Garmin - Instinct 2S

I recently switched to a Garmin Instinct 2s from a Suunto Ambit 3 peak. Different watches i know, but the Suunto lasted me 6 years and was still working great (just wanted HR, and got the Garmin as a gift). I felt like Suunto interfaced better with my phone, and I have my doubts about the longevity of the Garmin. Garmin seems like the kind of company that will design in some planned obsolescence. Edit to add: the Suunto was my first watch and I bought it used. Its nearly 10 years old, battery continued to last for about 20 hours of activity, and is now being used by a friend.

Garmin instinct 2S. I have a small wrist and like the other features. So it’s not really a true golf watch, but does everything I need for a 16 handicap.

I came from the Instinct 2s and after several years bought my 2nd Garmin which is now a Forerunner 265S. I love the AMOLED screen, the battery life isn't an issue with 15 days as it charges quickly. can get to 90% in an hour or less. I say go for t he forerunner 265! its great!

Honestly your best bet would be a Venu or an instinct, Venu is Garmin's health and fitness while instinct is there more traditional "G-Shock" style (best way I can describe it) watch, they don't really do the fitness tracker it's mostly all smartwatches. I have the Venu 4 coming from an instinct 2 solar. The vivo moves might also fit you well but they are older in comparison. If you are set on not having a smartwatch you may have to look into another brand, hope this helps, if you have any questions about the Venu or instinct let me know!

You could look at an instinct 2S or a Garmin instinct E, both are 40mm

i came to the same conclusion as you. Plus 2S is so much cheaper at $199. Not sure why new features 3 has to spend more that double that amount at $500. I know solar is better in 3 but you are not getting solar. I don't believe heart rate accuracy has increased?

I use the s2 for swim. It’s fine. The heart rate seems low, but I think that’s common for swimming. Often messes up which stroke in using. But I love it for open water when I’m wearing a wetsuit. The tactical start and stop as well as the heat/cold rating are awesome. My friend’s Apple Watch dies in the sun 40 water sometimes. Mine doesn’t even care.

I've never tried an apple watch, because I steer clear of apple products when I can. My parents bought me a Garmin Instinct 2s for Christmas last year (because I have little wrists, and didn't want anything that would look enormous on lol). They knew I wanted it for swimming, and so they got me a watch that's rated to deeper than I am (for scuba diving). I use it for tracking laps and I've never had an issue. For a while it seemed really off when it was set to pool swimming - then my brother pointed out I needed to set it to the length of the lap pool, which I had not done. Since then it's been perfect. I think I generally get 10-14 days out of the battery. Long enough that I'm never stressed about charging it, anyway.

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.

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.

Go with the Garmin 530 for your bike, and stick with the HRM + smartphone for running. When cycling, it gets old FAST, having to look at one's watch for the data. I have a Garmin Edge 130 Plus for my bike and also an Instinct 2s. (both purchased refurbished) I thought the watch might replace the bike computer, but every time I use the watch on the bike, I wonder why I did it. It's only advantage is that it easily moves from bike to bike and walking without the need for more mounts.

Middle age female here rocking the Instinct 2s, I couldn't justify the cost of the solar even tho I really wanted it (me, who's rarely out in direct sunlight 😂) I'm not an Apple follower any longer so no need for AW (besides the cost and constant charging needs). I bought the Instinct myself, to replace an aging Fitbit.

I love that mine lasts "forever" in terms of smart watches. The solar would be nice to have to say I have it, but I agree it's not worth the extra cost.