So I come from wearing a Casio Solar Atomic (not smartwatch) for over 7 years. At the time of this review I have been wearing the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar (45mm) watch for 11 months. The Casio was a true solar watch and I never replaced the battery, not once in 7 years and when I gave it to a friend after I moved to this watch it still showed full battery. HOWEVER that was NOT a smart watch. There is a point to me bringing that up and it has to do with a previous reviewer. But I will get to that point in a minute.
Comparing the size and weight to that old watch I was quite surprised. I expected this watch to be bigger and heavier. However it was neither. This 45 mm Instinct is about the same size as the old Casio but it is much lighter. The band is silicone which is very flexible and comfortable while still being strong. It has two excess band holders which I thoroughly love! Now I have worn a watch since I was about 6 or 7 and could tell time. I am 43 now so you do the math. It all that time my biggest pet peeve about watches is that excess band sticking out and catching on EVERYTHING! The band would come out of those old holders or it would catch on something. it was just a fact of life. Enter Garmin, they give you two excess band holders. one old style slip and slide that you can slide into any position and one on the end that is same type but adds a notch that fits into the excess band and locks it in place! No more catching it anything! OMG I can't get over such a simple and wonderful feature!!!!
Now for the watch itself. Lets talk battery/solar and then we will get to features. So the face of this watch is a Solar panel. the outer ring takes in 85% of the solar light while the center watch face itself takes in 15%. The battery has a great capacity compared to other smartwatches. Another reviewer stated that she owned a Casio watch exactly as I had and got this watch, now she has to charge it often and her old watch she didn't that makes this watch trash. How wrong that is. Is it possible to use the solar panel to keep the watch charged and never need to plug it in? YES! However that means shutting off every feature that you want this watch for including smartwatch mode. If you used it EXACTLY like the Casio watch and it got the minimum amount of sun every day then yes, you could achieve an infinity battery. However you wouldn't pay this kind of money not to use it right? so lets be realistic here. I'll tell you how I use MY watch and what kind of battery life I see. I use smartwatch mode which includes receiving text messages from my phone and sending canned replies often. I also have the heartrate monitor on 24/7. However I do have the Pulse ox turned off. I had it on constant the first day I received my watch and I watched the battery go from being measured in days/weeks to hours! it said my battery would be dead in less than 24 hours so I turned that feature off! My watch goes on Sleep/do not disturb mode for bedtime each night so I don't receive texts and have it wake me. Also backlight goes to 5% at night. I also use the gps at least once a week sometimes twice for about an hour during walk/hikes. In the summertime I am outside alot and get way more sun than the wintertime so this timeline is during then. I realistically on my settings see a battery life of 26 days on a full charge. However due to gps and everyday usage I on average have to plug it in to charge it every 21 days. ( I charge it at 15% or 2 days left) Now my sister has the Instinct 2 40mm watch size and she uses hers like mine with roughly the same settings and she has to charge hers typically every 14 days. So an additional 7 days and an additional gps time is the difference between the 40mm version and the 45mm version if anyone is curious. So realistically the solar panel is a subsidiary battery charger not meant to charge the whole battery (though it can be used that way if the watch is turned off and placed in the sun all day during when you cannot charge it via power supply). the panel subsides the need for a full battery charge more often. I do believe the non-solar versions battery life are measured in hours or a few days. not the amount that this one gets. So the solar version really is worth it! I have seen in the summertime when I was in the sun alot, I have seen my watch actually charge an extra day or two.
Watchface: Now this watch comes with some chooseable watch faces. However by using a separate program, you can build your very own watchface from the ground up! I love it. I have everything that I want to see at a glance on my watch face. The the rest accessible by sub menus.
Gps is very accurate and tracks everything well. No complaints here. Now I could go into detail about every feature and be here for another 10 pages but I do believe I have hit the most questions asked and the high points of this watch. If you are doing research on this watch then you already know about all the features it has.
In conclusion this watch is now my favorite. it is very comfortable to wear, very usable and just plain wonderful. I have no idea how I have lived life without it. Sad thing is, I now can NEVER go back to a plain old watch like my old Casio.
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This Item  Garmin Instinct 2S Solar, Smaller-Sized GPS Outdoor Watch, Solar Charging Capabilities, Multi-GNSS Support, Tracback Routing, Neo Tropic |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $399.99 | -7% $324.99 List: $349.99 | -20% $279.99 List: $349.99 | -34% $229.99 List: $349.99 | -23% $269.99 List: $349.99 | -26% $297.99 List: $399.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Accuracy | ||||||
| Mobile App | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Touch Screen | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | STC Distributors (Serial # Recorded) | Tech-Boutique | Amazon.com | Tech-Boutique | GPS City |
| size | 40 MM | 45 MM | — | One Size | — | — |
| display size | 1.27 inches | 1.12 inches | 1.27 inches | 1.27 inches | 1.27 inches | 1.27 inches |
| connectivity tech | Bluetooth, USB | Bluetooth, USB | GPS | USB | Bluetooth | GPS |
| supported applications | Elevation Tracker, Distance Tracking, Fitness Tracker, Multisport Tracker, Sleep Monitor | Elevation Tracker, Distance Tracking, Fitness Tracker, Multisport Tracker, Sleep Monitor | Heart Rate Monitor, Sleep Monitor | Heart Rate Monitor, Sleep Monitor | GPS | GPS |
| input interface | buttons | buttons | buttons | buttons | buttons | buttons |
| wireless standard | bluetooth | bluetooth | bluetooth | bluetooth | bluetooth | bluetooth |
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Garmin Instinct 2 Solar Tactical Amazing Fitness Smartwatch!
Juan LaLuz
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Small Wrist - Big Fitness
I have a tiny wrist. This 40mm fits great and looks good - photo doesn’t do it justice. I live in Hawaii, but mainly selected the Surf model because I liked the color (and price). Garmin’s support on YouTube, etc. is way better than other YouTube contributors. It’s so easy to set up and use that I haven’t needed telephone support, but I’m glad it’s available. There’s NO subscription cost even though the connectivity is impressive. There are apps for water, running, sports and much more. I am beginning with walking that includes steps, heart rate, level of effort from easy to fast pace, goals, and tracking progress. I’m going to soon add oxygen level and communications such a texts and calendar reminders. The cost was covered by my Devoted Medicare Advantage benefit.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2024
Color: Instinct 2 Solar (Graphite)Size: 45 MMStyle: Instinct 2 SolarPattern: WatchVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2024
Color: Instinct 2 Solar (Graphite)Size: 45 MMStyle: Instinct 2 SolarPattern: WatchVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
Color: Instinct 2 (Graphite) Non-SolarSize: 45 MMStyle: Instinct 2Pattern: WatchVerified Purchase
I have had the watch for 2 weeks now with zero complaints. It does everything I need in a watch and then some. It does a great job of monitoring heart rate and counting steps, and lots of other things I am still learning, like HRV and pulse ox. There are plenty of faces to choose from, and they are all customizable, so that I can have just the data I want on there. For example, the one I am using shows me time, date, weather, battery, heart rate, and steps. The watch itself is very easy to operate, and very easy to see, indoors or outside in sunlight. Battery life is outstanding. Have not charged it since it's initial charging 2 weeks ago, and it shows still 9 days left, and that is with using GPS on average 45 minutes a day while recording my afternoon walk, and recording my morning workout as well (non-GPS workout). and the app is really great! Very easy to use, and find the information I want to see. I can find connections and challanges from the app, and best of all, I don't have to pay for a premium membership (Like some othe fitness apps) to use all of the features. Garmin figures that owning their products is enough, and hey do not nickle and dime you to death. Thank you Garmin! This is my first Garmin, and I believe I will probbaly be a Garmin guy from now on.
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Increíble reloj
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