Garmin - Instinct 3 Solar
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 11, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
16
1
"the screen, which is not the awful LCD/LED stuff that most watches have. It's clear in all conditions, and extremely durable."
"rugged enough to take some hits at the gym."
"The Instinct 3 is built tough (rugged, reliable) ... If you’ll drop it, bang it, leave it in harsh places, the Instinct’s durability becomes appealing"
11
1
"Had a 4 mile swim in a lake that looked pretty accurate, way better than I expected."
"Without even really changing much settings on the watch to preserve battery other then disconnecting it from my phone I get 4 days of gps recording when backpacking. ... I get 4 days of gps recording when backpacking 6-8hr days on my instinct 3 solar 45mm."
"the wearables are nothing more than a data collector for GPS & other monitors (HR strap, cadence, speed etc) - that they excel in. ... Garmin is best at actual training/event data for say a run/ride/tri etc when paired with a HR strap (cadence, speed and power sensors too)."
37
2
"offers significantly better battery life ... insane battery life"
"I been using mine for two month. I just charged it for the second time and its holding up great."
"I have had it on for 25d and it's still got 6% battery. That's what I'd call a watch!"
6
0
"I much prefer MIP displays, they're insanely visible in direct sunlight"
"the screen, which is not the awful LCD/LED stuff that most watches have. It's clear in all conditions, and extremely durable."
"I’m a big fan of the AMOLED. ... I was worried I wouldn’t be able to see the screen as well in bright sunlight, but it turns out that’s not a problem at all."
5
2
"The sleep score and body battery is a game changer - It is insane how much this has helped me with better habits in just 6-weeks. ... I can see the difference in my sleep and body battery even if I have two alcoholic drinks at an event or with dinner, or if I have too much caffeine too late in the day. It is helping me understand the effects of these actions on other parts of my life more explicitly."
"The Garmin excels at all of that ... I wear a smart watch to gather my health stats; steps, floors, calories, heart rate etc, and also to get a good measure of my sleep."
"I only really use it for HR, steps and sleep tracking."
Disliked most:
1
5
"But those are a fair bit bulkier."
"It's definitely a bulk "rugged" watch"
"50mm i3 is probably to bulky for swim"
2
5
"Garmin surprisingly messy ... Garmin was all over the place with noisy spikes. ... Garmin Instinct 3 really surprised me with how messy the HR data was. I am very negatively surprised with these results. ... I was really surprised with Garmin, and I am thinking it might have been not tight enough. I have the 50mm version and it is quite bulky, which probably causes a lot of movement, that probably interferes with the reading."
"Garmin has been failing at HR data for a while now, you need a chest stra for activities to get good data."
"HR sensor is well... unreliable? ... But today I was swimming 2000m with moderate pace, tempo was mostly very stable. And look what has been registered: [https://imgur.com/a/IpPNEfl](https://imgur.com/a/IpPNEfl) ... The only explanation for this, is that I didn't put the watch tight enough, and after some time of swimming it repositioned itself and started monitoring HR more correctly than for the first 15 mins."
1
5
"the problem with the maps is that there aren't any. ... The breadcrumb think can work ok in the city, especially if you have a backup device, and not for cycling. Super hard on hiking trails that tend to have forks as opposed to really distinct, right-angle intersections."
"not having maps will not be great for hikes."
"no maps though ... If maps are big for you though I would recommend the Forerunner 265 and higher or the Fenix series watches."
1
2
"if you are going to use the watch to perform some functions to save getting your phone out and use some of the apps, the Apple Watch is beyond comparison. ... There are so many things you can do from the watch easily that Garmin struggles with and there are more apps available for the Apple Watch compared to just about any other watch out there."
"The watch faces are very limited - the stock watch faces on the Instinct 3 are pretty garish and need customization to look okay on your wrist. The level of customization they have could also be improved. Even the watch faces to purchase on Garmin Connect are mostly unappealing."
0
2
"The UI is so bad - I can't believe a massive company such as Garmin has mid-2010's UI on both the watch and Garmin app. The graphs, data presentation and navigation is about 1000 points lower than Apple Health. It is so unappealing it looks like it was created by an accountant. ... I should have focussed more on the UI on the Garmin app - that is mostly my issue. I dont find the Watch UI too clunky but the Garmen App UI seems pretty behind the times."
"you’ll sacrifice some of the nicer interface and comfort of the 265."
"The watch faces are very limited - the stock watch faces on the Instinct 3 are pretty garish and need customization to look okay on your wrist. The level of customization they have could also be improved. Even the watch faces to purchase on Garmin Connect are mostly unappealing."
