I’ve been a believer in wearable know-how because the starting. Earlier than smartwatches actually grew to become mainstream, I used Fitbit trackers to trace exercise, test 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 lots 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 not too long ago, I reviewed the costliest 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 often 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 Traditional.
This time was completely different. I couldn’t cease sporting the Garmin Enduro 3, and honestly, I haven’t even thought of switching again to the Apple Watch Extremely or Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional. The truth is, I don’t even know the place my Apple Watch Extremely is for the time being — 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 positive to go on sale. That is why in the event you’re itching to make a change, subsequent week might be one of the best time to take action. This is why I’ve left these smartwatches behind, and why you might need to as nicely.
No extra compromises
It’s true that the Garmin Enduro 3 prices greater than the Apple Watch Extremely or the Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional (and their newer fashions, for that matter). Nonetheless, it’s additionally true that the Enduro 3 is healthier in a number of key methods, beginning with battery life. Garmin advertises the Enduro 3 as doubtlessly providing “limitless” battery life due to its photo voltaic charging capabilities, however in smartwatch mode, you’ll be able to 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 most recent 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 utterly modified the best way I take advantage of a smartwatch. When the battery will get low, I nonetheless have a number of days of energy left. All I’ve to do is keep in mind to cost it for a number of hours throughout these couple of days, and I’m set for an additional month.
In apply, that leads to tangible advantages. I went on a global journey final month, and I didn’t deliver a Garmin charger with me. The Enduro 3 was midway charged after I left and nonetheless had per week of battery after I returned. On trip, the place remembering to deliver all the appropriate chargers could be a trouble, the Garmin was like a breath of contemporary air.
After all, 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 stable battery life. The attention-opening a part of utilizing the Garmin Enduro 3 was discovering that you just don’t actually have to surrender options to get this degree of excellent battery life. I’ve used older Vivoactive fashions, and extra not too long ago, the Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic. These watches had nice battery life, too, however lacked by way of 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 a protracted checklist of sensors that features a barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, ambient mild sensor. When it comes to well being sensors, you get a coronary heart charge 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 appears like Apple desires me to really feel good about my health and well being. You intention to shut Exercise Rings in a method that’s harking back to checking off a each day to-do checklist quite than truly being targeted on health progress. Whereas watchOS 11 is certainly higher at acknowledging relaxation days, the emphasis on relaxation and restoration nonetheless isn’t akin to Garmin’s.
Once more, this leads to tangible life-style 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 beneficial I pause coaching. Equally, after I really feel sore and drained after a grueling exercise the day gone by, 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 explanation I’ve cherished utilizing the Garmin Enduro 3 just isn’t 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 eager about utilizing my smartwatch like a telephone strapped to my wrist anymore. I desire a watch that reliably tells the time, has long-lasting battery life, and has glorious health monitoring capabilities and insights. Garmin watches are unbelievable for that. Purely as a smartwatch, I’d suggest you choose 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 good.
Wait, you’re saying I ought to pay $900 for a smartwatch?
I do know what you’re most likely pondering. Certain, the Enduro 3 is cool, nevertheless it’s method too costly to probably be price it. It’s costly — I wouldn’t blame you in the event you’re not keen to pay $900 for a smartwatch — nonetheless, it’s additionally price it.
The worth proposition begins to make sense once 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 price $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 evaluate, 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 perhaps a greater watch, relying in your use case — than the Fenix 8.
Take into account these two watches for comparability, and the $900 Enduro 3 instantly appears like an superior deal. Mix that with the truth that the Garmin Enduro 3 very nicely could go on sale throughout Black Friday gross sales, that are already beginning, and it appears like a good time to improve to a Garmin watch.
For finances consumers, there’s excellent news. Lots of the issues I’ve talked about on this evaluate apply to a ton of different Garmin watches, which can be found at a fraction of the worth of the Enduro 3. The Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is a good possibility for individuals who can forgo a touchscreen and most smartwatch options in favor of lengthy battery life and glorious 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 number of Garmin watches will go on sale on Black Friday. We already noticed killer offers on the model’s choices whereas overlaying Prime Day, and Black Friday and Cyber Monday would possibly provide even greater worth cuts. For those who’re like me and are able to ditch your Apple or Galaxy look ahead to a Garmin, you must preserve a watch out for Black Friday offers on Garmin smartwatches. We’d 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 worth idiot you — the Garmin Enduro 3 is a wonderful worth, with tons of options and battery life packed into a comparatively mild type issue.
