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The original Garmin Enduro launched in February 2021 and targeted a niche segment of endurance users that needed incredible battery life.
It was positioned somewhere in the middle of the 6X models and the none Pro options.
It launched at a lower price point than the Fenix 6X Pro Solar and the Fenix 6X Sapphire while adding 10 hours to the GPS battery and more than double the smartwatch battery life.
The caveat was that it stripped away all the Pro features, making it functionally the same as the Fenix 6. In comparison to that, it cost £170 more than the standard Fenix 6 but had 3.5 times the battery life for regular smartwatch use and a 66% increase in the GPS.
Garmin Enduro 2 vs Enduro vs Fenix 7X – Main differences
The new Garmin Enduro 2 is a less distinctive device. I am not saying it is bad, but there is nothing very unique about it. It is essentially identical to the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar, but you have a longer battery life, a different watch strap which reduces the overall weight and a slightly different aesthetic. That’s it.
Garmin Enduro 2 vs Enduro vs Fenix 7X Price
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On a positive note, there is not a significant increase in cost. The Garmin Enduro 2 costs £930 vs £860 for the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar. If you wanted to save a little extra money, you could skip the durability of the Sapphire glass and pay £780 for the 7X Solar, but I feel that doesn’t compare to the Enduro as well because the Enduro is supposed to be durable.
Buyers in the US can save a small ammount of money on the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar when buying from Amazon US.
The downside is that the Garmin Enduro 2 has had a massive £230 price hike vs the Enduro. One one hand, this is justifiable as you get a huge number of extra features.
Others may feel difference, I imagine a lot of endurance type athletes liked the Enduro because it was a feature-lite multi-sport watch with incredible battery life and a lower price point than the most expensive Fenix 6X watches.
Garmin Enduro 2 vs Enduro vs Fenix 7X Battery Life
The Garmin Enduro 2 is 0.7mm thicker than the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar, and this will likely be due to the physical battery size being bigger. Garmin has literally taken the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and put in a bigger battery. That’s it.
For some, that will be good enough. Importantly for those endurance types, you can get up to 150 hours GPS with solar, 70 hours more than the predecessor and 28 hours more than the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar.
Using the new fancy all satellite systems and multi-band, you can squeeze out 68 hours or 81 with solar, which basically matches the Enduro when with its basic GPS and provides a massive 89% improvement over the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar.
Garmin Enduro 2 vs Enduro vs Fenix 7X Comparison Table
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Opinion
I have mixed feelings about the Garmin Enduro 2. Part of me thinks this is just a lazy launch by Garmin.
However, you can’t deny the impressive improvement in battery life when using GPS. If I was already willing to spend £860 on the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar, I think I might just spend the extra £70 and get the Enduro 2 instead, which is just an 8% price difference.
