Garmin Instinct 2S Solar Rugged GPS Smartwatch

I've been using the Garmin Instinct 2X SOLAR for a few months now, and it has exceeded my expectations in every way. This rugged GPS smartwatch is an absolute beast, designed to withstand the toughest conditions while offering a comprehensive suite of features that make it indispensable for anyone who loves the outdoors.**Durability:** The ultratough design is no joke. I've taken it hiking, biking, and even through some pretty rough terrain, and it’s held up without a scratch. The large, rugged build feels solid and reliable, perfect for those who need a watch that can handle the elements.**Solar Charging:** The solar charging feature is a game-changer. Even with heavy use, I rarely need to charge it manually. Just being outdoors keeps the battery going, which is incredibly convenient, especially on long trips where access to power might be limited.**Built-in Sports Apps:** The variety of sports apps built into this watch is impressive. Whether you're running, swimming, cycling, or hiking, there's an app tailored for it. The GPS is accurate and responsive, making it easy to track your activities in real time. Plus, the detailed analytics help you monitor your progress and improve your performance.**Health Monitoring:** The health monitoring features are comprehensive and easy to use. Heart rate, sleep tracking, stress levels—everything you need to keep an eye on your overall well-being is right there on your wrist. The insights are clear and actionable, helping me stay on top of my health goals.**Design:** The Graphite color is sleek and stylish, yet still maintains that rugged look. It’s not just a functional device; it also looks good on your wrist, whether you're on a mountain trail or in a meeting.Overall, the Garmin Instinct 2X SOLAR is an exceptional smartwatch that combines toughness with top-notch functionality. If you're an outdoor enthusiast or just someone who needs a reliable, feature-packed watch, I highly recommend giving this one a go. It’s worth every penny!

OK, full disclosure, I really like this watch. No, REALLY like it. I have now bought 4!These ranged from the first incarnation, through the Instinct 2 solar (I have large wrists) and 2 of the smaller 2S for my wife and son.I am not going to go through the myriad of features and functions - there are a host of other places that can give you that info.What does this give you that you didn't get before?Sleep profile : We all have busy lives and understanding how good (or poor) your sleep was really helps plan your activities - if you are training for an event, knowing that you didn't sleep particularly well can help avoid injuries; or maybe not staying out later than you should? If you don't sleep well, this really helps show how changing your routine can help (or hinder) it.Body Battery : Yes, this is closely linked to the sleep profile, but understanding how drained your body gets is incredibly useful. I am working on doing longer stints on the rowing machine and working out when I can push and when I need to take it easy really helps me avoid getting over-tired which is when you are most likely to have an injury.Battery life : 3 weeks, yup. And that is without the solar option - which is great, but only for the larger watch faces as there is a larger surface area for the solar receptors. I mean - what is the point of having a watch like this, but it runs out of juice in a few days?Activity monitor : It doesn't matter what activity you do, but the likelihood is that this watch will give you the ability to monitor it. Just to let you know though, the use of activity monitors does significantly reduce the battery life. As a guide, I use about an hours monitor every day and this reduces the battery by about 40% This is totally impractical with other watches (you'd spend your life recharging it!), but with the Instinct battery life, it is not a problem.Sat Nav : Garmin's positioning is excellent, so if you are keen on recording how far you go on cycling, walking or running sessions then this is truly superb.Practicality : Being able to wear the watch all the time (apart from the occasional recharge) is really excellent. The strap has lots of holes, so sweat and water tends to disapate easier than full covered straps. Some might consider that that a lack of touch screen is a downside; but I am not convinced. A watch is not really large enough for that to be practical.Net result; you do need to learn the buttons, but it is pretty obvious and shouldn't take too long. You can adjust the watch face to fit in with your presonal preferences. Another warning; some of the faces do drain the battery faster than normal.So, great battery life, super activity options, a good price and it helps understand your physical wellbeing. What is not to love?

I've been watching this since it first came out, and took the plunge when it was discounted on prime day. I've used a Forerunner 45 for a couple of years to track my two or three runs a week, and the odd walk/cycle, but wanted something that could fill in the other Smartwatch gaps - especially NFC - ideally without the typical Smartwatch battery life issues.Boy does this fit the bill. I charged it last Thursday at midday, and have been wearing it for three and a half days since. I've done a 13km run, used the compass and other gadgets, paid for stuff whilst out and the battery is currently at 22 days. The weather has been rubbish too - I can imagine a decent UK summer would have given even better performance.It was trivial to set up, is only marginally larger than my old Forerunner and no heavier at all. I can use it to track my sleep, just like I did with the Forerunner, and because it's a bit higher spec, Garmin are pushing fun extra features to it - Morning Report and Training Readiness are apparently on the way in the next update.It's generally much better equipped than the Forerunner, and has a bunch of extra gizmos that I'm unlikely to use, but really quite enjoy having. I've been able to set it up pretty much fine for running - I think a few widgets are missing from the Forerunner, like how far you've run in a given week, but I've been able to add something similar using Connect IQ, which is like Garmin marketplace. It's monochrome only - but I never really felt that the Forerunner needed the faint colour splashes it had, and I'm happy to trade that for all the other benefits.GPS hooked up a treat when I took it out for my run - much quicker than the old watch - and I have all the same screens available, plus a bunch of other on-watch features (Navigation, find my car, back track) which I can actually see will be really useful. The strap is comfortable and has masses of adjustment - I've barely noticed it's there for long periods today.I was particularly excited to try out NFC - GarminPay have a limited range of supported banks, but they include Starling, Revolut and Curve. I set up an account and synced it to the watch all in about 15 mins whilst sitting on my sofa, and the following day used the Instinct 2 to pay for stuff. This and the battery life will mean that I can use the watch as my daily when heading in to the office, which neither my Forerunner nor my expensive Fossil watch allowed me to do before (Fossil has NFC, but roughly a 10 hour battery life).It's early days but this is looking like one of the best purchases I've made in ages. Zero regrets to date, strongly recommended!

I bought this as a replacement for my pocket barometer. Battery life was the primary consideration, as what I had been using was powered by non-rechargable coin-cells, and the constant need to unscrew and reseal the battery compartment every 4-6 weeks ended up wrecking its water-seal. The Instinct 2X is a superb replacement, as it self-calibrates both altitude and time via GPS/GLONASS, and its rechargable battery is permanently encased, meaning the watch does not need to be taken apart. It has had one full USB charge in the month I have had it, with the sun keeping it going otherwise.Of the three sizes available, the largest "X" model was the best choice - the e-ink screen is large enough to read clearly, but not so big that is appears grotesque on the wrist. Also the extra circumference means that the five buttons are well-separated and easy to press individually, without accidentally hitting more than one at a time. Some of the hot-key combinations are set up as simultaneous presses, but so far I have not needed them. The flame red case and strap looks good, and isn't garish or too in-your-face.The charging socket on the back of the watch is something I've never seen on anything before, but connects easily to the cable that came with it. I have been able to charge the watch with it, and assume that it allows data-transfer as well, but since the other end is USB-C, I haven't been able to connect it to my USB-A laptop as no other cable or adaptor was supplied.I've been using the watch stand-alone, without any of the Garmin apps, and it's completely functional. As far as I can tell, the apps give a bit of extra customisation, as well as the ability to analyse data offline, and at no stage did it feel like I was missing anything vital.There are no instructions in the box that were of any use at all, just a small flimsy sheet with some pictographs and arrows pointing to the watch-face drawing, none of which I could interpret. Knowing now what the main functions are I was able to go back and retrospectively infer what they mean, but it was useless for actually setting the thing up. Simply playing about with it and learning blind got me about half-way, but I would have been completely at sea without the 100+ page PDF manual I downloaded from Garmin's website. This watch has a lot of functionality, and I wouldn't have been able to decypher more than a fraction of it without it. It really should have come with the watch.The "English" language option that you select during setup is actually American, so be prepared for a few cultural imbalances if you're in the UK like me. "Meters" as a unit of distance is an annoyance, but I had been walking around for a week before I realised that it had mis-interpreted my 11st 3lb weight as 113lbs when I'd entered it.Rising/setting times for the sun and moon dynamically update whilst you are on the move. There is a slight discrepancy between the watch and online tables/calculators and apps, but never more than 1-3 minutes for each displayed time.In summary, it does what I need, and a lot more besides. 4.5/5 Highly recommended.

My Garmin has exceeded my expectations. I wanted a watch to start tracking my metrics, this watch has everything you will ever need out of the box. I also subscribed to Garmin connect, small fee and got way more extra options.. Ive had the watch for 3 weeks and not needed to charge it yet. The size at 50 mm is perfect even though I have a smaller wrist. The watch itself is lightweight so it doesn't weight me down when I'm training. With the bigger screen size it's easy to read when running and in everyday life. It's super easy to connect with your phone and means with Google pay built in I don't have to carry my wallet with me when out training. When synced with your phone it can have all your notifications enabled, everything from calls to messages and emails. I haven't put music on it yet but it's seems like an easy set up process.The tactical version looks stealth on the wrist, it feel strong even thought lightweight.

