For many sports smartwatches, battery life is a rather problematic factor and it’s something that Garmin is seeking to address. For previous owners of Samsung Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch who have been frustrated by the battery life, the Garmin Enduro could be the solution to their problem. The Enduro is capable of doing typical smartwatch functionality, such as displaying notifications, playing music, tracking outdoor activities and monitoring heart rate 24/7. Even for people who don’t exercise a lot, the Enduro is still useful with its great battery life. There are two versions of the Enduro, the regular and the Titanium. As comparison, the Garmin Fenix 6X offers 60 hours of battery with the GPS mode and outdoor tracking enabled. The Enduro offers 10 hours longer of 70 hours of battery life. One very useful feature is the solar charging panel with Power Glass lens in the display. Garmin claims that the Enduro could last up to 50 days, if you spend time outdoor a lot. In fact, if you enable the battery saving mode, the smartwatch could last up to one year.
This puts the Enduro far ahead of other smartwatches, including the Coros and Polar series. However, there are a few features missing from the Enduro, such as the absence of topographical map, which is the standard feature on some Garmin smartwatches. This omission is rather strange, especially if we consider that the Enduro is for people who love to do things outdoors. Even so, it is definitely appealing for people who spend many days outdoor, such as when hiking, climbing or camping. For these people, battery life is more important than any sophisticated feature. The Enduro has a rugged look with 51mm case. Garmin knows that for highly active athletes, even one-gram counts. The company seeks to make the case and the strap as light as possible. The titanium version of the Enduro weighs at only 58 grams. There’s the ClimbPro mode that can help you manage pace when climbing on hilly train. However, when you are being active outside, it is easy to see that it’s slower to pick up GPS signal, especially when you are entering a new area. The Elevate heart rate sensor uses optical element, so you can get real-time insights.
For any highly active individual, rest is also an important factor and the Enduro also comes with sleep tracking feature. However, the smartwatch seems a bit generous when tracking our sleep and it tends to record a longer sleep period than what it actually is. While you may lament at its lack of detailed mapping feature, the simpler navigation feature should work well to get you back out of the forest and swamp, as long as you have GPS signal in the area. Whether the Garmin Enduro is a better choice compared to the Apple Watch, there’s one thing that’s clear to see: Garmin wants to be a stronger player in the smartwatch market by offering something meaningful in the market.
