The Garmin Instinct 3 is a rugged, feature-packed smartwatch designed for outdoor enthusiasts and fitness aficionados who need durability, long battery life, and advanced sports tracking capabilities. Building upon the success of its predecessors, this latest iteration introduces an AMOLED display option, improved GPS technology, and a few other changes. While it maintains the signature rugged design that outdoor enthusiasts have come to expect from the Instinct series, does this new iteration deliver enough improvements to justify an upgrade or win over new users? Let’s explore the answer to this question in this review:
Garmin Instinct 3 comes in a gray cardboard box
Open the box to find an inner black container with the Instinct 3 inside. As you can see in my picture, the display is protected by a removable sticker, highlighting how its default watch face looks.
The Garmin Instinct 3 is hidden in an inner container
When you take everything out, you find very few items: the watch, its USB Type-C charging cable, the user manual, and some leaflets with product and safety information. As you can see, I’m testing the black version of this smartwatch.
Alongside the smartwatch, you get its charging cable
The unboxing experience for the Garmin Instinct 3 is very straightforward and rather fitting for its intended audience: outdoor enthusiasts, mostly men. The company provides only the basics you need, no extras. However, when you set up the smartwatch and connect it to your Garmin account, you should get a discount code in your inbox, allowing you to purchase watch bands at a lower price.
The color options for Garmin Instinct 3
Image source: Garmin
In some regions, the Solar edition is also available in Orange or Solstice, as Garmin calls it. 🙂 However, this is a limited edition, and few people can purchase it. Like all other Solar editions of Garmin smartwatches, the Instinct 3 Solar features a monochrome, sunlight-visible, transflective, memory-in-pixel (MIP) display.
Do you like the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar in orange?
Image source: Garmin
As its name implies, the AMOLED edition features an always-on AMOLED display, which looks great but doesn’t help with battery life, especially if you leave it always on. None of these versions have a touchscreen.
I’m testing the black AMOLED 45mm version of the Garmin Instinct 3. This one is 45 x 45 x 14.9 mm or 1.77 x 1.77 x 0.59 inches in size. The strap is made from silicone, the case is made from fiber-reinforced polymer, and the bezel is made from a mix of fiber-reinforced polymer and aluminum. Even though the smartwatch isn’t small, the materials it’s made from are very light. Therefore, the 45 mm version of the Garmin Instinct 3 weighs just 53 grams or 1.87 ounces. On the left side, there are three buttons. Notice the labels above them to figure out what they do. The display has a resolution of 390 x 390 pixels and a size of 1.2 inches or 30 mm.
I'm using the Garmin Instinct 3 45mm AMOLED
On the right side, there are two more buttons. Again, pay attention to their labels and also read the user manual. Since the display doesn’t have touchscreen capabilities, you will interact with the Garmin Instinct 3 by using these five buttons. Knowing what the buttons do is important so that you don’t mess up your activity tracking, delete workouts instead of saving them, and so on.
On the right side, you have two buttons
On the top side of the Garmin Instinct 3, you also find a LED flashlight that you can use at night and in environments with dim light.
Garmin Instinct 3 also includes a flashlight
On the back of the smartwatch, you find the Garmin Elevate version 4 heart rate monitor (which features blood oxygen saturation tracking) alongside the charging port. The watch also has multi-band GPS powered by the company’s SatIQ technology, a barometric altimeter, a compass, a gyroscope, an accelerator, and a thermometer.
Instinct 3 has the Garmin Elevate version 4 heart rate monitor
As you can see in my pictures, this watch has a very rugged design and look. It’s a masculine device, and probably, not many women will appreciate its design. However, this rugged look is not just for show. Garmin Instinct 3 also has a 10 ATM water resistance rating and can function in temperatures ranging between -20º to 60ºC (-4º to 140ºF).
Garmin Instinct 3 has 10 ATM water resistance
Unfortunately, Garmin doesn’t communicate the battery capacity of their smartwatches. However, the company promises up to 18 days of autonomy for the 45mm AMOLED version without the display always on. If you set it to always-on, the battery life lowers to 7 days on a single charge. You also get up to 32 hours of GPS tracking on a single charge. All these are excellent numbers, and I look forward to evaluating the battery life later in this review.
Garmin Instinct 3 features Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity but lacks Wi-Fi. This means that getting updates and apps delivered to it takes a longer time. However, it does offer 4 GB of storage space. This should be enough to add several apps from Garmin’s Connect IQ store.
The watch is compatible with standard, 22-mm-wide, quick-release bands. However, taking them out and replacing them is not as easy as it is on other smartwatches because of the very large bezel. On the upside, you can buy straps from Garmin’s store and third parties.
Garmin Instinct 3 uses 22-mm-wide, quick-release bands
From a specifications standpoint, the Garmin Instinct 3 is an interesting smartwatch. While it includes useful upgrades like an AMOLED display, a flashlight, an aluminum reinforced bezel, and improved GPS tracking, it also has an older generation Garmin Elevate version 4 heart rate monitor, which is disappointing. While its rugged design and light weight make it ideal for outdoor activities, people who want a smaller, more elegant smartwatch will likely shy away. If you want to geek out reading more technical specifications and a detailed list of all its features, visit this page: Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED.
Setting up the Garmin Instinct 3 isn't difficult
When you’re done setting up the basics, you’re asked to set up additional features like Garmin Pay, Safety, and PacePro. For those who don’t know, PacePro is a feature designed for people participating in sports competitions that offers dynamic pace guidance based on elevation and personal pacing preferences. However, this step is not mandatory, and you can get to it later.
You should also set up these features
The Garmin Connect app is very data-driven and filled with detailed reports for each of the data sets tracked by Instinct 3. The app is split into tabs, as shown in the screenshot below, and the health data is displayed using tiles. You can enable the stats that interest you, turn off those that don’t, and change their order and size as you see fit.
Garmin Connect provides you with tons of data
Using the smartwatch itself isn’t difficult if you spend time learning what its buttons do. I found that they register reliably when you push them. However, remember that buttons can be pressed once to perform one action, twice to perform another, or pressed and held for another action. Things can get complicated, especially for people new to Garmin’s ecosystem. And even for those familiar with it, like myself, navigating the smartwatch isn’t as fast as it is when using a similar device with a touchscreen.
Another downside to using a smartwatch without a touchscreen is the Garmin Pay experience. While you can add credit and debit cards for NFC payments, using them is a pain when you’re requested to enter their PIN code and approve a payment. Pressing the buttons on the watch to enter the four digits of your PIN is a slow, frustrating process.
It's difficult to make NFC payments with the Garmin Instinct 3
Garmin Instinct 3 doesn’t have a speaker or a microphone, so you can’t use it to take calls on your watch or listen to music. You can only accept and reject calls, and if you accept them, the conversation takes place on your smartphone. You can also reject calls using predefined text messages.
You can accept and reject calls or send predefined text messages
The Garmin Instinct 3 has only two preinstalled watch faces. While they look good, some people prefer having more options. Luckily, you can open the Connect IQ app store and find more watch faces, both free and paid. However, when it comes to apps, Garmin doesn’t offer a rich ecosystem like the smartwatches from Apple, Samsung, or Google do. And the few apps you can install on the Garmin Instinct 3 aren’t that comfortable to use without a touchscreen. Therefore, if you want a better app experience and you like Garmin devices, I recommend buying a smartwatch with a touchscreen like the Venu 3 or the Fenix 8 that I reviewed last year.
You can get more watch faces from Connect IQ
If I were to pick the biggest strength of the Garmin Instinct 3, I would choose battery life. The 45mm AMOLED version I’m using is supposed to last up to 18 days on a single charge and 7 days if you set the display to be turned on at all times. In my experience, Garmin Instinct 3 lasted fifteen days on a single charge. During this time, I tracked twelve indoor cycling activities, twelve walking sessions (with GPS turned on), and one short hiking session. I also had PulseOX blood oxygen tracking turned on during sleep.
For those who want to know how fast the Garmin Instinct 3 charges, the battery went from 1% to 100% in 113 minutes while using my Samsung smartphone charger. In 30 minutes, it went from 1% to 29%. The charging speed is slower than the ones I measured on other Garmin watches, but it’s still decent. Considering how long the battery lasts on this model, the charging speed shouldn’t be an annoyance.
How fast the Garmin Instinct 3 charges
To finalize this review, I wore the Garmin Instinct 3 for three weeks, both day and night, and tracked several activities. During this time, I appreciated its light weight, which contrasts with its rugged look. My skin didn’t chafe, and I found it relatively comfortable to wear even during sleep. While I missed having a touchscreen, I did get used to navigating the Garmin Instinct 3 using its buttons. The best part of my experience is the battery life, which outmatched any other AMOLED smartwatch I’ve used so far.
