Garmin Enduro 3 review – The smartwatch with the longest battery life in the world

Tags: Review | Garmin | Smart

14.1.2026 | 11 MIN

Few expected the Enduro line to return for this American brand. Yet the Garmin Enduro 3 hits the market stronger than ever and truly lives up to its name in every sense.

The Garmin Enduro has always been built for outdoor adventurers and laser-focused on battery life—both as a smartwatch and especially in GPS modes. That’s why the first generation was “stripped” of some features. With the second generation, we saw a close resemblance to the Fenix 7X / 7X PRO, so it seemed the model was destined for retirement. And now there’s a third generation. It checks every box for the longest possible time off-grid. Why?

• redesigned build – lower weight, greater comfort
• twice as efficient solar charging
• the longest GPS battery life of any smartwatch – up to 320 hours
• detailed mapping and navigation features
• corrective workouts for various sports
• preloaded TopoActive maps of Europe
• Garmin smart features – NFC, music, notifications...
• price – much lower than the Garmin Fenix 8, 51 mm

Design – Ugly duckling or smart move?

Public reception of the Garmin Enduro 3 has been highly polarized. Some downright dislike it, and some, in my view, simply got used to it rather than truly liking it. My first impression was a bit of a shock—both the design and the thickness. The 51 mm diameter remains, but the thickness is now 15.7 mm, which is quite a lot. Looking back, it doesn’t feel excessive at all, and it wears great. I also didn’t notice knocking it into corners or doorframes any more than usual.

Back to the design. For the first time it breaks away, and it’s completely different from the new Fenix 8 models (there used to be design parity: Fenix = Enduro). The bezel has changed a lot—it’s much thinner and the button labels are gone. You’ll only find fine grooves at the 12 and 6 o’clock positions. The bezel’s sides also have an interesting “stepped” profile: from the top there’s a ledge down to a lower tier, which then meets the polymer case. Another curiosity is that the lugs are no longer titanium; they’re plastic. Weight savings—or cost savings?

Personally, I much prefer the thinner bezel. Besides leaving more room for the solar ring/display, a slimmer bezel is less prone to scuffs because it’s harder to “clip.” My Enduro took a big hit once and you can’t tell.

If you’ve read closely, you’ll have noticed no mention of a sandwich construction—only a polymer case. The biggest change is that the titanium caseback is gone; it’s now plastic and slightly domed. That likely allowed Garmin to fit a slightly larger battery and trim the weight a bit.

Compared to the Fenix 8, the watch steps down in water resistance. You get 100 m water resistance, but no diving mode—just like the new Fenix 8. So it can handle any swimming or snorkeling, but it doesn’t belong on the ocean floor.

And what would an Enduro be without its signature yellow accents. Those are still here: six yellow bars around the display—at each button, at 12 o’clock, plus a yellow Garmin logo at 6. The last yellow element is the guard around the upper right button. It’s been tweaked and, to me, evokes a dam with a spillway. The button is the water, the yellow guard lines it, and beneath the button there’s a beveled spillway. On the Enduro, that last bit feels a tad unnecessary to me.

The strap is the final change. It’s still nylon by default, as we’re used to, but Garmin now includes the new UltraFit version, which fastens from one side, making it easier to handle.

My personal take on the changes is mixed. I don’t mind the plastic caseback, I fully welcome the weight drop—now 63 g with the nylon strap—but otherwise? Material shaved off the lugs, the odd button guard… It took me a while to get used to. I did, but not everyone will. Design is highly subjective—decide for yourself if you like the look or not.

Viva el Solar!

I’ve heard from many that once you try AMOLED, you’ll never go back to a transflective display. Sorry, that’s definitely not me. A transflective display has a unique charm and excellent readability both in direct sun and indoors. Plus, it never turns off—it’s truly always-on.

The new Fenix 8 with a transflective display carries the Solar moniker, which—unsurprisingly—helps feed the battery. Why the excitement? Because Solar is finally no longer pointlessly under the display but only in the surrounding ring. That ring is now black, so it blends better with the display’s colors.

Thanks to the thinner bezel, the solar ring could expand while keeping the display at 1.4" with 280 × 280 pixels. That larger ring boosts efficiency—up to 120% more efficient than the previous Enduro 2. And as you’d expect from higher-end models, the display is protected by sapphire crystal, so there’s no need for a screen protector.

