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Garmin Enduro | Analysis, details and review

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The new Garmin Enduro is a model that is not directly integrated into a specific family of Garmin (as could be the Forerunner or Fenix). But well pod could have been called Garmin Fenix Enduro because, in essence, that is what it is all about.

The Garmin Enduro has come to the market for one reason: to be the king of autonomy. It has no other reason for existence beyond offering you not just hours of use, but days and weeks. If this is what really matters to you above other "superfluous" functions such as music playback or map navigation, congratulations, this is the Garmin you were waiting for.

The Enduro is a watch purely focused on multi-day tours or ultra-distance runners. Based on the Garmin Fenix 6X Solar, it loses some of the functions of its cousin for the sole purpose of further increasing overall battery life.

And we are talking about up to 80 hours of GPS use at a rate of 1 second and using optical pulse sensor. If we start to apply power settings 1TP10We can reach up to 300 hours recording a route uninterruptedly. 

The battery is not the only thing that brings the Garmin Enduro, accompanying it there are also other new features that have been released with the Enduro but have also come to other models of the brand: VO2Max estimation specific to trail, new Ultra Run profile, timer breaks in that profile and extended range of use for ClimbPro.

Before I go into all the details, let me explain how this works. I have been analyzing the watch for several weeks with the test unit provided to me by Garmin. As always, once the analysis is completed I will send it back to you, so there is no compensation of any kind for performing the analysis. In other words, what I write below is my opinion of the watch, without any pressure from the manufacturer. And you know, if you like the work I do in the tests and want to collaborate with the website, you can do so by making your purchases through the links posted. Thanks for your support!

Let's see all the news of the Garmin Enduro below. What do you mean, you prefer it in video? Then press Play below or click here directly to watch it on YouTube.

GARMIN ENDURO

Overall - 9
Training possibilities - 8
Platform and applications - 8.5
Battery life - 10
Finishes and comfort - 9
Price/performance ratio - 5

8.3

TOTAL

Autonomy. That is the main reason for the Garmin Enduro. Its battery is unmatched by any other GPS watch on the market, offering much more than any other model. Although there is a toll to pay and we must do without the most striking features of the high-end models of Garmin.

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The good

  • Incredible autonomy both in activity and in daily mode
  • Internal changes to improve energy consumption
  • Pause for rest in the Ultra Run profile. Inexplicable that no one had thought of this before.
  • Despite its enormous size, it is not uncomfortable to use.

The bad

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  • Unmapped, one of the star features on the Garmin Fenix
  • High cost
  • Solar charging does not contribute as much as I would like

Garmin Enduro, specifications

Beyond battery life I'll list below the full specifications. And yes, this time are official (although it's the same we knew from weeks ago).

  • Power Glass for solar charging
  • 1.4″ screen
  • 51mm diameter
  • Steel or titanium bezel with DLC finish. The titanium version also has buttons and back cover of that material
  • New lighter nylon strap weighing only 6 grams, 21 grams less than the Fenix 6X silicone strap
  • The steel Garmin Enduro weighs 72 grams, while the titanium 58gr (in both cases including the strap)
  • Up to 80 hours with GPS use with 1 second recording (70 hours without solar charge support)
  • Up to 300 hours of GPS with maximum battery use (200 hours in the shade)
  • With GPS expedition mode, 95 days of GPS use (“only” 65 days if you are under heavy rain for two months)
  • Up to 65 days in smartwatch mode (50 if you don't go out of the pain cave)
  • Up to 130 days in energy-saving mode, showing only the time (can reach 1 year in this mode if we sunbathe every day for 3 hours)
  • Power Manager
  • – NEW – VO2max estimation adapted for trail run
  • – NEW – Ultrarun activity profile
  • – NEW – Rest timer for ultradistance races
  • – NEW – ClimbPro extension. In addition to giving the information about the climbs, now it also gives descents and flat areas
  • Advanced recovery time depending on rest and activity
  • Workour suggestions
  • MTB dynamics
  • Performance metrics, heat and altitud acclimation, advanced running metrics, etc.
  • Barometric altimeter
  • Magnetic compass
  • Garmin Pay compatible

As you see there are some new things, but there are also certain omissions when comparing it to its sibling, the Garmin Fenix 6X Solar. These are the things that are not present in the Garmin Enduro and the main differences with it.

