Garmin Instinct 3 45mm Black

I tested the Garmin Instinct 3 for 2 weeks. Thanks to the bright and colorful AMOLED screen, this smartwatch has a more stylish look than its predecessors. The Instinct 3 is a thick and heavy sports watch, just like all other Instinct models. Whether you like this is up to you.

Large size and robust design
The Garmin Instinct 3 is a large smartwatch. I tested the 50 millimeter model. It does not fit my narrow wrist of 14 centimeters in circumference at all. As a result, I get stuck in the sleeve of my jacket or hooked behind my backpack. I am sure that this watch is comfortable if you have somewhat wider wrists. The Instinct 3 looks like it is indestructible. Unfortunately, I did not do any rough sports with it. I did drop the watch on the ground a few times. There is not a scratch on it, so the Instinct 3 can handle this in any case.

Screen and operation
The Instinct 3 is the first Instinct model with an AMOLED screen. This is a bright and colorful screen, just like the screen of a smartphone. I think that the Instinct 3 looks more chic than previous models because of this. I can read everything quickly and easily, even in the dark and in bright sunlight. Because of the colorful screen, I always think that it is a touchscreen. Unfortunately, it is not, so I operate the watch with the buttons on the side.

Sports measurements
The Garmin Instinct 3 is a real sports watch. I choose from dozens of sports profiles, from mountain biking to skiing to padel. I have run, hiked and done strength training myself. After my training, I can see in the Garmin Connect app on my smartphone how the training has affected me and my condition. Garmin also indicates what type of training I should do to improve my performance even more. I like this, because it gives me more insight and knowledge about my training.

Excellent battery life
An AMOLED screen consumes a lot of energy. This makes the battery life of the Instinct 3 a bit shorter than older models. I don't really notice it myself, because it lasts for at least 2 weeks. I've worn the watch every day and night these weeks. I also exercise 3 times a week.

After an Instinct 2 and Fenix 7, this Instinct 3 is very good. The screen is a nice upgrade (for me) compared to the pip screen. Does this come at the expense of battery life? Yes, but 3 weeks is more than enough. The last time I was away from a power point for more than 10 minutes was 5 meters underwater during my diving course.

No touchscreen is not a problem for me, this option was even disabled on my Fenix, because water and touchscreen do not go well together.

1 downside that you cannot ignore but that is not insurmountable, is the fact that there are no full-fledged maps, only breadcrumb, breadcrumb means that you see your route in dotted lines on a black screen instead of with roads and the whole shabang. But here too, the last time I was so far into the wilderness that I really did not know where I had to be and was completely dependent on my smartwatch to find my way back was never actually. But still with an Amoled screen this should have been on it.

Internal memory is also missing, so no music lists on your watch. However, you can control your music apps via the watch so you don't have to grab your phone (but take it with you) and this works great.

All in all I am very satisfied with the instinct 3, especially when you look at the battery life, features, top screen and the price compared to the new Fenix models.