Beyond the numbers, the display is more legible than before, and the black solar ring accentuates the classic transflective contrast—it’s a joy to look at. The lowest backlight level is also stronger and cleaner than on the Fenix 7X PRO. I’m a bit bummed that brightness isn’t set in percentages, but that could arrive in an update.

A new UI you’ll happily say yes to

Compared to previous generations, Garmin has revamped the user interface. It’s now more phone-like, with a top notification shade instead of burying notifications among the widgets. The shade works reliably by touch and button, and you can finally clear all notifications at once. Messages from the same platform also group, which is great.

The widget menu below remains largely the same—no need to change what works perfectly. New is the grouping of all training functions into a “Training” widget, mirroring how health functions were grouped before.

Bigger changes await in the main menu under the middle button. Some items have been rearranged to make them easier to find. In some cases it is better—like “Display & Brightness” appearing at the top—but “Sensors & Accessories” is now under “Connectivity,” which isn’t obvious, and you won’t find “Altimeter/Barometer” under sensors any more; it’s now under “System.” Overall, I see this as a positive—it’s more coherent.

There’s also a change to the button that used to take you straight to activities. Now, activities are at the top, with all smart features, training, Messenger, music, and more below. I love the quick access to three favorite sports pinned to the top. Press the top-right button and your three go-tos are right there.

And finally, we can now choose from 16 font sizes in the menus, so Garmin just made a lot of people happy—including those with visual impairments.

Overall, the changes are positive, and once the software is 100% polished, it’ll be great. Occasionally an English string slips through or a menu pops up where it shouldn’t, but updates will sort that out.

Do you need to change sensors when they work?

As for sensors, nothing has changed. They’re the same as in the Enduro 2. Yes, for the sticklers: the optical heart rate sensor is now the Elevate 5, but I’d say sampling and accuracy feel the same.

You get an optical heart rate sensor / pulse oximeter, barometer, altimeter, gyroscope, thermometer, accelerometer, dual-band GPS, and compass. And as the chapter title suggests, if the sensors work great, there’s no reason to change them drastically. Everything runs as it should and accuracy is excellent.

Compared to the Fenix 7X PRO I’m wearing on the other wrist, the Enduro 3 seems to lock onto GPS a bit faster, which is a plus—but these days most devices are within a few seconds anyway.

Enduro 3 – blue, Fenix 7X PRO (Coros HR Monitor) – purple.

As you can see, the average difference is negligible. The watch occasionally struggled with surges or the transition to walking and resting hands on thighs, which slightly changes blood flow. It seems the plastic caseback improved heart-rate tracking overall.

GPS tells a similar story. The watches track very similarly; I might even say the Enduro 3 is a touch better with the same chipset. Likely because there’s less metal in the case, so reception improves.

Yellow – Enduro 3, red – Fenix 7X.

I wasn’t drunk by the river, as the track might suggest—there were floods and I was looking for the safest place to cross.

The flashlight is unchanged too

The flashlight hasn’t changed and it’s just as great as on every model that has it. Use it however you like—I bet you’ll use it daily, like I do. For running, finding things, late-night bathroom trips, or any task where you need light.

As for intensity, there are again 4 white levels, one red, and a ton of presets for different flashing patterns—or you can create your own.

Enduro 3 – Who lasts longer?

Want the spec-sheet runtimes? Here you go.

The solar figures are lofty, yes. But even if you don’t hit them, believe me: you won’t run out of battery anytime soon. With these numbers, the Enduro once again claims the crown for the longest battery life during sport.

If the watch uses 1.4 percent per activity hour, that’s solid. For the record, solar intake across the day was about 16,000 lux, so the solar assist wasn’t huge. In short, the watch will see you through any adventure race, ultra-trail, or expedition without charging.

Training enough? Need a hand?

New sports profiles include sailboat racing and virtual run. Boring changes, right? This watch wasn’t exactly made for sailboat racing or indoor virtual running anyway, so those additions aren’t the headline.

