Garmin - Instinct® 3 – 50 mm, AMOLED, Tactical Edition
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 24, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
14
1
"offers significantly better battery life ... insane battery life"
"I have had it on for 25d and it's still got 6% battery. That's what I'd call a watch!"
"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"
8
0
"Got it while in the military in ~2019 and it’s still kicking"
"The Instinct/Fenix are better for hiking/backpacking since they’re tougher, with longer battery and more rugged features."
"The Instinct 3 is built tough (rugged, reliable) ... If you’ll drop it, bang it, leave it in harsh places, the Instinct’s durability becomes appealing"
Disliked most:
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."
"But then you don't get the most out of it until you export the data to Strava or similar as the Garmin app is not great."
1
3
"Garmin surprisingly messy ... Garmin was all over the place with noisy spikes. ... Garmin Instinct 3 really surprised me with how messy the HR data was. I am very negatively surprised with these results. ... I was really surprised with Garmin, and I am thinking it might have been not tight enough. I have the 50mm version and it is quite bulky, which probably causes a lot of movement, that probably interferes with the reading."
"Garmin has been failing at HR data for a while now, you need a chest stra for activities to get good data."
"In my experience the heart rate monitor on the device itself is average at best."
trancetechno 1.0I have Epix Pro 51MM, Instinct 3 Amoled Tactical 50MM and Instinct 2x MIP. Based on your budget either get Instinct 3 Amoled 50MM or Get Fenix 8x or Epix Pro 51MM. Instinct 3 Amoled vs Tactical, other then features which are of not much use only difference is tactical display gets brighter and dim more then regular amoled. Buy the best you can afford and keep for years. Garmin is notorious for not updating older models so that's why try to get latest and I am sure it will easily last you 7-8 years with heavy usage.
hakapes 0.6E3 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.
ToutsSnoutsNarks 0.5Tactix 7 MIP for long daytime endurance activities, and Instinct 3 50mm Amoled for my old eyes in the evening!!
AdeptusKapekus2025 0.2Are you active duty? Check with management first if you will be allowed to wear a smartwatch. Pricey but the Tactix 8 Solar/MIPS version has everything that you need in your list. Personally, I would lose the smart notifications and music requirement, and get the Instinct 3 tactical version. While it doesn't have topo maps, it does have a style of navigation similar to what you see in the Foretrex series where you can see waypoints and have a breadcrumb style line showing where you went.
The display aside, both watches are practically the same for me. Same HR sensor, same GPS capability. Both have a flashlight. Both have a killswitch. Both nightvision mode. If you want the best of the best, Tactix 8 has the advantage of: Scuba Diving capabilities (it has a dive computer), a colored screen that you can view Topo maps on and it has Sapphire glass. Personally, I would go Instinct 3 tactical since its way cheaper and I can easily buy another if I break it doing cool guy shit. If battery life is important to you, make sure you get the MIP version instead of OLED. [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1705221/pn/010-02934-50/#specs](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1705221/pn/010-02934-50/#specs)
ChrisT182 0.2Instinct 3 tactical or Tactix 8 solar. Tactix will hit all of your list, but the instinct 3 tactical will do most of it.
Even-Essay8561 0.2I went from AWU2 to Instinct 3 tactical and it’s been working out good for me. It calculates calories burned differently so that takes some time adjusting and getting used to. I work as a firefighter so AWU2 would always call someone when my coat was on so it’s nice to use a watch with health tracking. It’s not so much a “smart” watch other than providing notifications from your watch.
_h_e_r_m_i_t_ 0.2You can look at Instinct 3 tactical. Rugged for your needs and definitely within your budget.
Imabigdealinjapan 0.2Another vote for the Garmin instinct 3 tactical
IronCross19 0.2The 3 is slightly better all around, but the 2 has better battery life(due to some more modern features on the 3). You can't load music on either but you can control it if you're listening from your phone(but it is NOT very intuitive). Neither has maps per se but they have "breadcrumb navigation" which essentially points you in the right direction and gives you a path to follow to a predetermined point. If money isn't an issue you should look at the tactix 7
Ehhh a video review I was watching a guy had compared them Instinct 3 does have significantly better GPS battery according to the same review
lluluna 0.2They definitely do, especially Instinct 3 Tactical. If you have more spare cash, look into Tactix 8. Also, you most likely knew by now; stay away from running and lifestyle watches. Forerunner is not tough enough for sports like rock climbing.
You really should go for a rugged Garmin like Instinct or Fenix.
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