Garmin - Instinct 2 - Standard Edition (45mm)

I’m pretty sure the Instinct 2 and 3 both use the same sensors and, internally, are quite similar. I bought a base model 45mm Instinct 2 at the tail end of 2024 to replace my AW6. Great move. I’ve been trying many Garmin MIP watches since but keep switching between the Instinct 2 and a Quatix 7 I snagged on sale. The base Instinct 2 is a great and affordable introduction to Garmin. It often goes on sale for under $300CDN and is easily available at big box store, so you could try one new and return it if it isn’t your thing. (I’d bet you will keep it.) The updated look (orange) and flashlight are the biggest changes with the 3, as far as I recall.. And OLED, if that’s of interest to you. Getting away from an OLED screen was one of the draws to the Instinct line for me.

Here, here. Me too. Went from an AW6 to an Instinct 2 and eventually to a used Enduro. Couldn't be happier. I get weeks on a charge, health tracking is great, and it has all of the smarts I want but is an excellent timepiece and less of a distraction. (Bonus: new Instinct 2 + used Enduro 1 cost less than a new base model Apple Watch.) I also find the Garmin/Apple Health integration to be pretty solid. Rarely have I gone from something from Apple to something from another company and been this happy with the change.

I would agree with the other post, if you want to get into tris, garmin is your best bet. The cool thing is, while the top of the line models are expensive, a couple of generations older are still awesome. My recommendation would be for a Fenix 7. Running about $450 on amazon new. [https://amzn.to/49DghWh](https://amzn.to/49DghWh) If that is a bit too pricy, you might try the Instinct 2 or 3. I have (and use) an instinct 2, that is very rugged and currently only $215 on amazon: [https://amzn.to/489fVUD](https://amzn.to/489fVUD)

Garmin Instinct 2 non-solar is the exact watch I currently have, and it does everything I need. Currently It’s on sale for $169 until they go out because they released the instinct 3. Does everything triathlete could want and has a bunch of extras like (limited) GPS navigation for hiking, weird sport profiles like kayaking and rowing, 28 days of battery life (about 14 days with my 6 workouts a week), etc. About to use it for a triathlon then starting to train for an ultramarathon with it. Wonderful watch that I will use until it breaks. https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/775421/

Yes! I use it for what you've described and it's perfect. It has ABC sensors too. If you can go for the solar version do, but the regular I2 has great battery life either way.

My priorities were battery life, form factor, and price. I chose Instinct 2 non-solar because the battery life lasts close to a month between charges with light use (regular GPS use will drain it faster but still not fast enough for me to care about solar) so I didn't need the extra cost. It's great for everyday use, super rugged, and I like that I have sleep tracking data basically every single day because I don't have to charge it overnight

That price range works well for older models. Watches that came out after Fenix 8 (Sep 2024) cost significantly more than before, Garmin just increased prices. Best is to get an older model on discount, as in the past years not much significant new was added. They track the same way, and bugs are still corrected. For sports, any of these fitness watch type of devices excel for running, cycling, swimming. Other sports kinda work, but for example to detect repetitions can have mistakes, treadmil relies on distance data entered, etc. For payment, you need NFC among the watch features. I prefer full button control, especially during sports. Almost all Garmin watches can control music on your phone. The "Music" models can download music onto your phone, and play offline from the watch to your earbuds. My 5 year old Fenix 6X Pro can do this, and I never used it. For good heart rate, get a Polar H10 strap. The best wrist heart rate will never be as good as a poor strap. For more sport oriented: Garmin Foreunner 255 can do all you want, except touchscreen. It has also an 255S version, smaller. Forerunner 955 has maps. Maps are useful for creating courses, running circuits on your phone, and the watch navigates you along. This is most useful for running in nature. If you want a more smartwatch style: Venu 3S or Vivoactive 5 can work. They are more touch screen operated. They are less practical to start stop exercise, as they need using the touchscreen. But they have a nice amoled screen. You can also have a look at Garmin Instinct 2 non-solar version. It is a Casio G-style look, has no NFC. You can get probably 2-3 years out of your watch before it fails, or battery gets poor. 4 years is not uncommon, and several people on reddit are using 5-6 without issues. Garmin usually offers a discount on a new watch, if the warranty expired, and you want repair (they dont really repair watches). Our Venu 2S died after 3 years, 6X Pro after 3.5 years, my colleague's FR945 after 2.5 years. For cycling, most people get a dedicated head unit for cycling, to complement the watch.

I bought for family members an Instinct 2, and Instinct 2S. Small, light, long battery. You don't have to babysit like the Venu 3S. It looks rugged, but it is small. The Instinct 3 is bigger.

If they are not solar, they don't. There are no MIP watches without solar who have a longer standard battery life than the 51mm Fenix8 (29days) & Epix 2(pro)(31days). Only the Instinct 2 45mm comes close with 28 days, but has less then half of the activity tracking time then the Fenix and Epix. The newer and bigger MIP watches with solar do beat the Epix2 and Fenix8. Enduro2 & 3, Instinct 2x & 3 mips 51mm have the better battery life. Also without using the solar.

Fenix 8 51mm oled Or Epix 2 (pro) 51mm. Fenix 8 has 29 days of battery time, Epix2 pro 31 days. The Fenix 8 can do 84 hours of gps tracking, the Epic 82 Besides that the MIP display Instinct 2 gives you also 28 days, but only 30 gps hours.

Yes. That's true. But with the intended use of the OP a Oled screen doesn't have to be always on. Besides that there are very little non-solar mip watches that have an equal or similar batterytime as the Fenix 8/epix2pro 51mm. Only the instinct 2 is close with 28 days but short GPS time. The non-solar FR955 only has 15 days for example. Watches known for their longer battertime The enduro 3, instinct 2X, instinct 3 all have solar as standard.

The instinct 2 solar has a solar panel over the main part of the display, which makes the display much less readable. If I were going to save money, I would get instinct 2 without solar which has much easier to read display. If you want solar, I get the instinct 3 whose solar panel is only on the outer ring. Was $300 for a few weeks Nov/Dec in USA. Not sure if it could be had for that much at the moment.

What features were cut? I recently got an i3 solar 45, have had i2 45 for 3 years, and noticed the battery life dropping off quicker than expected length. I’m not quite 24 hours in, but love the display, and the light. Also, got this through employee rewards program, and after scrolling through other options it was a decent “price”

Garmin instinct 2 or instinct 2 solar. You don't need instinct 3. 2 is cheaper than 3. It has GPS to track run distance and pace and heart rate. But it does sometimes go into cadence lock as wrist heart rate does. Might do good to spend on a Garmin HR monitor. Battery life is like 1-2 weeks if you're running daily using the GPS function for about an hour. Are the higher models cooler? Yeah. Are the additional features worth 500-1000 more dollars? I personally don't think so.