  • No music
  • No WiFi
  • No maps
  • Only 64MB of memory (more than enough if we consider it does not have all of the above) instead of the 32GB of the 6X
  • Available in steel version. The Fenix 6X Solar is only sold with titanium finish
  • Garmin Enduro's exclusive nylon strap, although it's compatible with the Fenix 6X
  • The Garmin Enduro brings new software features, but will soon be available on all Fenix 6 via software update

These features that are now omitted are simply done to achieve that extended battery life. I think that the absence of maps will be the hardest thing to digest for many users, but it is something that should undoubtedly be left out if what you are looking for is an ultra battery life (to run your ultra-races, obviously).

The fact of having maps makes that in case of carrying a loaded route the processor is always working to update all the details, and the only way to solve that is to eliminate the possibility of root.

Do you want maps and is one of the most important features for you? Well, you can always opt for the Garmin Fenix 6X Solar, I don't think the 60 hours of battery life is so bad after all.

Garmin Enduro basics

The first thing to note about the Garmin Enduro is that it is a large watch. Many will even consider it huge, as it depends on the size of your wrist. Like the Fenix 6X, it is 51mm in circumference.

The advantage of its large size is that it allows you to use a screen that is also huge. At 1.4″ in diameter it is perfect even for those who have the most difficulty viewing data, which can accommodate from just 1 to a total of 8 on the same screen.

There are two options: steel or titanium finish. The difference is the color and the price. While the steel one has the case and strap in gray color with the bezel in polished steel, the Garmin Enduro titanium has the case and strap in black color and the bezel also black with DLC treatment. In price it goes from expensive to very expensive. 

In addition to the color, logically the titanium version is 10 grams lighter (61 grams instead of 71). Is it worth the extra outlay of about 100€? My recommendation is that the lighter the better. The second consideration I make is that we are talking about two options that are either expensive or very expensive... so if you decide to buy and want to treat yourself... there is the titanium version.

As I said before this is a watch that is based on the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar. Aesthetically there are very few differences between them. In fact the bezel is the same, the only thing that differentiates them is the yellow accent on the edge of the display and on the main button.

Garmin Enduro - Yellow accents

And like the Fenix 6X, and almost all Garmin models, it has a total of five control buttons. Two on the right side and three on the left. The feel they offer is quite good and it is easy to identify the "click" when pressed.

Garmin Enduro - Buttons

The user interface is also the same as in the Fenix family, including the smaller sized widgets that were released with the last version. Now instead of having an endless list of widgets to scroll through screen by screen, Garmin has reduced them into smaller lines but displaying all the necessary information.

Garmin Enduro - Widgets

This way of representing the information is much more intelligent, because in a single screen we will have access to many more data than before. If we want to enter any of them to see their detailed information we will be able to see it exactly as before.

Garmin Enduro - Widgets

It is possible to activate or deactivate the widgets that we want to have on the screen. This configuration is done from the watch, like everything else. The mobile application hardly allows modifications, only basic settings.

One of the widgets that you will be interested in activating is the sleep widget, one of the latest innovations of Garmin. Unlike previous models, now podwe can check the sleep data directly on the watch screen without having to first synchronize with the phone and then check it on the platform.

Garmin Enduro - Dream

As with the other widgets, if you click on the 1TP10 button, you will have access to more details about how the break went.

Garmin Enduro - Dream

Here is the information it shows:

  • Total time you've stayed asleep
  • Score assessing what your rest was like, from 0 to 100
  • Sleep quality level
  • Line with the different phases of sleep that we have been going through (what you could see before in Garmin Connect)
  • A short summary of how was your rest

If we click down, we have the line of the sleep phases enlarged for poder to see everything in greater detail, both in linear graphics and in total times of each phase.

And an expanded description of the summary he had given us at the beginning.

Garmin Enduro - Dream

This is an option that was first introduced with Fenix 6 and that has recently arrived in beta version to the Forerunner 745 and 945. Soon it will also be in the final version.

Finally we have the smart features: support for Garmin Pay and phone notifications on the watch screen.

Just remember, this is not an Apple Watch or a Wear OS watch. There is no possibility of answering messages beyond predefined responses in the case of Android.

What is not available is music playback directly from the watch, this is one of the functions eliminated with respect to the Garmin Fenix 6X Solar (along with WiFi and maps), with the aim of achieving the maximum possible autonomy.

In short, everything is "very Garmin". If you already know more watches of the brand everything will be quite familiar to you. So let's move on to talk about the Garmin Enduro's autonomy, which is undoubtedly the aspect that shines the most in this model.

Autonomy and solar charging

As I say, if there's one thing the Garmin Enduro excels at above all else, it's range. Probably if you are interested in the Enduro is for the battery life and nothing else. Because if not you can opt directly for the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro or the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar, with a little less battery but with a greater number of features.

The watch has solar charging, but it only serves to slightly support the battery life. The bulk of the autonomy comes from both the size of the battery and the platform itself. Despite being virtually identical to the Fenix 6X, it is clear that Garmin has made internal changes to the watch.

I don't say this because of the GPS duration, which depends mainly on the Sony GNSS chipset, but mainly because of the battery life in standby mode, which is far superior to what we had seen in Garmin so far. 

And when I say far superior, I'm talking about figures that may even seem ridiculous. In smartwatch mode (day to day without recording activities, receiving notifications, etc.) the Garmin Enduro is capable of lasting up to 50 days on, which can go up to 65 days with solar charging. 

Garmin Enduro - Extended Battery

It may look like Garmin is bragging, but believe me... the data may be perfectly real. The consumption in the daily mode is negligible. There is a huge difference compared to any other similar model in the range such as the Fenix or the Forerunner 945.

This is the summary of the autonomy data:

  • Smart watch modeup to 50/65 days with solar charging function*.
  • Energy saving clock modeup to 130 days/1 year with solar charging function*.
  • GPS modeup to 70/80 hours with solar charging function**.
  • GPS mode with maximum battery usageup to 200/300 hours with solar charging function**.
  • Expedition GPS activityup to 65 days/95 days with solar charging function*.

* Solar charging, under all-day use conditions with 3 hours per day in outdoor environments of 50 000 lux
** Solar charge, under conditions of use in 50 000 lux environments

As for solar charging there is not much to discuss about it. Unlike the Garmin Fenix 6 where you can opt to have solar charging, the Garmin Enduro includes it on any of their models. So all I can do is tell you how solar charging works.

The lens of the watch is PowerGlass. The watch glass is capable of transforming sunlight into energy. There is a small ring on the outside of the display that will absorb 100% of the received light.

Garmin Enduro - Solar Charging

It's like the photoelectric cells in a Casio calculator for life, but it's not the only thing that transforms sunlight into energy. Underneath the screen is another solar panel that logically receives less light (because it's covered by the screen), but its size is much larger. This panel only transforms 10% of the energy, but since its size is much larger than the small outer ring, the contribution it makes is also important.

Perhaps in the Garmin Enduro the solar charging is more noticeable than in the case of the Garmin Fenix, precisely because the power consumption of its platform is lower (so it has more time to continue accumulating charge). But obviously the bulk of the high life figures are due to the battery and battery management, and not to the solar charging technology.

We can see the importance of solar charging directly on the watch face itself, as we have an icon and a graph that will tell us how much time we have spent in the sun in the last 6 hours.  

Garmin Enduro - Solar Charging

We also have a specific widget with the same information, but showing it in a more detailed way.

In Garmin Connect, within the specific watch settings, we also pod can find a solar intensity report.

But I emphasize it again. Solar charging is a small help, but it is far from being the source of the Garmin Enduro's enormous range.

News and important details of Garmin Enduro

It's time to talk about sport, because obviously if you are interested in the Garmin Enduro it is because you are going to use it to stay active.

Power Manager

To continue talking about autonomy and finally close the chapter on the battery, I will first talk about the power manager. In the watch menu we have direct access to the menu where 1TP10We can define both the default modes and create different energy profiles.

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When creating a new 1TP10 profile, we can adjust these values:

  • GPSNo change, off, normal, UltraTrac, GPS+GLONASS and GPS+Galileo
  • PhoneDo not change, disconnect, connect
  • CF in the wristDo not change, turn off, activate
  • Pulse oximetryDo not change, turn off
  • MapAllow, disable
  • DisplayAlways on, with automatic switch-off
  • BacklightingDo not change, turn off
  • External sensorsAllow, Disconnect

With each of the settings that the watch allows, it will tell us how much autonomy, which helps us to decide whether it is worth wearing something active or not depending on what we are going to do.

