WHY I CHOOSE THE GARMIN ENDURO 3 OVER THE FENIX 8
- Helge Mathisen
- 2. juni
- 6 min lesing
The Garmin Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 are two of Garmin’s most impressive GPS watches yet—but which one should you strap to your wrist? Do you go for maximum durability, unbeatable battery life, and rugged practicality, or opt for premium features, sleek design, and versatile smart capabilities? Stick around, because today we're breaking down exactly why I chose the Garmin Enduro 3 over the Fenix 8, and which watch might be the perfect fit for your adventures.
Key Differences Between Enduro 3 and Fenix 8 Solar
Quick-specs (51 mm models)
Spec | Enduro 3 | Fenix 8 Solar |
|---|---|---|
Weight (watch + strap) | 63 g with UltraFit nylon band | 95 g with silicone/TPU band (case 67 g) |
Case / back | Titanium bezel, | Full titanium (front & back) |
Display | 1.4-in MIP + Power Sapphire, wide solar ring | 1.4-in MIP + new |
Smartwatch battery | 36 days typical / 90 days with solar | 30 days typical / 48 days with solar |
GPS-only battery | 120 h typical / | 95 h typical / 149 h with solar |
Mic / speaker / voice assistant | No speaker/microphone, or offline assistant | take calls, offline assistant |
Diving | 10 ATM water-rating only | Recreational scuba / apnea to 40 m, EN13319, leak-proof inductive buttons |
ECG | Elevate 5 sensor; ECG app rolling out regionally | Elevate 5 sensor; ECG app rolling out regionally |
Rucking features | Yes, via software update | Yes, via software update |
Street price (May 2025) | ≈ US $800–900 | ≈ US $1,000 after recent $200 drop |
I started using Garmin GPS watches because I needed better battery life, especially for long hikes and multi-day trips. I went from the battery-anxiety-inducing Vivoactive 4 to the polar opposite—the Instinct 2 Solar—before upgrading to the Fenix 7 Solar.
The Fenix 7's battery is good, but I wanted something that could last a whole trip without worrying about charging, mainly for summer activities.
A bonus is the built-in LED flashlight. It's really handy in Norway, becuase of the long dark days during the winter. This all brought me to the Fenix 8 and the Enduro 3.
Firstly, it's important to understand that the Enduro 3 is essentially almost identical to the 51 mm Fenix 8 Solar with a Memory-in-Pixel display with a few but important diffferences. I'll focus mainly on comparing these two, though the AMOLED variant of the Fenix 8 will also be briefly considered.
Target Audience
When comparing the Enduro 3 and Fenix 8 Solar, a few key differences emerge clearly. The Enduro 3 is specifically tailored towards unbeatable battery life and affordability - at least compared to the Fenix 8 series. It features a larger solar panel, and lighter construction (only 62 grams with a nylon band). It also comes at a lower price point—around $900. On the other hand, the Fenix 8 Solar (around $1200) offers premium titanium construction, tipping the scale at 95 grams with a TPU band, and features extras like a speaker, microphone for calls and voice assistants, and diving capabilities up to 40 meters with leak-proof buttons.
So, who is the Enduro 3 designed for? Quite simply, it's perfect for endurance athletes, hikers, cyclists, triathleetes and everyone who put battery life above all else. It's worth noting that you can achieve nearly the same battery life with the Instinct series, at approximately half the cost. Therefore, if battery life is a primary concern and budget is a factor, the Instinct series is a strong contender. Now, back to the comparison.
Battery life & solar differences
Garmin beefed up both watches, but Enduro 3 still wins by a mile. In smartwatch mode you can push three months on good summer days; in GPS-only it stretches to an absurd 320 hours with solar, thanks to a 120 % more efficient panel that now adds ~30 minutes of GPS runtime for every hour in 50 k lux sunlight The Fenix 8 Solar’s new edge-ring panel stops shading the display, so clarity improves, but its numbers peak at 149 h GPS with solar – great, just not Enduro great.
