Garmin Instinct Review: Unleash Your Adventurous Spirit

Are you an outdoor enthusiast seeking a reliable companion for your adventures? Look no further than the Garmin Instinct! 

This rugged GPS watch is designed to withstand the most challenging conditions while providing essential tracking and navigation features. 

Whether hiking in the mountains, exploring remote trails, or conquering challenging terrains, the Garmin Instinct is built to keep up with your adventurous spirit. 

Join us as we dive into a comprehensive review of this remarkable outdoor smartwatch and discover why it’s the ultimate companion for all your outdoor pursuits.

Key Takeaways

The Garmin Instinct stands out from the vast majority of fitness trackers with its unique circle window, providing a clear, readable screen that adjusts perfectly to different light conditions. This smartwatch covers all the bases, from monitoring your stress levels and blood oxygen levels with the pulse ox sensor and Body Battery feature to providing weather updates through the Weather widget.

Enjoy endless days in smartwatch mode thanks to the device’s impressive battery life. Never fret about losing power during your outdoor activities, as the battery level is always displayed in the circular window. This robust smartwatch comes in a tactical edition, complete with third-party apps available through Garmin Connect IQ.

Garmin goes above and beyond with Garmin Instinct’s outdoor features. Track your current elevation and barometric pressure in real-time, and navigate unfamiliar terrain with breadcrumb navigation. The device also syncs seamlessly with Garmin Explore and Garmin Connect Mobile, providing an integrated experience across devices.

Basic features such as receiving phone calls and Bluetooth connection are also covered, not to mention advanced capabilities like golf mode with cadence sensors and barometric trend tracking. For music lovers, the Garmin Instinct matches up to devices like Vivoactive 3 Music with its music storage feature.

The Fenix 5 Plus series, including Fenix 5, Fenix 5 Plus, and Fenix 5x, may have set a high bar in the realm of smartwatches. Still, Garmin Instinct rises to the challenge with its unique features and durability. Whether you’re a sweepstakes entry enthusiast looking for promo considerations or a mountain hut dweller needing a reliable gadget, this review will show you why Garmin Instinct is worth considering.

Garmin Instinct Overview

For outdoor adventurers who want to unleash their spirit of exploration, having the right gear can make all the difference between an epic journey and an exercise in frustration. In sports watches, the Garmin Instinct aims to strike the ideal balance between hardcore data tracking and bombproof durability so users can focus on the thrill of adventure instead of babying finicky electronics.

This rugged GPS smartwatch was designed from the ground up with activities like hiking, climbing, trail running, and watersports in mind. The Instinct combines essential sensors like GPS, heart rate monitor, compass, and altimeter with smartwatch features into a tribal and tactical design built to military standards. No matter how far off the beaten path your exploits take you, the Instinct promises to keep up while standing up to the elements.

In this in-depth review, we’ll closely examine how the Instinct performs in real-world conditions to see if it lives up to the promise for outdoor enthusiasts. Key factors we examine include:

• Build quality and durability – Does the rugged polymer case and special lens treatment really hold up to abuse?
  
• Activity tracking – How accurate is the GPS, altimeter, etc., and how in-depth are the metrics?
  
• Battery life – Does ultra power-saving mode really extend it for weeks?
  
• Smart features – Are notifications and smartwatch capabilities useful or just gimmicks?
  

After putting the Instinct through its paces for hiking, climbing, running, swimming, and everyday use, we weigh in on who this watch is best suited for and where it offers the greatest value. Read on to see if the Garmin Instinct could be the ultimate wingman for your next adventure.

Key Features

Now that we’ve covered the overall concept and mission of the Garmin Instinct smartwatch let’s dive into the core features that set this rugged GPS tracker apart. The Instinct squeezes an impressive array of sensors and technology into its tactical chassis built to stand up to hardcore adventures.

Rugged Design and Durability

The “tactical” look of the Instinct gives it a bit of a military vibe. Still, more importantly, it’s ruggedized to meet U.S. military standard 810G for resistance to thermal, shock, and water hazards. The polymer case reinforced with fiber resin bumpers can take more abuse, while the chemically strengthened glass lens shrugs off scratches. Buttons are textured for easier operation while wearing gloves.

In real-world testing, the Instinct lives up to its durability billing. The watch emerged unscathed from rock scrambling, cliff jumping into water, and all-day hikes. For adrenaline junkies, it provides confidence in tracking data, even on hardcore pursuits.

Built-in Sensors and Navigation

Packed into the rugged shell, the Instinct offers an array of sensors tailored for outdoor adventures:

• GPS/GLONASS/Galileo – Utilizes multiple global navigation satellite systems for tracking in more challenging environments than GPS alone.
  
• 3-axis compass – Aids navigation when out of mobile range.
  
• Barometric altimeter – Essential for hiking and climbing for tracking elevation gain and descent.
  
• Optical heart rate sensor – Monitors intensity level during activities and all-day stress.
  
• Accelerometer – Tracks cadence, distance, and intensity for running and biking.
  

Combined with navigation features like TracBack routing and waypoint marking, these sensors equip the Instinct as a formidable adventure partner.

Activity Profiles and Tracking

The Instinct comes preloaded with activity profiles for all-day use, running, biking, swimming, skiing, and more. The sensors and GPS provide detailed metrics for each sport, like distance, pace/speed, heart rate zones, elevation, and more.

With robust tracking capabilities packed into a durable shell, the Instinct has the potential to be the ultimate go-anywhere, do-anything Garmin watch. But how well does it deliver when you’re far from civilization? Let’s find out in our performance testing.

Garmin Instinct Specifications

• 45mm watch with interchangeable 22mm straps
• 128 x 128-pixel monochrome display
• Up to 16 hours of GPS battery life
• GPS / GLONASS / Galileo
• Works with iOS and Android
• 24/7 activity tracking
• Heart rate monitoring
• Multisport (running, cycling, swimming, hiking, skiing, and much more)
• Let’s start with the basics. The Instinct comes in three colors: Flame Red, Tundra, and Graphite.

Garmin Instinct: interface

Although the Instinct is very easy to use, its five-button control system takes some getting used to.

Like activity selection or forward / backward / up-down, some are relatively simple to ‘memorize’ after half an hour of use. But delving into the options can be a bit more complicated.

The Instinct has a wide range of display options that provide heart rate information in the last four hours, top-of-the-line activity statistics, phone notifications, events, weather, and a compass.

Access to each of these is via simple up and down buttons, and for the most part, most are what you would expect from a Garmin.

The real superiority of the Instinct comes from the customization options. First, you can customize the top-level displays (12 standard clock displays from the beginning).

Each visible information acts as a small modifiable block. Once selected (using the top right customization button), you can scroll through other options to replace it, depending on your needs.

You can customize heart rate, cadence, temperature, elevation, goal, intervals, and stress data.

Garmin Instinct – Outdoor Tracking

As we have said before, with Instinct, you can measure a wide range of sports. Running, biking, and swimming is basic modes, but it will also cater to outdoor activities like hiking, climbing, and even skiing.

For many sports watch companies, incorporating activities like hiking into a standard list of activities has been a problem with most sports watches.

Hikers or trail hikers want very different information mainly because the things that concern us are issues like getting lost in the middle of the night or falling off a cliff because of the fog.

Overall, the Instinct is a sleek compass that accurately tells you your direction and tracks your route.

Unlike the Phoenix, the monochrome display doesn’t allow for a map. Instead, the route you follow is drawn via GPS markers in a very simple line drawing.

Map

At first glance, and without messing with the zoom settings, the “map” appears utterly useless as it is labeled. The first time I tried to get information, I thought I broke it. However, it is not a map but a device to track your location.

It does not offer the ability to see landmarks, but you can use topography and direction data to get plenty of exercise. It would be best if you spent a little time on it.

This may lack the apparent benefits of a more sophisticated map, but it makes finding routes much easier. The information it gives you goes a long way in solving most problems you will likely encounter.

Compass

In addition to a magnetic compass, something not always present in smartwatches, the Instinct includes elevation profiles, the ability to have specific coordinates, storm alerts, Galileo support (to use multiple satellites for optimized accuracy), Site and Go (which essentially allows you to set a direction to follow) and routes (the ability to download a route to follow using a breadcrumb trail).

After getting used to the route tracking features, I suddenly realized how useful it would have been on the previous hikes, where I ended up walking in circles for a long time.

Garmin Instinct: Sports tracking

The Instinct is aimed at hikers and outdoor activity (especially climbers or trail runners). However, if you want a watch for a specific sport, that doesn’t mean the Instinct isn’t a multi-sport watch. It just means that for the price, you’d probably be disappointed if you were using it primarily for city running.

Hikers do other things, though, and luckily I got to try the Instinct for a half marathon. Like a general racing Garmin watch, it did the job.

Like almost all Garmin watches, the Instinct offers 24/7 activity tracking.

So we’re talking about counting steps, monitoring sleep, and displaying that bar to quickly indicate your activity level throughout the day.

There are also stress tracking and adaptive step goals to motivate you a little more each day. Garmin’s fitness tracking capabilities align with Fitbit’s regarding striking the right balance between features and insights.

I didn’t have many complaints from an accuracy standpoint, though sleep tracking tended to attribute more sleep time than the Garmin Forerunner 935.

Smartwatch Features

The Garmin Instinct is an adventure-ready smartwatch that provides outdoor enthusiasts with a wealth of information at a glance. This includes GPS coordinates, altitude, air pressure, sunrise and sunset times, and more. It also comes equipped with a barometer, altimeter, and compass. The display is full color, sunlight-visible, and compatible with Garmin’s Connect IQ app market.

In terms of smartwatch features, with the Instinct, you can see notifications on the watch screen. There is the possibility of answering text messages and answering/rejecting calls (if paired with an Android phone).

You can also control music playback, connect to the Garmin Virb Action Camera, and view calendar and weather information.

Garmin Connect App

The display is full color, sunlight-visible, and compatible with Garmin Connect App (Garmin’s Connect IQ app market).

To use the Instinct device’s connected features, you must pair it directly through the Garmin Connect app instead of from the Bluetooth settings on your smartphone.

