Garmin - Instinct 2 - Standard Edition (45mm)

If they are not solar, they don't. There are no MIP watches without solar who have a longer standard battery life than the 51mm Fenix8 (29days) & Epix 2(pro)(31days). Only the Instinct 2 45mm comes close with 28 days, but has less then half of the activity tracking time then the Fenix and Epix. The newer and bigger MIP watches with solar do beat the Epix2 and Fenix8. Enduro2 & 3, Instinct 2x & 3 mips 51mm have the better battery life. Also without using the solar.

Fenix 8 51mm oled Or Epix 2 (pro) 51mm. Fenix 8 has 29 days of battery time, Epix2 pro 31 days. The Fenix 8 can do 84 hours of gps tracking, the Epic 82 Besides that the MIP display Instinct 2 gives you also 28 days, but only 30 gps hours.

Yes. That's true. But with the intended use of the OP a Oled screen doesn't have to be always on. Besides that there are very little non-solar mip watches that have an equal or similar batterytime as the Fenix 8/epix2pro 51mm. Only the instinct 2 is close with 28 days but short GPS time. The non-solar FR955 only has 15 days for example. Watches known for their longer battertime The enduro 3, instinct 2X, instinct 3 all have solar as standard.

Garmin Instinct 2 non-solar is the exact watch I currently have, and it does everything I need. Currently It’s on sale for $169 until they go out because they released the instinct 3. Does everything triathlete could want and has a bunch of extras like (limited) GPS navigation for hiking, weird sport profiles like kayaking and rowing, 28 days of battery life (about 14 days with my 6 workouts a week), etc. About to use it for a triathlon then starting to train for an ultramarathon with it. Wonderful watch that I will use until it breaks. https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/775421/

Yes! I use it for what you've described and it's perfect. It has ABC sensors too. If you can go for the solar version do, but the regular I2 has great battery life either way.

That price range works well for older models. Watches that came out after Fenix 8 (Sep 2024) cost significantly more than before, Garmin just increased prices. Best is to get an older model on discount, as in the past years not much significant new was added. They track the same way, and bugs are still corrected. For sports, any of these fitness watch type of devices excel for running, cycling, swimming. Other sports kinda work, but for example to detect repetitions can have mistakes, treadmil relies on distance data entered, etc. For payment, you need NFC among the watch features. I prefer full button control, especially during sports. Almost all Garmin watches can control music on your phone. The "Music" models can download music onto your phone, and play offline from the watch to your earbuds. My 5 year old Fenix 6X Pro can do this, and I never used it. For good heart rate, get a Polar H10 strap. The best wrist heart rate will never be as good as a poor strap. For more sport oriented: Garmin Foreunner 255 can do all you want, except touchscreen. It has also an 255S version, smaller. Forerunner 955 has maps. Maps are useful for creating courses, running circuits on your phone, and the watch navigates you along. This is most useful for running in nature. If you want a more smartwatch style: Venu 3S or Vivoactive 5 can work. They are more touch screen operated. They are less practical to start stop exercise, as they need using the touchscreen. But they have a nice amoled screen. You can also have a look at Garmin Instinct 2 non-solar version. It is a Casio G-style look, has no NFC. You can get probably 2-3 years out of your watch before it fails, or battery gets poor. 4 years is not uncommon, and several people on reddit are using 5-6 without issues. Garmin usually offers a discount on a new watch, if the warranty expired, and you want repair (they dont really repair watches). Our Venu 2S died after 3 years, 6X Pro after 3.5 years, my colleague's FR945 after 2.5 years. For cycling, most people get a dedicated head unit for cycling, to complement the watch.

I bought for family members an Instinct 2, and Instinct 2S. Small, light, long battery. You don't have to babysit like the Venu 3S. It looks rugged, but it is small. The Instinct 3 is bigger.

Non-solar should also make it 24 hours plus on a full charge, especially if you play with some settings on heart rate monitoring. As of December, they were on sale for $200

I found my perfect smart watch in Garmin Instinct 2, since it’s like a G-Shock, but still has the features of a smartwatch like notifications, alarm clock and workout tracker. And the best for me, I just have to charge it once per month.

Garmins might do better for you then. They are great at tracking and have smart features but also get a week or more on a charge. I love my instict 2 for how simple and non intrusive it is.

I use a Garmin Instinct 2 to ski up in Anchorage and I’ve never had an issue!

The first and arguably best choice id recommend for anyone is the Garmin Instinct 2 (or the larger Instinct 2X), that’s about it, check it out and see what you think Yes it has smart notifications but you can fully turn off Bluetooth at the system level, and when you do, those notifications are completely gone just like many other models in the market, they’re not as intrusive as you think If you want something even simpler, check on the Suunto Core and if you want to go for something a bit more on the high end side, check on the Coros Vertix 2 which is a premium option but has an insane battery life, dual-band GPS and amazing performance over smart features. Funnily enough, I got both the Instinct 2 and the Coros Vertix which I alternate between but the Coros hits differ with the premium feel idk. You can try [9 Best Smartwatches Worth Investing in 2025: Hiking and Running](https://alaskanarrows.com/best-smartwatches-in-2025-for-hiking-and-running/) for others though Cheers, hope this helps!

I use the Instinct 2. I do a little running, but it's mostly walking and lifting. I work in a gym and do a lot of housework so I need it to be relatively sturdy, and I'm also not interested in the many and various features more complicated ones offer. In the store, ask to try one on. The Instinct 2 is fairly chunky, so you may or may not feel comfortable with it if you've a small wrist - or hey, you might feel like you're wearing a Pip Boy (there's even a free app for a Pip Boy watchface, though I do wish the little figure would slump when your training readiness is low, that'd be cool). I'd note too that it's not a touchscreen, so they make the five buttons do a lot of work, there's a bit of a learning period in futzing about with it to get the info you want displayed. Takes a couple of weeks to figure out. It requires only weekly charging, though that might come sooner if you do tracked long hikes, since the watch itself has the GPS rather than relying on the connected phone.