Fiona Russell has tested the Garmin Enduro 3 smartwatch extensively over six months. Here’s why she highly recommends this device.
The stand-out feature of the Garmin Enduro 3 is an astonishingly long battery life, even better than the brand’s top-of-the-range Fenix 8 models. Yet, the Enduro 3 costs less than the Fenix 8 and its RRP is £150 cheaper than the previous Enduro 2.
Fiona Russell highly recommends
The Garmin Enduro 3 is the best GPS watch I’ve owned although has taken many hours, referring to an on-line manual, to learn how to use properly.- battery life
- flashlight
- mapping
- GPS accuracy
- size
- complexity
- non AMOLED screen
- chunky
| Quick specs |
|---|
| Price: $899.99 | £769.99 (available from Cotswold Outdoor) Weight: 63g (with canvas strap) Case size: 51 x 51 x 15.7mm Screen: Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) (Non AMOLED) Battery life: up to 80 hours in GPS only mode, extended to 144 hours with solar charging (with dual/all GPS on) OS grid ref: Yes Mapping: Yes Operation: Buttons and touch screen www.garmin.com |
It’s difficult to test the claims of battery longevity in different modes – GPS, GNSS etc – because of other factors, such as available sunlight for solar charging, activity setting and frequency of checking the display, but I’ve been consistently amazed by the infrequent need to recharge it. The charge lasts week after week.
There are a few sacrifices to gain battery longevity, including MIP display, rather than brighter and clearer AMOLED with the Fenix 8. This is only an issue where natural light is dim and then I need to use the backlighting. In addition, the Enduro 3 does not have speaker or microphone capabilities, nor satellite messaging. The watch is quite chunky but only a little thicker (1mm) than the Fenix 8 solar. It weighs 63g – 30g less than the same-sized Fenix 8 solar – but once on my (skinny) wrist, I don’t notice it. The Enduro is one size only – no smaller option – but I like a larger watch with its bigger display.
Another highlight is mapping. I own the first model of the Enduro and while I love it, especially the battery life, it has only breadcrumb navigation. The Enduro 3 has a choice of mapping, with Garmin’s vector-based TopoActive maps pre-loaded. The maps do not have great feature and contour details but they are perfectly useable for many activities. You can pay a subscription for Garmin Outdoor Maps+ for enhanced details.
A better option if you are in the UK is to upload an OS map GPX route to the watch via the Garmin Connect platform. Saying all this, I still prefer the OS map app on my phone because it’s a larger display than the watch. What is excellent, however, is Next Fork navigation, so you can stay on track during an activity, and ClimbPro, which reveals many details about the hill you are on.
Another bonus feature is the flashlight. I thought this would be a gimmick but I use it almost daily; to find something inside my pack or in my tent at night, to locate the keyhole in our house door or to find the bathroom at night!
As with many GPS watches, there are dozens of other features that come as standard. The list of activities to track is mind-boggling. Anyone for “rucking”, snowmobile or jumpmaster?! I’ve mainly used hike, trail run, open water and gravel bike, and the watch provides excellent and very accurate tracking for route, distance, pace, time, ascent, descent, elevation, position, grid reference and more.
There is tracking for various health statistics, such as Pulse OX, ECG, sleep patterns, menstrual cycle and “Fitness Age”. These are useful indicators rather than a substitute for medical attention but interesting all the same. More useful, in my opinion, is Garmin safety tracking with the ability to notify others if you are in difficulty in the great outdoors, as well as incident detection and live tracking.
The Enduro 3 is a sophisticated GPS watch with long-lasting battery life and, while pricey, it’s not the most expensive on the market. It is the best GPS watch I’ve owned although has taken many hours, referring to an on-line manual, to learn how to use properly.
Testing conditions
Fiona tested the Garmin Enduro 3 extensively over six months for hiking, running, kayaking and open water swimming, mainly in the Scottish hills and mountains and during a four-day ultra running race in Switzerland and Italy.
This review was first published in the January 2026 issue of The Great Outdoors. Head to our GPS watches guide to compare this with other rugged, outdoor smartwatches on the market.
