I’ve been a believer in wearable expertise for the reason that starting. Earlier than smartwatches actually grew to become mainstream, I used Fitbit trackers to trace exercise, examine the time, and see notifications. When the primary Apple Watch was introduced, I used to be one of many first to purchase one in 2015. That claims loads as a result of the primary Apple Watch Sport was horrible. Since then, I’ve owned a ton of prime smartwatches, together with Apple Watch, Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, and Garmin fashions.
However just lately, I reviewed the most costly smartwatch ever strapped to my wrist. It’s the Garmin Enduro 3, a long-lasting wearable with a $900 retail worth. As I take a look at merchandise all through the autumn launch cycle, I’m normally thrilled after I’m completed and may return to my most popular on a regular basis carry. For smartwatches, that sometimes means adorning my Apple Watch Extremely or Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Basic.
This time was totally different. I couldn’t cease sporting the Garmin Enduro 3, and honestly, I haven’t even considered switching again to the Apple Watch Extremely or Galaxy Watch 6 Basic. The truth is, I don’t even know the place my Apple Watch Extremely is in the mean time — regardless of sporting it religiously for 2 years earlier than giving the Garmin watch a strive.
We’re approaching Black Friday and Cyber Monday reductions, the place smartwatches — together with these from Garmin — are certain to go on sale. That is why if you happen to’re itching to make a change, subsequent week might be the very best time to take action. This is why I’ve left these smartwatches behind, and why chances are you’ll wish to as effectively.
No extra compromises
It’s true that the Garmin Enduro 3 prices greater than the Apple Watch Extremely or the Galaxy Watch 6 Basic (and their newer fashions, for that matter). Nevertheless, it’s additionally true that the Enduro 3 is best in a couple of key methods, beginning with battery life. Garmin advertises the Enduro 3 as probably providing “limitless” battery life due to its photo voltaic charging capabilities, however in smartwatch mode, you may stand up to a few months of battery on a single cost. A extra reasonable determine might be a month of battery life, which I’ve replicated in real-world utilization.
Evaluate that to the newest Apple Watch Extremely 2 and Galaxy Watch Extremely, and the distinction is staggering. I’m fortunate to get a day or two of battery life on my Extremely with regular utilization, sleep monitoring, and exercise monitoring. The Garmin Enduro 3 helps me neglect about charging, and it fully modified the best way I exploit a smartwatch. When the battery will get low, I nonetheless have a couple of days of energy left. All I’ve to do is bear in mind to cost it for a couple of hours throughout these couple of days, and I’m set for one more month.
In apply, that ends in tangible advantages. I went on a world journey final month, and I didn’t carry a Garmin charger with me. The Enduro 3 was midway charged after I left and nonetheless had every week of battery after I returned. On trip, the place remembering to carry all the suitable chargers could be a problem, the Garmin was like a breath of recent air.
In fact, that is nothing new for Garmin watches. The Enduro 3 is the longest-lasting smartwatch within the firm’s lineup, however all nice Garmin watches have strong battery life. The attention-opening a part of utilizing the Garmin Enduro 3 was discovering that you simply don’t actually have to surrender options to get this degree of excellent battery life. I’ve used older Vivoactive fashions, and extra just lately, the Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic. These watches had nice battery life, too, however lacked when it comes to function set.
The Garmin Enduro 3 doesn’t compromise in the identical methods. It has loads of helpful, tactile buttons — plus a responsive touchscreen. There are a handful of GPS bands supported, and an extended record of sensors that features a barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, ambient gentle sensor. By way of well being sensors, you get a coronary heart price monitor, Pulse Ox monitor, thermometer, and ECG.
Add all of it along with Garmin’s insightful software program, and the Enduro 3 was a way more helpful health and well being software than both Apple or Samsung’s smartwatches. With the Apple Watch, it looks like Apple needs me to really feel good about my health and well being. You intention to shut Exercise Rings in a approach that’s paying homage to checking off a day by day to-do record relatively than truly being centered on health progress. Whereas watchOS 11 is certainly higher at acknowledging relaxation days, the emphasis on relaxation and restoration nonetheless isn’t corresponding to Garmin’s.
