Customer reviews from Garmin
Garmin - Instinct 2 Solar 45 mm Smartwatch Fiber-reinforced Polymer - Mist Gray - (2022)
Average customer rating
4.5
(481 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 481 reviews
5 Stars
334
4 Stars
83
3 Stars
35
2 Stars
9
1 Star
20
Customer Reviews for Garmin - Instinct 2 Solar 45 mm Smartwatch Fiber-reinforced Polymer - Mist Gray - (2022)
Customer Rating
5
So far so good
on June 17, 2022
Posted by: Dan L
The Instinct 2 has been great so far. I've used the golf, walk and indoor cycle settings so far and they all seem pretty accurate. Plus, I only have to charge it every 10 days or so.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
on May 14, 2022
Posted by: Oliver C
This thing is great ... for someone who needs a little something to turn up fitness a notch, sleep tracker is great, heart rate monitor cuz why not. i haven't even scratched the surface on features and benefits, sooo many!
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Great watch!
on May 10, 2022
Posted by: kyle R
from Pendleton, IN, US
Best Garmin watch for everyday/every-week use will last 10 days and longer with solar charging outside in the sun. I use this watch everyday and it handles everything I throw at it. The build is tough will handle hard work and easy living. Recessed face which is very hard to scratch. There is a new 2s which has color but I would say you can just go with the black and white one as that is fine for notifications and use.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Great GPS, Like my Whoop better for other data
on May 5, 2022
Posted by: Lindsey C
I got this watch to help me track my rucks and wanted the safety feature of allowing others to track me when in the woods alone. I love it for the GPS and some of the other features (weather, steps, etc). I don't love the body battery or the sleep tracker. My Whoop strap seems to provide more/better insight here, so I'm continuing to wear both. The watch is comfortable and I wouldn't trade it for another - just have to keep wearing the Whoop with it!
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Love this watch
on May 5, 2022
Posted by: Anonymous
I've had this watch 3 weeks now and absolutely love it. I use it to track steps and other body metrics every day, as well as hikes and hunts I've gone on. The activity tracking feature works very well, and it is nice to see where I've been on the map later.
My only complaint and it is minor, is I thought the Solar would charge better than it does. I am optimistic to see how it does once we get into summer and the exposure increases.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Great watch, very poor software
on April 24, 2022
Posted by: pajhiwo
Great idea for a watch, and very nice features....but very poor software. Out of the box, solar graph clears every time minute change on the watch. Sometimes it get random restarts. After upgrade it is much better (even solar graph started to work), but you shouldn't count on soft update to get working watch out from the box.
Response from GarminBy Garmin, Outdoor, April 25, 2022
Thank you for your review. Jenny
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
on April 5, 2022
Posted by: michael L
Unlimited battery is a stretch, but still pretty great
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Works well but overly complicated for me
on March 30, 2022
Posted by: Gest
I bought the Instinct 2 Solar to replace my 735 XT, which I had used happily for triathlon training and racing for many years.
When it looked like the 735 might not last much longer, and I saw that it was discontinued, I looked for a replacement. I had received an email from Garmin touting the Instinct 2 and decided to buy it just over a month ago for the following reasons: 1. Better battery life plus solar charging. 2. More rugged. 3. More accurate GPS.
The battery life is indeed better and it recharges very quickly, but I am not convinced that it would last 29 days without GPS usage. After such a short time I can't judge how rugged it is or how accurate the GPS, but I am willing to believe those claims. A pleasant surprise is that the Instinct 2 pairs with my smart bike trainer. I have been using the timer for ice treatments and stretching and the sleep monitoring functions, which I did not do with the 735.
Like the 735 and maybe all such watches, the Instinct 2 does not do a great job counting laps in the pool; it always misses a few turns, understating the distance and distorting the overall statistics.
My only real complaint is that with its abundance of features I personally do not need, it is a bit more complicated to use than the 735 for simple workouts. Also, the display is harder to read during a run or pool swim during rest through swim goggles) with the tiny numbers in the small circle in the upper right-hand corner. I liked the 735 display better, even though the Instinct 2 has more pixels. To accommodate all the features, Garmin has added a third button on the left side of the watch; since that reduces the spacing, it is harder to change screens during a run. They also added a function to enable or disable the lap key, essential when doing interval workouts or measuring distances along a hiking route. I could not figure out why I could not measure laps until I called the always super-helpful Garmin support team, who told me about this function, which is inexplicably not included in the full-length manual.
The battery life is indeed better and it recharges very quickly, but I am not convinced that it would last 29 days without GPS usage. After such a short time I can't judge how rugged it is or how accurate the GPS, but I am willing to believe those claims. A pleasant surprise is that the Instinct 2 pairs with my smart bike trainer. I have been using the timer for ice treatments and stretching and the sleep monitoring functions, which I did not do with the 735.
Like the 735 and maybe all such watches, the Instinct 2 does not do a great job counting laps in the pool; it always misses a few turns, understating the distance and distorting the overall statistics.
My only real complaint is that with its abundance of features I personally do not need, it is a bit more complicated to use than the 735 for simple workouts. Also, the display is harder to read during a run or pool swim during rest through swim goggles) with the tiny numbers in the small circle in the upper right-hand corner. I liked the 735 display better, even though the Instinct 2 has more pixels. To accommodate all the features, Garmin has added a third button on the left side of the watch; since that reduces the spacing, it is harder to change screens during a run. They also added a function to enable or disable the lap key, essential when doing interval workouts or measuring distances along a hiking route. I could not figure out why I could not measure laps until I called the always super-helpful Garmin support team, who told me about this function, which is inexplicably not included in the full-length manual.
In summary, I love being able to record and view all my training statistics with this watch, and am getting used to accessing the functions I need, but it is not a perfect 5 for the reasons mentioned above.
Response from GarminBy Garmin, Outdoor, March 30, 2022
Thank you for your review. Jenny
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin