Garmin Instinct Solar Watch Review
Monday - 10 August 2020
The legendary Garmin Instinct is back but this time featuring the brand’s incredible solar technology. Remaining an unbeatable outdoors-adventure smartwatch built to military standards, the new collection now showcases an additional 30 days of charge on top of the already impressive 24 day battery life and some new case designs including Tactical, Camo and Surf Editions with coloured cases influenced by their respective environments.
Last week, Garmin announced the launch of an incredible new series of solar powered watches including some new Garmin Fenix 6 designs, a striking new Garmin Tactix Delta Solar and a large selection of Garmin Instinct Solar smartwatches. Before then, the wearable brand had only introduced their innovative Power Glass lens within the Fenix 6X Pro Solar, but its success has quickly spurred on the technology to be used in many of their other iconic collections. The Garmin Instinct Solar now boasts an impressive 54 day battery life with solar in standard smartwatch mode, 38 hours in GPS mode, 145 hours in Max Battery GPS mode, 68 days in Expedition GPS and an unlimited battery life in Battery Saver Watch Mode with solar.
Garmin’s solar powered technology works by using a very thin 1mm wide strip just on the inside of the bezel and another under the display face to absorb energy from the sun and turn it into battery life. The default dial on the watch will also feature a sun icon with a total of 10 ‘rays’ to demonstrate the intensity level of the sun you are stood in. When no rays are shown you are likely sat in the shade, but when you step out into the sunshine the dial will show you a ray for every 10% of intensity. The incredible battery life of the new Garmin Instinct Solar watches can also be controlled used the unique Power Manager feature, where you can view how various settings and sensors impact your battery life and make battery-extending changes when needed.
The standard Garmin Instinct Solar is available in five colours, many of which you will have seen before: Graphite, Tidal Blue, Orchid, Sunburst and Flame Red. Alongside these, we also have three special edition sets inspired by different environments for exploring. The first is the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical Edition available in Moss or Black designed for those looking for a stealthy aesthetic for tactical training. These two versions also feature night vision goggle compatibility, Jumpmaster mode and stealth mode.
We also have two Garmin Instinct Solar Camo Editions in Lichen Camo and Graphite Camo which feature a unique military-inspired case pattern but no additional functionality. Lastly, there are two Garmin Instinct Solar Surf Edition watches in Pipeline and Cloudbreak designed for those that want to outlast the tides. These versions do include some additional functionality including tide data and dedicated surfing activity.
All variations of the new Garmin Instinct Solar smartwatch remain must-have tools for outdoor exploration with fibre reinforced polymer cases built to the U.S. military standard 810 for thermal, shock and water resistance rated to 100 metres. We also get a large selection of preloaded sports apps for surfing, swimming, running, biking, hiking, rowing, strength training and more, a wrist based heart rate monitor, GPS, GLONASS and Galileo sensors, ABC sensors for altimeter, barometer and compass and smart notifications.
As well as the choice of some new case designs and the remarkable solar powered technology, the Garmin Instinct Solar also features a Pulse Ox sensor for the first time which uses light beams at your wrist to gauge how well your body is absorbing oxygen. They also feature the innovative new Body Battery Energy Monitor which uses your heart rate variability, stress, sleep and other data to gauge when you’re ready to be active or when you may need to rest.
We have no doubt that the Garmin Instinct Solar smartwatch collection is going to be a huge hit with wearable wearers all around the world. It’s unbeatable battery life, range of functionality and durable design makes it a must-have companion for exploring the globe, and with our fantastic interest free finance and free delivery options, they become even more tempting! If you’d like to order your own Garmin Instinct Solar, head over to the Jura Watches website here or get in touch with the team on 01335 453453 or at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
Specifications: Garmin Instinct Solar
- Case Size: 45mm
- Case Material: Fibre-reinforced polymer
- Lens: Power Glass
- Strap: Silicone
- Weight: 53g
- Battery Life: Up to 54 days in smartwatch mode, unlimited in Battery Saver Mode, 38 hours in GPS mode, 145 hours in Max Battery GPS Mode and 68 days in Expedition GPS Activity
- Water Resistance: 100 metres
- Memory: 16MB
- Clock Features: Time, date, GPS Time Sync, Automatic Daylight Saving Time, Alarm Clock, Timer, Stopwatch, Sunrise/Sunset Times
- Health Monitoring: Wrist based heart rate, Daily resting heart rate, Abnormal heart rate alerts, Body Battery Energy monitor, All-day stress tracking, Relaxation breathing timer, Sleep, Hydration, Menstrual cycle
- Sensors: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate monitor, Barometric altimeter, Compass, Accelerometer, Thermometer, Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation monitor,
- Daily Smart Features: Bluetooth & ANT+ Connectivity, Smart notifications, Text response/Reject phone call with text, Calendar, Weather, Battery Saver, Controls smartphone music, Find my phone, Find my watch, VIRB remote, iPhone & Android compatibility, Pairs with Garmin Connect Mobile
- Safety and Tracking Features: LiveTrack
- Tactical Features: Dual Grid Coordinates
- Activity Tracking Features: Step counter, Move bar, Autogoal, Calories burned, Floors climbed, Distance travelled, Intensity minutes, TrueUp, Move IQ