For long hikes and bike rides, it's just easier to have a device with great battery life. You don't want to worry about it, especially if you're using maps, the flashlight, navigation while hiking, using the built-in music and can use different satelite modes without woyrring too much about battery life. Sure, carrying a power bank is possible, but minimizing the hassle of constantly recharging is a huge plus in my opinion. My previous Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar managed around 6 days of continuous GPS tracking with about 8 hours of tracking each day until the battery got to less than five percent. I anticipate achieving up to 60 days of battery life this summer in Norway, where daylight lasts nearly around the clock.
Build, weight & cold-weather comfort
At 63 g the Enduro 3 feels closer to a Forerunner than a Fenix on the wrist. Garmin ditched the metal back for fiber-reinforced polymer (fancy word for plastic) to save grams and to keep the watch from feeling ice-cold against your skin on Nordic ski days The Fenix 8 keeps the classic full-metal sandwich; it’s bomb-proof but you’ll notice the extra 30+ g, especially on multi-day treks.
I genuinely appreciate the Enduro 3’s design choices tailored for outdoor enthusiasts—like the lightweight resin back that not only sheds weight but also remains comfortable against the skin even in freezing temperatures. The Fenix 7's titanium back felt noticeably cold in chilly weather bellow 0 degrees celsius while hiking or cross country skiing.
Despite its larger size at 51 mm, it's noticeably lighter than my previous smaller 47 mm Fenix 7. While aesthetics are slightly sacrificed, the Enduro 3 still retains a slim titanium bezel for durability as well as a sapphire screen. In terms of aesthetics, you also have to decide whether this lime green, sporty color accent on the front and start button is something you can live with.
Smart extras: why Fenix 8 costs more
Speaker + Mic – accept calls or fire off a voice note mid-run; you also get offline voice assistant for phone-free commands. Looking at Garmins promotional content from their presentation in the alps they said it took som R&D to fit a speaker and microphone into the Fenix - that raises the cost of the Fenix 8.
Leak-proof inductive buttons & scuba mode – the new sealed buttons let you dive to 40 m without spring-bar worries.
If you need any of those, then the Fenix might be for you. I still prefer the Enduro 3 due to the fact that all the space used for speaker and microphone is utlilized for a larger battery instead.
Enduro 3 advantages that sealed the deal for me
Lighter & warmer – the polymer back is a blessing on winter hikes.
Monster battery + larger solar panel – I routinely hit 16 days with heavy indoor bike + GPS sessions and zero solar; this summer in near-24-hour daylight I’m aiming for 60 days between charges.
Lower price – I’d rather spend the US $150–200 saved on gear or plane tickets.
Simplicity – I don’t take wrist calls, dive, or use voice notes, so the Fenix extras would just eat battery.
The Nylon band - I prefer the nylon band on a day to day basis - and it is super comfortable compared to TPU. I recently got a tpu band for Swimming and those super sweaty spinning og eliptical sessions, and it is very much noticable and overall feels a lot larger on your wrist too.
The AMOLED wild-card
Yes, the Fenix 8 AMOLED edition is in my opinion flat-out the best-looking Garmin yet—razor-sharp. Especially the one with the silver colured bezel looks particularly good. But you drop to roughly one-third the GPS battery. If you live in the city and want a 24/7 showpiece, that’s your pick. For back-country days, and long haul hiking trips without access to charging I’ll stick with MIP.
What should you choose?
There’s no “better” watch—only the better match. If you’re the kind of athlete who packs a power bank anyway and loves smart conveniences (calls, voice assistant, diving, ECG), the Fenix 8 Solar is worth the weight and price. If aestetics is key and you want the best watch that also looks good go for the Fenix 8 Amoled version. If you want a watch that feels like it "disappears" on your wrist and sips power for weeks on end, the Enduro 3 is the unrivalled endurance champ. You will have to live the the more pronounced lime green accents, but that is in my opinon a small price to pay for all the advantages it brings along.
Happy adventuring—whatever you choose!
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