Featured image: Garmin Enduro 3, for illustration. Credit: Garmin, via Notebookcheck. The photograph does not show an Enduro 4.
The Garmin Enduro 4 has moved beyond launch-cycle guesses and there was a bit of fear that Garmin might ditch this niche device in favour of the new Fenix 9 line. Notebookcheck reports that the watch is explicitly named in regulatory paperwork, alongside the Tactix 9 and Tactix 9 Ballistics Edition. It still does not give us a launch date.
My reaction as an Enduro 3 owner? I am interested. It might seem like th Enduro 3 has performed so well in terms of sales that they will give it a standalone release.
Where the Enduro 4 news comes from
The origianl source Gadgets & Wearables says the product names appear in an EAEU Declaration of Conformity, with entries in July 23 paperwork retained in a newer August 31 declaration. Its report also points out that this is a broad list of products, rather than a detailed filing revealing the Enduro 4’s hardware.
Is “imminent” the right word?
Possibly, but I would not plan a purchase around that word yet. It does not tell us whether a watch is days, weeks or months away from being available to buy.
Earlier this year, I explored the possibilities in why 2026 could be the year of the Enduro 4.
The Enduro 3 has already set a high bar
For an endurance watch, the useful questions are straightforward: will it last through your activity, help you follow your route, and feel comfortable enough to keep wearing? A longer feature list only matters when it improves those things or solves another problem you actually have.
You can explore the settings in my Enduro 3 battery optimization guide. For the broader ownership picture, my one-year Enduro 3 review covers both the strengths and the cons I encountered.
What would make an Enduro 4 worth upgrading to?
I would look for smoother, more dependable mapping, a meaningful improvement in battery life under comparable settings, or a more comfortable design. New connectivity could matter too, if it fits the way you travel and the battery cost is acceptable. Those are things I would evaluate, not features established by this leak.
This is the same question behind what the Fenix 9 launch means for the Enduro 3 and Enduro 4 and my separate article on whether a Fenix 9 makes sense for an Enduro 3 owner: which improvements would you actually notice often enough to pay for?
Whatever additional software the Enduro 3 receives, I would judge its value on what it can do today. Future updates can strengthen the case, but I would not buy a watch on the assumption that it will inherit every tool from its successor.
Why I still think the Enduro 3 is a very good buy
For most people shopping for a large endurance watch, I still think the Enduro 3 offers an excellent combination of capability, battery life and low weight. At a good price, it is a very good deal. A successor would have to deliver more than a few extra metrics to change that view.
The price of it and how it affects the price of the Enduro 3 is also interesting. A substantial discount would make the Enduro 3 especially compelling against a future Enduro 4 would make comparison more worthwhile.
Check the current Garmin Enduro 3 price on Amazon
If your current watch is working well, waiting for official details costs you little. If you need a watch now and find the Enduro 3 at a price you are happy with I would more than recomend it, especially since you will get most of the software features of the recently announe Fenix 9. I am curious about the Enduro 4, but Garmin will have to give me a practical reason to want it more than the watch I already own.
Read the original reporting: Notebookcheck and Gadgets & Wearables.