Garmin Enduro 4 vs Instinct 3 Solar specs comparison

Instinct 3 Solar gives you the rugged basics for much less money, including multi-band GPS, 10 ATM water resistance, strong training features and potentially unlimited smartwatch battery life with enough sunlight. Enduro 4 is the considerably more capable endurance watch, adding full mapping, music, more advanced performance tools and much longer GPS endurance, so it makes more sense for serious ultras and navigation-heavy adventures.

Full comparison

The full record

138 specifications across 13 areas, with 45 genuine differences.

1. Design & display 9 differences · advantages split between the two Mixed
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Release date
October 2026
January 2025
Physical size
51 x 51 x 15.7 mm
50 x 50 x 14.4 mm
Weight
66 g
58 g
Material
Fiber-reinforced polymer case; titanium bezel and rear cover
Fiber-reinforced polymer case; metal-reinforced bezel; silicone strap
Water resistance
10 ATM
10 ATM
Color options
Multiple color and material combinations
Multiple color options
Display type
Color transflective MIP touchscreen
Monochrome transflective MIP (two-window)
Display size
1.4 inch diameter
27 x 27 mm
Display resolution
280 x 280 pixels
176 x 176 pixels
Display protection
Power Sapphire
Power Glass solar charging lens
2. Battery & charging 2 differences · Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar leads on Battery life Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Battery
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery; solar charging
Battery life
Up to 36 days / 90 days with solar in smartwatch mode; up to 120 / 320 hours with solar in GPS mode
Up to 40 days / unlimited with solar smartwatch; 100 days / unlimited Battery Saver; 60 / 260 hours GPS; 40 / 80 hours all-systems GNSS; 34 / 60 hours multi-band; 150 hours / unlimited Max Battery GPS; 60 days / unlimited Expedition GPS
Charging
Garmin proprietary charging cable
Garmin proprietary charging cable
3. Sensors & positioning 2 differences · Garmin Enduro 4 leads on Ambient light sensor, Electrical heart rate Garmin Enduro 4
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
GNSS type
Multi-band GNSS with SatIQ
Multi-band GNSS with SatIQ
GPS
Yes
Yes
GALILEO
Yes
Yes
GLONASS
Yes
Yes
QZSS
Yes
Yes
Beidou
Yes
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Yes
Barometric altimeter
Yes
Yes
Compass
Yes
Yes
Geomagnetic
No
No
Ambient light sensor
Yes
No
Optical heart rate
Yes
Yes
Electrical heart rate
Yes
No
SpO2
Yes
Yes
Temperature
Yes
Yes
Galvanic skin response
No
No
Microphone
No
No
Speakers
No
No
Vibration motor
Yes
Yes
4. Health & activity 2 differences · Garmin Enduro 4 leads on Skin temperature, ECG Garmin Enduro 4
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Steps
Yes
Yes
Distance
Yes
Yes
Calories burned
Yes
Yes
Floors
Yes
Yes
Sports tracking
Yes
Yes
Sleep
Yes
Yes
Heart rate
Yes
Yes
HRV
Yes
Yes
Stress
Yes
Yes
Blood oxygen
Yes
Yes
Respiration rate
Yes
Yes
Skin temperature
Yes
No
ECG
Yes
No
Blood pressure
No
No
Body composition
No
No
Glucose
No
No
Hydration level
No
No
UV exposure
No
No
Calorie intake
No
No
Hyperglycemia risk assessment
No
No
Arterial stiffness detection
No
No
Pulse wave arrhythmia analysis
No
No
5. Smart features 3 differences · Garmin Enduro 4 leads on Storage, Wi-Fi +1 Garmin Enduro 4
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Smartphone compatibility
Android and iOS
Android and iOS
Operating system at launch
Garmin proprietary
Garmin proprietary
Storage
64 GB
128 MB
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
No
NFC / connected pay
Yes
Yes
UWB
No
No
Cellular
No
No
Smartphone notifications
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth calling
No
No
Smartphone music control
Yes
Yes
On-board music storage
Yes
No
Voice assistant
No
No
6. Navigation & safety 4 differences · Garmin Enduro 4 leads on Maps, Offline maps +1 Garmin Enduro 4
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Maps
Yes
No
Offline maps
Yes
No
Navigation
Yes
Yes
Emergency SOS
Yes (paired smartphone)
Yes (paired smartphone)
Satellite SOS
No
No
Fall detection
Yes
Yes
LED flashlight
Yes (built-in LED flashlight)
Yes
Diving
No
No
Updated map engine
Yes
No
7. Garmin performance & training 15 differences · Garmin Enduro 4 leads on Endurance Score, Hill Score +13 Garmin Enduro 4
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Body Battery
Yes
Yes
Training Readiness
Yes
Yes
Training Status
Yes
Yes
Training Load Focus
Yes
Yes
Endurance Score
Yes
No
Hill Score
Yes
No
Real-Time Stamina
Yes
No
Running Tolerance
Yes
No
Running Economy
Yes (compatible accessory)
No
Step Speed Loss
Yes (compatible accessory)
No
Performance Condition
Yes
Yes
PacePro
Yes
Yes
ClimbPro
Yes
No
Jet Lag Adviser
Yes
No
Daily Suggested Workouts
Yes
Yes
Race Widget
Yes
Yes
Morning Report
Yes
Yes
Garmin Coach
Yes
Yes
Garmin Epic
Yes
No
Rucking workouts
Yes
No
Indoor rowing VO2 max
Yes (requires compatible rower)
No
Indoor rowing FTP
Yes (requires compatible rower)
No
Indoor rowing power curve / zones
Yes (requires compatible rower)
No
Indoor rowing lactate threshold
Yes (requires compatible rower)
No
Indoor rowing max heart rate
Yes
No
8. Garmin golf 7 differences · Garmin Enduro 4 leads on PlaysLike Distance, PinPointer +5 Garmin Enduro 4
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Golf course maps
Yes
Yes
Green View
Yes
Yes
Hazard View
Yes
Yes
Garmin AutoShot
Yes
Yes
PlaysLike Distance
Yes
No
PinPointer
Yes
No
Touch Targeting
Yes
No
Virtual Caddie
Yes
No
Green Contours
Yes (with Garmin Golf membership)
No
Club tracking compatibility
Yes
Yes
Swing Tempo
Yes
No
Tempo Training
Yes
No
9. Garmin tactical 1 difference · no clear overall edge No clear edge
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Stealth Mode
No
No
Kill Switch
No
No
Jumpmaster
Yes
No
Night Vision compatibility
No
No
Applied Ballistics
No
No
10. Garmin aviation No significant differences Even
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Direct-to/Nearest airport navigation
No
No
Aviation maps
No
No
METAR/TAF weather
No
No
NEXRAD radar
No
No
Automatic flight logging
No
No
Garmin Pilot flight-plan transfer
No
No
No significant differences in this area.
11. Garmin diving No significant differences Even
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Dive modes
No
No
Air integration
No
No
SubWave networking
No
No
Dive Readiness
No
No
DiveView maps
No
No
Diver-to-diver messaging
No
No
No significant differences in this area.
12. Garmin marine No significant differences Even
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Chartplotter connectivity
No
No
Autopilot control
No
No
Fusion-Link
No
No
Boat data streaming
No
No
Tide data
Yes
Yes
No significant differences in this area.
13. Garmin ecosystem No significant differences Even
Fact
Garmin Enduro 4
Garmin Instinct 3 50 mm Solar
Connect IQ
Yes
Yes
Built-in inReach
No
No
No significant differences in this area.

Individual specifications

These technical specs are correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publishing.