If you've enjoyed the information I provided so far and want to know how good Garmin Instinct 3 is at tracking your health and sports activities, go to the second page and continue reading this review.🙂
The stats measured by the Health Snapshot
Due to its size, some users may consider the Garmin Instinct 3 uncomfortable to wear during sleep. Luckily, its light weight helps your body get used to it, so you can use it to track your sleep. Here’s what features you get:
The Sleep Coach can be useful
The Garmin Instinct 3 also monitors your respiratory rate during sleep and throughout the day and uses it as an indicator for evaluating your physical fitness.
Garmin Instinct 3 also keeps an eye on your respiratory rate
People with very busy schedules may appreciate the continuous Stress evaluation by Garmin Instinct 3. If the smartwatch detects that you are too stressed, it recommends breathing exercises and gives you advice on how to get better rest at the end of a difficult day. You also get a daily report with an overall stress score and suggestions for what to do next.
How stressed are you during a normal day?
People who like to exercise regularly will appreciate Garmin’s Body Battery energy monitoring. It uses the data gathered from sleep monitoring to evaluate your energy level when you wake up, and then it adjusts it based on how much you exercise, how much you rest, and how stressed you are during the day. I regularly checked the Body Battery metrics and found the reports matched how I felt at the end of the day. I also found them useful for improving my exercise schedule.
Body Battery statistics
Even though this device is likely to be appreciated more by men and less by women, the Garmin Instinct 3 also features women’s health tracking. This smartwatch can monitor menstrual cycles and pregnancy and offer exercise and nutrition education that’s adjusted based on the data it collects.
Although it doesn’t use the latest sensors, the Garmin Instinct 3 does a good job of tracking your health and helping you maintain and improve it. Its health tracking features can help you manage and enhance your well-being, especially when you follow Garmin's advice and engage in regular physical activities.
Steps counting has a few bugs on the Garmin Instinct 3
Garmin Instinct 3 is a smartwatch for active people who need a durable device, so it’s not surprising that it provides users with 92 activity profiles for tracking, with many outdoor activities like triathlon, running, hiking, climbing, open water swimming, kayaking, snowboarding, skiing, football, and rugby.
Garmin Instinct 3 has 91 activity profiles for sports tracking
Outdoor enthusiasts, however, will be disappointed by the lack of maps. You can’t download maps to your Garmin Instinct 3, and you don’t get access to features like ClimbPro, which are found on more expensive models like the Garmin Fenix 8.
I’m guessing this is a cost-cutting measure so the company can offer the device for a more affordable price. However, some people in its intended audience may feel disappointed by this design choice and will be happier with an older Fenix 7, which has become less expensive after the launch of the Fenix 8.
Garmin Instinct 3 doesn't offer maps
During my testing, I’ve tracked several walks and one hiking session. As expected from Garmin, I was pleased by the precision of the GPS tracking. Garmin’s SatIQ technology works great in most conditions, especially outdoors. As expected, for each workout, you get access to tons of data about your heart rate, effort levels, pacing, etc. Sports enthusiasts will be pleased by the detailed information they receive and the fact that they can connect other devices to their Instinct 3 using the ANT+ protocol.
GPS tracking is excellent, especially when outdoors
Another great feature is Garmin Coach Plans, which gives you access to an excellent collection of workouts for different sports and objectives you may have. They’re well-designed and also included in the price of the Garmin Instinct 3. You don’t have to pay for a subscription, like you do with similar products from other brands.
You don't have to pay extra for Gamin's Coach Plans
Except for the bug I encountered with the step-counting feature, I was pleased with my sports tracking experience using Garmin Instinct 3. Even though it doesn’t have all the features of the more expensive adventure smartwatches from Garmin, the Instinct 3 is a competent sports tracker that offers its users plenty of useful data.
Garmin Instinct 3: Who is it good for?