Garmin Enduro - Energy savings

When performing an activity, within the options we can choose which is the energy mode we want to use for that training. 

You can set the energy mode both at the start and during the activity, i.e. if you feel that there is a danger that you will not be able to get the battery to complete your training, you can change the mode at any time.

New ClimbPro

ClimbPro now offers more information. Its function remains the same, to break down a route into different sections. The novelty is that in addition to telling us how many climbs we have on the route, it will also indicate the descents.

To have this information we must create a route with Garmin Connect or use any third party platform. I take this opportunity to remind you that the Garmin Enduro, unlike the Fenix 6X or any other Fenix with Pro designation, does not offer navigation maps. So there is no possibility of creating routes directly on the watch, nor will it show us anything other than a dotted route on the screen.

We can configure it in the settings of the sport profile you are going to use, allowing to show also the descents or only the ascents as before.

Garmin Enduro - ClimbPro Descents

With the route loaded on the 1TP10 watch we will be able to see the climbs, but also the descents. Anyone who has done any trail riding knows that a downhill can hurt as much or more than the previous climb.

In this revamped version of ClimbPro we also have the possibility of programming alerts to receive warnings before reaching the ascents or descents, in the distance that you configure beforehand.

When running, the watch will display a specific screen with the relevant data for that ascent or descent.

Garmin Enduro - ClimbPro

At the top with black background we have the total time of activity. Below it shows the relevant information for that specific portion of the route. Remaining distance of the ascent or descent, positive or negative meters to be covered and a graph with the profile of everything ahead, which also includes the average slope.

It also shows the number of ascent or descent with respect to the total. The bottom field, where I have the heart rate set, can be configured with any other generic data field just like those in the data screens.

VO2Max for trail running

Until now, Garmin watches did not perform any VO2Max estimation on trail or mountain profiles, as the algorithm was not adapted to consider data concerning slopes.

In the running profile the watch records that you are running at a certain pace and heart rate, and from that data it estimates what your VO2Max is. It's a simplification of the algorithm, but that's pretty much how it works.

In the mountains we don't pod to use that data. Maybe you are running at 6:00min/km at 170 beats per minute and the watch would consider your performance to be quite low, but maybe you are running up a 10% slope.

This is where the new VO2max estimation makes sense, as it will now take that data into account in order to better assess what your real performance is.

It's not that we have separate VO2Max data for road and trail running, all of that data is going to feed into the same VO2Max data for running.

Garmin Enduro - VO2Max

This new VO2Max estimation is by default in Trail running and Ultramarathon activities. A new option now appears in these profiles to enable or disable VO2Max recording.

Garmin Enduro - Energy savings

Because we must not forget that we must still be careful. Imagine that you are going to do a race, but carrying a backpack of 15 kilos on your back. Logically, your performance will be affected and you don't want that weighted race to affect the algorithm and everything that revolves around it (suggested workouts, training load and status, race estimation, etc.).

Ultramarathon race profile and rest timer

We have available a new sport profile: Ultramarathon. This profile adds a new setting for the lap button and that only 1TP10We can find here, neither in other running nor trail running profiles.

Garmin Enduro - rest ultratrail

By pressing the lap button in the Ultramarathon profile we will poder enable a rest timer. This will allow you to see in the race analysis more accurate data about your running or fueling times.

When pressing the lap button this is the screen we will see.

Garmin Enduro - rest ultratrail

It shows you in the upper part the time you have been resting (in the example image 14 seconds) and in the lower part the total timer of the whole activity (in the image, 45 seconds). At no time it stops the activity, the time continues running, but what it will do is to add a mark in the file for poder to have it identified later.

Already in the activity summary we are going to poder see at a glance how much is the total running time and how much is the rest time.

Garmin Enduro - rest ultratrail

As you can see in the example I created, each part of the session will be marked as run and rest with the rest of the traditional metrics such as heart rate, distance, pace, etc.  

Garmin Enduro - rest ultratrail

It will allow you to see clearly how you have been performing during the race and even if your performance has improved after resting or if once you have cooled down you find it difficult to get moving again.

