Instinct 3 – 50 mm, Solar, Tactical Edition

E3 is a sweet spot currently, best tech, great screen, none of the additional non-useful features. I wouldn't get the F7 line or E2, I dont like the screens. Even if cheaper, I would skip those. If you don't need maps, I3 50mm Solar Tactical is even a better choice. Tip: get a Garmin Ultrafit band for the I3. I have I2, F6XPro, I3 Crossover Amoled Tactical. They all look rugged and big. My F6XPro has a lot of scratches on the bezel, like someone who is out there and does it. Nobody cares what I wear, except some other people in the office who also wear some badass Garmin.

Any Garmin watch can do this what you need. The improvements have been very incremental in the past 3-4 years. ECG, microphone, LTE are not very useful, ignore them. Here are a few watches that stand out and I would buy for myself. I use Garmin watches since 2017, and had like 10 different models. I trail run, bike, and swim. Approx prices. For exercise outside, the 5 button setup with MIP screen is the best IMHO. Forerunner 255 is great price/performance, light, slim, does everything. $250 Enduro 3 is top of the line, latest tech, a few weeks battery life easily. But it is a big watch. Has maps and navigation. $800 Instinct 3 Solar Tactical has great battery life and looks cool (all black), is rugged. $450 Less optimal, I wouldnt buy: If you want more a smartwatch style, with bright amoled and touch screen first, check out the Vivoactive 6. But with sweat, sun etc. the buttons and MIP is much better in practice. Cheapest Maps would be Forerunner 955. You can expect 2-4 years from your watch.

Epix pro gen 2 51mm and instinct 3 solar 50mm. One AMOLED and one SOLAR I like both screens.

Garmin instinct crossover, 28 days battery life, 50 without constant hr measurement. Instinct 2x and instinct 3 solar 50mm have 40 days battery life, 70 without hr. And solar charging.

I downgraded to instinct 3 solar, because I want MIP and the instinct MIP screen is very bright. And because of battery life: 28 days in smartwatch mode in a 45mm case! And because it's much more comfortable to wear than a Fenix, is more resistant to scratches... I only (rarely) miss offline maps. But the breadcrumb navigation is great and much clearer to see than on the color MIP screen of the fenix I used to use.

Instinct has no maps. Enduro has maps and has a MIP screen. The Enduro maps are harder to see than the Instinct breadcrumb, because of several reasons: * the Enduro screen is dimmer, due to 1) colors, 2) sapphire * the breadcrumb trail is clearer, because it's high contrast black and white, while the Enduro trail is pink-purplish on a colored maps with lots of things going on. The picture show the difference. https://preview.redd.it/nzt2o5c9a4nf1.jpeg?width=2814&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e952c703a2cc52dd3f73f6cf0b4a88829ac0a397

The instinct had no touch screen. What actually makes the tactix 7dimmer is this: sapphire crystal, solar panel on top of the screen, colour screen, and maybe higher resolution. Maybe the touch screen too, but I don't think so.

If you’re looking for something super practical and easy to read, I’d recommend the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar 50mm. The numbers are extremely visible in pretty much any lighting condition, which makes it great for outdoor use. On top of that, you barely need to charge it — battery life is honestly one of its biggest strengths. If you want something similar but much more advanced, then the Garmin Enduro 3 would be the next level option. Same great visibility and insane battery life, but with more features and performance-focused tools.

I’m officially on day 51 since original charge. I have 68% (24 days) battery remaining. I do 3x 30 min runs using standard GPS per week. Notifications turned off and pulse ox set to on demand. I came from a Forerunner 255 which is a great watch too. But I’m really enjoying the solar side of the i3 50mm

The 50mm version is amazing, with a ton of battery life and enough smart features. Although you can get the 2X probably for cheaper somehere, which is almost identical. But it all comes down to whether you are willing to pay 315. I think it's worth it, especially for a first personal Garmin watch.

OP should try a Garmin Instinct 3 50mm solar! With the right settings and enough sunlight on the daily, you could theoretically never need to charge it again. As someone that uses it for daily bike commutes, I get at least 3 weeks on one charge with it.