Launched at CES 2025, the Garmin Instinct 3 smartwatch series succeeds the four-star Instinct 2 and was designed with “adventurers in mind”.
Made up of a Solar and a brand new AMOLED model, the Instinct 3 series also sees multiple thoughtful updates from its predecessor.
Although we haven’t reviewed the Garmin Instinct 3 yet, we’ve compared its specs to the Instinct 2 to help you decide which smartwatch might be best suited for you.
Price and availability
The Garmin Instinct 3 comes with a choice of two models: an AMOLED version and one with built-in solar charging. The latter is the cheaper of the two, with a starting RRP of £349.99/$399.99 while the AMOLED model starts at £389.99/$449.99.
Regardless of the model you opt for, both are officially launching on 10th January.
The Garmin Instinct 2 also comes in a choice of two models, with or without Solar charging and has a starting RRP of £219.99. However, as it launched back in 2022, it’s more likely to see price drops across retailers.
The Instinct 3 has an AMOLED screen
As touched upon above, the Instinct 3 smartwatch has a 1.2-inch AMOLED screen. With a resolution of 390 x 390 pixels which is significantly higher than the Instinct 2’s 176 x 176, you can expect a vibrant and bright display on the go.
Not only that but the display also has an always-on option which allows you to check your notifications quickly, without needing to tap it to wake the screen, a useful feature that’s missing from the Instinct 2.
The 50mm Instinct 3 Solar has a longer battery life
Garmin claims that, when compared to the Instinct 2 Solar, the new 50mm Instinct 3 Solar gets “more than five times the battery life in GPS mode” thanks to its larger and supposedly more-efficient solar lens. As we haven’t yet reviewed the Instinct 3 Solar, we can’t verify these claims ourselves.
Both the Instinct 2 and 3 Solar smartwatches claim to offer “unlimited” battery life, but it’s worth noting that we found this claim “impossible” to verify when we reviewed the Instinct 2. Even so, we were seriously impressed with the battery life we did experience.
Otherwise, the standard Instinct 2 (without Solar) actually boasts a slightly better battery life overall than the AMOLED Instinct 3, offering up to 28 days of use while the latter provides up to 24 days. In fact, the AMOLED Instinct 3 drops to just nine days of battery when the always-on display is enabled.
The Instinct 3 has a flashlight
If you’re an avid camper, cave explorer or simply want an extra element of safety when out for a run then the Instinct 3 may be a better choice as each model has a built-in flashlight.
The flashlight has multiple features including variable intensities, a red light option and strobe mode which helps provide greater awareness in dark environments.
The Instinct 3 has a reinforced aluminium bezel
Garmin explains that the Instinct 3 series is rugged and ready for “any challenge” and that’s shown with its design. Each model sports a metal-reinforced bezel alongside a reinforced polymer case and scratch-resistant display to offer “maximum durability” when out on the trail.
Not only that but the Instinct 3 lineup is also built to MIL-STD 810, which is a US military standard for thermal and shock resistance. Plus, much like the Instinct 2 series, it’s also water-rated up to 100 meters too.
The Instinct 3 has Garmin’s SatIQ technology
Although the Instinct 2 has GPS, Glonass and Galileo satellite support, offering a solid distance and location tracking, it lacks the more accurate multi-band GNSS support and Garmin’s SatIQ technology.
SatIQ is a GPS technology by Garmin that works in the background to determine whether a stronger multi-band or lower power GPS mode is needed, resulting in battery preservation.
Early verdict
Although the Instinct 3 does sport thoughtful and genuinely useful upgrades including an AMOLED screen, better GPS tracking technology and a useful built-in flashlight, the series doesn’t seem to be a complete overhaul from its predecessor.
Having said that, we’ll refrain from giving a conclusive verdict until we get our hands on the Instinct 3.
