never tried it. The other stuff come down to a matter of preference. Apple Watch is way more an extension of your phone (for better and for worse) and has way less "fitness forward" functionality, they rely on their app ecosystem for a lot of things while Garmin builds those features themselves. I specifically find the route management and customizable workout functionality to be miles better in Garmin's ecosystem.

I had a really frustrating bug on my Enduro 2 where it would reset like clockwork in an activity over \~75 minutes with a map route to follow loaded. I have an Enduro 3 now and it's been very solid. The charger for Garmin does kind of suck. it's really easy to have it come unseated and have the watch not actually charge. I think going back to some improved flavor of the clip on the back design could be a great thing. That said, the fact you can charge it while you are moving and still maintain tracking for your activity is great for multi-day massive efforts and the Apple Watch doesn't really support that, nor do I think the magnetic charger would be easy to keep in place if the watch was on a running vest or something (I do also have an AWU so this isn't a purely speculative opinion, the magnet just isn't that strong on the charge). The charge in motion thing is definition an edge case for the extremes though.

So, after being spoiled with a flashlight, I will say it’s such a nice feature to have. That being said, it certainly draws a premium. I would highly recommend a previous generation device That would likely meet most of your needs without breaking the bank. Enduro 2, Fenix 7 Pro, and even the Enduro 3 can be had at good prices these days and have good battery life and a flashlight.

The Fenix 8 is objectively the best of those watches, but by far the most expensive. The Enduro 3, Fenix 7 Pro or Epix 2 Pro (if you want OLED, which is honestly a must for me now) have a very similar set of features but will be significantly cheaper. I personally wouldn't buy a watch for its solar charging - not only do some models of the Fenix series have that too, but all of those have great battery life to easily last multiple days, and in most cases, you will have the ability to charge your watch in some capacity at the end of the day. I can't say a lot about Coros, pretty sure they're fine too, but Garmin works great for me so I have no reason to switch

Enduro 3 here. Can confirm the battery life is insane. I sometimes go weeks without having to charge it.

u/ZakOnTrack: by "non-solar" You mean "i\`m alergeic to solar panels so i don\`t want it in my watch" or just "i\`m using watch in low light conditions"? if 2 - go for enduro (2 or 3) if 1 - amoled fenix 8 (no solar) [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/compare/?compareProduct=1228171&compareProduct=854515&compareProduct=851039](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/compare/?compareProduct=1228171&compareProduct=854515&compareProduct=851039) I had enduro2, now i\`m on enduro3 (well, i\`m gadget person). AMOLED watches looks pretty, are bright and crispy.. so i prefer mips ;)

Enduro 3. It's not even close, especially if you only use it during activies.

Besides battery and price the size makes it easier to read the map at a glance. I do a lot of trailrunning (day and night) where you need to pay a lot of attention to the trail which is easier with a bigger watch. Flashlight is great to. Between Fenix 8 and in Enduro 3 its mainly the price and I prefer the slimer bezel (and the mip display).

Fenix 7 watches were released in January 2022, Fenix 7 Pro was a mid-cycle product refresh in May 2023. And both offered "Sapphire" variants and/or "Solar" variants, which - in addition to the screen and solar power battery extension features - offered various other electronics changes. And all came in different case diameters. It's complicated, check the DCRainmaker reviews to see what's new in each: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2023/05/flashlight-multiband-everyone.html If I were buying today and didn't consider the satellite emergency connectivity feature (and attached monthly subscription cost, ugh) worth the insane price of the Fenix 8 Pro, I'd probably go with an Enduro 3.

\> "Recovery Monitoring" I never found "Body Battery" to be useful, for me it seems to fluctuate more or less randomly. I somewhat distrust "Recovery Time" since I noticed, while playing around with data screen configs, that recording a 2 min activity while laying in my bed, can easily give me >20h recovery time \^\^ Training Readiness, however, is usually on point, as long as I don't do the recovery time shenanigans and take care to manually correct buggy sleep tracking times. Readiness < 50 means rest day or very light workout, otherwise => good to go. It's a feature I never knew I needed, but is now among the most essential Garmin features for me.

I have it. Best battery.. .was unsure about MIP. Now I'm glad I chose it. I won't be watching videos or photos on it. It's a watch. But it works and battery Is great.

Totally agree on the Enduro 3 being the current champ but man that last part hit hard. The firmware bugs have been driving me nuts lately and don't even get me started on how they botched the LTE rollout. Still love my Garmin but you're right that it feels like they're kinda losing their way with all these premium price hikes and half-baked features

Specifically the Enduro 2. The 3 might potentially last longer with everything turned off and lots of sunshine, but I suspect, day to day, most people would have some more things running on the 3 that aren't available on the 2 but would drain more battery. I have the 2 and love it, but the 3 has some improvements I might take over a couple extra days' battery.

Money no object then just get the flagship Fenix 8. Enduro 3 is amazing but only comes in 51mm size where Fenix have 3 sizes.

Enduro 3 can go for up to 300h 🙂

Latest and biggest Garmin watch designed around battery longevity. Biggest battery and biggest solar panel. If you can handle the size and price it's an outdoorsman dream.

Consider the Enduro 3, based on your activities. As for the Forerunners, FR965 battery lasts longer. FR970 has brighter screen, that is why the battery drops faster. FR970 has the Elevate 5 sensor + torch. FR965 has the Elevate 4 sensor and no torch.

Stick with the Enduro. At the end of the day, the battery is worth it. It has the same sensors as the FR970. Plus, you have the MIP and the solar. Don't change if it ain't broken. I love the 970, but you have the same functionalities already with the Enduro 3. In my opinion, the Enduro is the unicorn from the Garmin lineup. Edit: Didn't saw that you already decided to stick with the E3. Good for you. Cheers!

I've noticed leaving the Bluetooth off on my phone does not drain the battery, but it does mean no notifications etc.

What is turning everything off? My E3 battery drains much quicker if the Bluetooth is connected, even though I am not doing an activity.

I wear both the enduro 3 and AWU 3. Both great watches. Love them both for different reasons.

I wear mine really tight and it matches my garmin heart chest strap paired with my enduro 3.

I have both the enduro 3 and AWU 3, and I use my AW much more. They are both on my wrists. AW makes things like texting, answering call and getting info such easier for me. Save so much time.

Get both wear both. They compliment each other. I wear the AWU 3 and and enduro 3.