My first venture into smart watches, never been interested before, I initially looked at some of the lesser brands due to price but couldn’t place my trust in them , I have a galaxy phone so studied the samsung watches very tempted but couldn’t handle the 1 day battery life .Attention then went on Garmin but put off by the prices and although I initially I wanted a colour display once the this chrome only display rugged Casio g shock imitating watch came to my attention at the perfect price on Amazon I was soon sold.5 double function buttons which equates to 10 meaning no need for touching screen.This watch has plenty of smarts despite the humble appearance, I love the hot buttons for short cuts such as access to radio controls, I clean windows so like my radio so when a customer approaches 2 clicksand I mute the volume.When I Start a walk or bike ride it’s 2/3 clicks to record time and distance.Set up takes time to get it just right and lots of button pressing - learning which can be a tad frustrating but give it the time it needs,DO NOT Send it back, this is an outstanding watch in which I get 19 days battery life with minimal charging time when it eventually gets low.Watch looks/ feels great I have bought some click on straps as the one fitted was heavy and dull tho top quality as you would expect.Sleep features on watches bring different thoughts from reviewers but I think it’s mostly accurate and I like the morning report it gives me.The app is fine for me. The blue tooth range is excellent meaning I can leave phone downstairs and while upstairs I will receive all notifications of emails and WhatsApp and missed callsThis watch may well appeal to younger ones with better eyes than my 46 year old ones , i do struggle a bit so as I said not for everybody, some may well be better off with the next affordable colour display .The rugged nature of the watch means I can not worry too much when at work or football, I did buy the black little cover to protect it which is good but haven’t bothered with screen protectors tho I would have other watch but the screen lays deep in to the watch.I definitely recommend Garmin on a company who create lots of watches for lots of different needs, even wagon drivers can buy a version of this for their needs, amazing.It’s great how it doesn’t look or drain battery like a smartwatch but smart it definitely is in every sense of the word.

The Garmin Instinct 2X Solar Tactical is a fantastic military styled rugged smartwatch that has pretty much everything you look for in this type of device, but with a utilitarian look that appeals to me. I like the memory in pixel display of the second generation Instinct as opposed to the current gen Amoled models. This does everything the higher end Garmin models do, with a couple of minor exceptions, for hundreds of pounds less in price point. I wear mine 24/7 and it takes a battering at work everyday with hardly a blemish to the hardwearing (yet lightweight) casing. For a big(ish) watch it weights next to nothing, so is comfortable on for extended periods. Monitors every type of fitness activity too, as well as sleep quality, and is relatively easy to use with practice, and has an excellent battery life (top up able with solar exposure).Does the business. Looks the business. Worth the investment.

After so many expensive smart watches I was fed up of the 1-day battery life only after disabling every useful feature possible and just stopped wearing them in favour of more simple digital watches and my favourite Suunto X-Lander.I came across the Garmin Instinct 2 as a cheap smart watch option with all the features. I originally looked at the Solar version but as it's winter in the UK and I mostly wear long sleeves even in the summer, I couldn't justify the extra £60. I haven't been disappointed. I get 30-days on one charge (no GPS) and with only a 2hr recharge, it's pretty much always on my wrist.I actually love the basic mono screen, which works best with light on dark watch faces, and that it's controlled entirely from buttons (no fingerprints to wipe from the screen). It took no time to work out what the buttons do and how to navigate the options. And if that's too awkward, the Garmin Connect app allows you to configure every aspect of the watch.I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of activity options the watch can track, each with it's own customisable screens and data tracking. In particular, with the golf activity linked with the Connect Golf app, it does exactly the same as the golf version Garmin Approach S12 watch.Even without the activity tracking it's an amazing every day watch. It's the ideal size for my largish wrist, it looks smart, it's water resistant, it has built-in sensors for altitude, barometer, compass (as good as my Suunto) as well as temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen, steps; then the added GPS tracking and notifications all make this perfect for my needs.

Pas le dernier modèle mais fait tout ce dont j’ai besoin, charge rapide, resistante, look sympa par rapport aux autres montres orientées running. Pratique pour tous les sport outdoors.

Très bon produit ! Facile à utiliser et paramétrer. Les données sont juste. Bien utile en rando ou autres. Beaucoup de militaires en ont...

Finalmente una Smartwatch, o meglio, sportwatch, con grande autonomia!Con uso intenso e svariate funzioni attive, grazie alla ricarica solare, garantisce comunque molti giorni di autonomia. Faccio ciclismo e pesistica, e da quando mi è arrivato 7 giorni fa, è ancora con la 50% di carica residua, nonostante non stia prendendo molto sole.Utilizzato come orologio "normale" l'autonomia diventa quasi infinita, perché ciò che consuma davvero è il GPS. Ottimi i sensori, vengo da diversi amazfit, e questo è decisamente superiore non perde mai il battito cardiaco. C'è anche la modalità multisport per passare da uno sport all'altro senza interrompere la registrazione. Inoltre l'applicazione Garmin è davvero completissima, ci vogliono 2 giorni per imparare tutte le funzioni/potenzialità.Lo uso anche in doccia e al mare, no problem.

Bin von Polar Grit X auf Garmin instinct 2 Solar umgestiegen. Und bereue es nicht. Optik muss jeder für sich selbst entscheiden. Aber Funktion, Tragekomfort und Laufzeit für mich perfekt. Nutze sie zum Mountainbiken, Fitnessstudio und tagsüber als "normale" Uhr. Über die "Überwachung" des Schlafes kann ich nichts sagen, denn nachts ne Uhr um ist dann für mich doch nervig.

perfect. very nice and original watch