a breath of fresh air in outdoor watches garmin instinct

As we all know, in the field of smart sports wearables, Garmin has an extremely broad product line and has always been at the forefront of technology. Whether you are a beginner in sports, a marathon trail enthusiast, or even a hardcore outdoor player, you can find a suitable Garmin product.

Relying on its strong technical reserves, Garmin brings different user experiences with each update and iteration. For example, this year, on the basis of the entry-level Forerunner 235, they launched the more streamlined and lighter Forerunner 235L. Although it is positioned as an entry-level product, it has also been recognized by many core runners. On the basis of the flagship outdoor Fenix 5 series, which integrates the most cutting-edge technology of outdoor sports watches, the Fenix 5P adds functions such as offline music, Garmin Pay, and built-in maps, making the Fenix 5P series more suitable for deep users such as outdoor hiking and adventure. In the context of the mid-range product line where the outdoor Fenix 3 is not price-competitive, they launched an independent product line, the Instinct series, which is powerful in outdoor functions, lightweight, low-priced, and has a very distinctive style.

I was fortunate to get the opportunity to review the new Instinct, so let's take a look at this product.

Unboxing

The outer packaging adopts the consistent style of Garmin's mid-to-high-end products, with some main features marked, such as the signature outdoor ABC technology, battery life, 100 meters waterproof, compliance with US military standards, etc.

The package includes the Instinct watch, a manual, a power cable, and stickers. The manual is not very detailed, and some functions need to be explored slowly by oneself.

Unique and distinctive appearance

In stark contrast to the appearance of the Fenix 5S, the Instinct looks more rugged and tough, better blending with outdoor environments. This time, three colors were launched: black, white, and red, with red being another breakthrough in appearance for Garmin.

The case material uses fiber-reinforced polymer, which is lightweight, durable, and corrosion-resistant, with an overall weight of about 52g. The 45mm dial size is just right, slightly larger than the 5S but smaller than the 5X. The soft 22mm silicone strap feels good, with a dual-loop design and a positioning clasp. It is compatible with quick-release straps but needs to be purchased separately, not included as standard. The case design is different from the previous rounded designs, with angular shapes on the right side adding a robust element to the Instinct.

The screen is a monochrome semi-transflective display (MIP) with dual windows, which performs well even under direct sunlight. However, the resolution of 128*128 pixels is slightly insufficient and not a mainstream color screen. The actual display part of the screen is polygonal, with the upper right corner occupied by a small circular screen. The dual screens interact well during actual operation.

The back remains very flat, with the Elevate™ wrist-based optical heart rate monitoring technology, capable of 24/7 continuous heart rate monitoring, which is currently a relatively accurate and simple way to monitor body indicators. One side has a barometric altimeter vent, and the other side has a charging port, which can share a cable with the Fenix 5 series.

Button operation

The number and arrangement of buttons remain the usual left three and right two, but each large plastic button has two defined functions, long press and short press, which can achieve different operations. If you have used Garmin watches before, the learning curve will be shorter, and proficient operation is not complicated.

• A short press of LIGHT turns on the backlight, and the brightness can be adjusted in the control menu, with the option to enable wrist-raise to light up the screen.

• A long press of LIGHT brings up the control menu.

• A short press of GPS confirms or views the activity list.

• A long press of GPS sets and saves coordinates.

• A short press of BACK returns to the previous page.

• A long press of BACK views the time menu.

• A short press of DOWN scrolls down.

• A long press of DOWN brings up the ABC interface for quick outdoor environment checks.

• A short press of UP scrolls up.

• A long press of UP brings up the page menu, where you can choose from a dozen watch faces to switch.

Through the above simple description, I believe you already have a preliminary understanding of the Instinct. Let's further explore it.

Robust outdoor functions

The Instinct is more positioned to meet the requirements of outdoor environments. For example, Garmin's expertise in satellite positioning supports the four major satellite positioning systems: US GPS, Russian GLONASS, European GALILEO, and Chinese BeiDou. The Instinct also supports route waypoints and return records, allowing you to import existing track routes into the watch. These functions may seem insignificant in daily life, but they are very practical for users who frequently engage in outdoor activities, ensuring safety and providing protection for adventure trips.

Garmin applies its long-standing ABC design expertise to the Instinct, with an independent ABC button for Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass. By combining barometric altitude data with GPS, it accurately analyzes the current environment, quickly responds to environmental changes, and accurately identifies directions in complex environments. Outdoor adventure enthusiasts pay close attention to these features. Although the principles are simple, they are among the most effective tools for outdoor sports. The calculation of path distance uses 3D speed and distance, providing a more realistic feedback of actual mileage and speed during exercise compared to devices that rely solely on GPS signals. Ordinary GPS watches and phones calculate moving distance as horizontal projection distance and speed.

