Garmin Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Watch with GPS, Features Glonass and

8 reviews for Garmin Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Watch with GPS, Features Glonass and

1. 

   Travis – 6 January 2025

   The perfect smartwatch for people who dislike smartwatches.
   This model came out from Garmin at the same time I was starting to seriously want a device for a mixture of tracking activity, in my case most of which is outdoor oriented, like hiking and riding my mountain bike, plus I wanted to start exploring some physical data from a heart rate monitor as I get more active.When smartwatches first started becoming popular, I thought they were pretty stupid and redundant, and in my mind a teeny tiny 2″ screen will never replace a phone screen which is small enough, especially for GPS navigation duty. However, the function of getting the sensors and GPS antenna in a more favorable location, plus heart rate monitoring, I could see the benefits of a smartwatch. I didn’t like most of what was on the market until this unit.What I liked about this watch was it didn’t have all the features and bloated interface to replace interacting with your phone for things a phone is best at. In some ways the Instinct is a throwback to older tech, but in a good way, the way anyone who has experience with GPS from the time it first became widely available for consumer use will appreciate. The interface will just make sense if you were used to the older devices.It does all the things you might want your phone to do, but a phone is not really suited to doing well. I disliked using my phone for tracking hikes and on my MTN bike because either the phone was safe in my pocket with a horrible view of the sky and where I couldn’t see it, or I had it strapped on my handlebars where it could get knocked off. Or while hiking I had to pack it in my hands or strapped to my backpack in an awkward position. Not to mention if you use GPS on the phone and keep the screen on to see stats, it will hit the battery hard. With this, you can tuck the phone safely away but still see the info you want.This watch was the right combo of features for outdoor activities and activity tracking to get my attention and be a useful tool more than an expensive trinket. I did not wear any watch before buying the Instinct, and now I wear this most of the time for the last 2-3 weeks I’ve had it.While it lacks some features of more dedicated fitness devices, I got it mostly for what it did not have rather than what it did. Most criticism of this watch I read prior to purchasing clearly was because this watch has a niche and those folks didn’t fit it. This is mostly for outdoor activities, it’s simple, rugged, and doesn’t do as much because it’s made to do it’s set of tasks well, and it’s trade off is the things it does not do allow it to be smaller and use the battery more efficiently.You can read up on it’s features and functions elsewhere, but a few things I will point out as exceptional. Some may harp on the old school LCD type display, but it’s high contrast and the way the face catches ambient light extremely well makes it very easy to read. Actually I set the back light on 5%, it’s lowest setting, because if it’s so dark you need the back light, that is plenty to see it by.I like it’s size, it’s not huge feeling, and it’s light. As I mentioned I did not wear a watch before this one, and I find it comfortable to wear despite a history of disliking things on my wrist. I had to get used to it yes, but it’s not like having a rock strapped to your arm.Battery life has been great, using the GPS 2-3 times a week for an hour at a time pulls it down some but I still get over a week on a charge. I’ve yet to let it run down to the point it claims it needs charging, but so far I’ve yet to charge it in a period of less than 7 days.Definitely a personal preference but I also really like it’s appearance. I got the Graphite colored one, it’s not black but kind of a charcoal grey. It’s not preppy looking or stylish, and that’s what I’m going for. It does not give off that “oh look at me I’m athletic I have a fitbit” vibe, or look super snazzy and expensive, it just looks like a run of the mill boring watch if no one inspects it closely. For sure a more utility look, and for folks who would get the most out of this watch, that’s probably perfect.Also will throw in there for my mountain bike, I later picked up Garmin’s cadence and speed sensors, and they paired up effortlessly with the Instinct. GPS will cheat you distance on a bike especially and that is just the nature of the tech, I was getting some big discrepancies between the Instinct’s recorded track and my wheel sensor bike computer. The trails I ride on frequently are a particular hardship for GPS anyway with heavy tree cover and tightly winding trails. With the speed sensor the difference is much smaller and I recommend it if you are going to use this on a bike.So far I’ve been very happy with the purchase and impressed with the device, enough to write this lengthy review, which I don’t bother with often. (I did lean heavily on reviews deciding to purchase, so this is to help those like me.) If you fall into the niche this watch is intended to appeal to, I recommend it.

2. 

   Kindle Customer – 6 January 2025

   Durable, LONG BATTERY life, always on screen, decent feature list, exactly what I wanted in a watch.
   I’ve owned this watch since 2021. Back then I wanted a smartwatch but was frustrated that most smartwatches fail at two essential elements: battery life and the screen staying on. Some people don’t mind charging multiple devices every night but for me, I wanted a watch that I didn’t have to worry about charging it all the time. My last smartwatch (Fossil 5) was okay, but if I forgot to charge it even one night it would die on me halfway through the next day. Two years into owning the Garmin Instinct I can happily say it’s never died on me and I’ve gone as long as 2.5 weeks in between charges. It’s nice to be able to go on a week-long trip and not need to pack a charging cable for my watch. Typically I’ll charge it once or twice a week while showering and getting dressed and that’s enough to keep the battery life full or close to it. I also love the always-on screen. I hated having to touch a button or awkwardly rotate my wrist to check the time on my old smartwatch. I much prefer being able to look down at my watch and instantly know the time. This is especially nice when I’m in the midst of a meeting and need to make sure I’m not late to my next appointment. I don’t want everyone else to notice me checking my watch but with the instinct, I can surreptitiously glance down without having to obviously move my wrist to check the time. There are not many smartwatches that combine both an always-on screen and multiple weeks of battery life.I know most people care about other features so let me also say that the Garmin Instinct also receives top marks for it’s GPS, heartrate monitor, waterproofing, altimeter, etc. This watch is also super durable. I’ve owned it for two years and been quite rough with it and it still looks pretty much brand new. I’ve been tempted to buy the Instinct 2 Solar but this watch still works perfectly well for me so I haven’t upgraded yet.

3. 

   Anthony – 6 January 2025

   Great watch!
   I wear this often for work as I spend 14 days at a time on wildfires. The battery holds up well with not needing to recharge which was something important to me. Fits great and looks very tactical. The functions are great and the app for it is awesome for tracking my runs and hikes! Good quality watch, highly recommend!

4. 

   Liam – 6 January 2025

   I’ve had this watch for years now and it’s been effective. Hence why I’m writing this review years later.This watch is rugged. I mountain bike with it, I golf with it, I play soccer with it, I swim in the ocean with it and not once have I found any wear to the actual body of the watch. The strap did give out just a couple months ago, but you can find replacement straps (off brand) on Amazon that work great and for cheap.To be frank, I don’t know how accurate the heart rate monitor is, but through watches you can never be 100%. The GPS works fantastic both during workouts and for backtracking hikes. The compass I find can be quite weird. I’ll reporting North and it won’t exactly read that. The battery’s fantastic -typically lasts 14 days wearing everyday sleeping with it every night.The Garmin app is the user friendly and I love how it tracks sleep and sleep cycles and body battery. For the price, I would much rather this watch over an Apple watch despite the fact that you can’t send typed messages on Garmin.Note that this watch does not work with the Garmin golf app.There are several other cool features that this watch can do. It can find your phone. You can select individual workouts for it to track your movements. You could send brief text messages. It even gives you weather including sunset and sunrise. It tracks your steps and calories burned. Overall, it is so worth the price.Highly, highly recommend.

5. 

   Gerza – 6 January 2025

   Es un excelente producto. Me sorprendió la precisión con la que registra el recorrido con el GPS. Lo uso para senderismo, caminar en la ciudad, correr en pista y bicicleta de montaña. En todo marca bien el recorrido. La combinación del recorrido, el registro de la frecuencia cardíaca y los algoritmos de cada actividad dan una buena referencia para conocer la intensidad de cada sesión. También lo uso en la bicicleta fija para medir la frecuencia cardíaca y funciona bien. Aunque el producto vale la pena en realidad para las actividades de exterior usando GPS. Estoy muy satisfecho y sorprendido ya que es la primera versión del Instinct, pero lo mejor fue el precio.Lo uso unas 4 veces en actividades con GPS y la batería dura menos de una semana. Pero la verdad me parece correcto y no me molesta ponerlo a cargar. La batería carga muy rápido. Cuando no hago deporte prefiero apagar el sensor de frecuencia cardíaca.Por el tamaño y por la pantalla en negativo se lee claramente en cualquier condición de luz, aún en exterior a pleno sol. También se agradece que los botones son grandes y se pueden manipular aún con guantes de ciclismo.En mi caso la compra fue con Fashion Outlet 15 y llegó rápido desde Canadá.

6. 

   Rayan Abdullah alaswad – 6 January 2025

   Have used Fitbit for 10 years, their platform is awesome from UI to the community in the app. The product itself is easy to broke. I have change fit towards five times.This one is something different. this one seems will stay with me for a long time and that’s what I’m looking for.

7. 

   Mamtaz – 6 January 2025

   När jag fick klockan förstår jag att jag har valt fel modell, så jag ville returnera den klockan men säljaren svarade att jag kan inte få mina fullt pris tillbaks. Jag har skrivit att Jag har valt gammal modell instinct 1 men jag ville köpa instinct 2.

8. 

   Rohan Singh – 6 January 2025

   My first garmin watch and first smart watch as well. Looks rugged, light weight. Strap is long and very comfortable. Using it for tracking activities like running cycling etc. Data seems to be pretty accurate. If you are into sports, this device is not gonna let you down. Good battery backup(around 2 weeks) so if you go out on long treks, you will want to carry one of these. If you are looking for something sturdy and durable in all conditions, go for it.Not compatible with connect IQ though, but that should not be an issue.