Garmin Enduro 4 review

I haven't worn the Enduro 4, and no outlet has published a full review of it yet. So this one is shorter than usual and carries no score. I'm working from DC Rainmaker's comparison of the Enduro 4, fēnix 9 and Enduro 3, published October 9, 2026, and from RunningXpert's page, which prints Garmin's battery and weight figures. The opinions are mine.

As of , the Enduro 4 is Not verified yetNot verifiedNot verified. Hold everything below against that number. The case for this watch is battery life, and for now the battery case rests on Garmin's word.

The battery: claims only, and they're the old claims

Garmin rates it at up to 36 days as a smartwatch, or 90 with solar. In the extended-battery activity mode it's up to 120 hours, or 320 with solar. RunningXpert prints both figures.

Here's the catch. DC Rainmaker says those claims haven't changed from the Enduro 3. Garmin renamed the GPS modes and left the hours where they were.

Nobody has published a drain test of the Enduro 4. Garmin doesn't say how much sun the 90-day solar figure assumes either. For a watch sold on how long it runs, the one number I most want is the one nobody has measured.

If you own an Enduro 3

Keep it. The battery claims match, and the new watch is 66 g, 3 g heavier than yours, which DC Rainmaker puts down to the new band.

What you'd gain is speed in a couple of places. DC Rainmaker built a roughly 23 km route on each watch: 1 min 15 s on the Enduro 3, 45 s on the Enduro 4. That's 30 seconds back every time you plan a route on the wrist. Opening a 50 km course file took about 8 seconds on all three watches he tried, the Enduro 3 included. He calls the speed gains modest, and his numbers agree with him.

So Not verified yetNot verifiedNot verified buys you the same battery promise, 3 g extra and a quicker route builder. I wouldn't pay it.

If you're choosing between this and the fēnix 9 Pro

This is the real decision for most people looking at an Enduro. Per DC Rainmaker, the Enduro 4 comes in one 51 mm size with a 1.4-inch, 280x280 MIP solar display. It's 15.7 mm thick, against 16.6 mm for the fēnix 9 Pro Solar 51mm.

What it drops: the depth gauge, the speaker, LTE and inReach. If you want any of those four, it's the wrong watch. The fēnix 9 Pro is also faster at the one task DC Rainmaker timed where the watches differed, building that 23 km route in 28 s.

The fēnix 9 Pro is Waiting for a US/UK cart checkNot verifiedNot verified, and Garmin also sells the fēnix 9 in 47 mm (Not verified yetNot verifiedNot verified). If you'd never dive with it, take calls on it or message from it without your phone, the Enduro's missing parts cost you nothing. That 0.9 mm thinner case is then the deciding detail.

If you're cross-shopping outside the Enduro line

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is $799Not verifiedNot verified. Apple rates it for far fewer days of battery than Garmin's 36-day claim. If battery is why you're reading this, Apple's own numbers settle it.

If you mostly run, look at the Forerunner 970 ($749.99Not verifiedNot verified), Garmin's top running watch. For a rugged Garmin that costs less, there's the Instinct 3 AMOLED 45mm ($349.99Not verifiedNot verified).

What I'm waiting for

Two things. A battery drain test from an outlet that wore it on long efforts, and a shipping date, which DC Rainmaker's piece doesn't give. When a drain test lands, I'll score it.