Customer reviews from Garmin
Garmin - Instinct 3 Solar GPS Smartwatch 45 mm Fiber-reinforced Polymer - Whitestone with whitestone/bolt blue silicone band - (2025)
Average customer rating
4.4
(95 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 95 reviews
5 Stars
64
4 Stars
19
3 Stars
5
2 Stars
4
1 Star
3
Customer Reviews for Garmin - Instinct 3 Solar GPS Smartwatch 45 mm Fiber-reinforced Polymer - Whitestone with whitestone/bolt blue silicone band - (2025)
Customer Rating
5
Very nice watch, but don't throw out the cord
on August 1, 2025
Posted by: captainkudzu
I’ve had my watch long enough to form opinions. Here’s my review:
The Instinct 3 Solar is a great watch for outdoor sports. The watch is rugged and has a multitude of apps to track different activities. Pretty much every sport you can think of is included.
The big question most people will have is how well the solar charging works. After using it for a couple of months, I can say it works well, but it won’t eliminate the need for traditional charging if you use the GPS much. It depends on how your settings are configured, but I typically use about 1 percent of battery overnight and 3 percent per day with no GPS. Using GPS boosts battery consumption to about 2-4 percent per hour (1-2 percent using Ultratrac with fewer GPS updates) depending on sunlight.
What I typically find is that I drain some battery during sport activities but regain some charge when outside without GPS use. Some of my best solar charging is while driving or flying if I can keep the watch In sunlight. The angle, strength of light, and obstructions such as windows or shadows affect charging.
Solar charging is measured in lux hours. Garmin says 3 hours per day in 50,000 lux conditions is necessary for unlimited battery life (this is apparently without GPS use). I seldom reach 150,000 lux hours. It seems to me that raising the battery by one percentage point takes 20-40,000 lux hours based on my observations.
I use the GPS pretty often and end up charging with the plug about every three weeks. I’ve kept several weeks of data on start and ending battery levels, lux hours, and activity time. Some days I experience net battery gain, but most days I lose a few percentage points. If you don’t use the GPS but spend time outside, the battery can last indefinitely. If you use the GPS often, battery drain is slowed by solar charging but not offset. There is an expedition mode that takes only an hourly position fix to allow very long hikes without charging.
As far as navigating functions, the menus aren’t intuitive but are relatively easy to learn. I recommend looking at YouTube tutorials and reading Garmin’s online manual.
The flashlight is handy and a first for me on a watch. I previously had the Instinct 2 Standard and the 3 Solar screen seems easier to read. I also like the Trackback feature that makes it easy to navigate back to your starting point.
There are only two problems that I’ve run into. First, a new watch needs to be updated with the Garmin Express app on a computer. This is simple (just download the app to the computer and plug in the USB watch charger) but annoying since updates usually come automatically. For some reason, the pre installed software won’t give full battery life.
Second, Garmin Pay isn’t worth much. None of my banks allow it to its full capability (Amex allows for only electronic transactions). I miss being able to pay with my watch like I did with my Fitbit, which was compatible with all my banks.
All in all, it’s a great watch. I’ve had lots of fun with it, and I love the extended (but not unlimited) battery life. The Instinct 3 Solar has a lot of bang for the buck.
I’ll add that the watch looks better in person. The parts that look orange in pictures are more of a copper in real life.
The Instinct 3 Solar is a great watch for outdoor sports. The watch is rugged and has a multitude of apps to track different activities. Pretty much every sport you can think of is included.
The big question most people will have is how well the solar charging works. After using it for a couple of months, I can say it works well, but it won’t eliminate the need for traditional charging if you use the GPS much. It depends on how your settings are configured, but I typically use about 1 percent of battery overnight and 3 percent per day with no GPS. Using GPS boosts battery consumption to about 2-4 percent per hour (1-2 percent using Ultratrac with fewer GPS updates) depending on sunlight.
