Garmin - Instinct 3 – 50 mm, AMOLED
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 15, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
184
24
"I am a power lineman, so I needed a rugged watch that could get banged around, be exposed to energized high voltage, and very harsh conditions. The TREX has worked flawlessly through all that."
"it’s super durable. ... The watch clasp has gotten scratched up but the face is still fine after nearly a year of climbing inside with it. ... instinct is very durable"
"tanky ... Only thing you really lose is a touch screen but that's better for it's ruggedness and water resistance."
300
22
"the battery lasts 2 weeks, that's with 5 days worth of tracking runs and day to day use. Incredible."
"16 days battery life on my fenix. ... The other aspect I really appreciate about my fenix is the battery life. 16 days or so. With everything I have to change these days (laptops, mice, keyboards, headphones, watches, phones), I appreciate not having to worry about it too often."
"Oh, and the battery lasts days even when exercising a lot (weeks without excercise)."
9
3
"However, it does not have a touchscreen - instead it has a recessed LCD screen and buttons, a bit like the rugged-looking digital watches popular in the 80s. It is not very “fashion” but I don’t have to worry about damaging it by banging it into a hold."
"Buttons instead of touch so it can be used while sweating buckets"
"Also the buttons are tactile and can be pressed even when you’re wearing neoprene gloves."
51
7
"after the swim activity it downloads heart rate data to the watch. ... During the activity the water gets in the way and you only get heart rate data from the watch, but after it downloads you can check which HR zone you were swimming in at certain paces. ... If you care about heart rate data this is the best way in my opinion, otherwise water gets between the optical sensor and your skin and throws off the readings completely."
"I use the Garmin instinct 2 to track steps and flights (18k and 49 yesterday) ... I'm a new construction plumber."
"Once you start the bouldering or climbing activity and complete your first climb, it should ask you if you “attempted” or “completed,” and then go into a rest cycle. You start the next climb similar to if it’s a new lap, by pressing the SET button. It should prompt you to select the difficulty of the 2nd climb (you scroll as normal using MENU and ABC) and as soon as you select the difficulty (using GPS to select as normal) it will immediately start timing your second climb. (This is a bit different from the first climb of the session, where you have to select the difficulty using GPS and then actually start the activity by pressing GPS again.) Continue like that, using SET to go from a rest cycle to the next climb, and GPS to end the overall session as usual. You can scroll through different screens and see how long your rest cycle has been using MENU and ABC as usual to scroll up or down."
5
0
"GPS tracking for hikes including good ascent tracking"
"I'd be pretty confident in how well any of them with onboard GPS track. Including the Instinct line."
"provide good map support and tracking ... Here's a preview of after hike mapping."
Disliked most:
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47
"I used to find that wrist HR sucked for rowing"
"the hr reading is incorrect. ... 20 dollars band from Samsung does a better job"
"The discrepancy is much higher for HR than running dynamics. ... I think it is straight up irresponsible to rely on wrist-based HR is you’re using HR as a part of training"
1
10
"big guy did not want to fit. ... I can get a seal but it's not for me."
"monarchs would hurt my ears after just an hour"
"I was thinking of getting em but the size scared me off. Not in the market for anything that won't fit my ears, even the Moondrop DUSK fits a little weird for me lol"
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2
"not having maps will not be great for hikes."
"It can load a breadcrumb trail but doesn’t have topo maps overlays."
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4
"with the always on display on the battery life is horrible compared to any other instinct. ... with a fresh battery the 3 AMOLED will mabey last a week"
"Now, I did have to disable AOD earlier today and the battery life went from 22 hours back up to 2 days."
"My Instinct 3 AMOLED, despite my not having it too long, is on track for darn near that with the AOD turned off."
0
3
"Yeah, than lack of music was a key factor in me not keeping it. That and other things. But music and maps were big ones for me."
"The lack of music storage is definitely a drawback"
"instinct 3 amoled doesn't have music"
All true except advanced metrics. They are also present in Fenix (it has even more features for hiking) and Instinct. Forerunner is not more advanced. The rugedness is mostly about the bezel. In fenix and instinct it has a rim which gives extra protection to the screen. But that means rugged watches are more bulky what can be a problem in the gym. The real question is lightness of forerunner vs battery life of fenix /instinct
r/GarminWatches • Too many watch models ->Had AW 6, 7, 10... Had Garmin Fenix 7 somewhere between AW... Now with Garmin instinct 3. ALl has pros and cons. none is perfect. For me it's great to switch from time to time... I would happily do the same between iphone and android, but the cost of switch in terms of software is crazy...
r/GarminWatches • AW to Garmin - and maybe back?? - be honest ->Instinct 3 amo Getting 10 days with always on display, always connected to phone for weather.
r/Garmin • What’s everyone’s real world battery life looking like? ->What Garmin claims and real world texts are not the same. Real world texts are showing the 3 to have worse battery than the 2x
r/GarminWatches • Best Garmin for Military Purpose ->https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/instinct-3/404601/instinct-2-45mm-solar-vs-instinct-3-45mm-battery-life It is not the only place that has done tests, and found it worse or just the same. The YouTube "reviewers" only state the Garmin spec and don't actually test it. Probably because they want to keep getting watches to review. Perhaps it has been fixed with firmware, but I find it interesting that you can't find anyone showing how much it has improved the battery life. If it really was that much more people would be talking about how it is improved. That has not happened.
r/GarminWatches • Best Garmin for Military Purpose ->Garmin instinct is often with me, only thing I do is turn my watch the other way bc the radiant heat from my stove cooks it and heats my arm up. The max I've seen the sensor say is 113, that's when it's 200+, average is about 104, your body temp will help moderate the watch temp. In the gym saunas is usually more of 108 max on the sensor. It goes in the hottub with me at 104 as well, garmin just makes solid products.
r/Sauna • Do you wear your smart watch / fitness trackers in the sauna? ->The main thing I was looking for with mine was battery life. I might have overcompensated after dealing with Apple Watch battery life, but still. I have the Garmin Instinct with the black and white screen and solar charging and it is probably the longest lasting model It was 28 days out of the box, and I believe that’s assuming no sun on it.
r/flying • Smartwatch ->Given that sleep is super important + you hike/backpack often, I’d go with the Garmin Instinct 3 (or equivalent) if your budget allows. It gives you the features you’d use, will hold up on trails and give better data than basic trackers. If you find a deal on the Coros APEX 2 Pro and you’re willing to stretch, it’s a premium move. More watch recommendations - https://alaskanarrows.com/best-smartwatches-in-2025-for-hiking-and-running/ For me personally is battery being a big pain point. The more features they cram in, the more I’m stuck charging every day like it’s a second phone which is one reason I always drift back toward Garmin for hiking and outdoor stuff because at least they last longer and actually track elevation and terrain in a way that makes sense. But even then, the UI can be clunky and the “insights” still feel vague unless you’re already someone who knows what HRV actually means.
r/hikinggear • Recommendations for smart watches??? ->The garmin instinct is for forest people, the longest battery life for backpackers.
r/Strava • Most energy efficient way to Strava several days of backpacking? ->I have the instinct 3 AMOLED and it’s been awesome. I received it on August 14th, starting wearing it the 15th and have yet to charge it since. Battery still shows 6 days left which is incredible
r/Garmininstinct • Instinct 3 mainly as a sports tracker ->No I do the wrist gesture and have it on low light, which is plenty for me and still able to see just fine outside
r/Garmininstinct • Instinct 3 mainly as a sports tracker ->Instincts are not good for strength in my experience
r/Garmininstinct • Planning to buy instinct 2 solar, need advice of workout tracking ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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