Garmin - Instinct 3 Solar
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Jan 25, 2026 How it works
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."
100
21
"It will last through 3 good days of hiking while using the GPS, if each day is like 7-8h of hiking, and it goes some sun exposure."
"really happy with the tracking and training guidance it provides. ... Apple’s insights don’t even come close to the detailed analysis and guidance I get with Garmin."
"It's tough and has never failed me on a run or any tracked activity."
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)."
12
2
"I much prefer MIP displays, they're insanely visible in direct sunlight"
"the screen, which is not the awful LCD/LED stuff that most watches have. It's clear in all conditions, and extremely durable."
"I’m a big fan of the AMOLED. ... I was worried I wouldn’t be able to see the screen as well in bright sunlight, but it turns out that’s not a problem at all."
10
3
"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."
"The Garmin excels at all of that ... I wear a smart watch to gather my health stats; steps, floors, calories, heart rate etc, and also to get a good measure of my sleep."
"it tracks sleep, workouts, altitude, and a plethora of other outdoor activities."
Disliked most:
21
128
"I had the same problem and returned them."
"The Sony headphones did not fit properly ... I lost one pair"
"The fit just doesn't feel right ... its heavy after an hour of use so who cares about battery life ... may as well get some over ears for comfort."
20
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
6
"the problem with the maps is that there aren't any. ... The breadcrumb think can work ok in the city, especially if you have a backup device, and not for cycling. Super hard on hiking trails that tend to have forks as opposed to really distinct, right-angle intersections."
"not having maps will not be great for hikes."
"The only thing I miss is that it doesn't have maps"
1
3
"if you are going to use the watch to perform some functions to save getting your phone out and use some of the apps, the Apple Watch is beyond comparison. ... There are so many things you can do from the watch easily that Garmin struggles with and there are more apps available for the Apple Watch compared to just about any other watch out there."
"No smart assistant"
"No LTE"
0
2
"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. ... I should have focussed more on the UI on the Garmin app - that is mostly my issue. I dont find the Watch UI too clunky but the Garmen App UI seems pretty behind the times."
"you’ll sacrifice some of the nicer interface and comfort of the 265."
"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."
Aromatic_Advance_431 1.0Honestly, this takes me back to my Casio G-Shock days. I love this so much. It's like I have a real watch again! But it also vibrates and gives me text message previews and tracks my sleep and heart rate and all the other junk! I love it!
So, I really thought the screen would be easier to read with the high contrast black/white, but it's really not all that easy. I have 45 year old eyes, and I guess I need to get my prescription adjusted because I'm still having trouble reading the tiny print and icons. If I REALLY take my time to look, it's not bad and I can get it. But the condensed font they use, and the blocky lettering, though cool in an "old school" kind of way, is much harder to read than anything I had on my apple watch. With that said, I do like that it feels like I have an actual watch again. I missed my casio g-shock, and this is like that watch on steroids because it gets all the notifications and buzzes and tracks my sleep and everything else. I love that aspect of it. But I haven't found the perfect watch face yet for me. As a graphic designer, I would love to just design my own face. I'll have to look into how to do that. But long story short, the readability is far lower than an apple watch in every respect except in bright sunlight, when it's way better than apple watch aside from the size of the icons and text. Also, navigating the menus via buttons instead of the roller crown is kind of a pain in the ass. I find myself taking the watch off entirely and making my modifications in front of me with both hands, instead of keeping the watch on and using my right hand only to push the buttons with the watch on my left wrist. I'm not as enamored with it as I was when I first contemplated it. but that said, I'm going to stick it out and try to make the adjustments I need to to make it "mine". It kind of feels like getting a new linux installation setup just how you want it. Once you figure everything out, it's great. But getting there takes a lot of trial and error.
