Garmin - Instinct 3 – 50 mm, AMOLED

Okay so for all those asking how I found it and what it’s like etc, I thought I’d share my initial thoughts and conclusions... First off, when I opened it, wow. It is LIGHT. Around 10g lighter than my Instinct 2X Solar, despite the addition of a metal plate in the bezel. This thing is barely noticeable. And that’s a good thing. The 2X Solar was already delightfully light and this just improves that. It’s genuinely a beautiful looking and feeling watch in every way possible, providing the Instinct look is your thing - it very much is mine. After the usual setup stuff, I arrived at the watch face and got to sorting out all of my preferred settings. One thing I noticed is that the firmware it shipped with had some issues; only two watch faces, neither of which I could amend any of the data fields, the Sleep Coach function was not available either on the watch or in GC, and a few other little glitches. I checked for an update via Wi-Fi and the watch said it was up to date, but then I plugged it into Garmin Connect and a new firmware update was waiting, resolving all of the above issues and some other ones I hadn’t noticed yet. So once the initial OS update was done, the watch was working perfectly. I put it through the usual paces; went for a run, did some weight training, went climbing. I’m far from an expert, so I will assume that from an accuracy standpoint everything was as fine as the Elevate 4 sensor can manage (annoyingly, this does not have the Element 5 seen on other newer Garmin watches, despite costing £429 in the UK). One issue I found with strength training was that, if I was doing a workout I had pre-written and uploaded to the watch, after every set, the watch defaulted to the exercise list, rather than the summary rest page. I found this honestly infuriating, as during a rest between sets, seeing the set list is completely useless to me over a rest timer and what the next workout would be. I couldn’t find a way to fix this and, for my workout the next day actually just put my 2X back on to do it in as I couldn’t be bothered having to scroll all the way down my workout list after every single set. Maybe there is a way to switch that off, but I’ve looked and couldn’t see anything. No other Garmin watch does this, to my knowledge (I currently have an Instinct 2X Solar, a 2 Solar and a Fenix 8, none of which do this). So overall, this watch is honestly quite amazing. I love it. Love the subtle design changes, love the AMOLED screen, love that it still has a torch (one caveat on that, however, than I’ve not seen mentioned anywhere else; the torch on the Instinct 3 AMOLED is EVER SO SLIGHTLY DIMMER than that on the 2X. This was disappointing to me as the one on the Fenix is a lot brighter than the 2X, so I expected the 2 to be the same as that or at least the same as the 2X, but having testing it in different situations I can confirm it is a little dimmer). I like the addition of some of the Fenix’s services, like nap detection, Sleep Coach and a few other bits and pieces. It’s also HUGELY faster to stop/start activities and/or access sleep data etc. The main issues I always had with my 2X was how annoyingly sluggish it was at saving/deleting an activity. This is as fast as a Fenix and that’s a huge welcome. There are still a handful of things missing that would have been nice but not essential; Garmin’s Meditation activity is not on this watch whereas it is on most other lines by now and a few more. I’m not 100% set on keeping it yet. While the AMOLED is beautiful and nice to use, part of me does kinda miss the MIP display. Being able to glance at my watch to check the time without moving my wrist is nice, as is a screen not coming on every time I move while I’m watching a movie in dim light. But they’re not the watch’s fault, that’s my own likes and dislikes. As much as I prefer the 5-button layout to touchscreen, being able to touch the screen for some things is handy on watches like the Fenix and Epix, scrolling through graph data etc, so not having that possible on this did get mildly frustrating. Seems off having an AMOLED with no touch capability. Someone in the comments section nailed it when they called this a Forerunner 265 in an Instinct’s body. That’s exactly what this is and that’s why I initially got it. I loved the FR265 but hated how fragile it was, with the screen extending beyond the bezel. Alas, as much as I might like the look of AMOLED screens on watches, I don’t think they’re ultimately for me. From reviews and word of mouth, I see that the MIP on the 3 Solar is a huge improvement in terms of contrast and brightness over the 2X, so I may take a look at that. I’m also toying with the idea of an Enduro 3, though that’s one line of Garmin watches I’ve never ventured into. All in all, if you like Instincts and you like AMOLED screens, this is one of the sexiest watches imaginable. For me, I think I’m just not quite ready to move to AMOLED full time. I hope this helps some of you

For what it’s worth, I have used both, now, and am keeping neither. I’ve already sold both of them actually and decided I’m going to keep my Instinct 2X Solar, which I love, and buy a second hand FR965 that has everything, more or less, that the F8 has (minus the torch) and use the two alternatively. Even on the I3 AMOLED 50mm I found the screen too small.

