Instinct 3 Series

Garmin instinct 2 or instinct 2 solar. You don't need instinct 3. 2 is cheaper than 3. It has GPS to track run distance and pace and heart rate. But it does sometimes go into cadence lock as wrist heart rate does. Might do good to spend on a Garmin HR monitor. Battery life is like 1-2 weeks if you're running daily using the GPS function for about an hour. Are the higher models cooler? Yeah. Are the additional features worth 500-1000 more dollars? I personally don't think so.

Yes, the 3 should do everything the 2 does. I had the original instinct and upgraded to the 2. Went from less than a weeks battery life in only smartwatch mode and no GPS use to 3/4+ weeks. That's the biggest upgrade IMO. Features are largely the same between the 1 and 2. One of the biggest Instinct 3 upgrades is the AMOLED screen option. That will actually eat your battery faster than the instinct 2. If you're going for battery life and don't care for AMOLED screen, get the non-AMOLED and solar version for the same or potentially better battery life because apparently they also upgraded the solar efficiency on the 3.

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...

Instinct 2/3 are probably the best bang for Buck when it comes to solid long lasting hiking watches.

Instinct 3 amo Getting 10 days with always on display, always connected to phone for weather.

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

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.

Are 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)

I'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.