Garmin Enduro: record autonomy, ideal for ultra-trail!

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Garmin Enduro in brief: ideal for ultra-long races

Garmin offers a new solar-powered multi-sport watch designed specifically for ultra-long races. It offers up to several weeks of autonomy thanks to a larger battery than the Fenix 6X Pro Solar and a new software platform that uses less energy. Ultra-runners and ultra-cyclists will appreciate it.

Compared to the Fenix 6X Pro Solar, which offered up to 60 hours of autonomy in GPS 1 s mode (+6 h with solar recharge) and 120 h (+28 h) in Ultra mode, this one promises up to 70 h (+10 h with solar recharge) in GPS 1 s mode and 200 h (+100 h) in Ultra mode, and up to 50 days (+15 d) in connected watch mode.

The watch offers the same design and size as the Fenix 6X Pro Solar but is significantly lighter, especially thanks to the new stretch nylon strap which weighs only 6 g compared to the 27 g of the silicone strap!

The model integrates all the functions of the basic Fenix 6 (i.e. without mp3 player and cartography) and some new features.

New sports profiles are available, including UltraRun. The latter offers a dedicated timer for refreshments, so you don't have to pause the recording and forget to restart it afterwards. For running profiles, ClimbPro now offers downhill and flat analysis in addition to ascents and allows you to set ascent start alerts. Finally, the calculation of VO2max now takes into account the difficulties of the terrain, making the calculation and other resulting measurements more reliable.

But the real interest of this new model is its record autonomy and lighter weight. Other new features have been integrated into the Fenix 6, Forerunner 945 and the luxury MARQ model. The improved VO2max calculation will also be incorporated into Forerunner 245.

Overall, we are dealing with a Fenix 6X Pro Solar without cartography and without mp3 player offering an ideal autonomy for any sport but, in return, offered at a high price (almost 800 € for the cheapest model with steel bezel, 900 € for the titanium model, compared to the 900 € of the Fenix 6X Pro Solar titanium which offers cartography).

Features of the Garmin Enduro

In-depth review of the Garmin Enduro

What's new

The Garmin Enduro is in a way a Fenix 6 with a much greater range. It has the size of the Fenix 6X Pro Solar and the same features as the Fenix 6 (no mapping, no mp3 player and no Wi-Fi). It also includes other new features compared to the Fenix 6 or the Forerunner 945, but these are not really new, since they too have been integrated into these models.

Here are the new features announced. We detail them further on in our detailed review :

• Record autonomy (up to 80 hours in GPS training mode and 300 hours in Ultra mode) thanks to a larger battery and energy savings linked to the software platform (see below our comparison with other long-range sports watches).
• Unchanged design except for a yellow border on the bezel that distinguishes it from the Fenix series.
• A new ultra-light and stretchy nylon strap (only 6 g compared to 27 g for the silicone strap of the same width)
• A lighter weight than the Fenix 6, thanks in particular to the new strap (58 g for the titanium version compared to 82 g for the Fenix 6X Pro titanium, i.e. 30% less!
• New profiles: virtual running, boulder climbing, expedition, floor climbing, Pilates but above all UltraRun, a profile integrating a timer that manages pause times during refreshments.
• 64 MB of memory (compared to 32 MB for the Fenix 6X Pro)
• Improvement of the VO2max estimation with a calculation more adapted to the trail. The calculation now takes into account the difficulty of the terrain, in addition to the altitude, the difference in height and the heat.
• Improvement of the ClimbPro function (current and future slope analyser): the flat and descents are now analysed in addition to the climbs.

Due to the lack of cartography, some of the Fenix 6X's functions are of course not available, such as the round trip course generator, the popular course generator (Trendline) exploiting heat maps (circuits most frequented by the community), some golf functions (custom target, vector map, playslike distance). Animated exercises (Pilates or Yoga for example) are not available either as the on-board memory does not allow it.

Please also note that the PacePro and ClimbPro functions cannot be used without first loading the route to be followed in the watch, as maps are not available.