You won’t have Garmin Pay, the ability to listen to music with Spotify or Connect IQ support. You can’t add custom fields, widgets, and apps to the watch.

While you can review much Instinct data on the watch, you are more likely to explore it once it syncs with Garmin Connect. Whether it’s the phone or the web app, there’s a lot to look at here, and of course, you can send data to third-party services like Strava once the two accounts have been linked.

There is nothing significant to say when offering a different experience than what you would get by combining a Fenix ​​watch or a Forerunner watch.

Much of what you’ll see will be very familiar if you’ve used a Garmin device. It’s packed with data, and it can take a little time to understand where everything is.

Solar Panel

Garmin Instinct has a solar charging panel on its screen. The watch does need to be exposed to light to charge, and it is not a very powerful one, but if you are going to be in the sun anyway, you can just let your watch charge.

Garmin Instinct – Heart Rate Accuracy

If you’re going to make fair use of the built-in heart rate monitor, I’d say it works similarly to other Garmin watches that include the same technology.

Overall, it’s okay, particularly for 24/7 monitoring, but not exceptional once you start putting it through the high-intensity training test.

Against a Garmin chest strap, the live data appeared to be quite inconsistent, with the chest strap reacting quickly to fluctuations in inactivity and rest periods. The Instinct tends to lag briefly before reaching the chest strap.

On the other hand, if we talk about lower-effort training sessions, the highest heart rate in interval training came in one or two beats per minute and the average of only three bpm, which is quite good.

But more variations appear once you start increasing your training and quickly changing your pace and intensity.

When tested against a more consistent bpm activity, such as a 10k run, the Instinct noticeably fits the chest strap but still registers a higher maximum heart rate reading.

It seems well-equipped to do a pretty good job for more endurance-based activities like trail running or hiking.

However, suppose you plan to use the Instinct as your primary training watch. In that case, I recommend purchasing a compatible chest strap to give you the most reliable information on your heart rate.

Garmin Instinct: battery life

The battery is an essential factor for outdoor watches when you plan to spend a lot of time away from civilization and not carry that charger with you.

Garmin claims the Instinct gives you 16 hours with GPS on, 40 hours using UltraTrac optimization mode (worse GPS but better battery), and two weeks if you only use it as a smartwatch.

In my experience, these data make the price worth the right one. It is well equipped for a long day of trekking or hiking with all those sensors that are used well and without worry.

This is your best option if you are willing to sacrifice your mapping data’s accuracy for a longer tracking time. For most users, the Instinct’s battery life is more than enough.

More Than Just Outdoor Tracking

So far, we’ve focused on how the Instinct performs as an outdoor activity tracker, but it also offers helpful smartwatch capabilities for daily life. While the monochrome display and basic UI aren’t as stylish as a Garmin Fenix or Apple Watch, it gets the job done for notifications and convenience features.

Smart Notifications and Customization

With the Instinct connected to your smartphone, you can receive calls, texts, app alerts, and calendar reminders on your wrist. The notifications are basic but helpful for screening what’s worth pulling out your phone.

The watch face is also customizable with various layouts and data fields, so you can see the most important metrics to you at a glance. There are also free apps and widgets to tailor the experience further.

All-Day Activity Tracking

Even when not doing hardcore workouts, the Instinct provides all-day activity tracking to motivate you to stay active. It monitors steps, intensity minutes, calories burned, and sleep. The move alert reminds you not to stay sedentary for too long.

Music Control and Payments

Like most Garmin watches, the Instinct lets you control phone music playback and supports Garmin Pay contactless payments when connected to a compatible smartphone. These conveniences let you potentially leave the phone behind on runs and workouts.

Battery Life

The Instinct delivers on its long battery life claims, easily lasting a week or more of everyday use. The UltraTrac mode extends it to a month using activity tracking and sleep monitoring. This allows multi-day excursions off the grid.

While smart features aren’t the main appeal, they make the Instinct more versatile as an everyday watch in addition to the rugged performance.

Bottom Line of Garmin Instinct Review

After testing the Instinct across various outdoor pursuits and daily life, I can confidently say it lives up to its promise as a rugged GPS sports watch ready for adventure. The tactical design isn’t just for show – it can take a beating while continuing to log accurate data.

The wealth of sensors like GPS, altimeter, compass, and navigation features provide outdoor enthusiasts with helpful tracking and mapping right on their wrist. Whether you’re trail running, hiking, climbing, or getting wet, the Instinct has the metrics and durability to keep up.

Battery life is also a highlight, and it is able to keep going in expedition mode for weeks. The smart notifications, music controls, and Garmin Pay give it versatility for daily use.

For the price point, it’s impressive how much technology Garmin packed into this rugged build. The Instinct punches far above other watches in its budget-friendly price range.

While the monochrome display and basic UI won’t win any fashion awards, the Instinct isn’t about flashy style. It’s function over form.

For hikers, climbers, runners, swimmers, and outdoor explorers who want robust tracking without babying a delicate smartwatch, the Garmin Instinct is a trusty companion ready for adventure. It can truly unleash your spirit of adventure without compromising on data.