Video review
The first impression and design
When I unwrapped the Garmin Instinct Solar, it was very obvious that it was a Garmin watch, not only for runners but for all types of outdoor activities. The look is masculine, distinctive and exhibits power. I normally use a Garmin Forerunner 245 Music and running is usually the activity I track with my watch. Therefore this watch also felt bigger and heavier. It weighs 53g compared to my Forerunner 245 Music, weighing 38,5g. Having said that, I also think that you get a watch with a more distinctive look than some of the other Garmin watches which have a tendency to become slightly anonymous.
The display is without a color screen and it is a little darker than I have been used to in my other Garmin watches but the screen also has a high contrast making it very easy to read the display in direct sunlight. In addition, the glass is produced in chemically tempered glass making it schock-resistant. In Instinct Solar, Garmin have divided the display, so you may find a small round display on the display itself. At first it seemed a little foolish but when I was out running, it was actually quite cool that my pace was visible in the small circle. It made it super-easy to read while I was running. The rest of the watch is designed in super-durable fibre-reinforced plastic which doesn´t scratch easily - super cool!
In many ways you can call Instinct Solar a Fenix Lite watch. It has many of the same features, of course not all of them, and is somewhat more affordable.
Durability
Instinct Solar is a robust watch. The watch meets the US Military´s 810G standard for heat, schocks and water resistance. The US Militarys MIL-STD-810G standard is a series of tests, where you expose a technological product for 29 different tests including pressure, heat, schock, cold, vibration, gunshot, etc.. to test if the product is "ready for battle" so to speak. In other words, Instinct Solar is an incredibly durable watch which can handle pretty much everything. And for someone like me who uses my watch all the time both on my runs but also when I play with my son or am in the garden, then it is very comfortable that this watch can handle pretty much all challenges.
Battery life
One of the things worth highlighting about Instinct Solar is its battery life. The watch has virtually an infinite battery life in power saving mode and use solar charging. I didn´t use the battery saving mode, and also used the GPS feature for my runs which have averaged 3-4 runs a week. In this case the watch had a battery life of approx. three weeks. I normally use Garmin Forerunner 245 Music, where I usually have to charge my watch once a week. So, its a great feeling to switch to the Instinct Solar, where you hardly have to charge it. I don´t think anyone chooses to have their watch in constant battery saving mode as it disables many of the features. However, Garmin have designed Power Manager/saving modes where its possible to make a personal power saving mode which only deactivates the features you ask it to.
It is a Solar-watch, which means that it can be charged by the rays of the sun. In the edge of the dial, you´ll find a grey field which can convert the sun rays to extra battery life. This allows you to charge your watch by simply being outdoors. And in this case Garmin promise that if you keep it in power saving mode and keep the watch in three hours of full sun, it never needs to be charged. Instinct Solar is one of Garmins best Solar watches for several reasons. First of all, it doesn´t consume nearly as much power as a Fenix 6. This is due to the fact that Instinct Solar has a somewhat less battery-hungry display. There is no color display, smart icons or other unnecessary things to take up battery. Also there is no topographical map or music playback. The features in Instinct Solar have been cut to the bone to provide the longest battery life. Fenix 6 Solar and Instinct Solar have roughly the same size display. The display in Instinct Solar is, however, somewhat smaller than Fenix which of course requires less energy. But it also means that Instinct Solar has room for a somewhat bigger solar panel which means that Garmin Instinct Solar has a far more efficient solar charge than Garmin Fenix 6 Solar.
Things to be missed
I occasionally miss some of the data you get from some of the more pure running watches, including VO2Max, performance demands, running dynamics (with a heart rate belt) and running calculator. But if you can do without it, you get a lot more activity profiles than you will find on a Forerunner 245 Music among others.
Many activity profiles
The activity profiles are one of the great advantages in Garmin Instinct Solar. You can find almost all activities in Instinct Solar. It features all the classic activity profiles like running, trail running, cycling and swimming to outdoor activities like fishing, hunting, stand up paddle, cross country skiing, climbing, mountainbike, kayak and many more in Garmin Instinct Solar. See all activity profiles here:
Navigation
Garmin Instinct Solar is a pure outdoor watch, which of course makes some demands on the watch. Therefore Instinct Solar is equipped with a number of navigation features. Among other features, the watch has point-to-point navigation, which shows routes in breadcrumb tracks. In addition the watch has a back-to-start feature, which leads you back to your starting point in breadcrumb tracks in real time.
Conclusion
In total, I think this is an ingenious watch for the outdoor type, who is into one or more outdoor-activities that isn´t available in some of Garmins other watches. In addition, I also think that the design stands out. You get a raw and distinctive look which sets itself apart from many other GPS-watches in the market. And last but not least, you get a watch with an incredible battery life which shouldn´t be underestimated. Its just incredibly luxurious.
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