Sports watches + Smartwatches
EUR229,94
Garmin Instinct 2 Solar
45 mm, Fiber-reinforced polymer, One size
Garmin Instinct 2 in the test: a lot of fitness watch for little money
29.9.2022
Translation: machine translated
The Garmin Instinct 2 looks inconspicuous, but under the bonnet it offers an incredible number of tracking functions. If you only look at the features, there is hardly a multisport watch on the market that offers more tracking functions for the money. Read about the strengths and weaknesses of the Garmin Instinct 2 in our review.
This is an article by our content partner "Nextpit". Here you can find the original article by Stefan Möllenhoff.
Pro
Infinite battery life possible
Tracking features of the "big ones"
- great outdoor sports features
- various sizes available
- great accessory ecosystem
Contra
Black and white display with no touchscreen
- weak smartwatch features
- no integrated memory
Garmin Instinct 2: Price and availability
Understatement - that describes the Instinct 2 pretty well. While the sports watch hardly looks spectacular from the outside, there is a lot of power under the bonnet. The Garmin smartwatch offers almost the same range of functions as the twice as expensive models of the Fenix series, but also does without materials such as Gorilla Glass, stainless steel or titanium. If the tracking functions are more important to you than the look, or if you only wear the watch for sports anyway, then this is the right choice for you.
Garmin offers a literally colourful bouquet of versions and designs for its Instinct 2 - about 20 variants can be found:
Standard (without / with solar, 40 / 45 mm size)
- Camo (without solar, 40 / 45 mm size)
- Tactical (with solar, 45 mm size)
- Surf (without / with solar, 40 / 45 mm size)
- dēzl (without solar, 45 mm size)
As you can see in the list above, most models come in both 45 mm and 40 mm formats - the former is called Instinct 2, the latter Instinct 2S. The different editions, by the way, not only have their own designs, but also actually unique features. The Tactical, for example, has a KillSwitch to erase all data, while the Surf Edition offers special workout modes for windsurfing & kiteboarding and separate Surfline app.
Design & Display
The Garmin Instinct 2 looks pretty unspectacular, but it's really solid and can take on all the rough stuff thanks to its robust plastic casing, 10-ATM water protection and recessed display.
Liked:
Display always readable
- Various sizes available
- robust housing
Don't like:
- functional plastic housing
- unspectacular screen
Even though Garmin wraps the Instinct 2 entirely in plastic, the watch feels premium. The blue and black plastic of our Instinct 2 Solar feels slightly rough to the touch and seems bombproof. The case is extremely torsion-resistant and gives the impression that you could build houses out of it. According to Garmin, the housing, which is waterproof up to 10 ATM, is also suitable for triathletes - which makes the Instinct 2 the most affordable triathlon companion from Garmin.
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Three buttons are located on the left side of the housing, two on the right. Unlike the current Epix or Fenix models, these are not recessed. However, I didn't have any problems with accidental actuation during the test, even when doing push-ups and the like, and the solid buttons offer good pressure points. The included silicone wristband is comfortable to wear and does not become uncomfortable even in hot temperatures. If you want, you can fit the Instinct 2 with a standard 22 mm wristband (Instinct 2S: 20 mm).
Compared to the aforementioned Fenix 7 or Epix 2, the display is probably the biggest downgrade on the Instinct 2. Instead of an AMOLED or MIP display with 65,000 or at least 16 colours, the Instinct 2 offers a two-panel monochrome MIP display with just 176 x 176 pixels. Yes, the black-and-white panel has the charm of Casio watches from the 90s, but it is pleasingly high-resolution. The clever bisection also allows Garmin to sneak a relatively large amount of solar panel space onto the front of the watch.
The MIP display is in any case high-resolution enough to display all relevant information from workout data to weather forecast to notifications in a legible manner. The display technology also ensures that the panel is easy to read even in bright sunlight. In the dark, however, you either have to activate the backlight manually or switch it on using a gesture.
Operation and smart features
Admittingly: The Garmin Instinct 2 is more watch than smart. Yes, rudimentary features like display notifications, apps via ConnectIQ store or music player control are supported. However, there is no touchscreen, only 32 MB of integrated memory, NFC for contactless payment only on the solar models and no hands-free function like on the Venu 2 Plus.
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Liked:
Successful operating concept
also completely operable via buttons
Menus and buttons flexibly customisable
Don't like:
Smartwatch features not up to scratch
Only 32 MB of built-in memory
- No LTE option available
- no touchscreen
Generally, the Instinct 2 is very easy to use and works really well without a touchscreen.... With the up and down buttons on the left side of the housing, you scroll through the so-called glances. You can arrange these small info widgets as you like, pressing the Start/Ok button at the top right of the housing shows you more details.
On the start screen, pressing the Start/Ok button takes you to the workouts, the selection of which can also be freely arranged, depending on whether you prefer pumping or more yoga - or both. The button at the bottom right serves as an action button during the workouts, for example to mark new yoga poses, new rounds or new sets.
