Garmin Instinct 2 Solar review 2024: rugged fitness smartwatch

Garmin is well-known for its outdoor GPS gear that can be used on its own and for its great running watches, so it’s no surprise that it also makes outdoor GPS watches that work well. The company’s newest watch is the Instinct 2 Solar, which we have been wearing for about three months and can say is a huge success.

We only had to plug in the charging cable twice during that time, thanks to the solar charging feature. When I was on vacation in Greece, where the sun was out all day, the battery metre stayed pretty close to full. Even inside, away from the sun’s rays, and, let’s be honest, even outside in the UK, the watch is very durable. It’s a great mix of form and function, with a black-and-white screen that saves power instead of an OLED or LCD that uses up a lot of juice.

Garmin Instinct 2 Solar specifications

Garmin Instinct 2 Solar review: Design and display

Even though it looks rough and military, the black Instinct 2 Solar we reviewed isn’t too loud. It also comes in light grey or dark blue if you want the solar feature. If you don’t want the solar feature, you can choose from a rainbow of colours. The watch’s bezel and case are made of fiber-reinforced polymer, which held up well even though we wore it every day.

The case still looks pretty good, and the glass screen isn’t scratched because of a raised lip. It’s a little hard to read because the screen is black and white, but it works, and it’s nice to know it’s there in case you get lost. You just have to remember to turn it on, it’s not automatic. You can buy this smartwatch from its official website.

Garmin Instinct 2 Solar review: Fitness and sports tracking

The Instinct 2 is great for fitness tracking because it does almost everything we’ve come to expect from a Garmin. It does it well and has sensors built into the bottom that are similar to those on the Fenix 7. There’s not much it’s missing here. So, it can accurately track your heart rate, as well as your location, altitude, and temperature, no matter what you are doing.

It then puts all of this information together to give you a full picture of your activity in Garmin Connect. More than that, though, it uses the data to give you a better idea of your overall health and energy levels, just like the more expensive models. Garmin’s Body Battery is a key part of this. It uses your rest and recovery data along with the effort you put into activities to estimate how much energy you have left.

Garmin Instinct 2 Solar review: Battery life

The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is a big step up from its predecessor in many ways. It has a much longer battery life, a new optional smaller size (the 2S, which we didn’t test), a more accurate altimeter, and more software features. But the watch is now much harder to set up because it has so many new features for athletes who do more than one sport.

Garmin Instinct 2 Solar review: Price and availability

The 45mm model of the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar that I tested costs $449.99, £389.99, or €449.99. This is a good price for the features, which are aimed directly at people who spend a lot of time outside and might want something a little more capable than an Apple Watch and that can last for a solid month. Even though it doesn’t have a colour screen, this watch can do most of what the Apple Watch Ultra can do and costs about half as much.

Final Words

If durability and battery life are the most important things to you, the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is the best choice. Even though it doesn’t have some of the more high-end features found on the best watches, we like how simple this design is, both on the outside and on the inside. This watch is tough, and since it can be charged by the sun, it can last for a long time. 

FAQs

Is solar worth it on Garmin Instinct 2?

The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is a great watch for people who like to work out outside and for people who want to start sports like running, cycling, or triathlons. It’s a pricey watch, but it’s accurate and reliable and has features to track your health.

Does Garmin Instinct 2 show text messages?

When you get a text message alert on your watch, you can choose from a list of messages to send a quick reply. Messages can be changed in the Garmin ConnectTM app.

Is Garmin Instinct 2 accurate?

When it got a good read on my heart rate, the Instinct 2 was as accurate as any other Garmin watch with an Elevate 4 sensor, and maybe even better than the Epix we just tested. However, it’s important to remember that even the best optical sensors have trouble in some situations.