Customer reviews from Garmin
Garmin - Instinct 2S Solar 40 mm Smartwatch Fiber-reinforced Polymer - Neo Tropic
Average customer rating
4.3
(163 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 163 reviews
5 Stars
104
4 Stars
33
3 Stars
9
2 Stars
4
1 Star
13
Customer Reviews for Garmin - Instinct 2S Solar 40 mm Smartwatch Fiber-reinforced Polymer - Neo Tropic
Customer Rating
4
Poor instruction booklet
on January 1, 2024
Posted by: Low man
Too early to review but it’s cumbersome to learn. Thank goodness for UTube. Not sure solar adds anything to the charging from what I can see. Time will tell on the ruggedness.
Response from GarminBy Garmin, January 2, 2024
Thank you for your review.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
1
Strap was too small
on January 8, 2024
Posted by: Mhmd
The strap was too small so I returned the the watch back, then when i wanted to get the bigger one the price went up so I couldn’t get the right watch for me.
Response from GarminBy Garmin, January 8, 2024
Thank you for your review and experience with the Instinct 2S Solar. We would like to discuss this further over email. If you would please email us at product.support@garmin.com.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
1
Not good.
on January 14, 2024
Posted by: Terirae
I got this watch as a Xmas gift. I had a garmin 245 music. Let me tell you..this instinct 2S Solar is horrible!!!!! So hard to keep a heart rate on it. I think it only works for 2 hrs. I put it back in the box..using my 245 music
Response from GarminBy Garmin, January 23, 2024
Thank you for your review and experience with the Instinct 2s Solar. We would like to discuss this further over email. If you would please email us at product.support@garmin.com.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Instinct 2S Solar
on January 17, 2024
Posted by: tmorris
I have had the Instinct 2S Solar for about a month and I’m super glad with this purchase! I love to run, hike, raft, kayak and I feel like this watch fits perfect for my lifestyle. I love the rugged/sporty look of the watch. Also, I love the size of this watch. It doesn’t look too big or too small on my wrist. 10/10.
Response from GarminBy Garmin, January 23, 2024
Thank you for your review.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Surprisingly Great!
on January 18, 2024
Posted by: maxncheese24
I was looking to switch out from an aging Apple Watch for like a year now. I finally made the switch over to the instinct 2s solar and am in love with it! I get all of the phone notifications I want without a touchscreen interface! I no longer worry about working on a project and having a touchscreen smacking against wood and breaking (although as a long time Apple Watch user [think generation 1 around the time the 2nd came out] I am very used to protecting my watch which is ANNOYING)…. One of the big reasons I switched is that 3 years ago I ended up getting a full black and white sleeve on my watch arm and had to switch over to my other wrist so my watch wouldn’t lock up on me… I was not convinced I would have any luck whatsoever but read a few reviews scattered across the garmin lineup that mentioned dark ink and the sensors still working…. Personally I actually have tested Apple to garmin HR with my garmin being on my tattoo wrist and Apple on the non offending wrist and Garmins doesn’t seem to actually be all that affected by my ink… it did take me a minute to find a place the sensor will pick up what it needs too but now that I have I am back to wearing my watch on the correct wrist and I’ve actually been LOVING it!!!
Response from GarminBy Garmin, January 23, 2024
Thank you for your review.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Useful, but take it with a grain of salt
on January 18, 2024
Posted by: bob27cat83
I got this watch for its long battery life, and to use the basic health tracking functions (calories, heart rate, etc.). I am not using it to track any complex training metrics.
Very satisfied with battery life, it’s not a watch you need to plug in every couple days. However, the solar charging seems a bit scammy; you might gain “3 days” of charge on a really sunny day but it drops back down much quicker than 3 days. Seems like they exaggerate the number to make you feel like it’s doing something but then sneakily reduce it in the background.
I also find heart rate monitoring to be very spotty. A lot of the times when I am working out my heart rate will be elevated after a set but the watch is reading 100-110bpm, and will suddenly shoot up to the actual 150-160 once I sit down and my arm is not moving. This delay is very long sometimes, some times it doesn’t seem to track at all, and other times it appears to do great.
Sleep tracking is also spotty, I’ve had it tell me I’m sleeping while I’m driving my car down the highway plenty of times.
Overall I’m happy with it. I don’t expect 100% precision on all of these metrics from a wrist watch. It’s great to get a general feel for things, not necessarily high precision.
Response from GarminBy Garmin, January 23, 2024
Thank you for your review.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Excellent watch especially for outdoor activities!
on January 20, 2024
Posted by: Jodi L-K
I received this watch about one month ago because I will need a good watch for a long backpacking trip I am taking this year. The watch's solar is excellent and I have only charged it 2 times since I spend a great deal of time outdoors! The battery life lives up to the advertising! The features are wonderful and covers all I need. The Garmin Connect app, sums up my workouts and sleep. There is a bit of a learning curve to understand how the watch works and all that it is able to do...but a little practice makes perfect!
Response from GarminBy Garmin, January 24, 2024
Thank you for your review.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Face
on January 27, 2024
Posted by: Knox
I love the watch as it has many features. I have not had a chance to test the bike feature yet, but I am sure it will do its job.
Response from GarminBy Garmin, January 30, 2024
Thank you for your review.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin