I love my Instinct 2 Solar. And the solar actually works. Was out for a ride the other day and the solar added 2 days of battery life. Thx for the video.

2 months in and coming from Fitbit this watch is worth every Penny. I live right off the Appalachian Trail and can’t stay out of the woods with this watch. It’s amazing for runs and hikes and I’d highly recommend it.

The reason you can't get infinity is because at your current usage, 100% can only give you 28 days, and you can't charge more than 100%. If you keep all the settings the same, solar charging will only top up to 100% at most and it will still say 28 days. To get more than 28 days or infinity, you have to turn off some features like connection to watch and heart rate. That defeats the purpose of the watch. Go to settings on the watch or tap on your watch in Garmin Connect and go to the power manager. There you'll have battery saver which is for non-activity use, and power modes which is for activity use. You can choose what you want to turn off or leave on in each setting, create presets, schedule battery saver for sleep, etc. If you select the most extreme and get a lot of sunlight, it will get to infinity. Good for post apocalyptic times. :)

Had an apple watch for awhile, but recently got into triathlons and realized my biggest smartwatch priorities are durability and battery life. I've had the Instinct 2 solar for about 6 months and even though it's a completely different watch than the apple watch it's been perfect. I'm training for my first 70.3 in September and your channel has been a huge help!!

That's a good review. I've been using the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar for four months. The main reason for choosing the Instinct 2 Solar was the longer battery life. Prior to this device, I was using the Forerunner 735XT for running, cycling and swimming. Eventually, as will happen for all rechargeable devices, the battery was not lasting as long as it had out of the box, which became a concern on longer bike rides. The last thing you want to see when there's still about an hour to go is the "Low Battery" message. I then looked at Garmin's solar devices, and the Instinct 2 Solar ticked all my boxes; it was within my budget, it is fine for running, cycling and swimming as well as any combination of those thanks to the Multi-Sport feature. Regarding the monochrome display - knowing that the reason for it is to reduce battery consumption - its purpose-design - bring it on! I liked the colours on the FR735XT but with longer battery life I don't miss the colour display at all. Purely a question of priorities. The Instinct 2 Solar also has the improved built-in heart rate monitor that is more accurate than the FR735XT, so using a heart rate monitor strap is now a distant memory (for swimming I just don't bother with HR data). The design of the Instinct 2 Solar casing feels a lot more rugged than previous sports watches I have used - the display glass is reset a few millimetres so it is less exposed to being scratched. Also, the five buttons do not protrude very far so there is less chance of them being accidentally pressed during an activity. It is also amazing how many things this device monitors - from sleep to body battery to respiration and stress and... all that info is pumped into Garmin Connect so the more you wear the watch, the more biodata and performance data you can monitor on your smartphone. Floors climbed, steps... more than I can list here! Obviously, I'm loving my Instinct 2 Solar, I'll never be stressed about the battery going flat on long rides, and now my wife is enjoying my old FR735XT.

Love it man. It’s such a great watch - but mainly love your long term reviews - they highlight so many things better than a two week video bc how we feel about different features can really change over the long term. Great work.

I just bought a instinct 2x solar. Waiting delivery now! Time to upgrade from my forerunner 45.

Thank you for reviewing, greatly helped me understand what this Garmin watch is in detail.

Really clear and succinct information! Would love to see how the instinct 2 would go from a durability perspective after an year of use. Thanks and good work!

I just ordered the Instinct 2s Solar and I’m super excited about it!

Hi, IMO Instinct has most visible display of all sport watches. I wish next gen have bigger screen and electric lime (and more vivid colors) in solar fullsize variants.

Very good review and very good information. I will probably upgrade, but no time soon. My timing was off and I bought the Instinct Solar 1 just before the 2 came out. Still, I love my Instinct solar, and with the software updates, my original solar Instinct is still relevant and I believe it will be for years to come.

If there is anything Garmin does right it should be GPS, they build the best compact GPS systems in the world

great photography/aesthetics Matt, i really enjoyed the review. Rocking a Fenix but always curious on the Instinct. Kudos!

i own this watch and I love it ! i chose it over the epix, tactix amoled andnthe fenix 7x pro . has almost all the same features

My first Garmin watch was the first Instinct (Non Solar). Now, I'm still deciding between Instinct 2 and Fenix 7x. In Singapore, Instinct 2 (Solar) will cost $600+ and Fenix 7 (Saphire Solar) will cost $1500. Both in Singapore Dollars.

thanks for this Matt!! great review as always

Great videos Matt I’m ordering the tactical as I do competitive shooting. The tactical has ballistics mode. Thanks for the continued review of this watch.