This is another feature that comes to more models of the Garmin range, being present in all the Fenix 6 series, but also in the Fenix 6 series. Forerunner 745 and Forerunner 945.

Training suggestions

Then we have the daily training suggestions. This is not something new or specific to the Garmin Enduro, but since it was first released with the Garmin Forerunner 745 and then has been coming to other models of the range is not superfluous to detail what it consists of.

These recommendations are specifically adapted to you according to your VO2max, your load and your training status. Hence the importance of what was discussed above in the VO2max for trail section.

VO2Max is not the only thing it will take into account. It will also consider other values that the watch has recorded such as night's rest, Body Battery data or the intensity of previous workouts.

Of course, these are simply recommendations, it does not mean that you have to do that training, and if there is something pending in the calendar of another external platform (such as TrainingPeaks) or Garmin Coach, those will take precedence. You can find these workouts in the workouts menu of the sport profile.

Garmin Enduro - Training recommendation

I wanted to have shown it to you directly on the Enduro screen, but after having done an FTP test on Saturday on the bike and running a half marathon on Sunday, the watch said that today I had nothing for me and that the best thing for pod to do was to rest... So I had no choice but to ask for a second opinion on the Garmin Forerunner 745.

Garmin FR745 - Training recommendation

The watch will give you details of that session, telling you what it's for.

Garmin FR745 - Training recommendation

It also tells us what we are going to train and will give us an aerobic and anaerobic training effect score.

Garmin FR745 - Training recommendation

Undoubtedly it is a very interesting option to maintain a state of form and create a stimulus. But keep in mind that it is not a training program for a specific event or type of sport. It is not because the Garmin Enduro is a watch focused on trail running and ultradistance that the suggested workouts are going to be different from the ones that pod can have on the 745.

GPS and optical HR sensor performance

Both optical HR sensor tests and GPS comparisons are done in the same way: with watches accompanying me in my usual workouts. Carrying both the model object of the comparison and other models and checking where the problems appear.

I don't have any route defined to set a score, for the simple reason that there are other external factors that we should never forget. Things like clouds, tree leaves or simply satellite position can alter GPS results from day to day. That is why I prefer to make this type of comparison rather than have a predefined route and value it from this. 

As for the optical sensor I usually perform the test comparing those same watches, and some of them are paired with a chest sensor which is the one I use as a reference, usually a Garmin HRM-tri or a Polar H10. Sometimes I also use the Polar OH1+ on my arm.

Keep in mind that a wrist heart rate monitor does not work the same way on all bodies. We're all different, and if we put things in the equation like skin tone, tattoos, body hair... the difference from person to person can be quite big.

In my tests it is not that the spectrum of users is very broad: it is me, myself and I. So what works well for me might not do it for someone else, or it might be better.

But the most important thing to keep in mind is that you have to follow some guidelines to wear the sensor. It should be tight (but not cut off your circulation), enough to keep the watch from moving freely on your wrist, leaving a separation of approximately one finger from the wrist bone. By following these details you will ensure that you get the best results that your conditions can offer.

Let's go with the examples. I'll start with this one-hour workout at a progressive pace. For this I carry the Garmin Enduro, the Garmin Venu 2S and the COROS APEX Pro, the latter paired with the Garmin HRM-Tri sensor.

It is a version of my usual route, quite easy at the level of GPS reception because I run mainly by the promenade and do not touch too many urban areas.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

In this training I left the Venu 2S purposefully with intelligent recording. The reason is simply to show you the difference that exists with recording by seconds, as I explained on Instagram.

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In non-urban areas there is no problem on the part of any of the three members of the comparative. There's total visibility of the sky and the behavior is impeccable on the three of them. However, as soon as I start making some turns it is when the Venu 2S starts to stand out, as I pointed out to the right of the image.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

Is it because of a watch failure? No, it's mostly what was commented on the Instagram video. When smart data recording is selected, the watch is not saving all data points so problems arise as soon as there are changes in direction.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

What you can see is that the lines are not so curved, they are not adapting to the turns that we are doing on the ground for the simple reason that the watch records a point every several seconds.

In this image below you can perfectly see how while the watches that are recording per second make curved tracks, the Garmin Venu 2S composes its track based on straight lines.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

Beyond that detail with regard to data recording, the only place where complications can be seen is when passing through the main street of Puerto Banús. 

