Customer Ratings & Reviews

I bought the Instinct 3 Solar 45mm to replace my old Venue 2. I really wanted something with more features, and I knew the solar charging would come in handy for the activities I like to do. I've only had it a short time, but I've taken it on a 3 day backpacking trip on the AT (breadcrumb feature saved my butt a couple times from making a wrong turn!), several horseback trail rides, running, rafting, cycling, hiking Medicine Bow Peak in WY (again, breadcrumb feature!! Love it), general camping and hiking. I love all the specific activities it accomidates. I've even used the torch feature. The solar charging is so so handy when your're out in the wilderness. The battery lasts forever. I'm really happy with this watch and plan to keep it for years to come! Btw I'm a woman with narrow wrists, but the watch fits me fine. That was something I was concerned about when I was deciding to buy this.

This was a gift for my boyfriend. He absolutely loves it! He appreciates the very long battery life, the charging capabilities through the solar cell, the flash light and the physical buttons on the bessel. Absolutely recommend for someone who hates charging a watch regularly but still want all the fancy smart watch features.

Great improvement from Apple Watch!!! I appreciate the ruggedness and durability as well as the battery life. The solar feature keeps my battery charged for two weeks. It is very easy to use for fitness tracking and gives much more in-depth and accurate information then Apple Watch and just using the Health app

This was not a planned purchase. Without warning my Garmin Forerunner 945 stopped tracking properly and the battery was draining extremely fast. The Garmin Forerunner 945 was a premium fitness tracker that was around $750 when it was released. I was very concerned that I would have to spend a premium price to get a comparable device. The Garmin Instinct 3 offered everything I was accustomed to and more. The watch has excellent gps sensors that accurate lock within seconds. The flash light has a strobe setting that is excellent for letting drivers see you during evening runs. The battery life is insane compared to previous watches I have owned. The only feature it doesn’t have, is the ability to program a multi sport workout that is a mix of running and strength training. But you can program a hot key and transition between activity profiles with the same workout. In short you cannot program a workout but you can accurately log a multi sport workout and edit the details in the Garmin App. There are more expensive Garmin watches out there but this one is an excellent model and I feel like it meets value and functionality perfectly.

Garmin Instinct 3 Solar — Better Than I Ever Expected I honestly didn’t expect these watches to be this good — but Garmin Instinct 3 Solar completely blew my expectations away. This watch is not about fancy animations or useless smart features. It’s about reliability, endurance, and truth. The battery life is insane — with solar charging, I almost forget what a charger even is. I wear it every day, outdoors, indoors, workouts, sleep — and it just keeps going. The build quality is rock solid. It feels like a real tool, not a toy. Scratches, cold, heat, sweat — it doesn’t care. This is a watch you trust, not one you babysit. Health and activity tracking is spot on: heart rate, stress, sleep, Body Battery — everything feels honest and consistent. No fake numbers, no drama. Just clean, reliable data that actually helps you understand your body. The screen is perfectly readable in sunlight, the buttons work flawlessly (even with gloves or wet hands), and the simplicity of the interface is a huge plus. No distractions. No nonsense. This watch feels like it was made for people who value freedom, durability, and independence. After using it, I can confidently say: Garmin Instinct 3 Solar is better than all my expectations — and easily one of the best watches I’ve ever owned. Highly recommended. No regrets. Zero.

I have had this watch for a little over a month now and absolutely love it. I don’t miss having an Apple Watch at all. It’s rugged, extremely durable, has lots of cool and unique features. Many of which I haven’t even played with or checked out. I love that it is completely waterproof, I also have not had to charge it. As long as your in the sun some of it has sun hitting it, it charges. Great watch, will stay with this line for sure, great for law enforcement and other first responders.

I bought the watch to replace my Galaxy Watch since it had too many issues. This watch simply does everything I need plus the amazing 28 day battery life!