Design and physical characteristics

The Garmin Enduro looks a lot like the Fenix 6X Pro Solar: same design except for a yellow border on the bezel, same case size (51 x 51 x 14.9 mm), same screen size and resolution " in 280 x 280 pixels with MIP colour display and up to 8 data displays. It is available with a stainless steel or titanium bezel (lighter).

It's the bracelet that makes the difference. Available in stretchy nylon, it weighs only 6 g compared to 27 g for the silicone version (26 mm wide as on the Fenix 6X). With a case that is also lighter for the Titanium Enduro (2 g less), the result is an ultra-light watch: only 58 g for the titanium version and 72 g for the steel version, a weight saving of 30% compared to the Fenix 6X Pro Solar. That's barely more than the weight of the smaller Forerunner 945 (50 g) (47 mm in diameter compared to 51 mm for the Enduro).

The watch is water resistant up to 100 theoretical meters (10 ATM), making it suitable for free diving.

The storage memory has been doubled from 32 MB to 64 MB, to be able to store more recording data.

Sensors

The sensors are the same as those in the Fenix series:

• GPS chip compatible with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
• Wrist heart rate monitor (Garmin Elevate)
• Pulse oximeter (SpO2) integrated into the heart rate sensor
• ABC sensors (barometric altimeter, barometer, compass)
• Accelerometer
• Gyroscope
• Thermometer

Model tests show good reliability of GPS readings (no change compared to Fenix 6).

Autonomy

It is autonomy that constitutes the main interest of the model. Garmin's idea is to offer a watch that is more enduring than its users. "With Enduro on the wrist, ultra-endurance athletes can concentrate on competition without worrying about the autonomy of their watch. With Enduro on their wrist, ultra-endurance athletes can concentrate on competing without worrying about the battery life of their watch," said Dan Bartel, Vice President of International Sales at Garmin.

To meet this challenge, Garmin says it has integrated a larger capacity battery into its watch (506 mAh compared to 420 mAh for the Fenix 6X Pro Solar) and introduced a software platform that consumes less energy.

The watch operates both on battery (main power source) and solar power, but only in addition (it is not possible to recharge the watch using solar power alone). The model has a special watch glass (the Power Glass), incorporating photovoltaic cells. The additional autonomy announced by Garmin is based on a continuous exposure at 50,000 lux, i.e. in full sunlight (or "only" 3 hours per day at 50,000 lux for the modes Connected Watch, Expedition and Economy). This is realistic in summer, perhaps less in winter, depending on where it is used. Only a test under real conditions will allow us to appreciate these figures.

Solar recharging wasn't of much interest on the Fenix 6, apart from long battery modes (energy saving or expedition), but on the Enduro, the difference is quite appreciable with a gain of 10 h in drive mode (GPS recording every second) and 100 h in Ultra mode!

The watch has an intelligent battery management system that allows certain sensors and features to be deactivated to extend the battery life a little further. This is interesting if you do not use all the functions of the watch that are activated by default, especially if you prefer to use a cardio belt (more precise) rather than the heart rate monitor on your wrist.

More sports profiles including UltraRun

Garmin completes its already very rich list of sports profiles (more than 130!) by adding a new UltraRun profile (in addition to the existing Trail profile). The latter offers a timer that manages the time spent in the pit stops. The idea is to time the pause times without stopping the GPS and the recording, in order to avoid the use of the Pause function that can easily be forgotten to deactivate when you restart.

A simple press on the button used to record a lap will start the timer. Pause times are then displayed separately in the report, without affecting the total running time. The button can also be programmed to start the timer and record a lap at the same time. Alternatively, you can ignore the timer and retain the classic lap recording functionality.

Other profiles are added, including: virtual running, boulder climbing, expedition, floor climbing.

Enhanced ClimbPro function

ClimbPro is a tool proposed by Garmin that analyses the altimetric profile of the terrain and assists the athlete (runner or cyclist) in his outing, helping him to better manage the climbs. The watch makes a real time analysis of the route either from the maps stored in the watch (if the model includes the cartography) or from a pre-loaded itinerary that is followed. It detects the climbs that it cuts into sections and displays them on the screen. It draws the slope profile with colours that reflect the difficulty and displays the average slope and the distance and difference in height remaining to the top or the end of the section being analysed. It also indicates the distance between the athlete and the start of the ascent.