FilterJoe 1.0I just switched a month ago from 4.5 years of Apple Watch Series 6 to Garmin instinct 3 Solar 45mm. I love it! The Apple Watch definitely had much more attractive watch faces that’s for sure. But in terms of practical use for fitness activities I prefer the garmin instinct 3 MIP display. It’s better in very bright sunlight. When it’s not legible in really dark settings, I just use the back light. Most important activities is easier than using the Apple Watch thanks to the button-driven UI. When I’m in the middle of a run on a bright day flipping through my metrics, the Apple Watch is quite difficult to use while the Garmin is easy to use and always legible.
Jrose152 1.0Enduro 3 is too big for my wrist so I went with the instinct 3 solar 45mm and have no regrets. I can get 3-4 days out of it tracking with HR(Bluetooth turned off). It’s very quick to add some charge off a battery bank if needed. I do collect a lot of solar up here in the Colorado alpine but to be honest when gps recording solar isn’t keeping up much at all because the drain is higher than the solar can take in. Enduro 3 is the better option but probably overkill. If you can afford it and like how it sits on your wrist go for it. If it feels too big then switch to an i3 solar.
Garmin instinct 3 solar is the watch I got for this. Without even really changing much settings on the watch to preserve battery other then disconnecting it from my phone I get 4 days of gps recording when backpacking. The enduro 3 would have been my clove but it’s too big for my wrist. Use the optimity app to get a 20% coupon off for garmin watches. The watch batteries are small so charging them every few days is not much better at all. This lets me keep my iPhone in airplane mode and I get 4 or so days of battery off that.
I get 4 days of gps recording when backpacking 6-8hr days on my instinct 3 solar 45mm.
I wear my instinct 3 while bouldering. Never had an issue. I like recording my session and using the timer for rests in between try’s.
PoCkEtSaNd869 1.0Another option could be the coros nomad. I currently have the coros nomad and the instinct 3 solar. Nomad is 349usd and has maps, color MIP touchscreen, over 20 days of battery life, ecg. The Instinct 3 solar 45mm is 400usd has slightly better battery life not including solar charge but no maps, no touchscreen but has flashlight. Ultimately it depends if you'd use maps or not. Both have been great for me thus far.
Positive-Night4550 1.0If downloadable music isn’t important to you I’d say maybe check out the Instinct 3. I have the 45 mm MIP display one and love it for swimming, running, gym, and hiking. Battery life is insane. Only downside is really the lack of downloadable music but if you just keep your phone on you it’s not an issue
PossibleRice1479 1.0I have an Instinct 1 solar 45mm and bought the Trex3. It's huge compared to the instinct. Also, it's shape and odd strap made it feel even bigger. I changed out the strap with nylon, which helped a bit, but still It's very big. It's very bright so you'll like that. Heart rate sensor during exercise is a bit better, but not much. The OS is a bit laggy when using touch. The app is better than Garmin IMO, but I don't care about all the metrics, so I don't know how they compare. It certainly syncs faster than Garmin. The zepp flow voice thing is very bad. I removed it from the widgets. I sent mine back despite getting it on sale for $170 because I found I didn't like the AMOLED at all and the shape made it look comically big. Some parts of the OS are clunky, like vibration. As long as the shape and size would work for you, it's a much better watch than the Instinct if you like AMOLED.
SixtyAteWhiskey68 1.0The day apple makes an actual ruggedized smart watch that can last longer than 2 weeks on a single charge is the day I’ll switch. Until then my Instinct 3S is my little pride and joy.
WARxHORN 1.0Garmin Fenix. The 7X Pro is “older” so you can get it at a good price. If you’re a little more hard pressed for money a Garmin Instinct is a great option. Edit: I see you linked the Instinct 3 solar. That is a great option! If your fiance is a bigger guy they may be good with the larger size (51mm) which will give them a larger screen and longer battery life.
aerger76 0.5I've took the Instinct 3 Solar to replace my Forerunner that replaced my Apple Watch. 15+ days battery battery life with Solar. Would I turn off some sensor readings through the day, I would get 30 at least.
amitg24 0.5Instinct 2x solar or 3 solar would be the best choice, ruggedness & functionality all in one
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