Designed and manufactured to US military standard 810G, the standard includes many items. For outdoor watches, relevant test standards include: 122cm multi-directional drop without damage, 10ATM equivalent to 100 meters waterproof, 24-hour salt spray without corrosion, and tracking and navigation in environments from -20°C to 60°C. Although it is stated as such, the brutal product testing phase is still up to you; I'll just watch.

Charging and battery life

Battery life seems to be a pain point that major smart sports watches are reluctant to discuss. Long-distance outdoor activities always come with a sense of crisis due to battery limitations. The Instinct's monochrome screen seems to save more power, with an overall battery life of 14 days (with GPS and heart rate monitoring off), about 14 hours in GPS sports mode (with GPS and heart rate monitoring on), and about 35 hours in UltraTrac mode. This performance is comparable to my Fenix 5S. It is not a problem for marathons or 50KM trail runs, but the battery is insufficient for trails over 100KM. Charging is quite fast, taking about 1 hour and 20 minutes to go from 0 to 100%.

Others

Based on the above function descriptions, the Instinct seems more like a pure outdoor watch. However, it also supports more than 20 sports recognition modes, including running, trail running, pool swimming, open water swimming, cycling, skiing, fitness, yoga, tactical training, and more. It also supports connecting to Garmin inReach (satellite communication) devices, heart rate belts, VIRB cameras, speed/cadence cycling devices, etc. For me, many of these have not been tried, but the usage frequency for mountaineering, running, and trail running is quite high. However, it does not support measuring Vo2MAX, which is puzzling. Since it includes basic sports like running, trail running, and swimming, why not add this feature?

Some daily tools are very practical and convenient, such as smart notifications. Through the phone network, it pushes information like WeChat, call alerts, weather, etc., to the watch for easy viewing. It monitors various daily data such as steps, distance, calories, sleep monitoring, sedentary reminders, sunrise and sunset times, etc. For modern people's phone dependency, the Instinct also has a phone-finding function.

Sports and APP experience

For users who have used Garmin Connect sports equipment and data management platform for two years, the experience feels scientific, smooth, and complete. There are very few complaints from Garmin watch users. First-time users can download it by scanning a QR code and follow the prompts. Old users can add the Instinct watch in the APP, requiring a lot of basic information. This personalized information helps Garmin Instinct accurately analyze daily and post-exercise conditions based on personal circumstances. It can also connect to popular APP platforms like Codoon, Joyrun, and Migu Run, which is very considerate for those accustomed to these sports social platforms and want to continue retaining their sports data. However, the Instinct does not support Connect IQ, Garmin Pay, music storage, and playback functions, which are left to the higher-level Fenix 5.

Experiencing a few common sports projects, Garmin's satellite positioning system is indeed very powerful. Choosing the GPS+BeiDou mode, the first positioning takes about ten seconds, and subsequent uses in outdoor environments are almost instant.

Running

The interface contains comprehensive information, including heart rate, pace, distance, time, calories, etc. The small screen switches to real-time heart rate after GPS positioning is successful, making it convenient to observe real-time heart rate without flipping pages. There is also a metronome in the running settings that beeps and vibrates once per second. In the training options, my training and training schedule need to be downloaded through the APP.

The synchronization process after exercise is fast and complete. Comparing the tracks of the Instinct and Fenix 5S, the accuracy is quite good, with no significant drift between buildings. Over a distance of about 15KM, the difference between the two is less than 100 meters. The APP provides more data for analysis, such as step frequency, step length, and heart rate zones, which are valuable for road runners. For example, after not running for a week, this run felt very strenuous, with a high heart rate. We can adjust the speed appropriately based on the heart rate value to achieve better training results.

Trail running and mountaineering

For these two sports, it is recommended to enable 3D distance and 3D speed to provide more accurate data. The interface will show ascent, descent, real-time altitude, vertical speed, coordinates, tracks, etc. Trackback is also essential, providing crucial reference information at critical moments. This requires higher GPS accuracy, and Garmin has further improved GPS signal stability through continuous system upgrades, compared to the past. During any exercise recording, you can long-press the DOWN button to bring up the ABC function at any time.

Summary

Advantages

1. Unique appearance, lightweight.

2. Fast satellite search speed, supporting four major global satellite positioning systems, accurate positioning.

3. Outdoor ABC technology, accurately analyzing the current environment.

4. 3D distance and 3D speed, more accurate vertical ascent and descent speeds.

5. Designed and manufactured to US military standard 810G, with stronger heat resistance, shock resistance, and waterproof performance.

Disadvantages

1. The screen resolution is not high, not a mainstream color screen.

2. Does not support measuring Vo2MAX.

3. Interface switching speed can be further optimized.

Overall, the Instinct is a mid-range smart watch focused on outdoor activities. Its rugged appearance does not lose fashion, making it suitable for both jungle adventures and urban life. It meets the needs of various sports enthusiasts and is a highly cost-effective outdoor smart watch worth recommending.