Customer Ratings & Reviews

This replaces an instinct solar I lost and so far it is working great. Has a long list of activities which you can customize to the watch and tracking seems pretty accurate. Occasionally it adds a lap to my swimming but the previous one I had did great on hiking, cycling until after about 2 years the battery died. But I like it so much I replaced it.

Very happy with this acquisition! I purchased it for hiking in AZ, have not had any issues with it at all. Battery lasts 8-12 days on full charge and is very useful in giving you information on sleep habits as well.

I got this watch to train for a marathon, and I love it! It's discreet and doesn't use up battery or my attention- I'm using it and wearing it all day every day and I charge it less than once per week so far. It's a big step for me to get into wearable tech, but this watch makes me feel better about it. "They" may be tracking every heartbeat, but at least this watch is plain enough for me to ignore it 99% of the time so its not using up my time, attention, or even its own battery.

Love that it's solar, but I haven't been outside enough to just use sunlight to charge. Pretty much opened it up and started using it. It charges quickly. Could use a bigger band for my wrist. It's great for hiking. I have used the track me feature to make trails on hikes. I made way too many way points accidentally until I figured those out. It's still full of stuff I don't entirely know how to use. I love that I have some gauges for my body, it's like having a tachometer for myself. I have used the compass feature successfully. Haven't really used the altimeter. I really like the barometer feature and have been watching it and the weather.

Love the battery, features, and lack of touchscreen

There are a lot of nice features to this watch, while the interface is much simpler then some of the other models, the battery life more then makes up for it, after a few months of owning this watch i can only remember chatging it three times so far. After each charge it says it has 27 days to discharge , its has been great, having a device tha will last so long on one charge .

Good on battery life , kind of limited on features compare to my other garmin , however every durable and the solar feature is a good plus

Great fitness watch, very comfortable to wear. I use it to track my workout and to my sleep pattern. Long battery life and easy to use.

I absolutely love this watch!!! It has so many features that track your activities. The GPS is very accurate and has a “backtracking” feature in case you get lost during your activity. You can sync your Garmin HR monitor to this watch which is a feature I love. You can build a course for an activity and can use your watch as a GPS guide. It also tracks your sleep, steps, stairs, stress, and rest. All done through using your HR. I recommend this watch to everyone who is serious about tracking their health and fitness.

Been very happy with the watch. I mainly use it for cycling. It also has great battery life. I am only charging it once a week and that includes about using the GPS for 80 miles of cycling.

The battery lasts forever and the watch is the most durable ive found

Great watch. Amazing battery. Light weight. Very happy with my purchase.

Very durable watch. Excellent battery life. Heart sensor is accurate. SPO2 readings are not accurate.

Great fitness watch! I have tried multiple smart watches and this is a great fitness watch with smart watch features. GPS is very active and battery life is great!

This watch has a long battery life and it is completely accurate in regards to the GPS part of the watch. The price tag is very off putting but it’s completely worth it in the end!

Upgraded from the regular instinct and so far it's been great. Better battery life and now I can recharge using the sun in case I'm not near a charger. Would recommend

I upgraded from the original Instinct. The HR monitor is MUCH more accurate, and doesn't vary as much as the original model. Part of the reason I upgraded was for the pulse ox. Seems pretty accurate as long as the watch is fairly snug. Not a problem during workouts, but if I want an accurate reading while I sleep, it has to be a little tighter than I normally like to wear it at night. Just a couple things I wish Garmin hadn't changed from the original Instinct. Especially given the $400 price tag. - The vibrate function is not as noticeable as it was on the original model. I use this quite a bit at work so that that my phone/watch aren't constantly making noise. However, the intensity of the vibrate isn't as significant as it was on the original. I've noticed it's a little easier for me to miss an alert on this watch. -Similar to my above complaint, the "beep" for the audio alert is not as intense as it was on the original model. On my old watch I could use either the audio or the vibrate as an alarm, and I would wake up every time. Not so much with the Instinct Solar. -Removed the "Move" widget. Why?? My last complaint is not as significant, but I'm not sure why they changed the backlight. The original Instinct had a crystal clear backlight. This backlight has very light diagonal lines running through it. Kind of old-school digital look. Doesn't look nearly as crisp as the original Instinct. Overall I still think the Instinct Solar is a great watch, just wish those simple features hadn't changed.

It's more than a watch, really. Many great and handy features at an attractive price. Don't expect solar to mean it never needs to be charged; you will need to charge it but it lasts weeks and the solar helps extend that. However, battery life will depend on usage.

Bought this to watch to measure miles walked and monitor heart rate while exercising. GPS measure of milage walked is spot on.

I’m loving the Garmin watch after 3+ month of use, it’s very user friendly, I just wish the app was a bit better as far as UI goes. Honestly you don’t need the Solar Garmin if you’re going to use the smart features of the Garmin. Also loving the battery life of the Garmin, it literally takes between 12-14 days to recharge.