This smartwatch is a great choice for:- Outdoor enthusiasts who need a rugged, durable smartwatch
- People who want a smartwatch with outstanding battery life
- Those who own other health and fitness equipment that can be connected using ANT+
Pros and cons
Here are the things I like about the Garmin Instinct 3:- Large, bright AMOLED display
- Battery life is the best I’ve had with an AMOLED smartwatch
- It's surprisingly lightweight and comfortable to wear
- Excellent sports tracking and coaching tools
- Rugged design with 10 ATM water resistance
- Doesn’t have a touchscreen
- Equipped with the older Garmin Elevate v4 heart rate monitor
- Steps counting has some bugs
- Lacks full map functionality
Verdict
The Garmin Instinct 3 is a robust smartwatch designed for adventurers who prioritize durability, excellent battery life, and reliable GPS tracking over modern conveniences. While its button-based navigation and lack of touchscreen may feel frustrating to some, it appeals to those who prefer a more tactile, straightforward interface, especially in challenging environments where touchscreens are less reliable. Think about trail runners who need reliable controls in wet conditions or adventurers who need to use their smartwatch with gloved hands. While it doesn't have Garmin's latest heart rate monitor, the Instinct 3 benefits from the company’s latest software features, offering a mostly satisfying user experience. However, some adventurers may dislike this smartwatch's lack of maps. If you don’t need them, Garmin Instinct 3 is an appealing choice for tracking your health and fitness while exploring the great outdoors.Unboxing the Garmin Instinct 3
Garmin Instinct 3 is a rugged smartwatch for outdoor enthusiasts that is available in two sizes: 45mm and 50mm. Its packaging is the same as the one for all other Garmin smartwatches: a gray cardboard box featuring a picture of the watch, its model name, size, and key characteristics.Design and hardware specifications
Like many Garmin products, the Instinct 3 is available in several versions, sizes, and colors. We have an AMOLED edition and a Solar one. Both of them can be 45mm or 50mm in size. The AMOLED edition is available in two colors (Black and Neo Tropic), while the Solar edition is available in Black and Twilight.Setting up and using the Garmin Instinct 3
Before pairing your Garmin Instinct 3 with your smartphone, install the Garmin Connect app and connect with a Garmin account. The setup process is the same for all of the company’s smartwatches, and it involves setting your sleep schedule, editing your goals, and going through a tutorial for learning how to navigate the smartwatch. I highly recommend that you pay attention to these tutorials because Instinct 3 doesn’t have a touchscreen, and it takes a while to understand how all the buttons work and what they do.Health tracking with the Garmin Instinct 3
Even though the Garmin Instinct 3 doesn’t benefit from the company’s latest heart rate tracking sensor, it does benefit from the newest software, and the overall health-tracking experience is satisfactory.- Heart rate - Instinct 3 constantly monitors your heart rate and gives you a detailed timeline. You can also see weekly, monthly, and yearly averages. I compared its heart rate reading with the one provided by a medical blood pressure monitor I’ve purchased recently. In the two readings I’ve taken, the heart rate reported by the Garmin Instinct 3 was not identical to the blood pressure monitor. However, it was very close, reporting values like 71 bpm instead of 73 or 69 bpm instead of 71 or 72.
- HRV (Heart rate variability) - Garmin Instinct 3 also analyzes the heart rate readings during sleep to determine your HRV. A balanced HRV indicates good health, with a good training and recovery balance, better cardiovascular fitness, and resilience to stress. An unbalanced HRV may indicate fatigue, increased stress, and unmet body recovery needs. For the best HRV readings, you should wear the smartwatch for three weeks to gather consistent sleep data.
- Pulse Oximeter (Pulse Ox) - measures the blood oxygen saturation while you are awake or asleep. By default, the Pulse Ox measurements are turned off because they drain the battery faster. However, you can enable such analysis to be performed automatically during sleep, have it enabled permanently, or you can simply run a Health Snapshot to get a reading when you’re interested in this data.
- Sleep tracking - you get an overview of how much sleep was recorded during the night, how it was split between sleep stages, and an overall sleep score.
- Nap detection - the Garmin Instinct 3 can automatically track, log your naps, and share how they benefit your body. You can also add naps manually.
- Sleep coach - monitors not only your sleep and its quality but also how much energy your body has and your stress level. It then shares useful recommendations on how to get your sleep needs met.
Sports tracking with Garmin Instinct 3
At the beginning of December 2024, I had a meniscus surgery, and the recovery process is lengthy and slow. Therefore, during my time with the Garmin Instinct 3, I couldn’t do my usual sports activities. I was able to track only short walks and indoor cycling activities. Only toward the end of my testing period, could I go on a short, light, hiking session. Even with my limited mobility, I was able to identify a weird bug with the steps counting on Instinct 3: once every few days, the watch didn’t count my steps for several minutes in a row, even if I was walking constantly. One evening, I walked for 15 minutes, and Instinct 3 didn’t register anything. To make it work, I had to restart the smartwatch, which resumed counting steps correctly. On another day, the step counting resumed after 7-8 minutes of walking. I find this behavior strange, and I hope Garmin will fix this bug in a future firmware update.
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