ClimbPro has been improved on the Enduro for running sport profiles (trail included). This improvement has also been applied to the Fenix 6, MARQ and Forerunner 945 models. The function now considers flat sections and descents in addition to climbs. This is really good for trail running, where downhill runs can be just as challenging. The runner can now anticipate in real time the difficulties that lie ahead, whether on the uphill or downhill sections, and thus optimise his efforts.

Another new feature of ClimbPro is the possibility to program early climb alerts: the watch warns the rider when he reaches the start of the climb or a certain pre-programmed distance.

Please note that on Enduro, ClimbPro (just like PacePro), to be used, requires you to preload the route to be followed and to launch navigation along this route. This is the disadvantage of a watch that does not include a map. Indeed, it cannot guess the route in advance! It will be possible to repeat a route already completed (recorded with the watch for example or taken from heat maps from Garmin Connect) or to create one on Garmin Connect or from a third party platform such as Komoot, Strava, etc.).

The more accurate estimation of the VO2max for the trail taking into account the terrain conditions.

The VO2max estimation function has also been improved. It now takes into account the difficulty of the terrain.

The VO2max, or maximum oxygen consumption, is a performance indicator that athletes monitor carefully. It is calculated in a hospital environment using a specific device that measures the amount of oxygen absorbed by the lungs during intense effort. It can also be evaluated in the field by specific measurements during an effort see how to measure your VO2max in practice. But on cardio watches, its value is estimated from, in particular, the effort produced (evaluated from the heart rate) and the speed of the athlete.

But then again, the pulse does not always correctly reflect the effort produced because other parameters must be taken into account such as the effects of altitude, heat, difference in height, etc. The algorithm already took into account the altitude, its variation (difference in altitude covered) and the temperature, but not the difficulties related to the terrain. The result was an underestimated VO2max because some of the extra effort measured did not necessarily correspond to a lower fitness level of the sportsman but simply to a more difficult terrain (muddy terrain for example).

To take into account the quality of the terrain, Garmin uses the accelerometer data to determine the difference between the additional energy expenditure related to the terrain and that which is not. The result is a more reliable VO2max.

One might think that offering a more reliable VO2max is a somewhat superfluous advantage, but it should be noted that this data is used in other calculations, such as training status (evaluation of training efficiency). The more accurate the VO2max is, the more accurate the other dependent measurements will be!

Other sports functions and health and activity monitoring functions

In addition to the new features described above, which, incidentally, have been integrated into the Fenix 6, MARQ and Forerunner 945 models, the Enduro also includes all the functions already available on the Fenix 6, except for the mp3 player and cartography (for a full description, see our detailed review of the Fenix 6 and the comparison between Fenix 6 models :

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• More than 130 sports profiles taking into account many parameters specific to the sport practised (for example counting the number of waves in surfing, maximum speed, longest wave!).
• Training programming including interval training
• Numerous physiological measurements : training load and status, VO2max, recovery time, training load target, Training Effect (aerobic and anaerobic), stress test, lactic threshold, and more.
• Daily training suggestion, a recent feature added to bicycle GPS, now available on the Fenix series and Enduro.
• Assessment of acclimatisation to heat and altitude and adjustment of VO2max according to altitude and heat
• ClimbPro : the real time slope analyser for cycling, running and trail use.
• PacePro allows athletes to manage their run according to the slopes and help them better manage their pace
• Biking and running dynamics: sitting and dancing position, power phase, right-left balance, offset from the centre of the platform for cycling, vertical oscillation, ground contact time, jump length, right-left balance and more for running. These data allow you to work on your technique and optimise your training.
• MTB dynamics: they record the position, length, duration and number of jumps and evaluate the difficulty of the course (Grit function) and the quality of the piloting (efficiency and fluidity of a descent) to establish a score to beat on the next outing.
• Complete functions for golf but without the golf courses on the Enduro
• Body battery evaluates the resources available 24 hours a day, taking into account recovery during sleep and the day's activities.
• Turn-by-Turn guidance along a programmed route.
• Activity tracking and health monitoring: number of steps, calories, distance, quality of sleep, stress level, breathing frequency, monitoring of hydration and sweating, assessment of blood oxygenation, relaxation exercises
• Garmin Pay to pay for your purchases with your watch
• Functions for safety: incident detection (e.g. fall) and automatic or manual SOS call in case of incident, compatibility with Varia products (radar, lights), message exchange with cyclists, Live Track, Group Live Track.
• Connected functions: smartphone notifications, VIRB camera control, access to InReach satellite communication beacons, weather access and more.