I have had the Enduro 3 and it is a great watch. Unless you are doing week-long backpacking trips or ultra >=100k… then the FR970 will be a solid option. The FR970 has a slimmer profile height (from the wrist) which is nice because it won’t hang up on (sliding on/off) gear straps, sleeves, etc. Also, the FR970 has a higher resolution screen which can provide greater map detail. But if you prefer the aesthetics of one watch over the other than that may be a deciding factor. ATM, I flip between an Apple Watch and a Garmin Instinct 3 solar. I use the Apple Watch when I want a slim lightweight watch for neighborhood runs and the instinct 3 for backpacking, hiking, kayaking, trail runs, etc. For me maps are not a critical factor and prefer breadcrumb navigation over a map on a small watch. Ever persons use case and preference will differ since there are so many watches on the market.

Recently switched from AW Ultra to Enduro 3. Great watch and fixes the things I hate about AW (crap battery life, no sleep detection).

I had the Ultra 1. Just switched to an Enduro 3. Why? 1. Found the Ultras to be pretty uncomfortable. The design is more for fashion than functionality 2. The battery life is not good enough for an outdoors watch. You want at least 7 days, to cover camping trips, and cycling trips, and hiking trips. Otherwise you're carrying around a power bank with you. And all the time you're charging it, you're not wearing it, so you're losing sleep data/steps data etc. 3. And if it's not an outdoors watch, then you should buy the regular Apple Watch 10 - which is better at almost everything else. Not against Apple at all. As above, I'm a big fan of the regular series 10. I just don't understand what the Ultras are for - other than they look cool, and are a bit of a status symbol. If you want the best smart/sports watch that Apple makes, get the series 10. It does almost everything the Ultra does, is lighter, more comfortable, and has a better screen. If you want the best sports/outdoors/battery life watch, get a Garmin

Garmin doesn’t bring new features into their older watches, but my Fenix 6 lasted five years - the battery was degraded so I went for an upgrade (Enduro 3).

Same from me, but I did sell my epix and I have no regret so far for the Enduro 3

COROS Vertix 2s ; Garmin Enduro 3; or Suunto Pace 2?? Running first 100mi. My Garmin 945 lasted 16.5hrs in Grindstone 100k last fall but running the Eastern States 100mi in Aug and starting to shop for a watch to handle HR and GPS . Coros Vertix wins battery life game but being self supported I want to ensure both that and mapping. Thoughts?

I’m actually shocked I haven’t seen anyone say the Enduro 3. Best watch Garmin has for the price point. DC Rainmaker does a comparison between the Fenix 8 and Enduro.

Can't go wrong, I don't think, but I can say that I've been 100% happy with my Enduro 3, don't miss the AMOLED on my Apple Watch Ultra, about 99% of the time. I think if it were me, I'd buy based on 1. the most battery life I think I'd realistically need, and 2. the ecosystem. If you're big into other fitness aggregators (Strava, etc) I think the ecosystem matters less.

I upgraded from a 945 to an enduro 3 this year and the enduro 3 is awesome on the course. Its a bit bulky and expensive but I think its got all the golf features rolled in and crazy battery life. I've got a map on screen where i can move the target to get yardage to a hazard and such and its easy to track scores and the shot tracking works well. Love the fabric strap and am used to the larger size now. The 945 was nice too, front, middle, back distance helped a ton, the shot tracking never really worked. The enduro might be overkill but I run almost daily and frequently run ultras so its perfect for me.

I own both as well. The Enduro is my usual wear but the 970 fills a few specific roles for me -- swimming where the Enduro has a noticeable drag effect, when I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt with tight cuffs, and oddly enough some trail runs where the dappled lighting makes the Enduro difficult to read. Certainly don't need both but I like having options. All the training metrics I use sync between the two watches just fine.

If you’re paying that kinda money, Enduro 3 no questions

Sell your Apple Watch and go buy a Garmin. You’ll never go back. Source: AW user for 8 years just switched to an Enduro 3 and it’s black magic

I have an Enduro 3 and just bought an Apple Watch Ultra 3. I found the metrics of the Garmin didn’t turn out to be that useful. I only really needed the battery life for a couple races a year and even then, the AWU3 could pull it off. No matter what apps you get for the AWU3, it won’t compare to the Garmin, especially if you use Garmin Connect online and other training features. People trained well before smart watches. It’s a tool. Pick the one you like the best.

yeah, since I don't use my watch for phone calls (and I definitely don't dive) I went with the enduro 3. the 3-4 weeks without feeling the need to charge my watch is amazing for sure.

I just received my Enduro 3 a few days ago, which I bought after the Apple event. No comparison for swimming, IMO. Using the 5 buttons and completely avoiding the touchscreen, makes it so much better suited for me. Also, I had 28 days battery life 5 days ago. Now I’m at 25 days, and mostly because I went outdoors and got some sun.

Mine has reached 250%. I’m not even sure what that means, but I haven’t seen a number larger than that either.

Mine has reached 250%. I’m not even sure what that means (over 100%???), but I haven’t seen a number larger than 250%. Here’s a photo of my watch right now, maxed out. https://preview.redd.it/80j7osgki7uf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19b83217691d60fdfc8b4fdeae6392069788da70

I just switched from AW to Enduro 3 roughly 2 weeks ago, and it has been amazing so far. As far as the solar charging is concerned, I’d estimate that on a sunny day, worn on your wrist, where your watch is not always facing towards the sun, you’d charge around 50k-70k Lux-hours, every hour. When it’s cloudy, it’ll be more like 20-25k per hour. Also, you’d need to charge roughly 70-80k Lux -hours to charge 1%, and you use 3.5% per 24 hours (say 7-8% over 2 days) if you’re not using maps or not using Activities that day (or keeping it short). Anyway, I really like the solar. My watch says it’ll last me 28 days when full, but solar will net me an additional 4-5 days on top. It has been cloudy most days I have owned this watch, but I have been paying close attention to the charging rate, and I really like this feature.

Two weeks ago, I switched over to Garmin from Apple Watch. I am an Apple user for every other aspect of my life right now except for the watch. My Enduro 3 keeps better track of my sleep than my Apple Watches ever did over the 9 years I wore them. I suffer from pretty severe insomnia. Two days ago, I only slept from around 3:30am (roughly), until 6:05am when my alarm woke me up. So roughly 2 1/2 hours. My biggest issue with Apple Watches is that if I lay still for long enough, it counts those minutes as sleep. My previous AW probably would’ve reported that I slept 5-6 hours instead of 2.5 hours. My Garmin may not perfectly keep track of my sleep either, but it does much better. Last night, I slept roughly 5h to 5 1/2 hours. My watch reported around 5h50m. My Garmin even detects naps quite accurately!!

I’ve been an Apple Watch user for 9 years, and switched to an Enduro 3 exactly 1 month ago (30 days). I love my Enduro 3. Nothing is necessarily wrong with AW, but the only “smartwatch” features I ever really used were the Calendar meeting notifications (work), and the calls and SMS feature. I can’t answer a call or reply to an SMS, but I usually pulled out my iPhone anyway. So really, my Enduro 3 can do the “smart” features I used to do on my AW. No loss there. 🤷🏻‍♂️ The thing I miss about AW is that it’s more accurate at counting laps when I swim. Also, when I use Apple Maps (CarPlay) for navigation, my AW used to vibrate when I had to make a turn. Now I need to look at the car’s screen more often, or listen to the voice guidance. My new car (Zeekr 7X) has a fancy HUD, so problem solved!! What’s better with my Enduro 3 is the insane battery life. I charged it after 7 days of ownership, but haven’t in 23 days, and I still have 8 days left! All the health tracking stuff seems the same or better (except counting laps in a pool). Sleep tracking is definitely more accurate. Flashlight is better. Alarm (vibrate) and timers are the same. The MIP screen always being on and refreshed is awesome. I can read the time with my wrist at an angle (i.e. without activating the screen via wrist gesture). It would be different experience with an AMOLED display, but I can’t comment on that. Anyway, I’ve been enjoying it.

TBH, I hate the Apple Watch GUI. I have a MIP screen, so maybe AMOLED is different, but my Enduro 3 isn’t as responsive to touches as an AW, and I hate the long-press on the watch face. but otherwise, I don’t mind the overall UI.

I’ve been an Apple Watch user for 9 years, and switched to an Enduro 3 around 32 days ago. Nothing is necessarily wrong with AW, but after a bit of self-reflection, the only “smartwatch” features I ever used were the Calendar events notifications (work meetings), and the calls and SMS feature. My Enduro 3 will tell me when there’s a phone call, or SMS (and allow me to read it), but I can’t respond to a phone call or SMS on it. Maybe a Fenix 8 would allow you to!! For me, it doesn’t really matter anyway because I always pulled out my iPhone to reply to calls or SMS. So my Enduro 3 can do all the “smart” features I used on my AW. No loss there. 🤷🏻‍♂️ I used to have a 4G connection on my AW, but the battery life was so incredibly bad that I never really turned it on. I’d turn it on if I desperately needed it, but it wasn’t useful in a noisy environment (e.g. a swimming pool) anyway. It was useful while I was jogging when my wife was pregnant. Both my banks were compatible with “Garmin Pay”, so digital payments is sorted!! The thing I miss about AW is that when I use Apple Maps (CarPlay) for navigation, my AW used to vibrate when I had to make a turn. Now I need to look at the car’s screen more often, or listen to the voice guidance. My new car (Zeekr 7X) has a fancy HUD, so problem solved!! All the health tracking stuff on my Garmin is the same or better (except counting laps in a pool). Sleep tracking is definitely more accurate. Flashlight is better. Alarm (vibrate) and timers are better IMO. What’s better with my Enduro 3 is the insane battery life. I charged it after 7 days of ownership, but haven’t in 25 days, and I still have 6 days left! A Fenix 8 would also provide a satisfying level of freedom from charging. Anyway, I’ve been enjoying it.

I’ve had a 935 that I ended up giving to a friend when I upgraded to Enduro when they were first released. She used the 935 until she purchased an Enduro 3 this year. It still works perfectly. My Enduro (1… not a 3) also still works perfectly. I’m sure the 935 will be passed along to someone else who needs a longer battery than what they currently have at some point. I’ll never switch from Garmin.

Fenix 8 Solar and Enduro 3 would like a word with you on that "obsolete watches" accusation.

Enduro 3 here, I somewhat agree with the battery. It was extremely disappointing, I didn't really get my advertised battery life and it's really freaking annoying. I've gotten close to the advertised life (I don't observe my battery life anymore and I stick to 20%-80% charge only) by just turning off the backlight completely. There are some theories that Garmin got lazy and now all native watch faces are using Garmin IQ or the C Monkey language instead of a lower level language that allows the watch faces to be super optimized like before. I found I don't need backlight so it works out for the most part. On the reliability front, I have had some weird crashes but never during a run (which is the only thing I record). Some days my watch will stop tracking during sleep which is annoying af, it will say I slept 6 hours (when I slept 7 or 8) because it randomly stopped tracking during the night. Perhaps it's related to me being on the beta versions. It's really bittersweet. I wish Garmin would get their shit together when it came to software. There's just so much lacking even when it comes to sleep accuracy, etc. Hopefully the unification of all front ends in the new line is the start of something good, but when you are paying so much for a watch, these things should have been great by now...

Also look at the enduro 3

That sounds very "impressive" but how exactly is it better ?kinda does the same functions but shinier?  Yeah I dig the design a bit more than my instinct but can it record 5-10 hour gps track and don't die that day ?(I am not even going to ask about showing a map for that long)  I dig the Enduro 3 design even more though but I will wait:)  How touchscreen performs during rain btw ? Sorry never used them except phones and it sucked due to droplets.

I use an Enduro 3. I’ve nothing but great things to say about it.

I am fortunate to own the Epix, Enduro 3 and X1. They are all fabulous watches. I haven't worn my Epix Gen 2 in a bit and recently put it back in. The screen is exceptional and the fitness metrics are spot on. No need to spend extra cash on the Fenix 8 unless you're a dedicated diver and want a mic to speak into.

I have a Samsung Watch Ultra 3. I used it for one week, then bought an Enduro 3. I've never looked back, despite the fact that all I exercise is a 20-minute walk once a week. For me, the Enduro 3 is better than the Samsung's smartest watch.

Enduro 3 does all notifications but if you have an iPhone it’s not so easy to pick and choose which notifications you get so I just turn off all of them. Also, Garmin is a fitness/health watch first that has smartwatch functionality whereas Apple is a smartwatch first with some health/fitness functionality if that makes sense

In the US, the Fenix 7 pro sapphire solar is less than the Forerunner 970 it appears. And the Enduro 3 is pretty close in price as well. Part of what makes the Fenix 7 pro sapphire and Enduro 2/3 good choices for hiking and other outdoor activities is how durable they are compared to other models. When I'm scrambling down over rocky terrain, I don't want to be overly worried about brushing it against stuff.

You could also buy two Enduro 3's it appears. Or an Enduro 3, an inReach, and several years of service for the inReach for the same cost.

Same. As long as they keep the Enduro I'm good. I don't mind being in the minority, but I prefer the dull look of the MIP display. I'm not surprised to hear that btw. Way out there is when you start running into people who prefer function over style.

To echo another comment, unless there are specific features needed from the Fenix 8 like diving, I would go with the Enduro 3 personally.

Best option is Enduro 3, Fenix 7X Pro or Fenix 8 Solar 51mm

But Enduro 3 have way better battery than any amoled, and have really good solar.

Garmin says up to 62h in 51mm amoled, and up to 60h says about Enduro 3. But Enduro have solar so with solar garmin says up to 90h. Personaly I would choose Enduro 3, or at least Fenix 8 solar with MIP instead of amoled.

With nylon strap it's lighter. Not that light as Enduro but not that bad. Enduro is lighter because u have plastic back cover and probably (not sure) those ears where u mount ur strap.

Enduro 3 - 35 days

I’m back on Garmin with an Enduro 3. I had the first Enduro a while back, been on a Coros watch for a few months which was nice but I must say it’s good to be back. Loving this beast! One of the things I like is being able to make my own watch faces. This one is inspired by another company, can you guess it? 😉 I’ve only done a 5k run since getting the watch yesterday, later there will be a graph showing the last four weeks of activities. It can be set to time or distance and the colors can be changed. Should I release it on Connect IQ?

I had the Apex 2 Pro and the primary reason I went looking for a new watch was that the size (46mm) felt a little bit off. Not a small watch, but at the same time not big enough for a big watch. At least for me and what I like. I considered the Vertix, but don't like the design, way too clunky. The thinner bezel on the Enduro 3 looks amazing. One thing I really like about Garmin is the configurability and tweakability. Editing data screens while on a run for example. Maybe you can do that on Coros as well, I don't think I tried, tbh. But I'm pretty sure Garmin is the only company that lets me download an SDK and make my own stuff? I might not like their business model in general (and subscription service in particular), but the watches I've had have been great. It was also other things like battery, flashlight and more detailed health tracking (which I probably won't actually use that much, but still kind of like having). Anyway, feels good to be back. Even though I don't think I'll be getting that subscription any time soon...

I used a series 5 apple watch as I got into running. Took me to my first half, then full marathons, then to many more. Just last month, I bought a garmin enduro 3 last month as I wanted to explore trail ultramarathons, and need something that can navigate .gpx files for extreme durations. I think the apple watch is a much nicer watch in the traditional sense of the word. The physical design is better, the UX is infinitely better crafted. And the watch comes with dozens of highly customizable watchfaces in all different styles, for free. On my Garmin, I was shocked to find just 1 face, and Garmin **charging** for their own watchfaces. Even then, i think garmin's watchfaces are tacky as hell compared to the sleek, elegant faces apple offers. With garmin, the physical design (of my enduro 3) is very much form over function, with it's hugeness and "monster energy green" accents. I don't particularly like the design, and it would be a deciding factor if i ever upgraded again. Apple took an approach with health data collections where they very much just collected and warehoused the data, but were very hesitant to provide interpretations of that data unless they are convinced they can do so in a scientifically accurate way. For example, it's only recently that they started providing a "Sleep score", for the longest time they did track sleep and sleep zones, but left it up to you to interpret the data. With Garmin, they very much focus on interpreting that data for you. Whilst that approach is more likely to be at times inaccurate, it's still more useful to me. If I wake up and feel like shit, it's nice to see whether my health data correlates. I especially enjoy the lifestyle logging feature, allowing me to see the impact of things like alcohol on my HRV and other health metrics. I really love garmin's more sport focused features. Navigation during runs, PacePro, ClimbPro. If you run seriously, the ecosystem is just so much better. It feels like Garmin has such a headstart in this space, that Apple will never catch up. At least for really specific marathon running features et cetera.

I was in similar position and ended up with Enduro 3 recently. Really love it so far!

I returned my AWU3 for the Enduro 3. I’ve been with Apple Watch since the first model. I love this watch.

I’ve switched to an Enduro 3. After having Apple Watches since release and returning my Ultra 3. The features you want will be better and more reliable on Garmin. Some because it’s continuous HR monitoring and the fact for a period of time after exercise it won’t take a stress reading because it knows your vitals are off from exercise. You will not have everything you want in Apple Health . My own opinion is good riddance to Apple Health. Everything you need will be in the Garmin Connect app. No more jumping between Apple Health for some data , Fitness app for other data , and any other apps you may have used like Athlytic, Bevel, HealthFit, etc. You certainly can have your sleep workouts, and RHR synched to Apple Health if you still want to use it.

The 7 pro has a flashlight and the same sensor as the 8. Quite worth it imho. Ofcourse, if i could afford it, i'd get the 8 because of the updated looks, or the Enduro 3, which is cheaper.

Garmin enduro 3. Dumbed down watch that prioritizes fitness/battery over flashy apps or screen display

Very happy with my Enduro 3. Have used Apple ultra, Garmin epix pro 2, forerunner series, etc and the Enduro 3 is a solid watch. The long battery life encourages me to use it more (track more runs, bike rides, walks, lift weights, etc.) compared to the Apple series where I had to be more conservative with the battery life on the day to day basis. I’m also happy with the data/app experience I get from Garmin Connect. 

The Enduro 3 is an excellent watch for this. The offline topo maps on the enduro and other Garmin devices have been very useful. If there is an established trail, the watch can route you somewhere even if you haven’t downloaded the GPX. This can be super useful when objectives change or you want to route back to the start with a different trail. With the Enduro 3 and a chest strap, I recorded a 23-hour day starting at 90% battery and ending at 60% using high GPS accuracy. Just fyi.

Enduro 3 is simply the king of Garmin’s line up at the moment. No question. Unless you need the dive / speaker stuff I’d be going for that. The 7X PRO Solar sapphire is a great second. Instinct 3X Solar takes the third spot. I’m a bit sceptical of Garmins future, kinda feels like they have peaked with the enduro 3. MIPS could be gone. Garmin connect plus. MICROLED 8 Pro at 2k USD with a 4 Day Battery. The buggy firmware. The terrible way they have rolled out LTE / Satellite. Their best days may be behind them.

Same combo for me. The Enduro doesn’t come out much now. The convenience and smart features of the AW are just to compelling to ignore.

I’m lucky enough to have both. AWU3 and Enduro 3. Got a foot in each camp at the moment. I don’t like the way Garmin is heading as a company. The possible end of MIP. Connect+. Pricing. Software is shockingly bad at times. Train Wreck satellite / LTE solution on the F8 Pro. A 2k USD MircroLED F8 Pro….just to be first to market. The list goes on. The AWU fits my day to day better. Apple ecosystem. Apple Pay. Unlock Mac with Watch. Proper take a phone call send a message without phone home automation. Reliable software. Excellent health tracking. Having said all that the Enduro 3 is far superior as a training and trekking tool. And that battery and flashlight are hard to part with. The issue is if I’m training 1 hour a day and not training 23 hours a day the AW suits me more for those 23 hours. Each to their own. I’ll keep one, just haven’t decided which.

Be aware you will be losing a lot leaving Apple Watch. You’ll get lots of benefits of course but the UI / Apps / Software / Music Streaming are pretty bad. It’s going to feel especially bad coming from a polished OS experience. Having said that loads of pros. Top notch fitness tracking. Battery for days. Flashlight. Super rugged looking and performing hardware. No phone on your wrist distracting you lighting up like a Christmas tree all the time. The software and the bugs are what let Garmin down. If you can cope with that I have an Enduro 3. IMO best watch Garmin make. Second Fenix 8 (non pro) 51mm solar.

Personally, I like MIP and was eyeing an Enduro 3 for myself. Was taken aback when it was suggested that the sensors weren't equal!

If you’re on vivoactive 4, it didn’t last for an 50mile ultra, but I have now switched to enduro 3, it last longer than my AirPods during the 100miler lol

I went with the Garmin Enduro 3. I didn’t need the diving capability of the Fenix 8 nor the microphone (which I think are the two main differences) and really enjoy not needing to charge my watch for 30+ days. I also believe it was $100-$200 cheaper than the Fenix 8 when I bought it. Edit: if you’re gonna be looking at your watch skiing/in flat light I’d recommend something with a MIP screen. It already offers way better visibility in the mountains for me and it’s only summertime

Every 3 weeks for my Enduro 3 :), and that's with a 9 hour of GPS time per week.

I got a enduro 3 for both of those things and it works ok. My complaints are that when I do a workout I can’t seem to do the exercises out of order if someone is using a machine and I need to come back to it later, it doesn’t seem to be able to figure out when I’m doing leg based exercises ( and count reps) Other than that it’s cool, you can make custom workouts and it gives you good info during. You can customize what info you get For running it’s great you can set it to speed or heart rate, there’s a cool return route feature and it makes cool routes.

Surprised your list doesn’t have the enduro 3. I moved from an ultra to enduro 3 and it is just the perfect watch. I am into hiking, backpacking, racquet sports and occasional run. The battery life is excellent. If you don’t care about a smart watch, probably why you are looking at garmin, then enduro is as good as it gets without all the un-necessary features like mic.

As an Apple Watch user since nearly the original release, I realized I was paying enough monthly fees to get the Apple Watch to give me the kind of insights and features that come free with the Garmin to justify exploring whether it makes sense to cancel all of them and make the switch. My primary activities are lifting, hiking, golf -- and increasingly running. I didn't realize how much more motivating the Garmin infrastructure would be to drive my fitness to new heights. I valued getting phone notifications on my wrist with the Apple Watch, but I rarely took actions on the watch. It usually served as a reason to ignore the buzzing phone or to grab the phone and take action. In this use case, the Garmin shines and even basic interactions like responding "OK" or "Yes"/"No" to a text have been fine. Apple Watch has a more robust app store, for sure, but with the built-in functionality of the Garmin watch, I don't really miss it. The insights I get from the Garmin are far superior than what I had cobbled together with several subscription apps. The Garmin Morning Report feels indispensable. The ability to set cardio training based on specific races coming up has been great and pushed me to train differently -- and resulted in a personal best effort in my latest race. Battery life is insane. I'm doing a LOT of activities and it looks like about 3+ weeks between charges will be the norm. I did a lab test for VO2 Max, heart rate zones, etc. The Garmin was within a small rounding error vs the lab studies. The lab tech geeked out with me comparing the two, and he said he is going to consider swapping his Apple Watch Ultra 2 for a Garmin after seeing how they stacked up. The only disappointment is the strength training interface. I'm still using my Fitbod app -- the only app I continue to subscribe to that I had hoped to replace. Hopefully Garmin will make an acquisition and elevate this tracking in the future. I am happy with the MIP display and prefer it over AMOLED. The size is totally fine and I sleep with it every night. Took a few days to get used to wearing it 24/7. In all honesty, the Enduro 3 is overkill for my needs as a mid-40s dude who exercises but it's spot on for my wants.

When I purchased, with the 20% off, the Enduro 3 was $720 and good value for money. Not sure on current sales, but that was cheaper than the F7 Pro Solar at the time.

I love my Enduro 3. Doing a ton of activities on a three week holiday in Europe right now. I didn't bring my charger. Looks like I should make it.

Garmin with MIP display (non amoled, always on) and solar charging. I would vote for Enduro 3 or some from Fenix lineup if you can afford and if the size fits you.

Enduro 3, for those use cases its a no brainer, but it is big and not so suitable for smaller wrists. Both Fenix 7s and fr 255s would be fine too i guess. Have look at Venu 3 also or fr 570.

This. Recently got Epix pro gen 2, wanted MIPs but there was 160€ difference between F7 pro and the Epix, I've no regrets moving to AMOLED.  Enduro 3 is probably the best but 51mm is way too big for me.

Even though I've got an Enduro 3 I really enjoy, I got a bit stupid last night and ordered a 45mm AMOLED Instinct 3. I'm a big fan of the Instinct series and, as much as I love my MIP displays, I'm not averse to a nice AMOLED display. I have to say that one of my FAVORITE features that I feel nobody talks about for the Instinct series is how darned recessed the screen is. Sure it isn't sapphire but you'd have to get PRETTY unlucky for anything to accidentally scratch the display on the 2X. The 3 seems similarly protected. When I first started getting into the wacky world of wearables I'll never forget I was trying out a Kospet Rock. Supposedly the thing was a real tank. Nearly indestructible. And then one day I brushed against a wall or doorway, and boom. Deep scratch on the screen. I've been sensitive to non-recessed screens ever since. One of my issues with the Enduro 3. There's a millimeter or two of a lip, but not much. Looking forward to getting a modern, AMOLED Instinct.