On the way back (from left to right) I go under a row of trees, while on the turn it is close to the buildings.

In the picture I pointed you the direction I was headed. I have also pointed out a point where the Venu 2S opens the curve too much.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

Otherwise, the rest of the workout is quite boring and without too many things to show. Which is basically what happens with the heart rate on this one. Despite not being a constant intensity training, it is quite progressive without high pace changes.

Comparison of optical sensor Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S

The only thing we can see is how the Garmin Enduro and Garmin Venu 2S optical sensors always have some delay, compared to the chest sensor of the COROS APEX Pro.

Comparison of optical sensor Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S

But let's see a pure interval workout. 10×1000 in the same straight, doing the same route over and over again.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

Here the Garmin Vivoactive 2S is already configured as it should, with data recording per second to prevent strange situations in turns. Or at least if there are strange situations they are due to a bad record of the watch, and not to the settings chose.

At this point I'm still warming-up at an easy pace. There is a separation between the tracks because the Enduro is on my left wrist, the COROS on the left hand and the Venu 2S on the right wrist. So such separation exists in reality.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

I wanted to show the path that I followed in each of the turns, so that you can have the correct reference. Both Garmin Enduro and COROS APEX Pro have behaved quite satisfactorily, while the Garmin Venu 2S, although it has done quite well, has had some doubt about the turns. But nothing I care about or catches my attention.

How about the section where I performed the intervals? 

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

Completely straight lines from all the members of the comparison, there is not a single point where anyone has deviated minimally, even when I am walking very slowly during recovery.

As for the total recorded distance is very similar in all three devices. Again, the small difficulty of having been standing drinking water or walking very slowly at the end of each interval, which may introduce some parasitic movement.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

As for the heart rate during those intervals...

 

Comparison of optical sensor Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S

Absolutely perfect graphs on the Garmin Enduro and Garmin Venu 2S optical sensors. Each and every intervals have been perfectly recorded, without extraneous spikes or erroneous measurements.

Obviously it doesn't mean that everything is perfect. If we zoom in in one of these intervals you can see what has already been mentioned above about the ups and downs with some delay by optical sensors, but it is something normal because of the way this technology works.

Comparison of optical sensor Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S

It remains to see how it behaves in a purely mountain environment, which is where you will probably use the watch the most. So let's go with this training in which I combine areas of good visibility with others in which I run under a forest area.

For this test he wore the COROS APEX Pro (also a good rival in terms of autonomy) and the Wahoo ELEMNT RIVAL.

Garmin Enduro - GPS Comparison

This image we see below is passing through a fairly lush forest area. This affects the reception of the satellite signal, plus the fact that we are not going in a straight line, so the clocks have to identify each of these turns.

The bad thing about these areas is that since the trail is not visible in the image and none of the three graphs match, you can't easily see which one is doing the best. Mind you, I can tell you that the Wahoo is not. It was probably the COROS that did best in this complicated area, as well as being the least "nervous".

Garmin Enduro - GPS Comparison

I come out of the forest and go to totally open terrain, but this is a fairly slow uphill stretch. The Wahoo is still going its own way, while both the COROS and the Garmin Enduro are showing reasonably well, although in the case of the Enduro with more hesitation. The COROS continues to have a clear path.

Garmin Enduro - GPS Comparison

Fast downhill to reach flat terrain and everything remains unchanged, with the Garmin Enduro with some hesitation and the COROS showing a very solid route.

Garmin Enduro - GPS Comparison

This area is open, but next to a slope that can cause signal bounce. It is the pivot point and, except for Wahoo (who keeps having a bad day), that signal bounce that can occur does not affect Enduro or COROS.

Garmin Enduro - GPS Comparison

Before we finish let's see a ride. Gravel riding, to be more accurate. Slow climbs and downhills are not excessively fast, so it's not like a TT bike ride where point separation is high and causes tracks to look very nice.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

You can see in the northernmost area of the lake, where there are more constant climbs and downs with constant curves. As you can see there is not a single incident on the part of Garmin Enduro or Garmin Venu 2S. Both match perfectly with the record made by the Garmin Edge 830.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

If I have to get fussy, zooming on a roundabout you can see different creative ways to take that roundabout... but that's it.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

Where there is a bit more of a surprise is in the heart rate graphs. We have two different optical sensor versions. The Garmin Enduro uses the Garmin Elevate V3 sensor, while the Garmin Venu 2S already uses the latest version where there are up to four optical sensors.