Enduro 3 is too big for my wrist so I went with the instinct 3 solar 45mm and have no regrets. I can get 3-4 days out of it tracking with HR(Bluetooth turned off). It’s very quick to add some charge off a battery bank if needed. I do collect a lot of solar up here in the Colorado alpine but to be honest when gps recording solar isn’t keeping up much at all because the drain is higher than the solar can take in. Enduro 3 is the better option but probably overkill. If you can afford it and like how it sits on your wrist go for it. If it feels too big then switch to an i3 solar.
r/Ultralight • So many new watches. Which watch is best for backpacking? ->Garmin instinct 3 solar is the watch I got for this. Without even really changing much settings on the watch to preserve battery other then disconnecting it from my phone I get 4 days of gps recording when backpacking. The enduro 3 would have been my clove but it’s too big for my wrist. Use the optimity app to get a 20% coupon off for garmin watches. The watch batteries are small so charging them every few days is not much better at all. This lets me keep my iPhone in airplane mode and I get 4 or so days of battery off that.
r/Strava • Most energy efficient way to Strava several days of backpacking? ->I get 4 days of gps recording when backpacking 6-8hr days on my instinct 3 solar 45mm.
r/Strava • Most energy efficient way to Strava several days of backpacking? ->I wear my instinct 3 while bouldering. Never had an issue. I like recording my session and using the timer for rests in between try’s.
r/bouldering • Do you climb with a watch on? ->Another option could be the coros nomad. I currently have the coros nomad and the instinct 3 solar. Nomad is 349usd and has maps, color MIP touchscreen, over 20 days of battery life, ecg. The Instinct 3 solar 45mm is 400usd has slightly better battery life not including solar charge but no maps, no touchscreen but has flashlight. Ultimately it depends if you'd use maps or not. Both have been great for me thus far.
r/Garmin • Pros & cons between garmin instinct solar 3 and amazfit t rex 3 pro? ->If downloadable music isn’t important to you I’d say maybe check out the Instinct 3. I have the 45 mm MIP display one and love it for swimming, running, gym, and hiking. Battery life is insane. Only downside is really the lack of downloadable music but if you just keep your phone on you it’s not an issue
r/Garmin • Best Garmin for my lifestyle. ->Garmin Fenix. The 7X Pro is “older” so you can get it at a good price. If you’re a little more hard pressed for money a Garmin Instinct is a great option. Edit: I see you linked the Instinct 3 solar. That is a great option! If your fiance is a bigger guy they may be good with the larger size (51mm) which will give them a larger screen and longer battery life.
r/army • Best watch for army member? ->The day apple makes an actual ruggedized smart watch that can last longer than 2 weeks on a single charge is the day I’ll switch. Until then my Instinct 3S is my little pride and joy.
r/Garmin • What are the real advantages of Garmin over Apple Watch ->My day-to-day watch is currently Garmin Instinct 3 Solar. PROS: It has a FLASHLIGHT, which is a feature I use daily. It has solar charging-literally INFINITE battery if you aren’t using the GPS. Garmin has the most accurate pedometer I’ve tried. I will miss the flashlight feature the most when I switch to PT2. CONS: Bulky. Garmin UI is a mess—filled with exercise features I don’t use. I also own a Garmin FORERUNNER 255. It is less bulky and has a beautiful big MIP screen. 14 day battery life. This is the budget pick for you. I have owned fitbits, Amazfits, Fossil—the pedometer is not accurate in these and it drives me nuts. It counts too many false steps when I’m driving in the car. I’d rather it not have a pedometer feature at all than force me to look at wrong information. I am worried PT2 will have the same problem. I believe the Fitbit and Venu watches you mention have AMOLED screens. 🤮
r/pebble • Pebble Time 2 vs alternatives in same price range ->I have an instinct 3 solar, and im very happy with it, almoast a month of battery time ... with 3 to 4 times a week running and i live in belgium so not a lot of solar sharging
r/Garmin • Need advice on my first garmin ->I have the outdoor Garmin 3 Solar so I do climb with it on. If it were any other watch I'd say no. I also wouldnt wear it crack climbing or anything lmao.
r/bouldering • Do you climb with a watch on? ->Have you noticed a difference in Bluetooth range? My instinct 3 solar was terrible. Maybe 15 feet. Certainly not in another room or around a corner. My Instinct 1, Instinct 2, and especially my older Apple Watch had far better range.
r/Garmin • Apple Watch to Garmin Instinct 3: My experience after 6 weeks ->I picked up an instinct 3 solar recently for an 8 day thru hike. Keep in mind that I was in New Mexico with lots of sun. It lasted the whole trip on a single charge which including 75 hours of tracking with 43 hours of movement.
r/hikinggear • Best watch for hiking/skiing? ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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