I own a wide variety of devices from Garmin, Amazfit, OnePlus, and my most recent acquisition is a Pixel Watch 3 45mm that I'm wearing now. It was a light day for me but the PW3 was unplugged at 11am and it's 2:05am now and I'm at 76% . On days when I'm actually being active, with standard settings and AOD off it can comfortably reach about 52 hours or so for me. The thing is, in my experience, that Wear OS provides a MUCH better user experience for everyone BUT hardcore athletes. With my Pixel 3 I can track workouts, I can consult a map, yadda yadda yadda. Yes, I can't hike the Appalachian trail with this thing but, let's be honest about who we are as a people.. Is it going to positively impact your life more if you CAN get near infinite battery life the once in a lifetime or three you actually run an ultra, or hike for a month? Or let's use my use-case for example as an older guy, would it be more impactful to have a device on your wrist and your partner is messaging you from work, and your grown kids are sending you memes and shit, and they're all sending you voice messages on Whatsapp. You can just go on about your evening; walking the dogs, playing some games, doing some chores and responding with text you type or swipe or transcribe on your watch using your voice? Maybe you go to the grocery store to buy some food and if you're using a Garmin good luck paying with your watch because no debit or credit card I have in the US supports Garmin Pay. If you're wearing an Amazfit I hope you live in parts of Asia or Europe because there's no support for Zepp Pay in America either. With my Wear OS watches anywhere I go I can pay with my watch. It's like EVERYTHING the Garmins or Amazfit COULD do, Wear OS can do better EXCEPT in the rare situation you're a special ops soldier stuck in the middle of some God-forsaken mission, or in some crazy militia out in Ohio, or any other of 100 other male fantasy lives you'll probably never have. Understanding that 1 person out of a million is gonna be stuck in the wilderness and it's their watch that saves them is the first step to freedom. Adventure watches have a place, and I own a lot of them, but I have to imagine that for most people it mainly supports the fantasy vision they have of themselves. More folks are gonna be Thomas from Accounts Payable than DC Rainmaker. I guess it depends on the life you live. If you're out there in the bush all the time and REALLY need to know your watch can last for weeks at the cost of a clunkier, more troublesome everyday user-experience, maybe a rugged adventure watch is the right move. I'm thinking about my Enduro 3 and T-Rex 3. They can get me through my day at the office, but it's just so much nicer having something with all the modern conveniences running smoothly and working like you'd want them to. If I ever hit that Appalachian trail, though, you better believe I'm packing my Enduro 3. And you can't beat that damn Garmin flashlight.

You know, it's funny but this sort of echoes my experience, too. My Enduro 3, no matter what I do, sort of maxes out at 3 weeks battery life. My Instinct 3 AMOLED, despite my not having it too long, is on track for darn near that with the AOD turned off. I am on the beta firmware on the Enduro 3 so maybe that plays a part, as well, but even when I wasn't I don't recall it being any better on battery life. All anecdotal, but by your saying that the official predictions for MIP being off but the official predictions for AMOLED being spot-on, I really feel that. Donning my tin-foil hat here, but I wonder if maybe that's intentional to help ease consumers into a post-MIP world.

The Enduro 3 is going to be better for you

I would buy the Enduro 3 without hesitation

Neither - went with the Enduro 3 which is lighter, cheaper and has a longer battery life than the Fenix 8. Although I didn’t do this, for the price of a Fenix 8, one could get both the Enduro 3 and the Forerunner 165. Use the former for big weekend activities and the latter during the week - Garmin Connect will merge data from both together. The Enduro 3 is huge btw. Here is a photo of it on my wrist at the airport. https://preview.redd.it/uaelgs9j47ef1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c3298d950235d93bbf8fd0b19a0fa967806d076

Because that means the person has not run into the limitations of the AWU - especially around battery life. Not just for convenience but for literally having enough battery to last through a very long activity. I have the Enduro 3 but my son has the new AWU 3 and I maintain that for most people the AWU is a better in so many ways. I am not like most people however. Now I’m not a fan of “gate keeping” so by all means if people want to get a Garmin then more power to them. But if one is as asking which product is a better fit then for most I think it’s an AW. Garmin makes big design compromises to do what they do and that doesn’t make sense for most people. Why give up usability for longer battery life when doesn’t need it?

For the band wetness issue I replaced it with a silicone band. Ironically the dress shirt issue might be less of a problem for smaller guys like me. Not the greatest picture in the world but I can definitely get a dress shirt over it. It’s way too big for me but it’s exactly what I need for running ultras and reasonably priced also. As for aesthetics, I’m way too old to care. https://preview.redd.it/ug09l12ep5xf1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8530d330d4eab7547919417c9e5db9af54f7dbdf

Check out the Garmin Enduro 3 - it’s better for ultras than the Fenix line and cheaper also.

The only difference between the two functionally is the torch. The enduro has all the same forerunner metrics

Did they add a torch to the forerunner? when I bought my enduro, it was because the forerunner never had a torch.

Why not the Fenix or other series from Garmin? Their other lines are AMOLED instead of MIP. If you want the same features as Enduro 3, then the Fenix line would have that with AMOLED. If you think it will be too complex, there are cheaper options with less features than Fenix. That being said, love my Enduro 3!

F8 has hole detail for golf - V4 and 970 do not. If you train regularly and golf, F8 or Enduro 3 are no brainers.

Nailed it buddy and I’ve done this exact process (down to specifically varia etc). So funny to read such specificity from someone else! If I were not training for full distance tris, I’d keep an AWU. Great watch. That said training for an IM makes a Garmin so much easier to live with. Funny thing is how my brain works once I made the call to go Garmin, I ended up with an Enduro 3 because to me that watch maximizes the garmins specific strengths. I mean even IM training and 12-14 hour GPS weeks and I still only charge once a month. Just bananas.

Garmin enduro 3. Charge mine one a month, and I use it daily. Very customizable with face, but I prefer the stock face

Because it's basically a Fenix with a price point which does not require you to auction off a kidney

Look at it this way - you're getting something to work well and serve a purpose. Looking good and being the exact right size is secondary. A MIP screen means it will do it's job really well, you will be able to read everything and the battery will last way more even when using the GPS

I would say enduro 3 but it is not for everyone

The Garmin Enduro 3 offers you the same thing as a Fenix 8. Except using your Watch as Speaker for calls and the Feature of Diving!

My Garmin Enduro 3 is still alive after 20 days! 🤷🏻

I've used my Garmin Enduro 3 to make payments without having my phone with me. I also go for a walk or run without my phone, and the Garmin Enduro 3 continues to work and syncs the collected data once it is paired with my phone, again. The calls? Nah! Answering calls while I'm working out isn't an option for me. It's my time. That's why I work out. I think it's a decision of each person's specific tastes or preferences.

Call me crazy. But I just switched back to the Pixel Watch 4 45mm, after using my Garmin Enduro 3 for six months.🤷🏻

My "Smartwatch" side got the better of me, so I went back to my Pixel Watch 4 45mm and left my Garmin Enduro 3 behind 😂🤷🏻

I have it as well for a year now and it really is the perfect sport / triathlon / outdoor / hiking smartwatch. I wish apple would make a similar product

I use the Enduro 3 and the HRM Pro+. Recently moved away from the Ultra gen 1. The Enduro is great for most things as it is basically a Fenix 8, just without the fancy buttons. But when I’m doing a workout with grips, I can take off the watch and the HRM will track my workout. Once I’m done I can sync the two seamlessly.

Garmin Enduro 2 or 3, the rest doesn’t matter.

So, my Enduro 3 (and I think the Fenix 8 before that) can apparently now do Triathlon Training Plans, that incorporate running, cycling, and swimming. I haven't tried that yet, but was thrilled to read about it!

if you want to run ultra distances, stick with the Enduro. Otherwise the 970 will do the job.

+1 for the Enduro 3, love it

The enduro 3 is sort of an Fenix 8 for ultra runners so in theory it has everything the 970 has and more

Tactix 7 for aesthetics, keeping it just because there won't be any better watch for me in the future. Fenix 8 Solar currently, switching to Enduro 3 in a couple days as a company watch. (I work for Garmin in retail.)

I use my Enduro 3 in saltwater all the time (sea kayaker). I rinse it in fresh water after each paddle.

Never had an Apple or smartwatch. Got the Enduro for backpacking and hikes and is the best thing ever. I have a small wrist, it does look big but I do not mind. I am so glad I went with this one.

I switched from Enduro 3 to FR 970 and so far so good. The E3 was fine but a little big and chunky, particularly uncomfortable to wear to sleep. The FR 970 is lighter and has most if not all the features of the Fenix/Enduro lines. FR 970 is where its at for me.

Id go with Enduro 3 or Fenix 8 from Garmin. Sent you a DM regards to pricing

Really like my Enduro 3

I’ve been quite happy switching from the Ultra to the Enduro 3. I gave up some of the connectivity related to messaging and the phone plus using apps (which I really didn’t use except on a whim) and gained more efficient training tools like zones and much better health metric collection. Plus having a 30 day battery is nice. The only downside is I work in an Apple retail store and get quite a bit of ribbing from customers on why I don’t have an Apple Watch. Being the individual who teaches the classes at my store I can overwhelming say that the Apple Watch UI is vastly superior to Garmin. I would buy the Garmin you like from Amazon since they have a thirty day return policy and test one out. That way you can be sure with a safety net return date

Same, did a two week trip in the Frank Church wilderness never needed to charge my enduro 3. Had all my maps and navigation right there with the watch. I also trail run and ride moto with it, does great.

Not sold either way yet but here are my thoughts. AWU2 advantages - size. I never thought I’d think the ultra was small, and I knew the Enduro was big but yikes. It’s like wearing a triple stuffed Oreo. You can’t wear any button sleeve shirt and cover it. Never happening. It’s just huge. I’m a big guy with big hands so the width is ok, but the thickness is absurd. - Apple universe is so smooth. The Ultra just works. Everything is butter. With Garmin, the menus aren’t intuitive, syncing is not always automatic. It’s fine and I’m a tech guy, but it’s not the same. - Smart watch. I can listen to Audible, Libro, steam spotify, pay using any bank, add any app out there. Siri will text people and make calls. It’s a phone on my wrist. I can even play music on the speaker if I don’t have headphones. - Build quality. The Ultra is so well put together. The Enduro is fine but the band is hot garbage. When I work up a sweat, it stays damp. If I clean it, it’ll be 45 mins before I can wear it. Hard to believe you’d sell an $800 watch with a 25 cent band. Atrocious. - screen and watch faces. People dump on Apple for having few watch faces but while true, they look way better. No comparison. The Garmin faces are fine but the screen on the ultra slays the Enduro. Enduro advantages - The battery rocks. 20 plus days before I even have to pay attention. Ultra goes a day and needs attention. That’s massive and I love it. - fitness dedication. I have all notifications off on both watches but I like having a dumb watch. Something cool about not having anything on my arm but a fitness piece. I don’t know that it’s better at anything than the ultra but I like that when I work out, this is the only thing on my body. - ant+ compatibility. It’s great that it will track my power output measured by my pedals. A cool compatibility not possible with Apple. - buttons. It’s frustrating in the rain, sweat, or gloves when the ultra screen is less responsive. Buttons make that go away. - flashlight. The LED flashlight is great. Ultra maxes out the screen with white as flashlight and that works but enduro is better. - round face ftw. I hate the ultra rectangle. Loathe it. Watches look better round. If AW had a round version, I wouldn’t even be looking elsewhere. Tied - fitness and training apps. I know people go gaga for connect. It’s….fine. Maybe if you’re training for ultras, you want to know 78 metrics for your training. Me, I want the basics. What zone am I training in and in a run, what’s my current interval goal pace/hr. Garmin and Apple both have plenty of answers for this. I don’t see a big advantage in data tracking between Garmin and an app like Bevel. They don’t seem to be recommending much differently than the other. I use a Garmin training plan right now and it’s alright. I was using a training. Peaks plan on apple and it seemed about the same. Maybe there’s some adaptation happening. I dunno. Connect doesn’t even track nutrition. How you can track overall fitness without a nutrition piece is beyond me. - basic functions- time, fitness workout features, etc about the same. Final added thought on maps. I know a lot of people make much of Garmin having gps and maps. While I understand the feature and advantage, I have never found a wrist mounted map useful or helpful. I travel a lot, run in new cities often. Hike outside the range of cell towers. Been doing all of this forever in my 55 years of life and I’ve never ever cared. The one use case I have for pre loading maps is on long cycles with groups or in new places, but for that, I’m using my cycle computer map so watch is irrelevant. Again, my use case, not yours, and my runs are 4-7 miles (6-10km ish) so maybe really long distance runners need it more than me. UPDATE. I tried the Garmin for the battery life (that is so great) and the round form. But it’s going back. The size, messiness syncing sometimes, and lack of apps for things like audible and Libro for audiobooks don’t work for me. It’s a good watch and an ok environment, but probably in a losing battle (unless you’re some kind of super ultra marathoner) despite Apple’s shortcomings.

