However, oddly, on this hike, I only got the Trackback option. And interestingly, out of all the years Ive done routing on Garmin devices, Ive somehow never managed to hit the limit till today. As Ive noted in recent posts though, one of the challenges here is you cant trend just the Health Snapshot values alone. But the Forerunner lineup is quite clear: probably because it does not have vo2max and recovery. As for existing Instinct owners, sadly, theres none of that for you. Whereas on trails the course points go up very quickly (hence how I hit it at 80KM for a gravel/MTB route). The compass also has calibration options, as well as the ability to change the mode, for example, from the display (degrees or mils), to how it displays North (true, magnetic, grid, user); With that, I think Ive covered everything there is to cover here on navigation and routing, so, lets dive into whether or not any of that is actually accurate in the real world. One question though: does the back button work as lap button? Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by! Here you can see when I took this photo I had spent one night thus far at about 915m (3,000ft), so I had acclimated thus far to about 850m. I havent seen any huge large-scale inaccuracies or large timeframe inaccuracies though outside of those known problem areas for optical HR sensors. Given the unit pairs with ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart sensors, you can use just about anything though. This new feature-packed, solar-charging watch from Garmin genuinely rivals the Fenix 7 but is half the price. I agree it does appear that viewing from one direction (top-side) off-hangle is slightly more clear at full brightness than viewing off-angle from the bottom side. Once youre done youll get a tidy summary of all these metrics: And then after that you can see all these data points on Garmin Connect, and even export out a .PDF file of them. One thing I noticed immediately is that the screen is very washed out on the I2 when viewed at any angle other than straight on. Wrapping things up, just as a quick note on triathlon/multisport mode here, since thats something thats new here, it basically works the same as other Garmin units, meaning you can choose which sports you want if in a multisport mode, if in a normal triathlon youll chose the triathlon sport profile. Note: unlimited profile assumes sun exposure 50k LUX, 3h daily. So far, I only wish to be able to rename activities on the phone. The only difference is I forgot to hit end on the Fenix 7 wrist, and so when I got to the showers up on the beach it resumed, and thus the line across the beach. I know you may not need the LTE aspect for most of your uses (if any) but otherwise its a super-set in every way while being the same size? Just sending that off to Gamrin now. Is the Epix worth the more than double the price of the Instinct 2? Great review! I am regularly on vacation or backpacking where there is no cell phone service, and not being able to transfer and review my activity at the end of the day on my phone is making me really angry. I dont meed maps and not much hiking. . Did I miss it or did you forget to add it? In fact, for running and cycling youll get offered a Daily Suggested Workout, based on a blend of your recent activity and current recovery status. Youll also see your VO2Max for both sports, if you step back once, to the VO2Max Menu, showing both cycling and running: Itll also show your lactate threshold, as well as prediction with the new historical charts for 5K/10K/Marathon/Half-Marathon: These data points now have logic in them that basically say you might be able to throw down a fast 5K based on your VO2Max, but unless youve put in the mileage, its not going to give you a correspondingly fast marathon time. Theyd also remind me Im stupid and will get injured. Added Support for HRM-RUN/TRI/PRO & RD-POD Running Dynamics data support Ive got the same question. Added broadcasting of heart rate via Bluetooth Smart Meanwhile, for HR accuracy testing Im typically wearing a chest strap (either the Polar H10 or the Garmin HRM-PRO), as well as another optical HR sensor watch on the bicep (mostly the Polar Verity Sense, as well as the Whoop 4.0 band). I wonder why the was premiere later than F7 . My other peeve is the timer alert in bike mode only goes down to 15 minutes. And dont worry, Ive got you covered. When we first began testing the Garmin Instinct 2S three months ago, we were immediately sold on its long-lasting battery life. >>> Can anyone confirm this? Increased resolution from 126126 to 176176 for Instinct 2, and to 156156 for Instinct 2S So when I dont publish a review, its 100% of the time because Im now sidetracked with something else. I just went into a closet to test it, set it to 100% brightness, and its perfectly visible at both the 100% backlight, and the default 20% backlight, on all angles. Meaning, you cant add the native surf capabilities, just the Surline which shows you wave/surf