Once more, this ends in tangible way of life advantages. The Garmin Enduro 3 recorded completely atrocious sleep and physique battery scores within the days previous myself coming down with a extreme sinus an infection. It knew I used to be sick earlier than I did and really helpful I pause coaching. Equally, after I really feel sore and drained after a grueling exercise the day before today, Garmin’s coaching readiness retailer affirms what my physique is telling me — giving me the arrogance to take a relaxation day with out feeling responsible.
In the meantime, my Apple Watch is sitting in a drawer someplace, buzzing every hour to remind me to stand up and stroll it off.
A part of the rationale I’ve liked utilizing the Garmin Enduro 3 shouldn’t be as a result of the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch have modified for the more serious; it’s that I’ve modified as a consumer. I’m not considering utilizing my smartwatch like a cellphone strapped to my wrist anymore. I need a watch that reliably tells the time, has long-lasting battery life, and has wonderful health monitoring capabilities and insights. Garmin watches are unbelievable for that. Purely as a smartwatch, I’d advocate you decide the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch.
However for me, I’ve found there’s worth in sporting a smartwatch that’s a bit much less sensible.
Wait, you’re saying I ought to pay $900 for a smartwatch?
I do know what you’re most likely considering. Positive, the Enduro 3 is cool, however it’s approach too costly to probably be value it. It’s costly — I wouldn’t blame you if you happen to’re not prepared to pay $900 for a smartwatch — nonetheless, it’s additionally value it.
The worth proposition begins to make sense while you take a look at what got here earlier than and after the Garmin Enduro 3. This watch’s predecessor was the Enduro 2, which value $1,100. Garmin added a ton of software program options and {hardware} enhancements to the Enduro 3, making the corporate’s longest-lasting watch ever whereas concurrently slashing $200 off the sticker worth.
Moreover, the Enduro 3 is quietly a greater worth than the Garmin Fenix 8. In our overview, we discovered that the Fenix 8 was merely overpriced. The loopy factor is that the Enduro 3 can do a lot that the Fenix 8 can do whereas being lighter, cheaper, and that includes longer battery life and a sophisticated photo voltaic display screen with extra floor space for charging. Except you want diving options or a speaker and microphone, the Enduro 3 is a greater worth — and possibly a greater watch, relying in your use case — than the Fenix 8.
Contemplate these two watches for comparability, and the $900 Enduro 3 instantly appears to be like like an superior deal. Mix that with the truth that the Garmin Enduro 3 very effectively could go on sale throughout Black Friday gross sales, that are already beginning, and it appears to be like like a good time to improve to a Garmin watch.
For price range consumers, there’s excellent news. Most of the issues I’ve talked about on this overview apply to a ton of different Garmin watches, which can be found at a fraction of the value of the Enduro 3. The Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is a superb choice for many who can forgo a touchscreen and most smartwatch options in favor of lengthy battery life and wonderful exercise monitoring. The Vivoactive and Forerunner lineups are much less versatile than the Enduro 3, however they nonetheless function nice watches with week-plus battery life at low costs.
I’m betting that a minimum of a couple of Garmin watches will go on sale on Black Friday. We already noticed killer offers on the model’s choices whereas masking Prime Day, and Black Friday and Cyber Monday would possibly provide even larger worth cuts. When you’re like me and are able to ditch your Apple or Galaxy look ahead to a Garmin, you must maintain an eye fixed out for Black Friday offers on Garmin smartwatches. We would even luck out and see new fashions just like the Enduro 3 and Fenix 8 get a much-needed worth drop.
My new favourite smartwatch
Do not let the value idiot you — the Garmin Enduro 3 is a wonderful worth, with tons of options and battery life packed into a comparatively gentle kind issue.