Customer Ratings & Reviews

PROS: GPS, on-screen options for compass, pace and mileage tracking, Activity Tracking, heart rate, Smartphone features (call and message notifications, weather, music controls), Excellent battery life in smart watch mode, durable, waterproof, great for outdoor use, trail backtrack feature, compatibility with garmin connect and map apps. CONS: Very large face, black and white display I REALLY wish this had a color display, but this was the first GPS watch I was buying, and the price was unbeatable, so I decided to go for it. Aside from that, I love this watch. The controls did take a bit of getting used, as it is not a touch screen like my previous smart watch, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy to use. I love that it has the most important features to me in a smart watch (notifications/calls/music controls/weather/time), but also has awesome GPS and activity tracking features. I use this watch for horseback riding, mileage and pace tracking on trail rides and on competitive rides. I was able to purchase a band in my preferred color from the garmin website. While in smartwatch mode, the battery lasts forever! My previous smartwatch had to be charged every couple of days. I only have to charge once every 10 days or so, except when I'm using the GPS, and understandably, it does need charged much more frequently when GPS is on. If you're looking for a starter GPS watch that's a great price and has great features, and are willing to try a black and white display, I'd definitely recommend this watch!

Great durable, comfortable, long lasting watch for tracking your activates. I picked up the instinct mostly for tracking my MTB rides and Hikes. it's been great for both, it's somewhat bulky but really light and after wearing it a few hours I hardly notice it. while it does have sleep tracking I find it's not the most comfortable for sleeping with.

I've owned several Garmin products over the years and still use some that are many years old. Some are better than others obviously but I believe the Instinct is truly a cut above. The fit and feel is excellent at all times from sleeping, working in the office and out on the floor to cycling all out, up that nemesis hill. There are tons of data available on this thing and all of it integrates seamlessly to the Garmin app. The only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars is because I know that the sleep data isn't exactly correct. There are times that I have gotten out of the bed at night to let the dog out, and the app shows that I slept uninterrupted all night. It's a little big for my preference but it has a lot of jobs to do and it's easy to read while on the go. The battery life crazy excellent. I usually just charge it one night a week even though it has never run completely down yet. I don't even pull cycling data from my 10 year old Garmin Edge anymore because the Instinct has taken over the job.

Good: many features, built to take abuse Bad: lack of color screen For the money, this is a great smartwatch, but it does have some drawbacks. The lack of color can make it a bit hard to read, and the large size will be a problem for anyone with a small wrist.

great watch for fitness. Battery life is amazing. Rugged like a gshock. Screen could be a little bigger. But not a deal breaker.

This watch is fantastic. Very comfortable. Not too bulky for my tiny wrist. All the functions that it has is everything I want and more. If you’re an active person, this watch is perfect.

Love the color! I think kinda big for my wrists. I’m 5’2 130pounds. I loved that it’s rugged, can stand high heat temperatures, Waterproof, tracks my progress, plays music, Allows you to receive messages and phone calls. There is a lot Different features within this watch.. wish the Garmin Manual had more information on setting however I just watch some YouTube videos that other customers had created very helpful. I noticed this watch has definitely available settings on a IPhone and Galaxy. I feel like the iPhone has less things this watch can access maybe because it’s older Model compared to my iPhone

I needed a rugged waterproof smartwatch and this watch meets my needs. It may not be pretty and it's a little large, but it has taken a beating with my outdoor projects.

This is a good watch. It is very light and I am able to sleep with it on. I wish the screen was a bit bigger, but it is a good mix of lightweight and functional. Great battery life!

I PURCHASED THIS GARMIN INSTINCT TO REPLACE MY FITBIT CHARGE 3, AFTER IT WAS HAVING SOFTWARE ISSUES. IT FEELS LIKE A STURDY WATCH AROUND YOUR WRIST. IT IS A LITTLE THICKER AT THE TOP THAN WHAT I WAS USED TO WITH THE FITBIT. THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH ARE NOT THE BEST. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT ALL IT CAN DO, IS TO WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEOS, AND IT WILL HELP YOU UNLOCK MOST OF ITS POTENTIAL. STILL PLAYING WITH WHEN I GET A CHANCE. I LIKE THE APP ON YOUR PHONE THAT YOU NEED TO DOWNLOAD. GOT IT ON SALE, AND USED SOME BEST BUY GIFT CARDS TO HELP WITH THE PURCHASE.

Tons of features. Doesn’t feel bulky on the wrist.

Big and bulky for what it does. Looks cool but pretty big and pricy

Great gps unit. All built in functions work great. Just way too big. Sets up high.

This is a great watch that's reasonably priced; if you're looking for an entry into the smartwatches that would primarily be for the outdoors and GPS functionality, this is a great one. The screen is admittedly basic when following a hiking course (you can send GPX files from your phone to the watch) but it suffices with it's turn-by-turn and outline of the hiking course. It does have some other phone connectivity functions such as text, alerts, and music control but I primarily use this for the outdoors. And for that, it does just fine.

This watch has everything I need. The heart rate is more accurate than my old Garmin. Everything is easy to read. Sure it took a couple of days to get familiar with it but with the online manual that I refer to, it was straight forward. It is slightly large but I am use to it now. I would buy this watch again (GREAT buy).

I have looked at a lot of options and this one was just what I was looking for! I didn’t need it to have the solar charging capabilities. The size on my wrist as a woman is a bit large, but looks great and I’m glad I made the purchase!

Garmins are great- be prepared, this one is heavier than others and the face is definitely for those with larger wrists. I exchanged for a smaller watch (forerunner).

Screen to small for me but great gps watch couldn’t change watch face but that might be my fault age and all lol

Watch wasn’t all it’s cracked up the be. I’m my opinion it’s kind of big.

I own a Garmin Forerunner 220, which finally died on Wednesday Night. I used it for tracking HR, intervals, and keeping tabs at outdoor competitive running events. So, I needed something that could do similar. While I could easily afford a Forerunner 245 (at Black Friday prices), I needed something I didn't have to wait for, so after some brief research (here and on the Garmin website to make sure this could do everything I needed), I pulled the trigger on the Instinct. After using it for a few days, I'm glad I did. It is actually a major upgrade from my Forerunner. It has much more battery life than my old Forerunner, does everything I need to do (like hr alert so I don't go too high on workouts), and has extra features I will be exploring later. The only downside from my perspective? The screen is too small for me to see (I wear glasses that I take off while working out). The workaround for me is to intently listen to the alerts emanating from the watch, and wait until I can download my tracked workout results to my home computer so I can see them on Garmin Connect. Also, it doesn't automatically connect to my external hrm (I wear a chest strap), but I can simply just get it to pair up prior to doing a workout, so it's also not a big deal either, just different. Pro tip: make sure you disable the internal hrm if don't use it like I do. Otherwise, it may use it if your chest hrm loses contact with your body (and skews your hr readings, as wrist hrm's are not as accurate as the chest ones are),