Garmin Instinct Solar, Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch with Solar Charging Capabilities, Built-in Sports Apps and Health Monitoring, Graphite

This is my latest in a long line of Garmin GPS I've owned. My last one has been going strong for years but I wanted to be able to load a route to help with guidance on long-distance off road runs or walks in the Lake District. I like this watch because the navigation feature works reasonably well. The screen-size is a little small for my ageing eye-sight, but that's not Garmin's fault. Battery life is superb, it's very comfortable to wear and looks that good that I wear it sociably. Can't comment on reliability or how water-proof it is yet but I'm confident. It connects and works well with the app on my Android phone. I was so impressed with my new watch I bought one for my partner, but in a different colour. We have started to use the tracking feature when we are out on runs alone and it works very well. There are loads of other features that I don't use. I would definitely recommend this watch to anyone who wants to be able to plan routes and then be able to navigate using it.

I have always been active and enjoy many outdoor activities but this lovely piece of kit has been a game changer for me as it takes recording your training and exercise to the next level. Through the app you download to your phone it records the usual distance, time etc. as you would expect but also gives elevation, heart rate, stress levels, body 'battery' as well as GPS mapping - I've used a fraction of the functions with still loads more to discover & use but so far I'm really chuffed. This is my first purchase of a device such as this so I am no expert on these things, but I'd say that anyone who is a keen amateur to semi serious about multi sport performance, this watch covers more than enough of what they'd need? Plus it looks really cool to wear as an everyday watch - I own the Sunburst Yellow version but will probably buy another in a different colour to match with other outfits, for work, etc.? All in all - a great & gorgeous Garmin !

Feels very sturdy and has all the functions required. Bought mainly as a back up to an old etrex 30 gps unit, so that if it ever failed I would have an back up to support my map reading skills. Undecided between this and the suunto traverse but decided to stick with what I know, and also the extra battery life offered. Full of features, can use bng as Co ordinate reference, log your position, easy to use and accurate compass plus others that not fully explored. Excellent battery life, wore for 2 days on a overnight hike, in gps mode only and only used half available battery. In gps mode only, tracking is very accurate and got me within approx 6 ft of my car when back tracked. Very comfortable and light to wear. If only could put maps on at this price point but wouldn't go for a walk now without wearing this.

Hi,I’ve been looking for smart watch for some time now.done a lot of research and decided this watch was the one for me.I’ve had it 5 months now and love this watch.The size is perfect,no deferent from all my other sports watches I’ve worn over the years.I mainly use this for running,cycling,swimming,walking,heart rat and steps.GPS is very accurate and I love it when it buzzes on every mile. Love the colour yellow,which I chose. Straps very comfortable. Great looking watch,I wear it for ever occasion . So far so good it does everything I expected it to do.

Great battery life and functionality combine in a good looking watch. GPS function tracking to suit lots of activities

Why did I waste all that time on fitbit watches?! I've had this for 2 months and I use it for walking, running, cycling and strength training. I love it. Accuracy/reliability is perfect. Looks GREAT. Only downside (if any) is that it does so much stuff that I'm not using all it's functionality. Thought I might not like the lack of fancy touch screen but actually don't miss at all. No accidental button presses and fantastic battery life.

If you need a smart watch that's indestructible and totally waterproof - this is the one. the screen isn't colour or touch screen but what it lacks in frills it makes up for in robustness, battery life is decent too.

Was fine for two years, then stopped working. Garmin Support couldn't help and wouldn't repair. Supposed to be 'rugged' and survive anything, couldn't survive being placed on a bedside table!

I’ve been eyeing down the Instinct and Fenix for a while and finally decided on the Instinct when they introduced this solar version. It’s been a month of using it every day and I love it. I came from having a Viviactive HR and love the Instinct Solar much better. The wrist heart rate monitor is slimmer and doesn’t poke so much into your wrist, like the Vivoactive HR. Why did I choose this over the Fenix? For my use I didn’t need music storage built-in, nor the on-device topo maps of the Fenix. Those were the two big features that were on my would-be-nice but not essential lists. Other than that the Instinct gives you most of the same tracking capabilities and feedback. The Instinct gives you access to an app called Garmin Explore, which allows you to download topo maps to see where you are at, when out of cell coverage. That app resolved my desire for the Fenix, since I didn’t want to spend that much money. The solar feature of the watch is really cool and really works. I’m indoors most of the time when I’m at work, so solar alone won’t keep me going indefinitely, but when I’m outdoors it does increase battery life. One hour of full sun gave the watch one more day of smartwatch use or one hour of GPS tracking. More sun time gave about the same results with sunny days. Overcast days charged too, but we don’t have many of those in the desert I’m in so I can’t give I’m depth detail on overcast charging. Battery life is exceptional, even without solar. This was another reason I went with the Instinct Solar over the Fenix. I can get up to 32 days using smart watch (not tracking pulse ox all night ), or up to 64 days with the smart watch features turned off. When turning on the pulse-oximeter tracking at night, the watch only got 7 days of battery life. Still pretty dang good if you ask me, especially compared to the more GPU centered smart watches that I don’t need from Samsung or Apple. I ended up turning off the pulse-ox tracking because it wasn’t worth it to me for the battery dip. You can still check your pulse ox manually when you turn the nightly tracking off. The first charge of the battery got me 15 days of smart watch use, combined with 9 hours GPS tracking, and an hour of Cardio/Yoga tracking. The battery life with the pulse-oximeter tracking turned off roughly equates to one day of smart watch (watch with no tracking during the day) =one hour of GPS tracking. One complaint I was worried about was that the display doesn’t show you the percentage left on the battery on the main watch display, but shows you the days left of battery life (or hours when using GPS tracking). But I quickly discovered that when you navigate to the menu, the watch battery days remaining display toggles between days left and percentage. I got used to the days remaining and actually liked it better, after a month of use. The watch seems to be very durable but nice and light weight. I still got a tempered glass screen protector because I’m rough on watches. I did have a tough crash while mountain biking and the watch held up but the screen protector cracked because I hit a rock after flipping over the handlebars and hit right on the screen, but after taking the glass protector off the watch face was still mint new. Definitely recommend the screen protector if your a cluts like me. There are some really cool features like Altimeter, Barometer, Compass, area measurement, multiple sport tracking profiles(hiking, running, cycling, mountain biking, skiing, paddle boarding etc), open water swim, course navigation, and route back to start point. There are some hunting and fishing features but I’m not a hunter so can’t speak to those. The Instinct Solar is excellent for any outdoor or fitness enthusiast.

Utilisée pour le quotidien, la randonnée, la natation en mer. Jolie, simple ( pour une montre gps avec trajets, waypoints...), très lisible et champs paramétrables. Bon rapport qualité prix.

Great look, very good battery life, more than 14 days, very good water resistant. Works with Strava and Apple health.

It works very well, is strong and has a good lasting battery.

It has ABC + Thermo + Heart beat sensor + GPS (GLONASS & GALILEO) all built in. The battery lasts for around 2 weeks. It is amazingly light, weighing around 52 gms only. It fits perfectly on my wrist. The display is bright and big. Legible in the Sun. The buttons are tactile and ergonomic. I don't want to comment on the durability as it is built with 810-G military standards 🙂. There are plenty of watch faces built-in (both - ve & +ve display). Getting it to connect to your phone or computer is like a breeze. This review box will fall short if I get started on the features. One of my favorite purchases of the year!