Garmin Elevate V3 and V4 sensor differences

Although that is not the only thing to take into account, also the weight of the watch and the total volume. During the most important bumpy areas I could perfectly notice how the Enduro was moving on the wrist. It became even uncomfortable because, by its size, it ended up knocking on the wrist.

With the Garmin Venu 2S it was like I was wearing nothing. In fact, it was just there to record data, because I didn't remember it all day long.

I've marked the point in the middle of the workout I was stopped to take some pictures.

Comparison of optical sensor Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S

As you can see, the Garmin Enduro stands out, whose graph is quite separate from the other two. But the truth is that Garmin Venu 2S is not seen too much... 

But let me remove the Enduro line from the graph and compare the Venu 2S only against Garmin's HRM-tri HR sensor (and I'll mark again the area where I stopped).

Comparison of optical sensor Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S

They are not exactly the same lines, but it's very close to it. A rather anomalous result achieved by the Venu 2S in this workout because usually, in cycling, the wrist HR readings are quite poor.

Finally and because there is no other section to include it, a comparison of the elevation data. All three devices in the test had barometric altimeter, so everyone should record the same readings.

At no time have I've done any calibration but fortunately all three start from the same point. The Edge 830 is automatically calibrated by mapping data, but the other two just have atmospheric pressure.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - barometric altimeter comparison

Around the middle of the workout the Garmin Enduro is slightly separated from the other two graphs, remaining constant in its overestimation. But both Garmin Edge 830 and Venu 2S fully match.

It is not a major failure or error, it is simply how technology works, because it depends on the reading of atmospheric pressure.

There are no significant differences in the resulting data.

Garmin Enduro - Garmin Venu 2S - GPS Comparison

The optical pulse sensor of the Garmin Enduro gets the results I expected. Frankly well in running activities, even though it is a rather "big-headed" watch. Even though it uses lighter materials it's still a bulky and heavy watch, and it's something you notice when wearing it and running with it.

However, this does not affect the results of its optical sensor. Here the strap helps as it allows for an exact fit, allowing the watch not to move too much on the wrist.

On the bike it is something completely different and that high weight is felt when we go through bumpy areas. The recommendation remains to use an external pulse sensor for any cycling activity.

In terms of GPS accuracy it is generally good, although in that mountain training the COROS has performed better. That is not to say that the COROS will always be superior, but it can be determined that it performs well and that the Enduro is not perfect in every situation.

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Opinion Garmin Enduro

Make no doubt about it, if you are looking for a watch with the maximum possible battery capacity you don't have to look much further. Currently the Garmin Enduro is unbeatable. But I'm not talking about autonomy with GPS use, at least not exclusively. 

80 hours with 1 second GPS use and optical pulse sensor is well above the values of the competition. Not to mention up to 300 hours of GPS with power saving. But I think there are few who can really take advantage of so much autonomy. 

If the autonomy with GPS is impressive, the battery life in daily use mode is even more impressive. In fact I came to think that in the several weeks of testing the watch I would not need to make a charge beyond the initial one.

I finally had to charge it, but it was after more than 3 weeks with the watch on my wrist at an average of 12 hours of training per week with varied use. I have never seen anything like it.

However, if I were looking for such a watch, the Enduro would not be my watch of choice. Personally I would be willing to sacrifice the super battery in exchange for the mapped navigation of the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro. In this price range and mountain use it's a feature I can't pass up. And it's not like the battery of the 6X Pro is vastly inferior (or even the Fenix 6 Pro).

Leaving the Enduro aside, perhaps what excites me most is that these changes in the platform may come to future models of Garmin. In fact, and saving the differences (they are two totally different watches), the Garmin Venu 2 has seen its autonomy in daily use double. Only the future will tell if this will continue in the same way.

And with that... thanks for reading!

Eduardo Mateos

I've been surrounded by electronic devices of all kinds for more than 25 years. Using them, testing them, taking them apart and dissecting them. Long distance triathlete: I swim, run and cycle for a long time. Maybe too much.

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2 Comments

  1. I still do not understand that an ultra distance watch does not have maps having the brand means and possibility to do so, it is puzzling😕.

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