The Garmin Instinct 3 arrives as the latest update to the Instinct line, offering a rugged Garmin multisports watch for less than what it costs to pick up a Fenix 8.
Like the Fenix 8, the new Instinct now comes in solar and AMOLED flavours, with both versions getting a boost in GPS performance along with new features to make the Instinct 3 a better running companion and smartwatch.
Testers Nick, Mike and Kieran have all had the 45mm AMOLED Instinct 3 on their wrists over the past month to see what Garmin’s cheaper Fenix alternative is made of as a running watch.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:35 – Price and what’s new from Instinct 2
02:01 – The Good
09:00 – The Bad
14:46 – Verdict
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Hey this is M ran testers this is the Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED and that means We get another Garmin with a color Screen and it continues garmin's Trend To add color screens to other watches in Its range now AMOLED display the side There are some changes from the Instinct 2 Series and we'll get into what those Are exactly then myself Nick and Kieran Will let you know what we liked about The Instinct 3 what we didn't like so Much about the new Instinct and then let You know whether the Garment Instinct 3 Analed is a good running watch Pick okay so let's give you those key Garmin Instinct 3 details let's start With models and price like garmin's Phoenix series you can now pick up the Instinct 3 with gin's latest solar Charging display technology or with an AMOLED screen going AMOLED though will Cost you more there's two case sizes Which match the sizes of the Instinct 2 But there are now larger displays in Comparison and while AMOLED does bring Color it doesn't get you a touchcreen Like other Garmin AMOLED watches Waterproofing Remains the Same as the Instinct 2 while you're now getting more Inbuilt storage across the Instinct 3 Models in terms of new notable features You're now getting gin's latest Multiband GPS technology and that Includes its sat IQ mode as well that
Goes along with gin's latest strength Training features a multisport tracking Mode and the promise of improved sleep Monitoring there is still no full Mapping support for the Amed version you Are now getting a new user interace face Where the sub display does live on along With the ability to access the connect IQ store from the watch on the running Front you're now getting access to gin's Past Pro pacing strategies and tap into Its grade adjusted Pace metrics battery Life is up to 18 days in Janu use or 7 Days with a screen on 24/7 with an Expedition GPS mode getting you up to 16 Days now those are the battery numbers For the AMOLED version and the 45 mm Version that we tested you will get more Battery life in general if you go for The solar version of the Instinct 3 [Music] Comes to my likes with the Garmin Instinct 3 I'll start with the design I've not always being the biggest fan of The Instinct design like I can see it Has its appeal to lots of people it's Just not really my style I tend to Prefer the Slimmer 4Runner or Phoenix Watches but I do really like the look of The neotropic uh Instinct 3 I have to Say it's a nice color it's got a pretty Cool design eye-catching design I like The look of it and I do like the Addition of AMOLED to the range you've
Now got you know this big range of Options terms of sizes and the screen Obviously lots of people instinct Traditionalist prefer the memory and Pixel display but that's still available And you've now got an AMOLED screen as Well which I do prefer and while it's You not the largest or almost like you Ey catching am display in the ging range You know it certainly does the job Really well it's nice to look at it Makes the watch a bit nicer to use day In day out I find as well and the design Is for a chunky watch you know quite Lightweight and everything like that so Although it's not the easiest necessary To always sleep with because it's quite A big watch sometimes fine enough to Take it off but it is a nice design all Around I think I've also been impressed By the GPS accuracy of the watch rout Testing I've been using it alongside a Phoenix 8 chorus Pace Pro 4965 and it's Yeah it's always had produced very Reliable GPS tracks very much in line With the other watches there I did a 22 Mile Run using the Instinct 3 and the Phoenix 8 and I think they ended up 100 Meters apart in terms of overall Distance on GPS so yeah very much in Line with those others all the tracks Look really good so that's in multiband Mode and you can use you know the most Accurate mode of the Instinct because