The improved contast is worth it personally. There is almost no difference between the elevate 4 and 5 sensor on my wrist so I do not care its the “old sensor”. All of these instinct watches, and quite frankly all fitness/sports/smartwatches have their issues, quirks and glitches. This one requires proper updating through Garmin Express to get the battery life to display properly. The orange accents do not bother me like I thought they might. They are subtle and gives it some character. I can not use silicone or rubber watch straps. The Ultrafit nylon straps are incredibly comfortable and create a better fit and adjustment. I typically disable all features except for HR and full charge gets 31 days with one or two activites tracked. Solar charging is incredible compared to prior gen.

I usually buy products that last longer. I was looking for the watch to replace my Samsung galaxy watch 3 after 8 years of use. I tested many of the products available in the market right now and Garmin Instinct 3 came as a top product and this has not let me down. In a summer, make sure you keep your charger in safe place and you find it, because you may not need to charge it for up to a month.

This watch checks all the boxes. I have used Garmin watches over 10 years. There are features are current and relative to active individuals and athletes. The initial setup was easy. The only downside was needing to YouTube a few times to understand how to customize and format views.

Received this watch for Christmas. I wanted the Apple Watch but this is much more durable as i do HVAC and id probably break the Apple Watch. This watch does everything I need to do GPS sleep data, heart rate, pedometer,

This is my first smartwatch; having to charge a watch seemed very inconvenient, so I have stuck to traditional watches. I wanted to keep track of my fitness goals, so a smartwatch was a good option compared to carrying my phone everywhere. When looking for watches, long battery life and a screen that wasn’t so bright and colorful (like a phone screen) were my top priorities. I decided on the instinct 3 solar because of the long battery life, what the watch was able to track, and having access to Garmin’s GPS function for running. The watch fits and feels like any other watch; the screen isn’t distracting; it tracks everything I’m looking for in regards to health and fitness. The light on the watch was a nice feature, but not necessarily a selling point.

This is a great watch! Upgraded from the instinct first edition and it was well worth the price. I use the flashlight all the time. Who would have thought it would be so handy? My wife calls it my super power. LOL Battery life is even better than the first series. With pulse oxygen on for monitoring sleep i get 19 days battery life.

I’m a auto tech and I had an Apple Watch before this one that I used mostly for notifications and basic phone stuff. At first I was hesitant l get the AMOLED variant first because of the touchscreen. But I ended up with the Solar version and I can’t complain at all! It’s super sleek. It gives me all the info I need on the main screen. It still has the perks of a smartwatch but has the rugged feel of a garmin. I also wear it at work where I bang it on stuff and am getting into rough spaces with my hands and so far the watch has held up to all of it! I highly recommend it to anyone in the trades.

As a former apple water owner for 10+ years I decided to switch to the Garmin. I love the battery life and screen visibility when outside in the sun. It easily tracks my workouts and still receives phone calls and texts on it. Love this watch and I’m excited to own it for a long time.

I bought this watch after doing some research, Im have hypertension and always need to monitor my BP Ive had other smart watch like samsung an apple and this one is the best. I work alot out in the sun and last week I was doing a job out in the sun I knew I was really pushing my limits but you get to a point it feels normal but its not. Once I finished the job about 10 hr got in my service vehicle drank about two bottle of water I was super tired and burnt from so much sun. My watch started beeping and stating my HR was over 100 bpm I felt I was about to turn into Hulk jajaja so I stop took my med. The stats on the phone are really freindly it has so many uses, battery ñast for ever, defenetly Im not going back to other watches.

I use this watch daily. The battery life with the solar charging is incredible! Super easy to track activities and manage things like music or even checking tidal charts. A worthwhile purchase all around.

Awesome watch and very durable. The built in flashlight is a plus too!

Overall, I like the watch. The interface is mildly annoying but it’s not a touchscreen so I expected it. The battery life is amazing and overall it’s a good watch.

My Fenix 6 solar had started not operating all of the features and I went to replace it with a Fenix 7. That was more money and had features I would not be using. I do a lot of outdoor competitive activities and health monitoring and the Instinct 3 solar checked all the boxes and for less than half the price. Super happy with it especially the battery capacity. I wear it 24/7 and the solar extends the time between charges. I am also getting very accurate medical readings that I check against EMS equipment i use for work and they are spot on.