Our opinion on the Garmin Enduro

This new model should be of interest to long-distance endurance sportsmen and women (ultra-trail, ultra-cycling) looking for a watch with sufficient autonomy to be able to last throughout their outing without altering the accuracy of the data.

The Enduro also has the advantage of being lighter than the Fenix 6X Pro Solar (of the same size), especially the titanium model, thanks in particular to its ultra-light nylon strap. However, it is only available in one size (51 mm), for reasons of battery size. This is to be taken into account by people with thin wrists. On the other hand, the weight gain compared to the Fenix 6X is significant, making it more comfortable to wear.

The Enduro also offers some interesting new features: UltraRun profile and better management of refuelling breaks, more reliable VO2max calculation, ClimbPro for flat and downhill riding. But these have also been integrated into the Fenix 6, Forerunner 945 and MARQ models, so they are not an additional argument for acquiring this watch.

In these new features, which are not really new, we appreciate the improvement of the ClimbPro function for the trail. The descents are indeed important to take into account in the race management! In the same way, taking into account the difficulty of the terrain in the evaluation of the VO2max allows cascading to improve the reliability of the other physiological measurements that depend on it.

It is regrettable that this model, for its high price, does not offer mapping. In addition to the advantages of having maps, being able to generate round-trip routes (not necessarily for an ultra-long run but for other shorter outings, journeys, etc.), it is also possible to generate a map of the route, which can be used for a longer trip. ), access to popular routes (heat maps), cartography offers other advantages. In particular, it allows you to use ClimbPro, PacePro or the future altitude profile anywhere, without having to load a route beforehand.

In our opinion, this watch is therefore only of interest for its great autonomy. Its weight, 30% lighter than the Fenix 6X Pro Solar model (the model of equivalent size with solar recharge) could be an argument, but one can just as well acquire the Fenix 6X and change its strap for a nylon model and in the end obtain the same weight (at 2 g ready for the titanium model)! Or even buy a Fenix 6, which is even lighter. On the other hand, the Enduro is big on a thin to medium sized wrist, for a more comfortable screen certainly, but perhaps not essential for a watch that does not offer cartography.

In short, the Enduro is an expensive watch with a high degree of autonomy. You choose it for its autonomy and you pay a high price for it.

If your sporting activity does not require as much autonomy, then it would be better to turn to a Fenix 6, less expensive depending on the model, offering the same measurement reliability (GPS, altimeter, heart rate), more complete in terms of functionalities (cartography including cycle and ski tracks and associated functions, mp3 player, golf course) and more flexible in terms of the size of the box. The Forerunner 945, which is lighter but also has a sportier look, offers the same functions, including mapping, and a significantly lower price.

On the other hand, if autonomy is for you THE criterion of choice because you need a watch that is more enduring than you, capable of lasting several days and with maximum recording accuracy, then this model is for you. If your budget allows it, opt for the titanium model, which is ultra-light and more suitable for ultra-long outings.

(*) These novelties are also available on Fenix 6, MARQ and Forerunner 945 models. The improved VO2max calculation will also be available on Forerunner 245.

Price and availability

The enduro is available in 2 models:

• With stainless steel bezel and grey nylon strap. This model is offered at the recommended retail price of 799,99 €.
• With titanium bezel with Carbon Gray DLC treatment and black nylon strap. This model is offered at the recommended retail price of 899,99 €.

You will find it on sale now on Garmin's website and at Lepape (promo code available, see below).

Buy Garmin Enduro

Commercial links. Prices are not contractual. Please visit the merchant site.

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