conditions but not tracking. Thanks. When I would spot check my Apple Watch I the same scenario it would always match up. With a short lunch/food break in there before I descended. No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products! Though, I havent had any issues with it (the gap) despite plenty of openwater swimming, mud, etc. This was added last spring with the Venu 2 series, and continues to be found on all new Garmin watches with the ELEVATE V4 sensor. Well, for that were gonna look at three activities with varying levels of sun. Theres no cell coverage here, so I was fully dependent on these watches getting me out of there. I dont think thats changed. I contacted Garmin support about the issue but they responded with it is by design. If thats the case (but certainly not saying my choices arent good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies picks, check out The Girls Gear Guide too. Note that the numbers you see in the upper right corner of the charts below are *not* the averages, but rather just the exact point my mouse is sitting over. Note all this data is analyzed using the DCR Analyzer, details here. I am currently sporting a samsung galaxy watch and am trying move out of the smartwaches with 2-3 days battery life and move into the solar smart watch. I would not be surprised if the 245M is one of Garmins best-selling models. For this entire run, its mostly in tree cover, though, given its winter there arent as many leaves. Ive highlighted the going-up sections in yellow. Instinct 2 Solar (in non-solar environment) Overall I would certainly recommend it to anyone who digs the Casio look. Added support for HRM-TRI/PRO/SWIM offloading I am opting for buttons instead of touch screen, thinking the touch may be finicky with cold weather and or cold fingers? Its built to US military standard aka its exceptionally rugged and will not break, no matter what you do with it or where you take it. In fact, the Garmin Instinct Solar editions (both 1 and 2) will even show that with a forever icon for estimated battery life. I have started watching your videos and reviews this week and love them. Thats due to the display design. From there you can see each sport profile and/or app, and then within that, all of the settings and data screens that you want to tweak or add. Instead customers with Garmin just cant get all of Garmins best features in any one watch. 7 day load is making it to the watch field data field options in 8.04 beta! But given I saw better than claimed battery life with the Fenix 7 & Epix, Id say this is just on-spec. Seems strange they have left extended displays off the sensor list when they added multi-sport? Look, its just me writing these reviews. I really want to use contactless payments on outings. On the elevation side of this plot, things were OK, but still a bit of drift over the course of 5 hours on one of the Instinct 2 units. I called Garmin and asked about battery replacement options. You can use it as well for your own gadget comparisons, more details here.). Or at least, I hope so. Do you know if Garmin fixed this issue with Apple products? With the Instinct 2 series though, no longer is the watch focused entirely on the hiking/general outdoors realm, now its a full multisport/triathlon watch too! But will that elevated HR count towards intensity minutes per week in Garmin? Sorry, I completely disagree. Once this unit goes back, Ill go out and get my own for any future testing needs. Hi Ray, we are spoiled by the Bottons of the FR920XT (which I will continue to use on the track till it dies), especially for fast stuff like 200 or 300m Intervall the lap button of the instinct2 is not responsive enough. Why is the HR value being underestimated? If not, this is super frustrating! Required fields are marked.If you would like a profile picture, simply register at Gravatar, which works here on DCR and across the web. And if I unlink Garmin and Zwift, Ill not get the route maps displayed in my summary on Garmin connect. Seriously? Ive seen this issue for a while, and am optimistic that eventually itll get fixed. Im loving the new features and my daughter will be highly disappointed the new features are not coming down to the Instinct 1 solar. Id love it to also have AMOLED but key need is real 2 weeks+ smartwatch mode and ability to do Full IM distances on a charge (with LTE active at some update rate, possibly reduced). In any case, with that, I was out and ready to navigate for my hike. I really am not fond of changing watches, but if that is what it takes, then Instinct 2 seems like the perfect offer for this. But anyways, what do you think? For an adventure watch, it seems strange that that is left out, but indoor rowing is included. Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? , Hi, the dezl version also offers garmin pay so not a solar version only. Heres a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that Ive put together and posted. If you buy a new Android or iOS phone, you expect it to do all the smartphone things you can normally do regardless if you spent $200 or $1000. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, Save up to 150 on Theraguns this Amazon Prime Day, 15 best hair clippers and trimmers for men, The best running watches in the Prime Day sale, The best health and fitness deals on Prime Day, Tried and tested: Garmin Instinct 2S GPS smartwatch, Runner's World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network. My one gripe with it (and the non-solar I returned and exchanged due to a wonky HR sensor) is the lack of the backcountry skiing sport profile. 30 hours GPS battery without solar, Instinct Solar is still capable and cheap watch at 225 in EU. Heres my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Also just fine is pace stability keep in mind that the Instinct will show instant pace within 5-second blocks (e.g. Its a bit sad they dont include Bluetooth heartbeat streaming for Zwift . For example, each element in this watch face is customizable, including the one in the little circle as well as the small chart shown in the upper left. And as regular readers know, if something is crap, Im gonna tell it brutally like it is no matter the brand. Added Phone Configuration of watch data fields/pages/sports/settings And link to techradar.com. arriving at the same spot but 100m lower, ). I just bought the new Epix 2 (Receiving it Friday). Note on this workout I did *NOT* use a course file, but did have an ANT+ power meter connected as well as optical HR enabled and live tracking enabled. Thank you for your reply. The reason to get the 530 is its designed for cycling, including MTB (it has grit, flow and jump detection, for example). I should think the newer, more expensive watch, should easily match the performance in this area My guess/hope based on how things have improved recently, is theyre probably still 2-4 weeks worth of dev time until things are stable. And in fact, you dont even need to pair Zwift to it, you just need to toggle into that option. As always, I love lists. If Im trying to do too much too quickly, itll say unproductive because realistically if I go from 5-7hrs of workouts per week to 20hrs of workouts the next week, any coach would say the same. Still, its theoretically an option if you need it. Ive continued to wear it 247, including daily workouts. It helped us better schedule our training sessions around other commitments, by giving us a clear indication of the sessions which left us feeling drained and in need of rest and recovery and those which didn't drain us quite so much. Well, technically its of course less than that, but in terms of simple relativity here, well go with that being 100% from a Garmin spec standpoint. Now, do keep scale in mind here were talking only about a bus lengths worth. Youll need the Garmin Explore app to transfer data w/o cell coverage. I heard in solar instinct 1 there were several steps more than the real steps taken. I wouldnt be surprised to see something like that added down the road. Unlike Ray I personally like the aesthetic. Still, for the most part, Ive found GPS accuracy just fine. In the case of Instinct 2, it now supports Connect IQ watch faces for custom watch faces. Or did I misunderstand maybe it will only be for newer watches? Does the watch support heart rate bluetooth broadcasting? GPS is maybe a little better on the 830 (possibly due to the bigger size allowing a better antenna) but Ive found no GPS track stands up to close scrutiny so I cant say the 5+ is actually worse. Garmin says its due to the internals of the Instinct series being different than the Fenix series in terms of how they measure the solar power and battery consumption. This is one of the top straps I use daily for accuracy comparisons (the others Polar H9/H10 and Wahoo TICKR X). Id note that in my case, thats assuming an average of 1hr of workouts per day this time of year (sometimes outside, sometimes inside). Nothing will be added to 1st gen Instinct Solar either? Disappointing to hear about the watch system crashes. Not spot-on but close and not as ridiculous as before (e.g. I think design/style is a big part of the Instinct series. Correct, it supports dual ANT+ & Bluetooth HR broadcasting. That then allows you to customize the three sports, and whether or not you want transitions recorded separately. Mine does too, I just noticed now that you posted. bottom line, will manually broadcasting my HR during Zwift rides provide an accurate intensity minutes/week as currently Im not meeting the weekly targets even though I am cycling at least every second day or more. The other thing that bugs me; even though right after a ZWIFT workout, the ride is displayed on my phone as an activity with route map and sats (including max HR), this data is not included in my Garmin connect weekly stats (example, my max HR yesterday was 165 during zwift but not logged in my weekly stats. But I really hate Fitibt for sports, I mean no altitude data during hiking WTF. ehat