Are you tired of the old-school MIP (memory-in-pixel) watch faces from a decade ago? Do you want your daydreams transformed from monochrome into AMOLED color, eh...? Yes, I have had these same thoughts, which is why I purchased a Garmin EPIX 2.0 nearly two years ago. It was one my favorite timepieces since my first Apple Watch. Nevertheless, I sold it and purchased the Enduro 3 and then they announced the Instinct 3, dang it, far too many temptations online, right? Day Four with the Instinct 3 and... the watch is down to 28% battery life with 2 days left. Wed. 01/22, unboxed around 17:00, AOD enabled, SP02 at night enabled, raise to wake was enabled by default. Left wrist all day with the Garmin Instinct 2X Solar on my right wrist. Thur. 01/23, wore it all day & night Instinct 3 (right wrist) Instinct 2X (left wrist) Fri. 01/24, wore it all night & day Instinct 3 (right wrist) Instinct 2X (left wrist) Sat. 01/25, I woke up with it on my right wrist. The time is now 08:53, 28% battery, and 2 days left even with my one-hour of GPS workouts, what? Why can't Apple or Samsung build watches with battery life like the Garmins? Instinct 3 (right wrist) Instinct 2X (left wrist) Yes, the battery life is great, yes, the screen is bright. And sure, it feels more like a Casio G-Shock with a gorgeous screen or a little sister watch from the Garmin EPIX line. It is comfortable to wear all day and night. The buttons are easy to press and make less clicking noise than the Instinct 2X Solar I purchased over 18 months ago. Yet, what is new and why should you upgrade if you're like me an already have a Garmin Instinct 2X to 2X solar? Reasons to upgrade to the Garmin Instinct 3 1. AMOLED screen with AOD (always-on display) that lasts for six to 10 days 2. it tracks naps now and has the nap timer just like the EPIX 2, Fenix 8, or Enduro 3 3. Body Battery factors - wow, and about time. After a workout, nap, or even low stress, yes, on the watch or in the app, there is a breakdown of your activities with positive or negative details and your body battery is affected. I am unsure at this point if Garmin will release these features to the Instinct 2X models. 4. Louder speaker 5. Faster navigation 6. Faster solar charging...? To be announced 7. Instinct 3 is faster at saving workouts 8. Night Shift - oh yeah, the entire watch interface changes to red, green, or orange. It's such a fun feature to have on a $400.00 watch! 9. The buttons are softer to press and make less noise. 10. Steps on the data screen during workouts 11. Torchlight has a better menu for changing the light from red to white on the Instinct 3, about time, and thank you Garmin! Oh yeah, 11 new features if you buy another MIP Instinct 3 or slightly less if you purchase the AMOLED version like I did from Garmin.com. There are new color options, yet that is standard for Garmin, Apple, Samsung, Amazfit, COROS, Fitbit, Suunto, Polar, and most watch companies. They attempt to entice us every year to upgrade, upgrade, and upgrade. Okay, the Instinct 2X will be two years old soon and yet I don't think there is a need to upgrade. If you're still rocking the first edition of Garmin Instinct Solar, yes, your four-year timepiece needs an update. You'll notice many changes from four years ago, that much I already know. Thank you for reading and for clicking on by... More about this Garmin Instinct 3 (AMOLED) soon. Sincerely, Pietro & Gadgets Anonymous **Update, Sunday, 01/26/2025, 22:50** Yes, I made it to Day Five, my Instinct 3 battery life is at 11% with a 2-day estimate. A pretty radical accomplishment of battery life since those initial days of any new watch are the hardest. In fact, it blows my mind that it made it this far out of the box without a charge and even upgraded the first day. Now, I did have to disable AOD earlier today and the battery life went from 22 hours back up to 2 days. **Monday, 01/27/2025, 07:00** Just to prove a point, yes, I still have yet to plug in this Caribbean-colored Instinct 3 and did a bizarre test last night with my Garmin versus Garmin research. A. Garmin Instinct 3, right forearm, above the flaming red wearable B. Garmin Instinct 2X Solar, right wrist as directed by the manual I slept this way to see how the sleep data reacted. https://preview.redd.it/2rgr8ygm06fe1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d8f40294dabead7fc73c82087d33773014b90f7 on https://preview.redd.it/lfe9kygm06fe1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2301f2a3c6d02e7c6d7cd6819afc7af3f852e3f https://preview.redd.it/f1d6g0wp06fe1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e6dbb1e7658ab05ec15b1277c11643a499ef20a https://preview.redd.it/rxbbgzvp06fe1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=84efab89a09127927da79ecec27895542fa939e9 https://preview.redd.it/ynktv2x67hfe1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90df4c9586f905e92f6c4f5e66c40636cf05322b