Horay, the Solar makes Matt premiere!!! (to my knowledge anyway). It is difficult, $500 (or just short of it) is a lot of money, you're trading battery life for fancy displays. What a challenge to quantify the usefulness of never charging something. Send the watch with Evan to test this weekend, see if we can get UNLIMITED power to pop up!! How are you healing? I hope you're well my friend!

The GPS accuracy of the new Garmin watches is just related to the new GPS chip they are using. The old ones using the Sony and the new ones the Airoha chip.

Really debating on getting this watch. I'm cycling a few days a week with some weight lifting added in. Really want to track all my workouts & sleep to get training readiness.. I like how the Forerunner looks but feels dumb to spend $200+ more on the Forerunner265 to get the training readiness over the 165. This seems like a good option and currently on sale.

I pick up an Instinct 2X solar tactical, dumped my I watch for it. I got tired of charging my I watch every 2 days

If an update could fix the alarm tone volume I'd give this watch 5 stars. Bing says its able to raise and lower it's alarm tone volume but the directions to do it don't match the watches system choices. So idk what thats all about. But one thing that's absolutely mandatory in a watch for me is an alarm and hourly chime I can actually hear.

I love my Instict 2s solar!

I really love the Instinct 2X solar. It's very convenient having a flashlight on my wrist. But one of the things that bothers me the most is the alarm tone volume. It's so damn low I can barely even hear it. And today, it was fine then after an update it was even lower toned. Idk why but that is SUPER annoying. I never had an issue hearing my Instinct. And I expected the Instinct 2X to be 2X better..... It's still a good watch, but maybe they can release an update to increase the volume of the the alarm tone and hourly chime tone.

Hi, great review! My trusty old Garmin Forerunner 35 bit the dust this last weekend and I'm looking for a new watch. I am primarily a cyclist (road, MTB, and commute), but also do triathlon, Spartan, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, and gym workouts. This watch caught my attention because of the long battery life and multitude of sports it tracks. A few questions though: is there a sleeker / more delicate-looking watch that is comparable in features to this watch? (I could get away with my Forerunner 35 with a nice band at weddings and formals). - How does this watch do with Courses and Workouts? I don't want to buy a cycling computer because I do so many other sports, but many people say Courses on Garmin watches are pretty meh. Any experience here? Thanks!

The price of Instinct 2s is just a little more than Vivoactive 4s where I live. That's a good price for what you get. Wifi support, and it would have been almost perfect.

Best fucking watch Ive ever owned. If I tried to design a perfect watch for myself and activities, I couldnt of even came up with something close. Plus.... a flashlight? infinite solar powered flash light?????????????????? bro come on..... Who doesnt want that?

Hi, has Garmin fixed the problem with random shutdowns of the Instinct watch? I was close to buying one of these until I saw how many complaints online there were about them not working after two years, or so. Possible it was caused by the watch overheating if vibration alerts were consistently used. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

question when i choose strength training the timer goed after 1 hour over in lines , it wont count further like my intinct 1 did

Does anyone have a problem with a loose back button? The rest of the buttons are stiff and one has a little loose before it click

hey matt nice video i liked your channel. here is a tip people want to see the product more than a person explaining it. so I'd advise more shots of the product. best of luck!

Awesome in-depth reviews Matt. Will you be doing an Instinct Crossover review?

Hi I had the Instinct 2 solar tactical, I bought it for hiking it was useless, Altimeter was way out despite being calibrated several times on each hike, at one point it showed me at being 50m below sea level when I was at 629m above, coordinates were also always wrong. As a hiking aid id say don't bother.

I am quite confused between the FR245 and Instinct 2 solar. I play soccer and badminton and hence need the watch to be scratch and impact resistant. What would be your suggestion?

I sent mine back as the HR was all over the place. e.g. Often read 85bpm for over 5 min when I was at 155bpm so I'm hoping the replacement is a bit better. Can't fault the rest of it though, especially HRV and Body Battery for someone like me who is bad at taking a rest day 😅 Before I was 50 I never needed to rest as much, darn aging 😂

Thanks Matt, great video. I had owned the older Instinct Solar variant and it had amazing battery life, even with limited sun exposure. On your foreshadowed openwater test, are you including Apple Watch in that? interested to see your results.

Is the 2s more for women's wrists? I have a opportunity to buy the 2s solar for £150. It's unused too.

I bought this on release, but had a bug with the audio prompts. Still not solved for some users. I ended up returning it.

