I have had the Instinct 1 and 2 solar because of the bezel which protects the screen better in crashes. I haven't looked at the Instinct 3.
Just a warning, I had gotten a new Instinct 1 when the 2s came out. There was a software upgrade that seemed to basically kill my newish Instinct 1. I'm going to tinfoil hat based on this experience and suggest Garmin did this intentionally to drive sales to the new model. My point is that if you see a new Instinct 2 for a good price, be wary. Yes, I know this sounds paranoid. It's just based on my experience.
3rd for the Instinct - I've had an Instinct 1 for years at this point and it still works great for tracking activities and the other things a smart watch is good for.
I’ve got mine shortly after they came out. I honestly love it. I don’t need the maps and other features out there. I get around 30 days of battery life if I use it to track my exercises here and there. Using it 3-4 times a week for small runs in the summer I get about 2-3 weeks of battery.
Every once in a while it won’t get notifications for some reason but usually opening the app and resyncing the watch will fix it. But the same thing happened to my OG instinct sometimes as well.
I’m in a similar boat. I have an iPhone but zero desire for the Apple watch. Battery life is the big turn off, plus I don’t want another screen in my life. So I went with Garmin and have been pretty happy. I started with the 1st gen Instinct and it was great. Simple, reliable, rugged, but lacking in some features. Battery life started to decline after a few years, and the battery is non replaceable, so I recently upgraded to the Fenix 7 pro solar and I love it. It’s rock solid for GPS and running, looks nice, has great health tracking features. Plus it has a built in flashlight that I’ve found is one of my favorite features. I’m often up early in the dark and that little flashlight is so handy just around the house. And it’s great if I happen to be outside in the dark and need a little light or visibility while walking the dog. I went with the mips screen because I like battery life and don’t want another bright screen. It’s a little dim at times but I’m used to it and wouldn’t go amoled if I had the choice.
Top Fitness Trackers on Reddit
1
Garmin
Forerunner 255 Series
86% positive of 466 users
Long battery; but wrist HR tracking is inconsistent.
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