What I do love are the changes to strength training. You now get workouts targeting muscle groups that are often imbalanced, plus strength and corrective routines tailored to different sports. It’s brilliant—Garmin can hardly do more for us here. Just start a workout and follow the on-screen animation. No, it won’t replace a coach who teaches form and gives you the why, but it can help if you have no idea how to compensate for your main sport.

Beyond that, you’ll find the usual sport roster and analytics: all kinds of running, cycling, swimming, triathlon, and more. Analytics include the staples like VO₂ Max, Recovery Time, Training Status, and daily suggested workouts.

I also can’t skip Training Readiness, which rates your readiness from 0 to 100 based on sleep, Recovery Time, HRV status, acute load, and your sleep/stress history.

The standout metrics I recommend for runners are Hill Score and Endurance Score. I’ve covered both in separate articles.

Preloaded TopoActive Europe maps

The watch comes with TopoActive maps of Europe preloaded, plus maps of South and North America. That’s generous—you won’t have to do much else. If you want Asia, just install Garmin Express and add the Asia map. In any case, do install the program to update the watch and its maps.

Map redraw speed hasn’t changed; Garmin could improve how fast they render, but maybe that’s asking a lot of a transflective display and the processor… Still, for navigation it’s absolutely fine with no issues.

TopoActive maps without Topo voucher

A great new mapping feature is active rerouting if you stray off course, or if you’ve set a target arrival time and you’re falling behind. In both cases, the watch will reroute you back onto the correct path.

And best for last—Garmin Share. This enables short-range sharing between Garmin watches, so you can send a structured workout, a course, or even an animated workout to your group or a buddy. For me, it’s one of this year’s best additions—it saves everyone time at the trailhead when distributing routes and the like.

If you like the feature but don’t own the new Fenix 8 or Enduro 3, don’t worry. It’s already rolling out via updates to the Fenix 7 PRO, Tactix 7, Enduro 2, and more.

No calling, but music and payments

Yes, the Garmin Enduro 3 doesn’t support Bluetooth calling. I don’t miss it here. Enduro is the kind of model that deserves LTE—and until that works reliably everywhere, I get why Garmin doesn’t bother with calling.

Nevertheless, you get music and streaming services, NFC payments, and staples like alarm, stopwatch, and more. A recent addition among music services is YouTube Music if you have a Premium subscription.

Another relatively new feature is Garmin Messenger; it’s come to older models too, but it’s worth mentioning. Garmin Messenger is a platform for watches and satellite communicators. On the watch, it lets Garmin watch users message each other and also those who install the phone app. That’s great—you can reply from the watch even on iOS.

A high-level fitness tracker

The watch didn’t gain extra health features—and that’s okay. It’s hard to add more to one of the most loaded watches around. You get steps, all-day heart rate, sleep (naps and a sleep coach), stress, Body Battery, floors climbed, nightly heart rate variability, and a pulse oximeter. And the contentious ECG.

A standout feature is nightly heart rate variability, which measures the milliseconds between beats. It can help indicate illness, inflammation, or overtraining—and also whether you overdid it with alcohol.

Track your daily energy with Body Battery, which scores your charge from 0 to 100. It’s easy to read—near 100 means you should be buzzing with energy and you’ll gradually drop as the day goes on.

Just to be clear: we’d heard ECG wouldn’t be included, but it seems Garmin changed course. Since the sensor supports it, the feature launched for the Enduro 3—so far only in the U.S., but hopefully we’ll see it soon as well.

Otherwise, there’s not much to add. As a fitness tracker, the watch works great and there’s nothing to fault.

For the money, these are worth it!

I don’t often address price in reviews, but it’s warranted here. The new Garmin Fenix 8 is priced quite high, while the Enduro 3 is currently more than €240 cheaper with the same sports features and even longer battery life. So if you don’t need diving and calling, I see no reason not to choose the new Enduro 3.

What I like most is the classic display paired with the improved solar charging—it’s genuinely more effective than ever, and that finally pays off even here. On the software side, I appreciate the preset upper-body compensation workouts most.

Finally, the light weight quickly won me over—just like the plastic caseback. At first it felt a bit cheap, but now I have no complaints. It’s another great piece in Garmin’s outdoor family.

Photo source: official manufacturer images, Hodinky 365, author’s archive