Customer reviews from Garmin
Garmin - Instinct 2S Solar 40 mm Smartwatch Fiber-reinforced Polymer - Neo Tropic - (2022)
Average customer rating
4.3
(177 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 177 reviews
5 Stars
111
4 Stars
36
3 Stars
11
2 Stars
5
1 Star
14
Customer Reviews for Garmin - Instinct 2S Solar 40 mm Smartwatch Fiber-reinforced Polymer - Neo Tropic - (2022)
Customer Rating
5
Best Smartwatch Out There!
on June 3, 2025
Posted by: Josiah Schools
I’ve actually had this for around a year now and have tried other things intermittently (Apple Watch, whoop, etc…) and this has been the winner.
The two week battery life, durability, and practical features make it the best for me. It’s ability to track sleep and give scores, give aerobic activity readings, blood oxygen, recovery time, and even DETECT specific exercises during strength training is above and beyond what anything else can do on the market that I’m aware of for the price point.
Get one.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Big bang for your buck
on May 30, 2025
Posted by: Juan44457
You get all the great features of the top end watches without the big price
No touch screen which is fine
Pairs with app. Tons of data and fields for workouts. Triathlon mode. Solar and battery last super long. Not worried about charging all the time .
Small size, low profile and looks like a normal watch. Not bulky at all. Easy to sleep with
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
3
Solar is useless, but nice watch that works well
on May 20, 2025
Posted by: RobAAA
I've been using this watch for a few weeks. I go to the gym often and can track all of my workouts, including a lot of cardio. One issue is that it doesn't work well for treadmill work. I'll walk 3.5 miles but Garmin shows I only walked .01 miles! This makes no sense at all since my steps are counted correctly. Same issue with my older Vivoactiv 4. I just don't understand how this happens.
Overall I like this watch very much and it fits me well. I seem to be having some problems with installing custom watch faces and I'm working with Garmin support on this.
My big negative is with the "solar" charging. It doesn't seem to work at all. I understand that the watch can't be covered by a sleeve, etc and the exposure to the sun can be iffy but yesterday I took the watch off and put it down in the direct sunlight. It was a clear sky and I left it there for over an hour. What happened? My charge dropped from 20% to 19%. I don't know if this is normal or if I have a defective watch but I intend to take this up with Garmin also, but right now I'm not happy about this and it defeats the whole purpose behind paying extra for the solar functionality.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Great so far
on May 19, 2025
Posted by: First smart watch
I purchased theirs few weeks ago and so far the Instinct 2S SOLAR and it much better than expected.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Daily watch for fitness, dog tracking, running, and more
on May 14, 2025
Posted by: Kayla F
I've had my Garmin Instinct for about 2 years now. I use it every day in the field to track my working dogs alongside their garmin collars, as well as to track all of my workouts. I love that the app integrates with my fitness apps to track all of my workout goals and that I can customize the interface for my sports. I have turned most notifications and smartwatch features off, but I do love the google maps integration for navigation on my bike!
Written by a customer while visiting ExpertVoice.com
Customer Rating
4
Great watch with not so great battery
on May 5, 2025
Posted by: Andrii K
I looked for not too large watch, so I could wear it 24/7 without the necessity of frequent charging, and when I bought it about 2 years ago, it worked really great. While not as informative and customizable as OLED and other kinds of displays, its display provides sufficient customizability, and it's always on with lighting required only in the darkness. Without the sensor screen, there are five robust buttons, which make all the operations comfortable enough. Also the app looks good to me.
However, while in the beginning it really provided up to 3 weeks of work without charge, by now the battery has degraded significantly, providing less than a week of work on one charge, which makes me disappointed
However, while in the beginning it really provided up to 3 weeks of work without charge, by now the battery has degraded significantly, providing less than a week of work on one charge, which makes me disappointed
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Beast of a watch.
on April 25, 2025
Posted by: william S
Used and abused this watch daily as a tradesman. Just the right amount of features and raised bevel so i’m not terrified of destroying the face of the watch while I work. Analog buttons are a huge plus for folks who wear gloves too. Battery life is exceptional and since i’m outside for work, it lasts even longer with the solar charging capability. Only qualm is that every time I charge it up to 100% via the charger, I have to reset it so the solar function works again. MINUSCULE price to pay for an excellent watch. Takes max 7 seconds to do. Hopefully there’s a software update that fixes it…
Overall, highly recommend this watch. Absolute workhorse.
Written by a customer while visiting ExpertVoice.com
Customer Rating
5
Great Watch
on April 20, 2025
Posted by: AB99
I bought this several weeks ago and love it! Wish I bought it sooner!
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin