Garmin Enduro review: Lengthy-lasting sports activities look ahead to long-distance fanatics
MSRP $799.00
“The Garmin Enduro sports activities watch delivers long-lasting energy for ultra-endurance athletes”
Professionals
- Thoughts-blowing battery life
- Outdoor-focused sports activities monitoring
- Comfy nylon strap
- Roomy, readable show
Cons
- No topographical maps
- Costly value
Health watches preserve you on monitor throughout a long term, however powering such a watch is a problem. Lengthy-distance runners generally carry a charging cable and hulking moveable batteries to maintain their watch charged. Enter the Garmin Enduro, the newest sports activities watch from Garmin, which boasts an unbelievable 70-hour runtime on a single cost. Is the Enduro a recreation changer for the extremely working crowd or simply hype?
Strong design, vulnerable to scratches
The Garmin Enduro is a hybrid watch that borrows closely from each the model’s outdoors-focused Fenix line and the Forerunner working watches. The Enduro has a rugged chrome steel bezel and metal-polymer casing that holds up in opposition to the weather. I’ve used it for mountaineering, biking, and rock scrambling, and I nonetheless have but to scratch the watch’s physique.
I can’t say the identical concerning the corning Gorilla Glass 3 show. After a couple of month, the watch has a couple of gentle, superficial scratches. I seemingly obtained them from some rugged rock scrambling or from sticking my hand by spokes, pedals, and chains whereas fixing my bike. The scratches don’t have an effect on efficiency and are seen solely at an angle.
The Enduro has a colour show, however don’t anticipate to be blown away by a wealthy, colourful interface. Coloration is used judiciously to both show vital stats or convey info. The 1.4-inch show is simple to learn within the daylight and sufficiently big you can examine your stats with out slowing down.
Chunky however snug design
The Enduro rivals the Fenix sequence in measurement, however surpasses it in consolation. As a substitute of the usual elastomer sports activities band, the Enduro is provided with a really snug nylon strap. The strap wraps round your wrist and secures with Velcro. The strap cuts down on sweat and doesn’t chafe my wrist like different sport bands.
For those who don’t just like the nylon strap, you’ll be able to simply swap it out for an additional model. Just like the Fenix, the Enduro is a bit chunky, particularly for smaller wrists, however it’s comparatively light-weight, with the metal model weighing 71 grams.
Health monitoring for open air of us
The Garmin Enduro tracks a variety of actions together with mountaineering, path working, mountain biking, and different outdoorsy actions. Like most Garmin watches, the Enduro shortly snatches a satellite tv for pc sign and holds it securely even in thick woods. It’s chock-full of metrics, like ClimbPro, which helps you to know if you find yourself about to hit a steep ascent, and a Path VO2 max calculation that takes elevation into consideration. The Enduro is overkill for gym-goers and yoga followers, however hardcore out of doors fans will recognize these extras when they’re climbing mountains and placing within the miles.
Restricted smartwatch options
The Garmin Enduro is full of health and outdoor-centric options, however its smartwatch options are restricted. You possibly can obtain incoming cellphone calls and notifications, however you can’t reply except you will have an Android cellphone. Even on Android, you’ll be able to solely reply to textual content messages.
Due to its widget-based interface, you’ll be able to view the climate, dawn/sundown occasions, and upcoming calendar occasions. The Enduro helps Garmin’s Join IQ app repository, however a lot of the accessible apps are wellness- or music-oriented and don’t add to the watch’s already strong multisports function set.
Thoughts-blowing battery life
I assumed Coros Vertix and Suunto 9 had excellent battery life, however the Enduro blew each of them away. Underneath regular utilization, the Enduro constantly lasted greater than a month between prices. Charging was an afterthought — one thing I did solely when the watch jogged my memory when it was getting low. The worst half was discovering my charging cable after not utilizing it for 30-plus+ days.
The Enduro helps you to probe for days and weeks on finish and not using a energy supply
In contrast to the Apple Watch, I by no means needed to fear about battery life, even with full GPS and health monitoring enabled. I used the Enduro whereas mountaineering on each day journeys and multiday in a single day journeys. A daylong hike in GPS mode barely made a dent within the battery life. It was so liberating to not have to fret about working out of juice earlier than my hike was over. I didn’t have to hold a charging cable or energy supply on a multiday journey, both. I turned off GPS monitoring on the finish of every day and nonetheless had loads of battery to spare after 4 days.
Photo voltaic offers an influence increase
Battery life is boosted additional by an built-in photo voltaic cell that rings the bezel and is embedded beneath the glass show. The Energy Glass technology is designed to supply solely supplemental energy, so don’t depend on it to completely cost your watch. It’s good to be exterior for some time within the solar to see any distinction. I noticed little distinction on quick excursions within the wooden, however it did assist battery life on a daylong hike within the shiny solar.
Lacking maps and music
The Enduro’s mind-blowing battery life comes with a price. Garmin needed to trim battery-hogging options, like navigation and music, that are discovered on the Fenix 6 and Forerunner 945 fashions. You get breadcrumb monitoring and uploadable routes on the Enduro, however you gained’t get the detail-rich topographical maps you discover on the Forerunner 945 or the Fenix 6 Professional. Additionally lacking is music storage. Sure, you’ll be able to management music playback in your cellphone utilizing the Enduro, however you can’t use the watch as a stand-alone music participant.
Our take
Battery life is the killer function for the Garmin Enduro. For those who hike, bike, or run lengthy distances, then the Enduro is a no brainer. The sports activities watch is snug to put on and the battery lasts without end. You gained’t have to hold the additional weight of a battery pack or charging cables, nor fear about the way you’re going to run and cost concurrently. Its hefty value of $800 value could also be a troublesome promote for some folks, however it actually covers the whole lot that an outside fanatic craves.
Is there a greater various?
The Garmin Enduro is a distinct segment product meant for endurance runners, bikers, and hikers. Until you need prolonged battery life, it’s best to avoid wasting money and add some options with a Fenix or Forerunner sequence watch. The Fenix has mapping and extra superior navigation options which may be extra interesting than battery life to an open air fanatic. Likewise, the Forerunner 945 has extra superior working metrics for many who run for hours, not days.
How lengthy will it final?
Garmin’s out of doors watches are identified for his or her rugged building, and the Enduro is not any exception. The chrome steel casing resists scratches, and the nylon strap fastens securely. We did get a couple of gentle scratches on the show from scrambling up rocks or repairing a motorcycle, however you’ll be able to slap on a display protector. Garmin has a one-year guarantee that covers defects in manufacturing or workmanship.
Do you have to purchase it?
If battery life is on the high of your listing, then go together with the Garmin Enduro. The Enduro will blow away Garmin’s different watches and even these from rivals like Suunto or Polar.
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