The battery Li so good which is the Other like I have with the watch like This is the 45 mm AMOLED interesting 3 I Think must have the short battery life Of the range it still easily lasted me a Week of use with the screen always on Running every day using the multiband Mode doing other activities as well so That's really good battery life Obviously that battery life only climbs Drastically if you do things like use The race to wake mode get a larger watch Or look at the memory and pixel watch Which can last forever I think in sunny Conditions if you're not doing any Activities so yeah battery life is Definitely a strong point of the watch And I also yeah been really impressed With the design and the GPS accuracy I've spent the past 3 weeks or so Testing the Garmin Instinct 345 mil AMOLED rather than the Sol so that is What I'm commenting on here and I think There's a lot to like about this fun Compact more affordable Phoenix Alternative if you want rugged details And boosted durability just without the Heft of the henches adventure watches This might well be in your sight it's Definitely one to consider for that if That's your top priority and for that it Is a good watch I kind of like the G-Shock esque sort of styling that You've got and I like that there's a
Fact a choice of different colors some Of them a bit more Punchy some of them a Bit more interesting speaking of Punchy The Punchy Smartwatch screen on my AMOLED test model is bright and Lively Easy to read it's a great addition over The Instinct 2x even though it is a Little bit small in terms of the real Estate but that's a tradeoff for having A rugged watch that's a shade more Comfortable to wear 24/7 than the bigger Ones like the Phoenix here on my wrist I Wish it had quick fit straps I much Prefer nylon straps but sadly not and Speaking of customization I really think That this is one of garmin's strong Points now over the rivals the ability To customize faces Sports modes create Your own sports modes tweak all the Stats screens that you see fiddle with Your widgets and shortcuts not to Mention create different Power modes or Customize power modes it's all a real Standout and you get all of that ability To tweak the Instinct 3 minus the new Menu setup that you've got from the new Software that landed with the Phoenix Eight didn't really miss it too much Though it's a nice touch on the Phoenix The other positive battery life is solid In all systems GPS mode with the always On screen off 1 hour run for me burned Just 1% in all systems draw frequency Max accuracy mode with raise to wake a
1H hour run burn just 3% the over N9 Burn was 1% regardless of the screen Settings then with the always on screen On 1 and a half hour run using Max Accuracy dual frequency mode burned 3 to 4% a 2 and 1 half hour run in the same Settings burned 8% the average daytime Usage with no training with always on Switched on was around 6% and in total I Got nine days of General usage with 7 Hours of GPS training and 2 hours of Indoor heart rate cardio on a single Charge all things considered that is a Pretty good performance for a compact Watch now the GPS impressed me to GPS Uplink was Snappy and for reliability in The highest accuracy settings the Instinct 3es GPS was on par with the Phoenix 8 I ran a lot of times with it Side by side it was always within 10% That margin for error on the overall Distances closer mainly and when it came Down to looking in the traces it snapped To roads paths and routs just as well as The Gman Phoenix 8 had a little struggle In the usual spots like under some Underp passes that I ran under roads all Those kind things but no more so than The Phoenix and on the whole I found it Nicely reliable other things of note the Front-facing torch is a welcome addition And I only recently learned that you can Set that to strobe for some added safety Visibility on night runs there's also
Good safety features here too with live Track and incident detection though There isn't the siren which I think is a Bit of a miss so let's start with the Good and the good definitely starts with The design now I know the design of the Instinct isn't going to be for everyone But I like the fact that g done Something slightly different with the Instinct Series in general you're not Going to mistake it for the 4Runner or The Phenix 8 you're not going to get the Same level of durability and materials As the Phoenix 8 but I think you're Going to get enough in here to make it Feel like a rugged watch but also Something that's a little bit more Playful a little bit more colorful that Run tracking experience I think in General has been very good you know the Big story here or the big upgrade from The Instinct 2 Series is that addition The kind of multiband GPS we seeing kind Of rolled out in most of garmin's Watches that can support it there's that Sati q technology as well the GPS Performance has been very good I've been Mainly using it in that Max accuracy Kind of multiband GPS mode and you know I've been using against the Phoenix 8X The G fra 965 and it's held up very well I think looking at the GPS track routes It's all look pretty solid for me Probably slightly wobbly in some places