Thank you, Retro-Ghost-Dad, and I should have brought that up in this article. It is a great feature of the Instinct series. That lovely lip on the bezel around the screen does help protect the screen. The Apple Watches, Google Pixel Watches, Samsung Galaxy Watch7, yes, they all made the same mistake of exposing their screens. I like the Instinct 3 AMOLED slightly more than the Instinct 3 Solar. The screen text is easier for my eyes to read for some reason. Outdoors, yes, the MIP screen is lovely and easier to read in sunlight than when I'm indoors. That being said, yes, I am indoors more often than outside due to life and my career in Quality Assurance. Thanks for the reply and I'll mention the nice feature of a recessed screen in my next review. Here's a photo I snapped of the Instinct 3 Solar earlier this week showcasing your favorite feature: https://preview.redd.it/s2qbede4ajge1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4374d3cc42db9f24e6cb34adac6e8719e3b88d0c

Yes, that is a fantastic choice! I just woke up with both the Instinct 3 45mm AMOLED on my right wrist and the 50mm Instinct 3 Solar on my left wrist. All in all, yes, I like the AMOLED better than the MIP monochrome screen. The Instinct 3 AMOLED has certain features that the solar MIP does not: 1. color 2. easier to read in low light and the text on the screen has a more crisp view 3. steps on the data screens for workouts. I checked yesterday after upgrading the Instinct 3 Solar to software version 6.28 and the steps is not even an option to add to any workouts at this time. 4. Body Battery Factors, yes, both watches collect them and keep track, but only the Instinct 3 AMOLED displays them on the watch. If you want to see how much your workout affects your Body Battery statistics, you'll need to grab your smartphone or log onto a browser. 5. since Garmin has yet to figure out how to implement the Night Shift colors onto their MIP screen watches, yeah, it is a huge bummer. 6. the octagon screen dimensions of the Instinct 3 Solar screen bothers me more than they should 7. the static submarine window on the Instinct 3 Solar, yeah, that also can be annoying at times. I like how it floats and is not always there on the Instinct 3 AMOLED. Thanks for reading my article and commenting. I hope you enjoy your new Garmin smartwatch.

Even though I've got an Enduro 3 I really enjoy, I got a bit stupid last night and ordered a 45mm AMOLED Instinct 3. I'm a big fan of the Instinct series and, as much as I love my MIP displays, I'm not averse to a nice AMOLED display. I have to say that one of my FAVORITE features that I feel nobody talks about for the Instinct series is how darned recessed the screen is. Sure it isn't sapphire but you'd have to get PRETTY unlucky for anything to accidentally scratch the display on the 2X. The 3 seems similarly protected. When I first started getting into the wacky world of wearables I'll never forget I was trying out a Kospet Rock. Supposedly the thing was a real tank. Nearly indestructible. And then one day I brushed against a wall or doorway, and boom. Deep scratch on the screen. I've been sensitive to non-recessed screens ever since. One of my issues with the Enduro 3. There's a millimeter or two of a lip, but not much. Looking forward to getting a modern, AMOLED Instinct.

There are 10 watch faces; i show nine in the image below. You're right though; I remember only one or two were in the list of ones you could immediately choose from out of the box. You could add the rest easily enough on the watch. I forget exactly how. A couple of other niche things are worth pointing out. Firstly, the AMOLED has more memory. Presumably that means music support will be added (there probably isn't enough space for all of garmin's maps). Secondly, it is possible to add connected-map via the dwmap (and other) ciq apps - you must have your phone with you and linked to the cloud. I cover it in my review of Instinct 3 AMOLED here (https://the5krunner.com/2025/02/11/garmin-instinct-3-review-amoled-solar-e-compared/) if anyone wants to read more. https://preview.redd.it/ljccz10fjzie1.png?width=892&format=png&auto=webp&s=f82e26be1d54e2794eaeca643a6d05333de88da7 ,

J'ai une Apple Watch Ultra, une Garmin Instinct 2 Solar, une Suunto Vertical et eu un Fenix 6 Pro Solar! L'Apple Watch Ultra avec son magnifique écran, son titane et son interface très aboutie n'arrive pas à la cheville des 3 autres montres question sport, incluant la Garmin Instinct 3 avec son écran LCD des années 80's c'est pour dire! Quand j'entends que l'AWU rivalise avec une Fenix 8 c'est soit de la mauvaise foi d'Apple Fan soit des personnes qui ne pratiquent pas de sport, bien sur en utilisation montre connectée l'AWU est géniale mais un peu chère pour cette utilisation non ? Question autonomie, je recharge mon AWU tous les deux jours et je ne fais rien avec, quelques notifications, le SPO2 la nuit, écran éteint, pas de musique. 2 jours pour juste surveiller mon rythme cardiaque, mon O2 la nuit et quelques notifications on ne peut pas dire qu'Apple s'est foulé question optimisation d'autonomie. Pour le sport environ entre une et deux heures par jour avec GPS j'utilise mes autres tocantes, je reçois aussi mes notifications, j'ai des métriques à gogo et je recharge tous les 10 ou 12 jours pour la Suunto et 15 jours la Garmin. Conclusion des mes comparaisons : L'AWU est superbe, un écran magnifique, une interconnectivité avec l'iPhone parfaite (bien sur), une qualité de construction irréprochable, des capteurs précis il faut le dire mais c'est vraiment tout! j'ai eu beau me forcer à l'utiliser en sport, randonnée, marche et musculation en ce qui me concerne c'est trop compliqué, il faut des applis tierces pour arriver à juste essayer de se rapprocher des applis natives Garmin ou Suunto et je reste sur ma fin à chaque fois. Il faut penser à recharger tous les jours (si sport) bref.... je suis désolé mais APPLE est à des années lumière de Garmin et même Suunto en utilisation sportive.

The problem is the Rangeman is basically inferior in every way compared the Instinct 3. Don’t get me wrong I love a Rangeman but it’s time Casio upped their game.