bothers me is that there is now way of showing a HR or altitude line graph during activities (although the build in widgets would deliver exactly that if one could disply em during running). Further, you can save multiple sensors of any given type, as well as enable/disable as you see fit. It seems there is also no other app in the IQ store that has that capability. Im curious if the heart rate can just be off in that situation when the watch doesnt have activity tracking turned on. In doing this for the last dozen years or so, I dont think theres ever been a product Ive reviewed thats added as many features from the last iteration to it as the Instinct 2 series. As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments and theres quite a bit of detail in there as well. Added Widget Glances (Instinct 1 only had full-size widgets) I presume thats because this is a black & white display, versus a color display. Looking for increased metrics ie HR as Im training now for a 6d enduro race this summer. Hi Andreas, Smartwatch mode is a default setting where your watch is connected to your phone and alerts and notifications are sent to the watch face via blue tooth. are intensity minutes purely derived from HR (without any activity being started on the watch? I might get one of these but cant decide on the size. Just light cycling and sports Ordered Garmin Instinct 2s. Sadly not. Hi, In some of the shots that you show of the watch, it seems that some of the text is hidden behind both the upper right hand circular display, and likewise in the upper left side. Can anyone confirm if its not available on instinct 2 or am doing something wrong? You can still set regular alarms though. I imagine that 6-8 hours GPS time and 7 days smartwatch is good enough for the majority of forerunner users. Only issue is that Strava havent yet added the FIT file device ID to their list so it isnt identified on the workout summary. Ok, so specs aside, what does battery burn look like? This is a dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart cycling cadence sensor that you strap to your crank arm, but also does dual Bluetooth Smart, so you can pair it both to Zwift and another Bluetooth Smart app at once if you want. Looking at the debug (crash) folder, the last crash I had on my main unit was Feb 8th (the day prior to launch). Added Smart Trainer Support If one were to wear the watch from the other side of the wrist (i.e. I would like to understand better what this is justified by. Ignoring Garmins own spec site (as one usually should), I actually included a screenshot of it broadcasting my HR in Zwift using Bluetooth to my iPhone. Gosh, the software differentiation is frustrating, although when youre the leader, I guess you can afford to do so. I was using a Verity Sense on my bicep to officially connect to Zwift for heart rate but when I would look at my wrist to see if the Instinct 2 was matching the Verity Sense, it was consistently 40 bpm low even though I was wearing it snug on my wrist and it was a simple indoor bike workout. As you hover over that widget, in the upper right corner youll see a sun icon split up into 10 blocks. The reason to get the Instinct is if you do a lot of other sports besides cycling. This is a great improvement, FROM THE OLD INSTINCT MANUAL While the watch is designed to withstand the toughest outdoor environments its water-rated to 100 metres and is thermal and shock resistant it doesnt look or feel bulky. Hi Ray, For context, 50K is semi-sunny weather, but not crazy summer sun at the beach time sun. So no, not everything gets a review. They really do help a ton! Seriously, its mind-boggling. I do read your reviews every time before buying something youve reviewed, because they are indeed very balanced and thorough. It detected an incident on two occasions during testing (both false alarms! This will use the units magnetic compass and barometric altimeter. On the Page 8 in Owners Manual you can read this about the Back/SET button: even though the instinct 2 has Connect IQ support now Im not very optimistic any developer will adress the instinct 2. right now there is not a single datafield only additional watchfaces nobody really needs. She has been very happy with that watch. So if someone gives you a set of coordinates to route to, you can input that into the unit and get direct routing to that location: Note that Instinct 2 Series supports basically every coordinate type known to mankind, in fact, you can find the massive list here. In general, I find Garmin overestimates this a bit. It actually has to do with Apple, not Garmin. As with all smartwatches, features like smartphone notifications delivered to your wrist (you can receive emails, texts and alerts) and contactless payment (via Garmin Pay) help to make your life that wee bit easier. We found the Body Battery feature which measures your overall energy levels each day and gives this as a score out of 100 to be particularly useful. And at a high level, things look relatively similar. > Ive since charged it 2 more times and still it always says 4 days at 100% charge and that seems to be the battery life without using solar. Yesterday Garmin released a FW 7.24 which is supposed to address the resets. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. Taking a quick detour to talk about the newer Training Status and Training Load features here. Looks like they are sold out now, they were that price on Garmin website yesterday. Dang, I upgraded Instinct to a heavier F6 last November. The only thing that is kind of unnecessary is the 745. SOLVED: Battery Life Original Instinct vs. This long-ago introduced feature will automatically show an extra data page as you start to ascend, with climbing-specific stats. And given that were almost three weeks since the announcement/release, and its basically just a single Garmin forum thread with what seems to be just three real-world people that have watches, and a boatload of chatter from people that dont have watches circling about said two people. Hi, great review. Either way, super happy with Garmin on this one. Heres my planned route up on Komoot: From there, itll automatically get sent to my Instinct, because Ive linked up my Garmin & Komoot accounts. Finally, for lack of anywhere else to stick it, youve always got access to ABC functions via the ABC widget (altimeter, barometer, compass), by just tapping down a bunch (you may have to add it to the widget roll if you havent yet): Note that you can also have just a dedicated widget for each of those three functions too. I am an active connect IQ developer and read ever DC Rainmaker article tip to tail and even I find the Garmin lineup super confusing. Great article. Now, if we get a bit more complicated weve got this 5-hour hike. One thing that is leaving me a little concerned though is that my heart rate was reading super low during a Zwift workout I did. Its of course OK to not to go down willingly on this path, but to say then that if something is crap, Im gonna tell it brutally like it is smells a bit complacent.. Then a Suunto 9 Peak review out the next day. Way to much overlap and confusion. Added More Sport Profiles (Indoor climbing, Bouldering, Backcountry Skiing, XC Classic Ski, XC Skate Ski, Yoga, and more) You think it could be a good choice for training and outdoor training activity respect fenix or not? B) The entire area atop the display but below the plastic layer, this is essentially invisible to you. Had to give it up for a FR935 though when I took up triathlon. This also shows your trending direction. Hmm, I dont see an obvious way to do that. The height-graph from my first ski trip with the instinct 2 solar didnt need adjusting and was almost spot-on. Further, theres no support for any sort of smart-wake features, such as timed to a given sleep phase. No stamina. And if youre wearing a jacket or such, Id recommend locking the screen so that your coat doesnt accidentally do bad things to the buttons/workout (to do that, just hold the upper left button to get to the controls menu). music), or some of the more colorful widgets/etc. No recent crashes or other wonk in the last 7-10 days (and wearing it 247). I asked Garmin what the deal there was, and they said that they didnt see the core audience of this watch as being performance-focused as other units. It supports nearly every sensor type the Fenix series does, along with performance-focused metrics like training load/status, and recovery. My HRM-pro strap connects easily to this while my Fenix 5 does not. One of our few criticisms of the Garmin Instinct 2S was the fact we couldnt play music offline, so it meant carrying our phone with us on the run, which in all honesty, we didnt mind too much as we tend to carry it anyway. Instead, its just a breadcrumb trail. I suspect youre talking about ones where the text in the lower-left, upper-left, and lower-right corner is obscured. Added MTB Grit & Flow I suspect your Bosche eBike uses Bluetooth Smart, which is why it works with the HRM-PRO (which has dual as well), but not the Fenix 5 (which only broadcasts on ANT+). Now, Ive had varying failures with the quirky 50-course point max limitation. These are calculated separately for cycling and running. The only thing you cant really do today is copy settings from an older device (like you can with a Garmin Edge series unit). Im disappointed . Heres your complete look at all the sport modes you can configure (some of these fall within the sport menu, even if theyre more like utilities, but Im listing them here for simplicitys sake): Bike Indoor, Run, Bike, Treadmill, Navigate, Expedition, Track Me, Project Waypoint, Area Calculation, Pulse Ox, Multisport, Trail Run, Virtual Run, Indoor Track, Walk, Hike, Climb, MTB, eBike, eMTB, Cyclocross, Gravel Bike, Bike Commute, Bike Tour, Road Bike, Pool Swim, Open Water, Triathlon, Swimrun, Ski, Snowboard, Climb Indoor, Bouldering, XC Classic Ski, XC Skate Ski, Backcountry Ski, Kayak, SUP, Row, Row Indoors, Strength, Cardio, HIIT, Yoga, Elliptical, Stair Stepper, Floor Climb, Tactical, Boat, Fish, Hunt, Golf, Health Snapshot, Other. Where can you find the Fenix 6 for $319?? First up is a run through the forest outside of Amsterdam. So yesterday my Instinct 2 Solar arrived and Im glad to say its everything Im looking for. Now, as I noted in the earlier section about watch faces, its frustrating that none of these training load/recovery metrics can be added to the data customizations on stock watch faces, which is unlike other Garmin watches. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? One thing to keep in mind is theres no Mapping on the Instinct series. Assuming though they can sort out these issues quickly, its frankly hard to beat this device in terms of features and price. Id say its gonna be either FR745 or Epix. Any idea whether some of those new sport profiles may get released for the first gen Instinct? When we tried to upload a custom course from Strava to the watch, the course consisted of one line marking the route and an arrow to lead us in the right direction. I like the chunky design, just not in bed. Might be a tough sell getting him to give up his color screen and full topo maps though. dont know right now if thats a good or bad thing. And then there are plenty of times, where like above, we see those undercutting on the Vertix 2 and the Instinct 2 is fine. You can pair and configure sensors, such as tweaking the crank length on power meters. As usual, this watch is a media loaner, and itll go back to Garmin shortly. As always, thanks for the incredible review Ray! 945 is still slightly better (because music and maps), but 745 cant offer anything thats not on Instinct 2. I normally keep mind in manual mode, or, if Im really curious while at high altitude sleep-only mode. On your phone, youll dive into the lower right tab of the Garmin Connect app and then device settings. And even if there were tiny differences this brief blue line separation below its for just a handful of meters, and only a couple of meters off. And then finally, looking at weights, they are: Instinct 2S Solar: 43g In any case, what you see is interesting. I am using iPhone. In the case of hiking, thats unlikely, but the same concept applies if you were in a run or other workout. Maybe use your wifes wrist. And all those issues are just the last three days worth. Their the change in HR reflects the pack weight does not give correct load values according to several studies. Will it matter if I buy a surf version even if I have no intention of surfing? From default settings Ive only changed the backlight (higher, buy now very low) and turned PulseOx on. the buttons if the instinct1 were much better than on the 2. how is the reaction time of your watch when you start an activity and even mkre when you save it? The Instinct 2 series now offers Garmins full suite of health and wellness features so Body Battery, Sleep Score, Advanced Sleep Monitoring, Menstrual Cycle Tracking and Stress Tracking. As does every other part of it. So, lets go off-road now. I understand they need to differentiate products, but if the watch supports pool swimming then it seems really petty not to allow PRs to be captured. Maybe it was lonely. Added Daily Suggested Workouts Seriously, this will change your life. As with before (and any other style thing in life), youll either love or hate the look of Instinct. Next, I wanted to briefly show this set, because its a blend of a simple neighborhood run, but also some twists around a building. Its literally the singular reason why I keep going back to the FR745. So this is probably fine in a city where you can just zig-zag your way home (or, on a boat with nothing but open water/ocean). (for zwift!). This is one of those things thats easy to make fun of, but in general, its usually right about my status/load. Id inversely counter for this particular workout that Id be less stressed and more productive if the Instinct 2 hadnt lost half my rides power data, but hey, Im not salty about that or anything. So you can customize and configure everything from the exact sport profiles you use, to which metrics are shown on the data pages. Followed then by the compass. Perhaps theres some quirky setting thats different between my two units, though certainly not anything obvious to me. Does the Instinct 2 have the option to alert in 10 minute increments while in Bike mode? Or something. Or, maybe they just decided to change the font. I returned it back, of course. Has the location of the altimeter-hole changed? You convinced me to upgrade to the Instinct 2 from my instinct 1. Itll ask you for a PIN, but as long as you leave it on your wrist, youll only have to do it once per 24hrs: Then, just tap the NFC/contactless payment reader and youre done. add Bicycle commute (not sure about the name, though, Im using Garmin mobile connect in a different language). Change log for version 8.04 (Changes since 7.03): Can anyone confirm that the Varia Radar ist now supported?