But you know I I would trust the Performance of this watch in that kind Of top GPS mode and very much in keeping With other Garing multiband GPS watches The other thing to talk about here is Battery life I think the battery life is Very good is it the best level of Battery life you're going to get on a Gun watch no but I think in terms of Giving you you know you know comfortably A week worth of tracking whether you Know you're using that raise to wake Gesture mode if you use it with the o on Display it's going to be less than that For me it's probably around about 5 days But things like the battery drop off for You know day today when you're not Tracking when you're using that top GPS Mode it's pretty much in keeping with Other watches other gun watches that Support that multiband GPS mode I like The design I like the fact that GPS Performance works really well for me the General training analysis and metrics Around it have worked very well and feel Like they can offer good guidance and That battery life is pretty solid given There's an AMOLED display on here as Well it feels like it's in keeping with Other AMOLED garming watches that don't See a significant drop in Bach life is Still going to give you that kind of Garming kind of big stamina that we you Know expected watches that don't have
Those Amal displays so yeah those are The kind of key things that stood out For me on a more positive front [Music] My dislike start with a heart rate Accuracy on the Instinct 3 AMOLED it Hasn't got the latest Garmin Gen 5 Sensor now not always a biggest change From generation to generation but I do Think that Gen 5 sensor you get on stuff Like the Phoenix 8 and the Phoenix 7 Pro Is a step up in accuracy for Garmin and It's what I've been using on most of my Watches lately and it is more accurate Than the one on the Instinct 3 been Running in pretty cold conditions and I've seen quite a lot of Errors thrown Up throughout my runs when using the Instinct 3's Optical heart rate sensor It's a shame garm just couldn't put the L sensor and also rules out some stuff Like ECG and stuff like that I think but Mainly it's the accuracy I'm after and It's just a less accurate heart rate Tracker than other Garmin watches and This is you know new release not like That sensor is just out either it's been Around for you know over a year as well Maybe two years and I think it could Have gone in here to improve that and Instead you've got a fairly iffy heart Accuracy I've seen it you know be way Out of whack compared to other watches And heart and a chest strap during my
Runs uh one thing I did praise the Design of the watch but I do find the Buttons can be a little bit stiff and There's obviously no touch screen on the Watch I don't tend to use touch screens That much even if they've got them on Watches but sometimes it's handy I did Notice it wasn't there when I was trying To use touchcreen and the buttons going Be a bit stiff but it's quite a minor One and then the last one is what G Another thing that Garmin hasn't put on The watch which is Maps you know this is An outdoor adventure focused watch Hasn't got the storage space they just Opted against that and he not put maps On it and that is a big loss because not Only are there lots of Garmin in sales Now that go around this price that have Maps but also most other brands are now Making Maps available at this price Point you know you've got coros pce pro Has maps on it the polar vage M3 the Sunto races you know this no longer like A premium feature but Garmin is still Pushing it onto its premium watches and That's a bit of a shame especially with A watch like the Instinct with an AMOLED Screen now that could really benefit From those Maps so I think that is a Really big loss and makes it a lot Harder to recommend you know if you are Looking at as an adventure focused watch So into the bad stuff with Instinct 3 I
Can't say I've had a bad experience with The Instinct I think it's more to do you Know I've been disappointed with some Aspects of how G has approached the Instinct now like the Phoenix 8 you're Getting the option of an AMOLED or a Solar charging display Now you're paying a premium for the Amed You know it's costing more money than That solar version now I find it strange That you've got that color display you Don't have that touchcreen support Because I think the whole idea about Having a color display is to make gar Watches feel a little bit more like Smartw watches and the the fact you Can't kind of prod and tap on the screen And swipe seems a bit odd for me I think It kind of limits its experience as a Smartwatch I think it doesn't make the Most of the experience of having a color Screen I think you know from a mapping And navigation point of want to get into A little bit more of that in a minute Now you know I kind of like the sub Display that you know the previous Instinct watches had and you know what You do have on the solar charging Version now that's still retained in the User interface but I don't think it adds Anything when you have that you know Color screen now you know it's not kind Of really standing out for me and I Think they could have probably ditched
