Customer reviews from Garmin
Garmin - Instinct 2 Solar 45 mm Smartwatch Fiber-reinforced Polymer - Mist Gray
Average customer rating
4.5
(453 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 453 reviews
5 Stars
314
4 Stars
79
3 Stars
33
2 Stars
8
1 Star
19
Customer Reviews for Garmin - Instinct 2 Solar 45 mm Smartwatch Fiber-reinforced Polymer - Mist Gray
Customer Rating
4
super features, still learning
on November 10, 2025
Posted by: georgie
i upgraded from a vivoactive3 to instinct 2 solar, happy with it
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
2
Certain features are hard to navigate
on December 3, 2025
Posted by: D Par
I'm trying to like this watch but it's not very intuitive. For example, to start a walk it took a while to figure out. I use a tutorial on my phone. To end the walk I end up in endless menus and unable to get back to just show the time. I also found if the walk is not ended the GPS drains the battery significantly.
The sleep score is also questionable IMO. I can get 9 hours of sleep with a good HRV and the watch shows "poor". And that's if the watch records the sleep at all. Most days the sleep score shows up a few hours after I wake.
I'm still in the process of deciding to return the watch. I have the return label and waiting for an epiphany. I'm usually pretty good at tech stuff but this watch has me stumped. I would hope later a model would have significant improvements.
The sleep score is also questionable IMO. I can get 9 hours of sleep with a good HRV and the watch shows "poor". And that's if the watch records the sleep at all. Most days the sleep score shows up a few hours after I wake.
I'm still in the process of deciding to return the watch. I have the return label and waiting for an epiphany. I'm usually pretty good at tech stuff but this watch has me stumped. I would hope later a model would have significant improvements.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Best Watch for work
on December 7, 2025
Posted by: Samuel K
I absolutely love this watch. I get it dirty while working and then you can just wash it right off like it is a dish in the sink. Never have had any issues with the watch not working. Wish Garmin would update their app to automatically update without opening the app. The battery lasts and lasts on this watch and that was a key buying point for me
Written by a customer while visiting ExpertVoice.com
Customer Rating
3
Good watch functions bad housing and band
on December 14, 2025
Posted by: Error_418_
I bought my Instinct 2 about a month ago when I suspected an issue with my Vivoactive 3 (turns out it was likely a bug with an app I had installed causing excess battery drain).
When the watch arrived I noted the band was rubber, something I've had problems with with smartwatches from Samsung. I noted it was silicone and figured I'd chance it.
I want to point out that the Vivoactive 3 also came with a rubber strap but I swapped it out when I discovered that the watch body didn't cause a reaction but the band did. This is because the housing uses a different kind of material that my skin didn't react to, and the leather strap I made was also non-reactive (I've previously had issues with nylon, as well as nickle plating due to a light nickle allergy, hence the solid brass hardware).
After a week of continuous wear I thought maybe Garmin had resolved whatever issue the rubber bands were causing for some folks. By the end of the second week however, I'd started to react and the results after a week of non-wear are pictured below in the first two photos.
I'm actually in the process of tooling up to make a replacement band/bracer for the Instinct 2 so I can wear it without issue. I'm also going to see if I can figure out a cover for any remaining bits of fhe 2 that might come in contact with my skin. But the watch itself has been worth the trouble so far.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Great watch
on December 20, 2025
Posted by: Chmeo71
Garmin solar instinct, 2 is a great watch the look and function is very good is accurate and has a lot of good options I’d recommend getting it I’m now looking at the instinct 3 as a daily wear and keep the instinct 2 as a work watch
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin