Image source: Garmin

Garmin Enduro vs Fenix 7: what’s the difference?

Enduro is a recent addition to the ever-growing line of Garmin wearables. This one is described as a lightweight ultra-performance GPS watch. It comes with solar charging and is built for extreme endurance athletes.

The closest comparison is the newly released Garmin’s Fenix 7x Solar. However, there are some important differences between the two. A major one is that Enduro can keep going much longer. However, Garmin has had to sacrifice some functionality in order to achieve this.

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Enduro vs Fenix 7? If you are in two minds as to which device better fits your needs, we’re here to help. In this article we list the important differences between the two.


Garmin Enduro vs Fenix 7: Design and hardware

Look and feel

The Fenix 7 is currently the daddy of Garmin’s bunch. It comes in multiple variants and three sizes. Enduro, on the other hand, has only one size and two variants.

When purchasing the Fenix 7 you can choose between the S version for small wrists, the regular and the X for large wrists. What’s more, there’s a the option of a Solar variant and another one made of Sapphire. The cheapest Fenix 7 you can buy will set you back $700, the most expensive $1000.

Enduro is a one-size-fits-all affair. Measuring 51 x 51 x 14.9 mm, the device has exactly the same dimensions as the Fenix 7X. Its bezel comes in a cheaper stainless steel or more expensive Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coated titanium option. The Fenix comes in a titanium (for the Sapphire variant) or stainless steel bezel option. The case material for all these watches is fiber-reinforced polymer with metal rear cover.

Garmin Enduro, info on ultra-performance multi-sport GPS watch revealed
Garmin Enduro | Image source: Garmin

As far as looks, most things are the same. Both the Fenix 7x and Enduro have a 1.4 inch sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display with a 280 x 280 pixel resolution. The most important difference here is that the Fenix has touchscreen functionality, whereas you’ll need to navigate the menus purely via the physical buttons on Enduro.

There are some slight differences in weight, as well. Enduro is a fraction more lightweight. With the strap, its steel version comes in at 72 grams and titanium at a mere 58 grams. On the Fenix 7x Solar, the weight comes in at 79 grams (73 grams for the Sapphire Solar).

Also worth a mention is the strap. Garmin has developed a special one with an elastic nylon hook and loop for Enduro. The band material for Fenix 7X is silicone or titanium. If you’re a fan of the lightweight nylon one, you can always purchase it on Amazon and attach it to your Fenix.

The duo also has 10ATM water-resistance rating. No difference there.

Battery life and sensors

The old Fenix 6 models have a Pro and Pro solar variant. The Fenix 7 doesn’t – the pro features are included by default. These include music, maps and WiFi.

In a sense, Enduro is the equivalent to the non-Pro variant that exists on Fenix 6, but with the addition of solar charging. All of this means its battery life is stonking!

Garmin Fenix 7
Garmin Fenix 7

You can expect to get up to 50 days in smartwatch mode on Enduro, and an incredible 65 days with solar. With GPS on the timepiece will keep going for up to 70 hours and 80 hours with solar. There are also various battery saving options for a maximum of 130 days/1 year with solar between charges.

The Fenix 7x Pro Solar is no slouch on this count, either. But the 28 days (37 with solar) in smartwatch mode is much less than what you would get on Enduro. With GPS switched on the watch keeps going for at least 89 hours. That’s rather impressive considering the specs.

The sensors are the same across the whole Fenix range and Enduro. The slight difference is that Fenix 7 has the latest Garmin Elevate v4 heart rate sensor. Enduro uses the older v3 sensor.

Beyond that – you get the full gamut on either of these watches which. In addition to heart rate, this includes an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, thermometer, Pulse Ox, barometric altimeter and GPS/GLONASS/Galileo. There’s also NFC for payments on the go.

Here’s a table illustrating the hardware differences between the Fenix 7X Solar and Enduro.

Enduro
Fenix 7x Solar
Bezel material
Stainless steel or Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) coated titanium
Stainless steel
Lens material
Power Glass
Power Glass
Case material
Fibre-reinforced polymer with metal rear cover
Fibre-reinforced polymer with metal rear cover
Strap material
Ultra light-weight elastic nylon hook and loop
Silicone
Physical size
51 x 51 x 14.9 mm
51 x 51 x 14.9 mm
Touchscreen
No
Yes
Display size
1.4″ (35.56 mm) diameter
1.4″ (35.56 mm) diameter
Display resolution
280 x 280 pixels
280 x 280 pixels
Screen type
Sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
Sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
LED flashlight
No
Yes
Weight
Steel: 71 g (case only: 65 g)
Titanium: 61 g (case only: 55 g)
96 g (case only: 68 g)
Battery life
Smartwatch: Up to 50 days/65 days with solar*
Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 130 days/1 year with solar*
GPS: Up to 70 hours/80 hours with solar**
Max Battery GPS Mode: Up to 200 hours/300 hours with solar**
Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 65 days/95 days with solar*
Smartwatch: Up to 28 days/37 days with solar*
Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 90 days/ 1+ year with solar*
GPS Only: Up to 89 hours/122 hours with solar**
All Satellite Systems: Up to 63 hours/77 hours with solar*
All Satellite Systems and Music: Up to 16 hours
Max Battery GPS: Up to 213 hours/ 578 hours with solar**
Expedition GPS: Up to 62 days/ 139 days with solar*
Water-resistance
10 ATm
10 ATM
Memory/history
64 MB
16 GB
RRP
$800
$900

Garmin Enduro vs Fenix 7: Activity tracking and smart features

In terms of basic activity and sports tracking, you will not find much that is different between Enduro and Fenix 7. But the first is missing built-in storage for music, there are no maps, no wifi, no preloaded golf courses.

These make the most difference to those into outdoor recreation. It means Enduro misses out on things such as preloaded topographical maps, preloaded road and trail maps, preloaded ski resort maps, downloadable cartography support.

Which is all a bit of a puzzle. Enduro is designed for ultra-runners. But many of them run on trails and sometimes use maps to navigate!

garmin-fenix-7

Garmin Enduro
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Garmin Fenix 7 vs Forerunner 945

In terms of functionality, Enduro doesn’t offer any extras in comparison with the Garmin Fenix 7x. But in addition to the above, it is missing a few other bits and pieces.

This includes a Health Snapshot, the new real-time Stamina metric, HIIT workouts, a few outdoor recreation profiles and the Up Ahead feature. The Fenix 6 is also missing these same features but it will be getting some of them. Having said that, the Stamina metric and Up Ahead are unlikely to make their way to the Enduro or Fenix 6. The first helps you pace yourself so that you finish a run or cycle as strong as you started. The second is a summary of key trail points coming up.

Garmin Enduro vs Fenix 6:
Garmin Enduro | Image source: Garmin

The one other difference between Enduro and Fenix 7x that is worth mentioning is the flashlight feature that can be found on the latter. Yes, there’s a built-in LED flashlight that can be switched on at will by double tapping the Fenix.

Enduro
Fenix 7x Solar
Health Snapshot
No
Yes
On-device Connect IQ store
No
Yes
Realtime settings sync with Garmin Connect™ mobile
No
Yes
Plays and controls watch music
No
Yes
Music storage
None
up to 2000 songs
Pairs with Garmin Golf app
No
Yes
HIIT workouts
No
Yes
Real-time Stamina
No
Yes
Round-trip course creator (running/cycling)
No
Yes
Trendline™ popularity routing
No
Yes
Golfing features (custom targets, full vector map, PlaysLike distance, Touch targeting, Tournament Legal
No
Yes
Outdoor recreation profiles (Kiteboard, Windsurf, Snowshoe , tennis, pickleball)
No
Yes
AroundMe mode
No
Yes
Up Ahead
No
Yes

Garmin Enduro vs Fenix 7: Bottom line

If you are in the market for an outdoor adventure watch, you won’t go wrong with a Garmin. The Fenix 7 line is top of its range. It comes with pretty much everything the company has on offer.

Enduro is a slightly tweaked version of the Fenix 7x Solar. But without music, maps and WiFi – pretty important omissions. Plus there is a lack of some performance metrics and activity profiles. This is a watch specifically made for multi-day ultra-marathoners. They will love the awesome battery life and the lighweight feel.

garmin-fenix-7

Garmin Fenix 7
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Garmin Fenix 7 vs Forerunner 945

The rest of the multi-sport crowd would probably be better off with one of the Fenix 7 watches. They start at around $700 for the base model on Garmin’s website and come in multiple iterations so you can find one to best fit your needs. Enduro starts at $800. You can check the current prices on Amazon on these links (Fenix 7, Epix 2, Enduro).

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Marko Maslakovic

Marko founded Gadgets & Wearables in 2014, having worked for more than 15 years in the City of London’s financial district. Since then, he has led the company’s charge to become a leading information source on health and fitness gadgets and wearables.

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