That and it's not you know really Present in all of the interface and give That mapping support which is lacking Here and you know given you can get that Kind of form mapping on cheaper watches Outside of gin's Rage it feels weird That it hasn't added it to this watch I Know it's still going to be something That Separates two watches the Phoenix and The Instinct but I think you know given That you now have an AM display it would Have made more sense to have it there so For me that seems a bit of an odd one as I said everything else has been Generally fine I think a lot has hinged Around you know gma's decision and its Approach to having a color screen and What that means for the rest of the Experience from a smartwatch a kind of Mapping a navigation experience and Generally just using the watch dayto day So yeah not a bad watch to use nothing That's inherently making this a bad Experience but I think it could have Been a better experience of garmented Some things a little bit differently Particularly from a display point of View there wasn't a lot that I disliked About the Instinct 3 so this is more a List of gaps and a mission sacrifices That you're making sometimes presumably To keep the price down sometimes because Of that smaller sizing and then
Sometimes it's not entirely clear why When rival watches offer the features at A similar price now the most notable is The lack of offline and routable Maps I Don't tend to rely too much on maps for Most of my running and when I do I often Just reach for my phone I'm always Carrying my phone but not having is Certainly going to frustrate some people Who do like that particularly Considering the instinct is touted as a Rugged sort of Adventure watch built for More off griding as well as kind of Urban running it's a surprising emission For this kind of watch you have to Wonder if that's done to keep people Spending up the chain on pricier watches Perhaps like the Phoenix and such like When you consider the suite of watches At the similar sort of price or cheaper In this area that offer offline maps It's a real Miss here the sunto race s Is one that stands out for me but there Are many other missing bits include the Lack of offline Spotify music that Bothers me more music is something I use It's very handy for runs into remote Areas where you don't really want to Drain your phone battery or those kind Of things I also noticed the lack of a Touchcreen again I'm not a huge user of The touch screen but coming from AMOLED Watches other watches it something that You'd kind of expect when you see this
I'm also not a huge fan of the flatter Buttons here I get why they don't Protrude on kind of Adventure watch but I found them harder to use particularly With gloves on and then on the software Side one of the features I really missed Was kleim Pro again for hilly Mountainous sort of Trail runs and Hikes And Ultras it's a cracking tool one of My favorite things on Garmin it's great For seeing what's up ahead where you're At on a climb what you've got left when The descents are coming I'd really Expect it on this watch as well I also Had ups and downs with the optical heart Rate it was fine on steady runs but Sometimes struggled when I shifted gears A lot during intervals it's classic Optical stuff and as ever if you really Care about the Fidelity of your heart Rate powered insights you're still going To benefit from using a reliable chest Strap verdict uh the Instinct 3 is a Really good watch like it's a watch That's now I think a really attractive Option if you like this design you know This look which is quite different to Gin's other watches you now have a Really strong Sports Tracker you know to Back that up that's equivalent to the 4Runner and Phoenix range in lots of key Ways in terms of accuracy of the GPS Tracking get a lot more training Analysis now and that kind of thing on
The watch so it's a really good watch Definitely a good rival to you know the Mid-range 4Runners and even you know a Good cheaper alternative to stuff like The phoenix8 because you're getting a Lot of key features here on this watch At a much lower price point and it's Definitely a really good watch for Runners you know you've got that Accuracy you've got lots of stats on Screen you've got big battery life so Purely looking at this as a running Watch I think is the most capable Instinct I've tested for sure it's the One I've liked using the most as a Runner price is still fairly High though Especially given that Garmin has missed Out some big features here like the Latest heart rate sensor maps and you Know big thing with Garmin always is That there are so many Gins in sales That are excellent watches that have Been out for the last couple of years Things like the epics 2 which is you Know going for such low prices these Days even the Phoenix 7 Pro and the Epic Pro are now in sales down towards this Price for the Instinct so you can pick Out really great watches with memory Pixel or AMOLED displays that have maps And actually that heart rate sensor I've Been talking about at around the same Price usually in sale especially if you Wait for big sales events and it always