Fenix 8 47 is a nice watch. It’s absurd to pay that price (almost double an AWU) for a watch that has less functionality. I also don’t love the look of that metal chunk on the side (subjective). The Garmin UI can be learned, but intuitive it ain’t. Selecting an app on the AW is a button click and a screen touch. Ot ask Siri. Apple Health is a mess, but some of the apps fill in well, and other devs will come. I came for the battery life and the form, but am sending it back.

Garmin has decades and decades of maturity when it comes to watches for training. I started my journey with the Forerunner 920xt and I've been on the Forerunner 745 for the last several years. I've put both of them through the ringer whether with trail running, swimming, cycling. I do also have the HRM strap but its not as necessary. Straps are cheap to replace and the materials are such that you don't worry about few scratches. AWU and the regular AW lineup seems more suitable for doing most of your training in the gym. It looks good on your wrist, the bands are better looking and higher quality, and Apple always crushes the vanity metrics. I don't run ultras although I will update this current Garmin to the Enduro3 (the memes got me). I can almost guarantee you though that if I were to buy an AWU, the screen would be toast within 6 months. At the end of the day though, its a personal preference.

I mostly agree with sleeping, although I disagree with the rest of the points. For me, everything except for awake and light sleep is quite similar in terms of HRV, RHR, deep, and REM sleep. However, Garmin seems to struggle to identify light and awake sleep (sometimes it is more than 30 minutes between the two). I’ll probably get rid of the whoop before the renewal. Like you, I know what affects my recovery and what not.

If you want long battery life, you have to trade either screen quality or processor speed. There just isn't any other option. If you're very concerned with a lagging UI, watch face or apps, Garmin isn't for you. If you're looking to charge your watch so infrequently that you have to put the charging cord away for safe-keeping while getting top-of-the-line fitness, health, sleep, and GPS tracking, get a Garmin. Just be aware that the UI will not be as smooth as a pure smart watch and won't have the same app capacity. These are devices for different people. One is a secondary phone screen on your hand with some fitness tracking capabilities and the other is a pretty impressive fitness computer with some smart watch features. You see your notifications and what-not, but the watch is meant to track health/fitness and it is very good for that purpose. Many Garmin watches also have an astonishingly useful LED flashlight on them. I went with Garmin over my GW7 because I was extremely tired of charging it all the time. Haven't had my Enduro 3 go under 90% battery with decent sun in several days and I really only used my GW7 and Apple Watch Ultra (when I still used my iphone) to track fitness and health metrics anyways. Garmin is perfect for me. Sounds like you may have more need for the secondary ohone screen factor that comes with the Galaxy watch Ultra, though. All in all, with a budget that would allow for the purchase of a Galaxy Watch Ultra (assuming that you get a Garmin) I would recommend the Fenix 7x pro or the Fenix 8 Amoled.

It's gonna shame you lol. My Enduro 3 tells me that I'm detraining if I have a busy week - and it's right. Overkill is in the mind of the beholder. I love the flashlight and the battery life. I'd oneover an apple or Galaxy watch etc for general use again.

Agreed, I got a enduro 3 earlier this year and use the flashlight almost daily, and a lot when camping. It’s so convenient!

Same. I picked up mine this year for training and 12 days of hiking Philmont next year. Absolutely loving it so far.

Enduro 3 is the way to go at this point. Rest of the Fenix line ir overpriced refresh of the same watches.

If you need to stay away from charger for very long time and don't mind bleak display and bulker design - Enduro 3. If you want newest sensor and software, bright display, slimmer and lighter design and don't mind charge it every few days - 970 will be better.

Inside WearOS: - OnePlus Outside WearOS - Samsung (GalaxyFit3) - Garmin - Polar - Coros - Huawei - Amazfit - Xiaomi - Pebble Personal recommendation for Android WearOS? - OnePlus Watch 3 Personal recommendation outside WearOS? - Huawei Watch GT series - Amazfit Bip 6 - Amazfit Balance 2 (Up to 21 days, from my experience, it is a tank in endurance) - Amazfit Active 2 - Garmin Vivoactive 6, Venu 3 (4 rumored to be coming soon), Garmin Fenix series, Garmin Enduro series (usually MIP display but there is one with AMOLED display, can last around a month) - Redmi Watch 5 (up to 21 days or so) - Pebble Time 2 or Pebble Duo 2 (Upcoming release with E-ink Paper display, up to 30 days) Note that these recommendations are strictly battery life related. Functionality wise, you're gonna have to choose.

I love my Enduro solar!!

You may feel too big with enduros 51mm. Better to try it on first.

It sounds like a Garmin would be a good fit for you. My advice if you are going to be running regularly is to get a chest strap as they are much more accurate for heart rate data. A cheaper watch and a HR monitor would be better for running. A better watch would be best for overall health metrics. You haven't mentioned budget, so I'll put a few options. The cheapest foot in the door is an entry level Forerunner. This will cover basic health and running metrics. Vivoactive 5 will cover more health based metrics and is a good recommended starting point. Forerunner 265 will be a great watch which covers nearly all running and health metrics. Paired with a HRM, this is a solid choice even for intermediate and advanced runners. Top tier would be the latest Endure or Fenix 8 with a HRM. Expensive, but you'll find very little better. If you want another brand to look at, I hear the Polar watches are good also.

My watch is a tool, not a fashion statement, so I've always gone with 51mm even though yeah it's probably too big for me, don't care lol

https://preview.redd.it/7fhs78of36xe1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9203c8b09dff4c3250f76de1cca6e3baaa1ea018 I have big wrists and arms and a 51mm is still a monster watch. I love it though and honestly don’t think anyone else cares how big your watch is. Added bonus - it can be used to break down a door in an emergency

Nope, sorry, I disagree. Always go the 51mm for that battery life. It’s a fact

The band width on the 47 is what kills it for me. The 51 appears more proportional.

https://preview.redd.it/9k23hwc436xe1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=98141f6d31f58da7a6c372bc3b760c9e8443677b 51 mm - not a massive wrist but I’m tall so it suits me