I’m finding that when mountain biking, the heart rate monitor is very inaccurate. When I’m climbing and I feel my heart is beating out of my chest, it registers only at about 105 bpm when it’s gotta actually be over 150. Any suggestions on how I can make this more accurate besides going to a chest strap?

HOW DID I MISS THIS?? As I wrote, I'm in the market for a new watch - my Instinct died. I'm looking at everything from a Casio basic AF watch to another smart watch. I'M SO INDECISIVE!!! Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I'm so torn. Do I spent the money on the new watch?? I'm so indecisive. Here are my choices: Use the Instinct V1 for the cost of replacement (about $120) Sell the instinct, use that money to buy instinct solar 2 Sell the instinct, get something else? HALP!!!???? XOXO

I am only getting around 2 weeks with my 2s. I turned off the O2 sensor. I don't use GPS at all. What am I doing wrong?

Can this smartwatch support for skateboarding ? Maybe you can suggest me what type of smartwatch can do it.

Hey, Very nice Review. Love this Kind of your Videos. I also got. the Instinct a few months ago. Do i have any concerns about swimming with it Open water ? Or is That absolutely no Problem for this Watch. Only ask because i am Not sure about the salts in the water Thanks for helping Rgds Janni

How durable is the screen? I work construction and I wear a watch every day. Would I have to get a protector for this?

is it safe for everyday swimming..?

Hi! In general I love the watch, however I notice some strange behaviour and I'm curious if you(or anyone else?) recognise this : when I go to the "activities" page by pressing GPS there is a stall and delay of 3-5 seconds. The seconds stop counting, the page switches and then everything is back to normal. This happens daily (usually the first time of the day) and on other times during the day the watch switches instantly. I've wiped all activities and reset the watch, issue persists.

Hey, hope you see this as I am lost. I don’t know if I should get the normal or the s version . Can I ask you what your wrist circumference is ? It will really help me choose a size . I’m worried the big one will look huge on my small wrist

Hi Matt. Thx for the review. Im curious, Is it easy to read during night time? Auto light during dark? Thank u

Loved the Legos featuring here 😅😁

thank you for a very informative video!

What type of camara do you use for those under water shots?

Thanks for the video 👍.

Is it possible to listen music on them regardless of phone?

Stuck between getting the instinct 2 on a nice discount or the new 2x

is it good for hiking activities as well? thanks!

Thanks for video, really helpful. Keep it going 💪

I’m an avid sport fisherman…do you think this watch would work to mark hotspots with its gps function?

You know, actually, so professional 😂

What about 2X solar?

Which one should I go with instinct 2 or instinct 2 solar? Bit confuse..

I just returned a Garmin 255s because the screen was so dim compared to my Garmin Instinct Solar. I wonder if the Instinct 2 keeps the great display from my version?

whats the best cycling watch?

Thanks for this review, im so torn between fenix 7 and instinct 2 , Mainly hiking/exploring , roller blading biking and weight lifting ect. any input ?

been using it for 6 months & the elevation data on this watch is way off most of the time ... & the compass doesn't work unless I constantly recalibrate it ....

Have compass?

6:07 thanks for your fingerprint. Now everybody will be able to access any of your fingerprint encrypted devices forever! You better use a different finger for your protection. ;)

Hello! Just sold my apple watch and possibly looking to get this one. Do you know if this can run google maps. I live in Paris and need the watch to guide me. And if I go on a walk, will the GPS show the route I took on the map? Thanks

I can't wait to get the instinct Solar 3. I hope they don't ruin it with an OLED display

Will this watch synch with Strava when I'm cycling. I just want to record my calorie count. Also, does it monitor my sleep stages ?

You know?

Nice bike

Having only had g shocks for the last 15 years the wife very kindly bought me an instinct 2 after a few weeks my thoughts are that it’s tracking Is very good but my god is it beige… the on screen info options don’t really offer the display info I’d like and is very uninteresting to look at .. which is at least in keeping with the overall appearance of the watch, which is at best dull in a none offensive no one really cares about sort of way

While on a run with the instinct 2..does it show current pace while running?

I wanted to upgrade my forerunner 935 but im not impressed so far. Solar is a gimmick that charges really slow even in brightest summer sun, the compass is periodically broken after a day of calibrating and the general feel of the watch feels cheap. Also dont expect to get any females wearing this thing.

This review felt ramble-y. Took too long to make your points and they didn't feel researched.

Would this look ridiculous on a woman? I want a chunky rugged watch, because I always end up bashing watches 😅

Can I see my text and emails?

how to make talk video with almost zero useful information considering all the things this watch does.

Battery went from 25 days to 2 hours after a round of golf?