Need A Smartwatch With Extreme Battery? This Solar Garmin Outlasts Competitors (and It's On Sale)

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Garmin Enduro 3 is disposable now successful a azygous 51mm size for $900
• The artillery life is stunning, information captured by nan watch is meticulous and comprehensive, nan LED flashlight is essential, and nan value is $200 little than its successor
• The MIP show is not arsenic superb arsenic an AMOLED display, and nan 51mm size is excessively ample for smaller wrists.

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When Garmin announced its flagship GPS sports watches past year, nan Enduro 3 was $300 little than nan comparable Fenix 8 51mm exemplary pinch a memory-in-pixel (MIP) show and star charging, giving it immoderate perfectly chaotic artillery longevity. Given my obsession pinch nan Enduro 2 and this worth difference, I ordered my ain Enduro 3 nan time that Garmin announced nan caller watch.

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Fast guardant a twelvemonth later, and nan Enduro 3 is still perfectly a competitory smartwatch, moreover successful a crowded user market. Its artillery life and rugged Garmin creation still look conscionable arsenic great, particularly for nan $749 waste price. 

The Enduro 3 is disposable pinch MIP and successful 1 size: 51mm. The regular value tag of $900 is $200 little than nan Enduro 2 was erstwhile it launched successful 2022, and compared to nan Enduro 2, nan Enduro 3 is lighter by six grams.

Nevertheless, it has a longer artillery life, doubly nan star power harvesting capability, nan caller Garmin Elevate fifth-generation bosom complaint sensor, caller activity and mapping functions, and a redesigned personification interface. Some of these software-related improvements could travel to nan Enduro 2, but nan extended artillery life and improved bosom complaint sensor are unsocial worthy nan upgrade.

Garmin Enduro 2 (left) and Enduro 3 (right).

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The awesome LED flashlight remains a staple and I proceed to usage it daily. When you double property nan apical near fastener to move connected nan flashlight, nan Enduro 3's updated interface lets you quickly entree 1 of 4 achromatic LED levels via nan reddish ray fastener that appears connected nan near broadside of nan watch face. All nan different workout flashlight modes remain, and I americium still amazed that only Garmin incorporates specified a useful dedicated LED flashlight connected a watch.

I've been walking, running, biking, rowing, hiking, fishing, sleeping, and surviving pinch nan Garmin Enduro 3 for nan past month, and it has earned a imperishable location connected 1 of my wrists. I emotion nan amp-yellow highlights connected this watch, truthful erstwhile I placed my order, I besides bought nan Amp Yellow UltraFit nylon strap. These straps are comfortable, flexible, and lightweight, truthful it was an easy choice.

Note nan quality successful nan optical bosom complaint sensors. The Enduro 3 is connected nan left.

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The Enduro 3 is nan modular I usage to measurement nan GPS connected different watches I test. Its reliability and accuracy makes it a watch I spot without hesitation. The Enduro 3 obtains a GPS awesome quickly, moreover arsenic I recreation astir nan state and workout successful different locations. Heart complaint accuracy is besides solid, and there's nan expertise to besides seizure an ECG to cheque for atrial fibrillation.

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Despite nan updated watch software, you still entree nan widgets successful nan aforesaid way: by pressing nan down fastener aliases swiping up connected nan display. You besides property nan up fastener aliases swipe up to spot nan caller notifications interface. That said, notifications are now grouped by app. You tin disregard notifications by app aliases disregard each of them connected your telephone via nan fastener astatine nan apical of nan display. It took a spot of usage to get comfortable pinch this caller notification interface, but grouping them by app is surely much efficient.

Garmin Enduro 2 (bottom) and Enduro 3 (top).  

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

A azygous property of nan amp yellowish top-right prime fastener shows you different caller personification interface constituent pinch icons for your 3 favourite activities and an icon for each your installed and organized activities. Below these activities are your map, clocks, workouts, and more. You tin customize and bid nan items by utilizing nan edit fastener astatine nan bottommost of nan display. Press that fastener 1 much clip to jump into that favourite activity aliases position nan remainder of your activities.

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Once you prime an activity, you tin swipe up to position different updated interface that groups activity settings by function. While running, for example, nan functions are base, training, navigate, activity options, and watch settings, pinch a last fastener to jump to nan information screens that you tin customize to your heart's content. It's reliable to hit nan customizability and personalization of a Garmin sports watch.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Battery life is advertised arsenic up to 36 days successful smartwatch mode, 90 days pinch regular star charging, 120 hours pinch GPS, aliases 320 hours pinch solar. If you alteration each outer systems and multi-band mode for nan astir precise tracking, nan watch tin still supply up to 60 hours of artillery life aliases 90 hours pinch capable star charging. Throw euphony playback in, and you tin still workout for 22 hours.

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With my mean of 3 days per week of workout and 24/7 wear, I'm seeing 3 weeks of artillery life. I person only charged nan watch erstwhile truthful far.

ZDNET's buying advice

The Garmin Enduro 3 is 1 of nan champion worth flagship sports watches disposable today. While AMOLED displays supply a modern look, nan always-on visibility and agelong artillery life of nan MIP show are powerful. This watch is advertised arsenic an endurance watch for athletes, and it will surely excel successful that role.

Even a casual jock for illustration maine appreciates having a watch that only needs to beryllium charged erstwhile monthly and performs consistently and reliably each azygous clip it is used. I'm impressed that Garmin improved my favourite watch while reducing nan value by $200, particularly fixed nan uncertainty successful nan economy.