This week, Garmin dropped the details on its latest watches – the Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED, Garmin Instinct 3 Solar, and the Garmin Instinct E.
They’re not actually available for purchase yet, although they will be at the end of the week. But with the full specs released, this is a great opportunity to see just where these watches fit in – compared to the previous Instinct watches and to other Garmin options.
The Instinct line has always represented the more rugged entry level watch – similar to the Forerunner and capable as a running watch, but suited for outdoor adventures. It was known for better battery life and navigation features, and it wasn’t at the premium level of either the Tactix or the Enduro.
A lot of that remains the same, with one big change: Garmin is doubling (tripling?) down on AMOLED as it introduced an AMOLED version of the Garmin Instinct 3. It didn’t eliminate the MIP version, but this seems to me like an odd place for them to be adding AMOLED options.
Anyhow, I’ll save the full comparison of each Instinct to other Garmins for another day. Today, I just wanted to run down the basics and offer a few first impressions of where these new watches fit into Garmin’s lineup.
The Options for the Garmin Instinct 3
Similar to the fenix 8, Garmin released three general options for the Instinct 3.
The Instinct 3 Solar is the version most similar to previous Instincts. It has a MIP screen, the small secondary display, a superior battery life. Retail is $400 for the normal size (45mm) and $450 for the larger size (50mm). Solar is essentially now a standard feature for the MIP version.
The Instinct 3 AMOLED moves in a slightly different direction. It has an AMOLED screen, and the PIP is gone, although it’s still there digitally in the stock watch face. The battery life is significantly worse, but otherwise it has pretty much all the same features. It’s $50 more than the solar version – $450 for the 45mm and $500 for the 50mm.
Then, there’s the Instinct E. Similar to the Fenix E, this is a cheaper, pared down version of the Instinct 3. It has a MIP screen, no solar charging, and it’s missing a few features. This also makes it cheaper – $300 for the 45mm version. It’s also the only version that still comes in a smaller, 40mm size.
Both the Instinct 3 Solar and the Instinct 3 AMOLED have the usual bulky, rugged look to their bezel. The Instinct E has a similar style, but it looks a little bit … less impressive.
The core options all come with black bezels – but there are some limited edition versions with a variety of other colors.
What’s New With the Instinct 3?
So what’s new with the Instinct 3?
A few things, compared to the Instinct 2.
The watch now includes multiband GPS and SatIQ technology.
It’s got some of the newer software features from other watches – like advanced sleep and nap detection, improved intervals, training load focus, and wrist-based running dynamics.
The Instinct 3 AMOLED has on screen animations and muscle maps. For what it’s worth. This has zero appeal to me as a runner.
The Instinct 3 Solar has improved solar charging capabilities. In smartwatch mode, it’s still “unlimited.” But in GPS mode, you’ll notice the difference.
For the 50mm size, with solar charging, the battery specs for GPS mode went from 145 hours to 260. While I’m always a little skeptical of the solar capabilities, that’s a huge improvement over the core 60 hours of battery life – so you’re likely to get a decent boost from solar.
Most importantly? It has the LED flashlight that was introduced with the Garmin fenix 7 Pro. I love that thing. It’s silly, and it’s small, but it’s awesome.
What’s Missing from the Instinct E?
If you get the cheaper Instinct E, what’s missing – compared to the Instinct 3?
First and foremost, there’s no flashlight. Not cool.
The battery life is worse. In smartwatch mode, it’s rated at 16 days – slightly less than the Instinct 3 AMOLED.
It’s also missing the golf features, multisport features for triathletes, some biking features, and Garmin Pay.
On the one hand, it seems like the next step up from the Garmin Instinct 2 Standard – since it was released with the Instinct 3 and it has no solar capabilities. But the Instinct 2 Standard is actually better in a number of ways, and despite having the same list price you’ll very likely find it cheaper.
Maybe the Instinct E will make more sense down the road. But for now, I can’t see any reason to buy this – instead of just buying the older Instinct 2 Standard.
What’s Not Available on the New Garmin Instinct 3?
There are three new features available on other Garmins that are not available for any of the new Instincts: the latest heart rate sensor, a touchscreen, and the microphone.
I’ve already seen some complaints online that the Instinct 3 shipped with the Elevate 4 heart rate sensor instead of the Elevate 5. In my opinion this is more evidence that the Elevate 5 isn’t just the “newest” sensor – it’s a premium sensor. There’s a reason they left it off the latest Forerunners and the Fenix E. The Elevate 4 isn’t really outdated, it just doesn’t have the ECG capabilities. And for the time being, it’s going to be the heart rate sensor on the entry level and mid-tier watches.
The touchscreen is a little more surprising, especially on the Instinct 3 AMOLED. I’m not a huge fan of the touchscreen on my Fenix 7S Pro, and I rarely use it. But it is very useful when it comes to the navigation features. And they did include it on the Forerunner 265, another AMOLED watch at a similar price point. So it’s a bit odd that they didn’t bring it over for the Instinct 3 AMOLED.
And finally, the microphone – and along with it the ability to make voice calls and use a phone’s voice assistant. This is available on the Venu 3 and the newer fenix 8’s. But it’s clear it’s not going to be on all Garmins moving forward. The Instinct is still more of an adventure and sportswatch than a smartwatch – despite getting an AMOLED makeover.
Other Comparisons – What’s Similar to the Instinct 3?
I’ll come back to this in the next week or two and dig a little deeper into the similarities and differences between the Instinct 3 and other Garmin watches.
But at first glance, the most obvious alternative option is the Forerunner.
The Forerunner 265 is very similar to the Instinct 3 AMOLED. The Instinct offers slightly better battery life and a flashlight, along with tactical and golf features. But it doesn’t have the option for music, and there’s no small (42mm) size. The price point is similar.
The Instinct 3 Solar, on the other hand, would probably be comparable to the Forerunner 255. The Instinct offers much better battery life, along with a few additional features. But the FR 255 is much cheaper now that it’s on the way out and frequently available at deep discounts.
What Are Your Thoughts?
So those are my initial thoughts, after having a chance to comb through the specs and read a few other hot takes. This is not intended to be an exhaustive exploration of the topic or a complete comparison of the Garmin Instinct 3 to other, similar watches.
I’ll come back to those later in the next couple of weeks.
Now that you’ve had a chance to see the Instinct 3, what are your thoughts? What surprised you – in a good way or a bad way? Love to hear your thoughts.