Garmin Enduro 3 vs Instinct 2X: Twice the Price, So Do the Features
Naila Syifa
Updated October 2024
Enduro 3 is among the latest Garmin multisport smartwatches in 2024 along with the Fenix 8 Series and Fenix E. At US$899, it costs twice the price of the Instinct 2X, which is an older model released in 2023. What justifies the higher price tag of the Enduro 3? Is it worth the extra investment or will the Instinct 2X suffice for your needs?
Key Takeaways
At twice the price, Garmin Enduro 3 offers significantly more features: built-in maps, SatIQ, nap detection, more activity profiles, more advanced fitness features, and nylon strap. However, the Instinct 2X still provides excellent battery life, rugged durability, and core fitness and navigation capabilities at a more affordable price point.
Garmin Enduro 3
The Ultraperformance GPS Smartwatch
✓ MIP Display
✓ Lightweight UltraFit Nylon Band
✓ Built-in TopoActive Maps
✓ 320 Hours with Solar Charging
Garmin Instinct 2X Solar
Rugged GPS Smartwatch
✓ MIP Display
✓ Multi-Band GNSS
✓ LED Flashlight
✓ 145 Hours with Solar Charging
#1 Design & Display
Garmin Enduro 3
Garmin Enduro 3 is designed to be durable and comfortable for long outdoor activities, with a rugged yet lightweight construction. Aside from its large 1.4" MIP display with 280x280 pixels resolution, a Power Sapphire lens, and a titanium bezel, one thing that stands out from the Enduro 3 is the breathable UltraFit Nylon strap, which is optimized for extended wear.
Instinct 2X is also designed with an emphasis on durability, but the bezel is made of fiber-reinforced polymer instead of the more durable titanium used in the Enduro 3, while the band is made of standard silicone. The 1.1" MIP display is also smaller, non-touch, and has a lower 176 x 176 pixels resolution, so it is losing to the Enduro 3 in terms of overall construction and display.
#2 Health & Fitness Features
Garmin Instinct 2X
Garmin Enduro 3 is more advanced in terms of health and fitness features. For example, while both the Instinct 2X and Enduro 3 track sleep, the Enduro 3 also detects naps and comes with a sleep coach feature, which provides personalized insights and recommendations to improve sleep quality.
While both smartwatches have sports and training features like training readiness, training status, daily suggested workouts, and race predictor, the Enduro 3 is more comprehensive with features like PacePro pacing strategies, ClimbPro ascent planner, Advanced Strength Training for sports-specific strength training plans, real-time stamina, endurance score, on-screen workout animations, and on-screen workout muscle maps.
With 95 activity profiles, Garmin Enduro 3 supports a wider variant of sports and activities compared to the Instinct 2X with only 81 activity profiles. However, the Instinct 2X also supports some distinctive activities not supported by the Enduro 3.
Below we have listed the activity profiles exclusive to each watch.
Garmin Instinct 2X
Jumpmaster, Tactical, Sail Racing, Sailing Expedition
Garmin Enduro 3
Jump Roping, Swimming/Running, Indoor Walking, Virtual Running, Ultra Running, Obstacle Racing, Golfing, Disc Golf, Cyclocross, BMX, Wakeboarding, Wakesurfing, Tubing, Snorkeling, Platform Tennis, Racquetball, XC Skate Skiing, Inline Skating
Other than those mentioned, both the Enduro 3 and Instinct 2X equally support the more common and popular sports like triathlon, running, hiking, mountain biking, swimming, surfing, skiing, snowboarding, basketball, volleyball, and boxing.
#3 Maps & Navigational Features
Garmin Enduro 3
While both watches use multi-band GNSS for improved satellite tracking, the Enduro 3 has more supported GNSS for greater flexibility in challenging environments. Enduro 3 supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou, while the Instinct 2X only supports GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo.
Garmin Enduro 3 also has an advantage with its SatIQ feature, which can automatically select the best GPS mode for the current environment to optimize accuracy and battery life. Without SatIQ, the Instinct 2X requires manual selection of the GPS mode.
Instinct 2X also offers no single maps, while the Enduro 3 comes preloaded with three maps for different activities – TopoActive maps for outdoor navigation, SkiView maps for skiing and snowboarding, and Golf Course maps for golf.
As a result, navigation features in the Enduro 3 are more advanced. For example, the Enduro 3 features NextFork, which displays upcoming forks in your route, UpAhead, which shows upcoming points of interest, and TrendLine Popularity Routing, which uses crowd-sourced data to suggest the most popular routes.
Other more basic navigation features, such as point-to-point navigation, TracBack, back-to-start, reference point, and real-time bread crumb are available on both the Garmin Enduro 3 and Instinct 2X.
#4 Smartwatch Features
Garmin Instinct 2X
Some daily smartwatch features that the Enduro 3 and Instinct 2X share in common include smart notifications, Garmin Pay contactless payment, incident detection and assistance, livetrack, and music playback.
Garmin Instinct 2X lacks the music storage that is featured in the Enduro 3, so it can only control music playback on a connected smartphone.
The Instinct 2X also doesn't support image viewing from notifications, which is available on the Enduro 3 for Android phones.
Some additional smartwatch features that the Enduro 3 offers include stocks, messaging with the Garmin Messenger app, group livetrack, and live event sharing.
#5 Battery Life
Garmin Enduro 3
Garmin Enduro 3 and Instinct 2X both offer remarkable battery life with solar charging capability. However, the answer to which one is superior will depend on the usage scenario. For example, the Enduro 3 lasts longer in GPS mode while the Instinct 2X lasts longer in smartwatch mode.
Below are the battery life estimates for each mode:
Smartwatch mode
Enduro 3: Up to 36 days/90 days with solar
Instinct 2X: Up to 40 days/unlimited with solar
GPS mode
Enduro 3: Up to 120 hours/320 hours with solar
Instinct 2X: Up to 60 hours/145 hours with solar
Battery saver mode
Enduro 3: Up to 92 days/unlimited with solar
Instinct 2X: Up to 100 days/unlimited with solar
Garmin Enduro 3 vs Instinct 2X
Final Thoughts
Garmin Instinct 2X
The Garmin Enduro 3 clearly offers a more comprehensive set of features compared to the Instinct 2X, justifying its higher price tag. With advanced health and fitness tracking, more comprehensive navigation capabilities, and additional smartwatch features, the Enduro 3 caters to the needs of serious outdoor enthusiasts and athletes who demand the latest and most advanced technology.
However, the Instinct 2X still holds its own with impressive battery life, a rugged design, and a selection of distinctive activity profiles, all while being twice cheaper than the Enduro 3.
If you like to read more on smartwatches, check out our other relevant guides here:
Garmin Enduro 3 vs Fenix 8
Garmin Enduro 3 vs Fenix 7 Pro
Garmin Enduro 3 vs Fenix E
Garmin Enduro 3 vs Forerunner 965
Garmin Enduro 3 vs Epix 2
Garmin Enduro 3 vs Epix Pro Gen 2
Author
Naila Syifa
Content Manager at Synced. She crafts insightful content on the latest trends in technology, consumer electronics, and smart home gadgets.
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