Customer Ratings & Reviews

So, you’re reading this because you’re looking for an upgrade. Personally I’m a runner, mid ultra runner. I’ve had (still) FR 15 and the 35. The reason I was looking for an upgrade was for 2 reason. On the fly altitude and music controls. If you live and die by your watch, move on to the 935 or Fenix line. Or if you’re going +50 mile runs then you’ll need a the longer battery. So what makes this watch so great so that it has almost all the features of the 400+ dollar watches but in a less expensive option. It quite easy to look at some of the YT videos and the specs but essentially it doesn’t have the vo2 stuff and coaching options. After using it, it’s completely a necessity over the FR35. The screens are completely customizable in the work out so I can select all the data I want. Really it’s completely customizable for most everything. So to wrap up: If you want a smart watch, need 15+hour workout battery, or want your watch to have everything then move to the 935 and Fenix. If you want a rugged watch that has all the controls, connectivity, data fields and navigation then this watch is your choice. Last note, I bought a colored band and replaced using the garmin pins so now I have a more colorful option.

I own an Apple Watch 3 but have never really been pleased with it for outdoor activity. I decided to pursue a Garmin Instinct after reading other reviews. This watch is really great. The feature and GPS related functions are very accurate, the screen is easy to read, and with 100m water resistance I use it while swimming and diving. The Garmin Instinct is the best GPS smart watch I have ever owned and I highly recommend it.

I got this watch as a gift from my wife. I love how easy it is to work and the fact that it keeps your heart rate, steps, does GPS and allows you to add other widgets. Battery life is great too. I can charge it for an hour or so and it will last around 14 days without recharging. It’s really more of an athletic watch than a smart watch (although it has smart watch capabilities). Just what I wanted in a watch for my active lifestyle.

This watch looks rugged and is tough as nails. There are quite a few different faces and they are highly customizable. The GPS is strong on this watch and has worked well in the woods while running trails. I highly recommend this watch for runners. The only thing that is somewhat of a challenge is you can't store or play music on this watch.

I bought this watch for my son who is in the Army. He absolutely loves it. It is durable and gives him everything from cardio and sleep info to workouts to navigation. It was the perfect gift.

My first "smart watch" and I really like it. Looks great, seams quite rugged and it's loaded with features. Lasts well over a week on a charge even after using a lot of its blue tooth functions. I can leave my phone in my office at work and still get email notifications ,weather and texts while I'm out on the shop floor. I work in a machine shop and I beat the crap out of this thing and it still looks and works great.

I work in healthcare and I’m a weekend warrior kind of person for swimming and bicycle riding. The watch has done really well in everything that I do. It is NOT touch screen, I knew about it so it is ok but I have seen people that liked my watch trying to use touchscreen. Very accurate for indoor swimming. HR will doing mountain bike is accurate too. Battery life is great, I am charging it every 9 days.

Previously, I tried Android Wear and the gear fit for intense excercisng. The fit and Garmin have been the best two based on readings and metrics. However, the Garmin's ability to utilize previous workouts and the GPS stats as a means to 'compete' against yourself is impressive. I also, broke an Android Wear and 2 fits playing soccer, this one has endured some hard hits and is as good as new.

I really like this watch. The battery life is excellent at right around 2 weeks plus. It has many features for multiple sports and activities. It’s customizable to an extent but does have many options to chose from. I wish it was a little easier to customize but will come with use. It has gps in case you want to go off trail, not topo but will keep you from getting lost. Very happy about a month in.

Working as a carpenter I wondered about durability, rest assured this thing will take impacts and scuffs with the heavy weights. I have smacked, dragged and ran amok with this watch. The watch face is ridiculously durable, the battery life is decent the alarm settings are great, GPS is spotty in some areas, if your a outdoor guy this watch is flat out a decent buy.

This watch is great. Initially had a Fitbit Ionic that died after 9 days of everyday normal watch use. It's very rugged. Mine holds a charge for 10-12 days (gps/texts off). I mainly use it as a watch and activity tracker. Not a complaint but the "black" color is more a dark grey than it is black. 10/10 would purchase again.

This watch is amazing! It has so many features, reads all my messages from text, to LinkedIn, and calendar events. Plus, I don't have to charge it EVERYDAY! I love Samsung, and I have several products - phone, ear buds, etc. but at the end of the day, I have to charge my watch. I can literally go days without having to charge it and THAT is a big plus for me.

I have owned many Garmin watches and this one totally fits my current needs. Battery life is better than expected and GPS connectivity is faster then the Fenix I had before this, not the Fenix was a bad watch, it was more then I needed for my day to day. The instinct is light and comfortable all day. I would recommend this for anyone looking for fitness/step tracker over a Fitbit.

I bought this a few months back to replace a old watch, thought it was time to upgrade. Right out the box i was stoked on how light and small it was. Feels like a regular watch. I fish a lot so the wsterproof was a mudt and being able to set a way point and track back to where you park your truck or car is awesome for long days hiking up and down rivers. super easy to use, i would say there is a slight learning curve but it doesnt take long at all to get use to. Will buy again.

Upgraded from the Forerunner 235. Gives additional stats. Works great on tracking my runs, paddles, bike rides and workouts. Good battery life even though it's not the solar.

My husband loves this watch because he can use it in water, sleep with it, and everything! I am so surprised about it hasn’t charged for 15 days because it was full for 15 days! It’s so worth to buy it for my husband! It’s great for fire department, EMT and police!! You will thank me for this one! You should buy it!!

I decided to buy the Garmin Instinct for the GPS features for hunting and fishing. After using the GPS features with the Garmin Explorer app I can now keep track of my hunting and fishing hotspots. The GPS is not only accurate but when used with the Garmin Explorer app you can view your waypoints on either a topo or aerial maps on your phone. In addition you can create a route using the Explorer app and have it synced to your Instinct for easy navigation in the field. The Instinct also allows you to view and reply to text messages using pre-typed messages that can be customized using the Garmin Connect app. Great product that is reasonably priced.

I had a Garmin Vivo Smart HR+ before this watch and enjoyed the GPS capabilities until the GPS stopped working. Bought this watch and I enjoy it. It's rugged and like that I can use it to navigate to hike and store hiking routes on the watch for new places I have't hike or do work outs that other people have done.

It has been almost two years since I have owned this watch. I don't regret this purchase. The watch has taken a beating through all my Spartan races and other workouts. I did have to replace the band recently but other than that it has been excellent. The maps on trails guide me in the right direction. There are so many features that this has that I can't go into it all right now. Please read other reviews and videos on Youtube. If you want a watch that won't break and does just about everything then this is the one for you.

I was looking for a fitness watch wiht sleep tracking and this was exactly what I was looking for and more. tons of "apps", more than I need. A little tough to figure out how some of the apps work but with enough time I'm getting used to them. What I like most about it is that it looks like a watch.