I am an archetypal long-term Apple ecosystem devotee. I am sharing this to help anyone else who may be locked into the Apple ecosystem, but is considering a switch to Garmin. I have a MacBook, iPad, AirPods, AppleTV and until recently an Apple Watch. I have had different Apple Watches since they launched, the Series 1, 3 and lastly an 8. I didn't really ever consider switching until my Apple Watch battery started giving me battery warnings at about 7pm (from starting the day on full charge at 6:30am). I would use it all day for health tracking, notifications and workouts, but not for sleep tracking as I had to charge it overnight. I recently upgraded to the Garmin Instinct 3, which is about $850 in Australia. This is in comparison to the $1,200 I was going to spend to upgrade to the titanium Apple Watch 10 instead. I was super on the fence about switching. I was mostly worried about poor integration with the Apple ecosystem. After having the Instinct for about 6 weeks, here are my reflections. # Good bits: * **Battery life is amazing** \- even with AOD I get about 6 days on full charge. Charge time is also amazing - it seems to take no time to take it off whilst I am at my computer and charge it 100% for another 6 days * **The sleep score and body battery is a game changer** \- It is insane how much this has helped me with better habits in just 6-weeks. I can see the difference in my sleep and body battery even if I have two alcoholic drinks at an event or with dinner, or if I have too much caffeine too late in the day. It is helping me understand the effects of these actions on other parts of my life more explicitly. * **Workout tracking** \- workout tracking is epic. I would like maps on the Instinct 3 so hopefully that comes out in a future firmware release. * **Form factor** \- The Instinct 3 form factor (combined with a better strap than the default) is a lot more interesting and versatile than the Apple Watch slab of glass on your wrist. The flashlight is a nice and useful inclusion too. # The okay bits: * **Integration is mostly fine** \- for my use case, getting notifications from iPhone and integrating with HealthKit seems to do 90% of the job. I don't miss the touch screen of the Apple Watch as much as I thought I would, and I didn't even really use Siri or respond to messages via my watch so I don't miss those features. # Bad bits: * **The UI is so bad** \- I can't believe a massive company such as Garmin has mid-2010's UI on both the watch and Garmin app. The graphs, data presentation and navigation is about 1000 points lower than Apple Health. It is so unappealing it looks like it was created by an accountant. * **The watch faces are very limited** \- the stock watch faces on the Instinct 3 are pretty garish and need customization to look okay on your wrist. The level of customization they have could also be improved. Even the watch faces to purchase on Garmin Connect are mostly unappealing. * **Missing exercise rings** \- I do miss my Apple Health Rings. I think it is a novel way of ensuring you have a balanced day of activity. I think Garmin needs to introduce something similar, which complements the idea of the body battery in a helpful, easy and visual way. * **The physical size of Garmin watches** \- I liked the idea of getting a Fenix due to the upgraded sensor and added other features, however I am a relatively small guy and it looked absolutely ridiculous on my wrist. Like a go-go-gadget watch. The 45mm Instinct 3 is perfect, but I feel like Garmin needs to offer better size alternatives for other models. Overall I am super happy with the switch and expect unless Apple Watch brings out something remarkably different than the current line-up I will stay with the Garmin Instinct line for a while. If you are tossing up on switching from Apple Watch I would highly recommend it!

Garmin Instinct 3 is good. Basic display with no touchscreen, which I find much easier to view and control when kiting. Also gets much better battery life than my Fenix did. One of those situations where less is more

The Instinct 3 is perfect for you if you don’t need maps on the watch. It can load a breadcrumb trail but doesn’t have topo maps overlays. Otherwise look for the previous generation of the Fenix’s, ie. Pro or non- Pro 7’s or Epix. The other option is to check out one of the Forerunner series that has maps. Again previous versions are cheaper than the latest. The features gap between current versions of Garmins and previous versions aren’t that great in its core functionality.

You can’t go wrong with a Garmin. The Instinct series is very rugged and reasonably priced. The fenix series is also super rugged but is at a premium cost

If you don't want to charge your watch everyday, check out the Garmin Instinct series. Amazing battery life, even with activity tracking. It'll track your laps, distance, drill logging, the works.

The instinct series is, in my opinion, by far the best. I believe this mainly due to the screen, which is not the awful LCD/LED stuff that most watches have. It's clear in all conditions, and extremely durable. I think the UI is also quite well done. Any of the instincts will fit the bill, but probably instinct 2 is the best balance of features.

My garmin instinct does a good job. Garmin also makes chest straps that sync with your phone just like their watches do

People have to stop comparing these. These are for two different people. I would never wear an Apple Watch based on battery life alone. I specifically got the Garmin for a wrist based gps and mapping tool to track and orient myself. You buy an Apple Watch to use smart features and be connected to your phone. Garmin has never been in that market. It’s a whole company based on gps systems for outdoor activities . You buy an Apple Watch to have Apple ecosystem. you can’t use half the feature of the fenix on an iPhone bc they only want you to use their watch… Garmin are all specifically made for their audience even down the the model . Apple watches are just to keep you plugged into your phone and have no bearing on actual outdoor activities despite calling it ultra. The Millitary has been orienteering with Garmin wrist based gps systems forever. You’d never catch an Apple Watch on patrol in Afghanistan. 😂