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Watches and wearables · Garmin

Garmin Instinct 3 Solar

6owners with an opinion
100%of verdicts positive
6/0positive/negative since 2024
0happy after 3+ years

Praised for battery and value; criticized for performance.

What owners wrote

Recommends it
To de-Google, I have GrapheneOS + a Garmin Instinct 3 Solar: - 28 day battery life - NFC payments that work internationally - always-on monochrome MIP display that is very readable in direct sunlight - sleep tracking with silent alarms - phone ring alerts - very good GPS for outdoor activities Best of all, since you only need to charge it once a month, the watch will last 10+ years.
Likes it
I just got a Garmin Instinct 3 Solar. It does mapping, and cost me about $300 US. As a sibling commenter said, the Instinct 3 Solar only does breadcrumb navigation, it doesn't do topographic maps on the watch (there are some Connect IQ apps that can add mapping, but you don't get good integration with workouts). I use them all the time when cycling. I often plan a route, but when some different direction looks more interesting, I can spot check whether it leads to bike paths that will eventually merge back into my grand plan, erm, route. Or sometimes even for following the route, you want to look ahead by quickly zooming out or get a lot of detail at some complex intersection, where having a full map gives you much better orientation. Well, except on a Garmin, my Fenix 8 is often so slow that I had to pause cycling to zoom in/out (even more complicated by not being able to do gradual zooming because it does not have a crown). Yes, I know I can also use a bike GPS or a more generic GPSr with a large screen. I have used their gpsmap line since 2010 or so and even have the gpsmap H1. But having to always carry it around when you have a break somewhere is a drag and I always have a watch on me anyway. So I primarily use the gpsmap for geocaching and switched to using a watch for other activities. but because they have something sipping tiny amounts of power so that I can get a battery life of several weeks Coros watches have several weeks of battery life and fast maps. It is…
Likes it
> Garmin watches that have mapping support have an introduction price of >600 Euro. Even at that price point, zooming or panning maps is excruciatingly slow I just got a Garmin Instinct 3 Solar. It does mapping, and cost me about $300 US. You're right that it's slow due to a wimpy processor. But the processor isn't because they're too lazy to innovate, but because they have something sipping tiny amounts of power so that I can get a battery life of several weeks.
Likes it
I had the casio and loved it. But I now have a garmin instinct 3 solar and wow! Love it even more for tracking sleep and activity. But no notifications of any kind, nor any maps to try to squint and read. Just some more numbers I occasionally want and great battery life!