The middle button on the left of the housing calls up the main menu with various setting options. At this point, I am glad that most of the settings on the Garmin smartwatches - and on the Instinct 2 - can be made via the app. It is simply much more fun here to configure the composition of the menus or to configure the data fields during a workout.
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Tracking & sensors
The Garmin Instinct 2 has gained an incredible number of features compared to its predecessor - namely virtually all the tracking features from the high-end models of the Fenix and Epix series including the new Garmin Elevate Gen 4 heart rate sensor, running efficiency values, Smart Trainer and Health Snapshot. In short, you get practically the full range of functions of the Fenix series, which costs at least 699 euros, for half the money. Since we already went into detail about the tracking features and sensors in our review of the Epix 2, we'll concentrate on the most important aspects here.
Liked:
Incredible number of tracking features
Garmin offers a lot of accessories
precise GPS tracking
Don't like:
- no maps on board
- no dedicated nutrition tracking
- Outdoor sports & GPS
The Garmin Instinct 2 is a great running watch. The integrated Garmin Elevate Gen4 heart rate sensor delivers precise pulse results, but you'll get more precise and more data with a chest strap, of course. We tested the Instinct 2 together with the Garmin HRM Tri, which also provides running efficiency values in addition to the pulse. In addition to the Instinct series, this feature is also offered by the more expensive Forerunner models as well as the Fenix and Epix watches, but not, for example, the Venu series.
The running efficiency data is also provided by the Garmin HRM Tri.
The running efficiency values tell you for each running session whether you are running elegantly or more like an elephant. In addition, the app gives you detailed explanations of the individual values, what they mean and, in some cases, how you can improve yourself.
What the Garmin Instinct 2 lacks in contrast to the larger Fenix models, however, are maps. You can pre-define routes with Komoot, for example, and then follow them on the smartwatch. However, it is not possible to start navigation to any location directly via the watch. So you can't do it without a smartphone.
The GPS sensor delivers precise results in the test - just like the other Garmin smartwatches. The Instinct 2 reliably shows double tracks as coincident, corners are not cut. However, there is no dual-band GPS option here like on the more expensive Garmin smartwatches in the Epix or Fenix series.
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Indoor sports & fitness
The Garmin Instinct 2 also offers plenty of exciting features outside of the typical outdoor sports. This starts with predefined HIIT workouts and yoga sessions and extends to sophisticated tracking of your weight training. You can also create your own workouts from hundreds of exercises.
Like its big sister models, the Instinct 2 recognises the exercises and counts the repetitions. However, due to the lack of a touchscreen, I found the tracking much more cumbersome than on the Venu 2 Plus, for example, where I could type in or correct the weights and sets in a flash using the display.
Sleep & Recovery
The Garmin Instinct 2 reliably tracked my sleep during the test period in terms of when I fell asleep and when I woke up. The sleep score also correlates well with my actual sleep quality, even though we in the NextPit editorial team unfortunately don't have a sleep lab as a reference. But if I forget my allergy tablet in the evening, my sleep score reliably plummets during this time of year - as do my tear sacs.
In addition, the Instinct 2 also offers various evaluation features, for example on your fitness age, recording of the VO2Max value, pulse broadcasting via Bluetooth, menstrual cycle tracking, health snapshot consisting of resting pulse, breathing rate, blood oxygen saturation, stress level and heart rate variability.
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Battery life
The Garmin Instinct 2 offers infinite battery life - at least on paper. If you activate all sorts of features like 24/7 SpO2 tracking and have the average sun exposure of an "I do something with media" person, then a week is a realistic figure. But as I said, the polar explorers and cowboys among you can forget the power supply at home.
The battery is not required.
Liked:
Infinite battery life with solar
Sun exposure measurement
Don't like:
- No wireless charging
Like all Garmin smartwatches, the Instinct 2 offers excellent battery life - even if I can't get close to infinite battery life with my average usage pattern - if only because I activated pretty much every conceivable function for the test. Nevertheless, with intensive use including an average of about 40 minutes of sports tracking a day, I easily got over a week with the battery. With the factory settings, the Instinct 2 promised me a remaining battery life of just under 30 days on the display.
Speaking of factory settings: Here, according to the manufacturer, the Instinct 2 refuels in three hours under 50,000 lux enough energy for one day of stand-by or one hour of GPS tracking. 50,000 lux is roughly equivalent to a reasonably sunny day and can certainly be achieved even in winter; on a midsummer day, many times that amount is quite possible.
Final verdict
The Garmin Instinct 2 looks like a watch for 30 euros, but offers tracking and sports functions for 700 euros. The truth is somewhere in between at a minimum of 349 euros. If you're looking for a robust sports smartwatch with all kinds of colourful designs and Garmin's incredible range of functions, this is the watch for you.
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