Garmin has released Enduro 2 a few hours ago. This generation brings a host of improvements over the original watch which was launched back in February 2021. You can check the device out on Garmin’s website and Amazon.
Enduro is described as an “Ultra-performance Multisport GPS Watch” with solar charging. The first generation is a slightly tweaked version of the Fenix 6x Solar. But it lacks music, maps and WiFi – some pretty important omissions most would agree. Plus some performance metrics and activity profiles are missing. Enduro 2 plugs a lot of these gaps.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
In this article we are pitting the Garmin Enduro 2 vs Enduro. What exactly are all the improvements? Garmin has stopped selling the original device on its website from today. But you can still pick it up at other retail outlets.
Should you buy the first or second generation? Should you upgrade if you are holding on to the original Enduro? Read on to find out all this and more.
Both options are available on on Garmin’s website and Amazon.
The Enduro line is specifically tailored for multi-day ultra-marathoners. Hence its awesome battery life and lighweight feel.
All of this has been retained for the second generation device. The 51mm diameter remains the same, as does the weight. What has changed, though, is the depth of the device. This has grown from 14.9mm to 15.6mm. As before, this is a one size fits all affair.
The increase in depth is not a huge deal, but it might make a difference to some. The Forerunner 955 saw a similar increase over its predecessor. In my review of that device I note that I did not notice the increase beyond the first hour of wearing. You get used to it pretty quickly. More important is that Garmin has retained the lightweight feel for Enduro 2.
The built-material of the watch has seen some slight improvements. But while the original is offered in a choice between a cheaper steel and more expensive titanium option, Enduro 2 is only sold in titanium. The strap attached to the body is a special one – with an elastic nylon hook and loop.
As far as the screen, this is a sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP). No surprise there. The 1.4 inch size and 280 x 280 pixel resolution has been retained for the second generation. But unlike its predecessor, Enduro 2 has a touch screen. You can use this in combination with the 5 physical buttons to operate the watch.
Is the touch-screen useful? Sure. But don’t be surprised if you continue to primarily use the physical buttons to navigate. Particularly if you are used to the earlier generation Garmin watches.
Beyond that there are no further important design differences. The 10 ATM water-resistance is the same. There was no need to improve on that as very few people go below depths of 100 meters when diving.
Under the hood are the usual sensors. In fact, the list is the same across both Enduro generations. The slight difference is that Enduro 2 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.
One worthy upgrade is Multi-frequency positioning. This has been shown to work well on other Garmin watches. It ensures that your satellite positioning signal is more accurate and faster to obtain.
What’s more, Garmin has slapped on SatIQ. This is a new function which is still in Beta on other watches. It automatically chooses the most power efficient GPS mode. This is important with watches that support multi-frequency positioning as the feature is quite battery draining.
On that topic, you’ll be happy to know that once again, battery life is stonking. But the updated specs mean that this has come down a bit.
In smartwatch mode, the time between charges falls from 50 days on the first generation to 34 days, while in Battery Saver Mode it falls from 130 to 111 days. However, with GPS switched on there are significant improvements. Garmin has obviously managed to find more power-efficient ways of using sattelite connectivity. SatIQ helps. Of course, the solar charging function is still there to help increase the time before you’ll need to reach for the charging cable.
Here’s a table showing how Enduro 2 and Enduro technical specs compare.
As mentioned, Enduro 2 manages to plug quite a few of the gaps between the original Enduro and Fenix range. Top of the list is offline music storage (for up to 2000 songs), WiFi connectivity and downloadable maps (thanks to 32MB of storage memory – increase from just 64MB on Enduro). You even get the LED flashlight of the Fenix 7X.
Other upgrades are numerous and take on quite a few of the new features launched this year. You get Health Snapshot, on-device IQ store with real-time settings sync with Garmin Connect, Real-time Stamina, additional navigation features, more activity profiles, etc. You can see a table below with a list of all the changes.
Plus you get all the new Forerunner 955 features. This includes Training Readiness, Training Status 2.0, HRV Status, Race Glance Widget and Running Power. It does not yet include Morning Report but, no doubt, this will come via a firmware update.
All in all, the improvements in functionality between the two Enduro generations are numerous.
The Enduro 2 is basically a Fenix 7X, but with an even bigger battery. This generation manages to plug quite a few gaps bringing the line closer to Fenix watches.
You now have storage for music, much better maps support, WiFi connectivity and more. Plus there are improvements in build-quality, a touch display, better sattelite connectivity thanks to multiband GNSS support and LED flashlight. And let’s not forget the host of new performance metrics (including most of the new Forerunner 955 functionality) and activity profiles.
Unfortunately, the watch has increased in cost quite a bit. The steel option of the first generation sells for around $800, the titanium for $900. You will need to fork out $1,100 on Garmin’s website (check price on Amazon) for Enduro 2. This makes it quite expensive and $200 more costly than the titanium version of the original.
Nonetheless, if you are after a watch that is specifically suited for extreme endurance such as ultrarunning and trekking, you will not find a better device. We always recommend going for the latest generation watch, but you should be able to snag some great deals on the first generation in the weeks and months ahead.
If you have the original Enduro and cash to spare – it might make sense to upgrade. The new features are worth it.
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