GarminInstinct® 2 Solar – Rugged GPS Smartwatch, Graphite, 45mm

UpsideCaseGood looking G-Shock design and recessed glass mean that the watch is rugged and suitable for manual work and sports without suffering damage.StrapComfortable and has plenty of closely spaced adjustments.DisplayAlways-on display which is easy to read. Previous smartwatches where I had to wait a couple of seconds for the display to light up so I could see the time, are a thing of the past for me - I found that really annoying.BatteryNever seems to run out. I charge it once a week on average for an hour. Solar only slows the discharge and doesn’t appear to increase the charge.SensorsVery good at picking up heartbeat under conditions where other smartwatches I have tried failed to record correctly. All other sensors work without problem too. GPS notably works faultlessly.Garmin Connect AppThis app is good, although no better than others I have tried.DownsidesSelection of sports activities is non-intuitive although I have learned to use it now.There doesn’t seem to be automatic detection of activities.SummaryDelighted with my Instinct 2 Solar and won’t be looking to change as long as it lasts. Good value.

I’m 76, retired and not an athlete. I do however try to stay fit, mostly by walking. I don’t smoke, I drink moderately and I want to stay on top of how my body is performing. I’ve always liked Garmin products having used two or three of their GPS systems, and I didn’t fancy an Apple watch. I wanted something that was robust, accurate, solar charged, kept tabs on my health data and would notify people if I was involved in an accident. I’d have liked a map but that’s a trade-off I was willing to take.I’ve been using the Instinct 2 Solar now for about a month and I’m quite pleased with the results. Here’s what I found:The user handbook is difficult, not informative enough (for me) and lacks diagrams.You Tube has a wealth of instructional movies that should provide all the information you need.The step counting function is inaccurate and counts steps and movements when you’re just bimbling around the house. On a dedicated walk it works well and is pretty accurate but outside of that it’s poor and makes you think you’re doing well. I did a test over a few days wearing a pedometer that doesn’t count unless you’ve done ten steps (they then get added on) so it discounts the bimbling around bit. The result after a few days showed that the watch overcounted by 30%.I’m particularly fond of the basic health data and found that both the Heart Rate and Pulse Oximeter (oxygen saturation) functions are accurate. I tested both these on a recent visit to the doctor and also at home with one of those oximeters that clips on your finger. The readings for both heart rate and oxygen saturation were spot on.The watch kept buzzing and showing a number when I reached certain goals. I didn’t know what half the goals were, I didn’t want to see them and I eventually found a way of turning them off.I like the simple tracking of key (to me) functions – heart rate, respiration etc. I particularly like the sleep tracking system. I never used to wear a watch in bed, and that took some getting used to, but it works well and the display is excellent.I like that if I go for a walk the watch absorbs a wealth of information and shows me a detailed map on the Connect app at the end of it all plus data about my speed, step count and distance. I’ve also tried using it to measure the Bike Indoor function. It’s quite good but I have a simple exercise bike, not something I can hook up to the app, so it tells me time and exertion data only.The Connect app and the web app are also really good and show some relevant data in a decent format. However, I really need to understand all the variables and measures better. So in summary I think it’s a great watch with all the information I need, supported by both the phone and web apps, which are excellent.

Does everything I need it to do, brilliant battery life, I charge it around once every 4_5 weeks. Downside the strap marks very easily (I only cought it against the fridge). But straps are cheap enough. Overall I'm happy.

Perfect for swimmers cyclists and hikers . Good battery life. Takes a while to learn all functions.

Battery last for a month, what is fantastic. You can customise activities, face watch and app. Pretty good.

Excellent watch. Well worth the money. Tons of useful functions. Very comfortable to wear.

Had the original Instinct for the last two years and it was the best smartwatch/sports watch I'd used. Loved it but it was starting to show its limitations.My GF bought me the Instinct 2 Solar for my birthday and I couldn't believe how much it's been improved upon.1. The screen has better resolution and has far more faces to choose from, including from Connect IQ. That said I used an online face maker to create my own with 13 different data fields.2. Battery life. A huge improvement over the first one. And that solar panel really does come into its own when you're outdoors. Sat in the sun on holiday watching the football and my battery actually rose. It really does charge the watch. To be used as more of an aid than the only way to charge but it all helps to extend the already amazing battery.3. A lot more data/health reading with Vo2 Max included. HRV status and respiration added to your daily data.4. Garmin Pay now included. While there aren't many UK banks that support it, you can open a Curve account for free, add your credit card to it and Garmin will accept the Curve card details. Pay with your watch? How cool is that!I use this watch as a smartwatch firstly and it does all that you'd expect, notifications (and replies with pre-written templates), music control, solar intensity readings weather alerts, alarms, etc. As a sports watch I use it to broadcast HR to my Garmin Edge 130, and collate all health info to Garmin Connect. It's already reading my physical fitness age and is setting fitness goals from my cycling.The build quality is everything you'd expect from Garmin, solid.I'm still only just touching the surface of what this watch can do but so far it's impressing the hell out of me.