What I typically find is that I drain some battery during sport activities but regain some charge when outside without GPS use. Some of my best solar charging is while driving or flying if I can keep the watch In sunlight. The angle, strength of light, and obstructions such as windows or shadows affect charging.
Solar charging is measured in lux hours. Garmin says 3 hours per day in 50,000 lux conditions is necessary for unlimited battery life (this is apparently without GPS use). I seldom reach 150,000 lux hours. It seems to me that raising the battery by one percentage point takes 20-40,000 lux hours based on my observations.
I use the GPS pretty often and end up charging with the plug about every three weeks. I’ve kept several weeks of data on start and ending battery levels, lux hours, and activity time. Some days I experience net battery gain, but most days I lose a few percentage points. If you don’t use the GPS but spend time outside, the battery can last indefinitely. If you use the GPS often, battery drain is slowed by solar charging but not offset. There is an expedition mode that takes only an hourly position fix to allow very long hikes without charging.
As far as navigating functions, the menus aren’t intuitive but are relatively easy to learn. I recommend looking at YouTube tutorials and reading Garmin’s online manual.
The flashlight is handy and a first for me on a watch. I previously had the Instinct 2 Standard and the 3 Solar screen seems easier to read. I also like the Trackback feature that makes it easy to navigate back to your starting point.
There are only two problems that I’ve run into. First, a new watch needs to be updated with the Garmin Express app on a computer. This is simple (just download the app to the computer and plug in the USB watch charger) but annoying since updates usually come automatically. For some reason, the pre installed software won’t give full battery life.
Second, Garmin Pay isn’t worth much. None of my banks allow it to its full capability (Amex allows for only electronic transactions). I miss being able to pay with my watch like I did with my Fitbit, which was compatible with all my banks.
All in all, it’s a great watch. I’ve had lots of fun with it, and I love the extended (but not unlimited) battery life. The Instinct 3 Solar has a lot of bang for the buck.
I’ll add that the watch looks better in person. The parts that look orange in pictures are more of a copper in real life.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
2
Instinct 3 solar - not excited
on August 1, 2025
Posted by: P Jo
I was very disappointed with this watch when I got it. At first glance it looks cheap. It has an orange ring that cannot be removed. I don’t like that at all. The watch band is stiff. I had the original instinct with a soft rubbery band that was really nice. The watch was completely black. I am trying to wear the watch but I would not buy an instinct again
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Really cool
on August 1, 2025
Posted by: Desertsnowman66
It’s helped me rediscover exercise and understanding how my body is performing! I love it!
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
3
Battery isn’t as great as advertised
on August 1, 2025
Posted by: Mack96x
Updated software and still battery sucks not as advertised. Went through setting and turned a bunch off still only last a few weeks.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Great bargain and even better performance
on August 1, 2025
Posted by: Kalani1616
Truly an amazing watch for people with outdoor focus. It does everything I need without the clutter of an actual smart watch. The durability has been amazing and I have seen no flaws with the stock band. Only thing I wish is that the Garmin Connect App had a widget feature on the iPhone that displayed data without having to open the application.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
2
Isn’t very solar
on August 1, 2025
Posted by: JP from Phoenix
I chose this model due to the fact that I live in a sunny place and figured the solae feature would be beneficial. Unfortunately, I’ve been very disappointed with the solar charging. Otherwise everything has been solid.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Excellent watch
on August 1, 2025
Posted by: Eric6969
Had a few months now works great just wish it didn’t have to have the shinny red ring
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Great Watch, A little glitchy
on August 1, 2025
Posted by: Delta99
I purchase this watch when it was a relatively new release - so my expectations where somewhat tempered. I am part of the Beta program and recieve frequent updates so some of the early issues of the watch have been fixed. It still creates nonsense screens when the watch auto laps while I am running, and it ends activities when I hit the back button even with the manual lapping disabled. Otherwise though it is an excellent watch with all the features I could possibly need for SAR, running, hiking, and hunting. Thanks Garmin.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin