Customer Ratings & Reviews

Battery life is very long. Simple stock display works well. I use the watch to track my runs outside. I don't use many of the features. There are probably much better smartwatches out there. This was my first expensive one.

I got this watch to replace my regular Instinct with Instinct Solar. So far the battery discharge rate is about the same. It's winter now,and I hope it gets better at charging when there is more sunlight.

I like it, but it’s not that much better or different than the non-solar version.

Bought this because i got tired of my Apple watch barely making it through the day and failing to deliver notifications. The Instinct Solar wins on both these: I only charge my Instict one a week now and I could wait up to two weeks if I wanted to. Solar charging really does work, a week outside meant my battery meter barely moved. GPS tracking is surprisingly accurate when enabled (but GPS is a battery drainer). And I like the more traditionaly "retro" watch look this has. My favorite feature is the customizability of the watch faces: the graph can be anything I want it to be: solar intake, steps, heart rate, altititude,etc. Along with ability to tweak the info in the small circle and two changeable data fields under the time. Very powerful. Downsides? Many Many settings under the hood to potentially tweak to get the best out of this and the button interface vs. touchscreen definitely takes some getting used to. Price definitely feels somewhat steep retail as well for the platics and rubber this is made out of. Otherwise a month into ownership I don't regret the purchase and bought a lavender one for my wife as well.

This was a gift for a relative who found touchscreen smartwatches too complicated. It solved many of thoser issues, but has its own challenges. PROS: +Rugged design seems durable +Amazing battery life and solar charging +Lightweight and comfortable to wear +Easy to read monochrome display +Fitness tracking appears to work well +Vibrates for an incoming phone call or notification +The bubble in the upper right corner tells you what you're selecting. CONS: -Navigation is overly complicated. It's not always clear which button is needed to access a menu -Buttons are on the lower portion of the watch and can be hard to press when on your wrist. Gripping the face often triggers actions on the other side. -The charger is somewhat awkward to plug in Overall, it's a very good watch that could be near perfect with some usability tweaks,

This watch is great! It keeps a charge for sooooo long! The solar charging feature is fantastic! It tracks so many metrics and activities, that I have been trying new things other than my normal running, biking and swimming just to try out new features on the watch. I love it! The only knocks I have are that the display isn't great and it could be more fashionable, but I guess you can't have everything.

A solid, rugged, reliable time piece. Notifications hit every time. The solar charging is spot on. Very comfortable to wear. Sleep tracking is decent. Only con is the screen has a tendency to appear washed out at times.

Perfect for tracking hikes, and as a navigation aid when out in the wild. I never wanted to wear a smartwatch that needs constant charging--this one is great and lasts for weeks between charges with the solar feature adding a bit extra during extended outdoor activities. The only downside is that Garmin's product segmentation means that if you're looking to do focused training, e.g., for running, you'll be missing features. For the kind of use I make of it I don't miss things like VO2 max, and it pairs well with the Edge I use for cycling (which does provide that sort of functionality). To get all of the functionality and battery life of this watch and the training elements would mean moving up to a much more expensive watch, making this one a good value if you're more concerned with tracking than training.

Great product, but takes time to learn which buttons to press to start and stop activities or move through functions. I have also found that most of my dress shirts sleeve width at the wrist is not wide enough to go over the watch. This isn't their fault as I wanted the extra protection of the raised guard during activities, I just didn't think the thickness would have caused issues. I may have to buy the Garmin Fenix down the road as I do love the functionality : ) Its like a Swiss army knife of watches.

Watch is good, I guess it depends what you are looking for and what you are willing to give up on. Been wanting a smartwatch for a while but since I have an iPhone I’ve been limited to the iwatch. Knowing myself and given my work environment, I know that an Iwatch wouldn’t last long. So I decided to go with this one mainly for its rugged look, and most importantly it’s battery life. I’ve had it for over a year and the screen is perfectly fine without a scratch. Yeah it doesn’t answer texts and/or calls but you do get notifications and you can read them. Main thing for me is that I don’t have to charge it every day like a phone. The only reason why I’m giving it a 4* instead of a 5* is because it’s supposed to charge with sunlight, which it “does” but you don’t really see much of a difference, I guess I was expecting more?? Overall I would recommend 100% I would choose this Garmin watch over an iwatch in a heartbeat any day. Battery life is over 30 days when charged at a 100%.

My 7 year old Forerunner 230 served me very well. I wanted some extra features like heart rate monitor and altimeter. A month ago I managed to buy Garmin Instinct Solar for approximately 215 dollars out of door. Great sales price. I have been using it to record bike rides, running and walking with activity downloaded to Garmin Connect and Strava. Positives The watch is extremely robust just like the Forerunner 230. It has all the extra features I was looking for. Negatives There was a slight learning curve for first couple of days as it is definitely different from the forerunner 230. The watch is also not as handsome as the Forerunner 230. The display panel on coveys limited information at a given time. But this could also be a plus as you are only looking at the information you really need when running. Like pace, distance, speed and hearts rate. The straps two retainer rings tends to slide away while running. The quality and functionality of the strap on Instinct Solar is not as good or comfortable as Forerunner 230

Coming from a Vivoactive 3, I wanted to upgrade and wanted the Solar option but didn't need all the bells and whistles of some of the other models. This one does everything I need and then some. For some reason Garmin watch bands give me some sort of rash and I've read it does that to others also so I'll have to get a replacement but that was expected as I had to with the Vivoactive watches also.

Not as user friendly as other Garmin models. And some features that were on cheaper models are not present on this one but it tracks multiple activities which is important to me. I bike, hike, kayak, walk, golf, swim, do cardio, yoga. I don't run. Much more rugged and durable than other Garmin I've had and the battery life is phenomenal. Recharge every week even with GPS and activities use. Much better than the daily of my Vivoactive 4

The watch is rugged and doesn’t look like a delicate smart watch. I use it for kayaking and paddle boarding, so I can find my way back with confidence using the breadcrumb feature that direct you to your original spot. Light weight and the battery last days. Really happy about this purchase.

I am an avid Garmin user and marathon runner and really like this watch! This is somewhere near my 6th Garmin and nearly 15th GPS watch and rates as one of my favorites. It is so light that you may feel it seems cheaply made but so far, it’s military grade rating appears to be real and I have been able to wear it for over a week and still have another two weeks of charge remaining (and I work all day inside). It has many of the bells and whistles as Garmin’s other models and quickly connects to satellites so you can me on the road in seconds. A color screen would have put this rating at a 5 but the grey scale is very easy to read while in use.

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

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.

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

Recently purchased this watch to replace my old FitBit Blaze. I've always been drawn to the way the Garmin Instinct and Garmin Instinct Solar looked. I chose the Solar over the Instinct because of the ability to charge it via solar. I often spend time off grid hiking and camping so this seemed like it would add some versatility as well as function. Pros: the customization of the watch face, apps, controls and widgets is quite awesome. There are tons of options and settings to be reviewed. The battery life in power-saving mode is unreal - although I've yet to put that fully to the test. Cons: solar charging isn't nearly as effective as I had hoped it would be. Overall: so far I really enjoy this watch - I can't wait to test out the navigation features.

I love the fact I can charge only once after approximately 25 days. I don’t need to think every second days and check battery level on top is solar . It is pain to set up these watch !!