Just makes it harder to recommend new Garmin it's almost like you you give you See a Garmin come out it looks amazing You wait 6 months a year and you get it In the sales kind of thing rather than Going straight for it and that's the Same with the Instinct 3 for sure and There is some big losses here like not Having Maps is just not a great decision In my mind I think they should be on the Watch especially with the target Audience it's going after lots of nice Updates here I do like that it has the Two different screen options and it Offers like a cheaper alternative to the Phoenix but the Phoenix is offering more In terms of stuff like Maps later Sensors later hardware and I feel like Gin could have put that on this watch And hasn't and that's just a bit of a Shame so that just you undercuts it a Little bit but certainly a watch I Enjoyed using throughout testing an Accurate tracker a good running watch But there's still some concerns and Missing features that undermine it a Little and there might be better watches Out there in sales and stuff like that Verdict then and this is a great little Watch with an eye-catching design and a Definitely a potentially more affordable Phoenix alternative and there is a lot To like got a Punchy Smartwatch screen All the soda skills depending on which
One you go for you've got a good battery Life reliable GPS a light but durable Build If you throw in a pretty comprehensive Suite of Health Training tracking and Performance Tools I think the Instinct 3 Is a capable Adventure ready watch in a Compact package however there are some Important emissions that might put you Off if you want the best mapping tools Streaming music or a touch screen you're Going to need to look elsewhere and the Lack of offline maps is a big miss here No getting away from it if that's Important to you and you don't mind a Bigger watch you could look to the older Generation Phoenix 7 or the Epic models On deals to bag more features including Those missing maps for a similar price Maybe a little more if you're not buying For the rugged styling there are lots of AMOLED options around this price range Too those that sit outside of the Garmin Stable the sunto race s is one and Compact option offers similar feature Setup but with offline maps I really Like the sunto race s titanium as well Packs are more premium fill it's a bit More expensive get the maps but I think All around it offers good value for the Price so that's another one to consider To summarize very capable watch perhaps Missing a few key things depending on What your priorities are so my take on
The Garmin Instinct 3 and I'm looking at It from a point of view of what it's Like as an upgrade from the Instinct 2 Series now the most notable things there Being the Amed display option the Multipan GPS from a software point of View a few more strength and indoor Training focused mode so not really Outdoor Centric features and then you Are also getting from a smart point of View the ability view the connect IQ Store on the watch and I don't seem like A huge amount of things from a software Point of view to really say that you Need to make that upgrade I think the Big one for me would be the Dual Band Multiband GPS support which is very good Here on the Instinct 3 it really depends Whether you really A desperate for an AMOLED display which is going to cost More than the kind of solar version of The Instinct 3 now it kind of loses a Little bit of the subd display charm That you get with the Instinct Previously and also the Instinct 3 solar And I think having a color display not Making it touch screen not adding Mapping seems like a strange one for me Particularly when you see that cheaper Watches are offering that full mapping Support and maybe doesn't match Garmin In all departments but I think you know Knowing that you can get that Functionality for less money I think
Makes it all the the kind of more odd That it hasn't been included on the am Version of the Instinct 3 I think you Look at it in around Garmin range you Know you have to look at things like the Garment epics Pro gen which you can find For a little bit less around The price and if you wanted an AMOLED Garmin watch I think makes full use of That display gives you a touchcreen Display gives you that full mapping Sport then that will be a watch to look At it's a big J jump up to the Phoenix 8 Which is going to give you a lot more It's going to give that full mapping and Navigation features the newer kind of Garment software kind of a little bit More in terms of battery life as well But you're going to have to pay for it It's an absolutely fine watch to use and Track your runs I just think when you Look at it from an upgrade point of view From Instinct 2 it really kind of PS Down to whether you want that better GPS Performance and that am display which You are going to have to spend more on Okay so there you have it that is our Take on the Garmin Instinct 3 now if You've got any questions about this Watch or other watches you want to see It compared to desperately do let us Know in the comments as always like And Subscribe hit that little bell to find Out about our latest videos and yeah see
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