I've been wearing the new Garmin Instinct 3 for a little over a week and I have thoughts. The brand's latest GPS smartwatch boasts exceptional battery life, a tough-built design and lots of features aimed at folks who enjoy adventuring in the great outdoors (like myself).
And oh, what an exciting stretch of days it's been. The Instinct 3 found its way to my wrist during CES 2025 in Las Vegas, where I walked 17,000 steps on the show floor while wearing it before traveling back to the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
Once firmly on the ground, I split for the mountains to take the Instinct 3 snowboarding before heading to New York City to catch up with friends/family. There, I tracked my treks across the frozen tundra that is America's finest bagel city.
Now that I've slept, traveled, exercised, and socialized with the Instinct 3 on my wrist, these are my initial impressions, starting with fives things I like most followed by two I dislike.
Garmin Instinct 3 laurel #1: Lots of sizes and configurations
The Garmin Instinct comes in both 45mm and 50mm, either with or without solar charging. Opting for the latter gets you better battery life while the non-solar version sports a comparably brighter and better saturated AMOLED screen (compared to a MIP display in the Solar edition).
The smaller 45mm Instinct 3 starts at $299 for Solar and $349 for AMOLED while the larger 50mm model starts at $449 for the Solar model and $499 for AMOLED.
Garmin also offers a slightly stripped-down version of the Instinct 3, called the Instinct E, which comes in 40mm and 45mm. Both are $299 but lack some standout features, including the onboard 'torch,' which I'll cover below, and a metal-reinforced bezel.
@tomsguide ♬ Vlog - Gaspar
Garmin Instinct 3 laurel #2: Mind-melting battery life
Regardless of which Instinct 3 configuration you choose, battery life is sure to impress. The 45mm AMOLED model has the most modest longevity specs: 18 days of battery in smartwatch mode and up to 32 hours with GPS tracking.
By comparison, the 50mm Solar edition has the most impressive battery specs: 40+ days per charge in smartwatch mode and 60+ hours with GPS. Comparing the Instinct 3 vs the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the latter lasts for 36-72 hours in smartwatch mode and just 12 hours with GPS tracking.
Garmin Instinct 3 laurel #3: Support for nuanced outdoor activities
For outdoor adventure lovers, Garmin offers support for an enormous range of activities, from popular sports like skiing and snowboarding to more nuanced ones like bouldering, snowmobiling, trail running and e-mountain biking. There are even separate modes for cross-country skiing, resort skiing and backcountry skiing.
Garmin Instinct 3 laurel #4: Built-in ‘torch’ flashlight
While plenty of watches have a flashlight mode that uses a white screen at max brightness to help you find your way, the Instinct 3 line boasts a much more useful LED 'torch' flashlight, tucked into the bezel near the 12:00 position.
The torch has four power output settings along with a red light mode. A simple double-tap on the upper left button on the case activates the torch, which I've now used to successfully find my way around dark hotel rooms and locate camouflaged puppy poo during evening walks with my dog, Belvedere.
Garmin Instinct 3 laurel #5: 100 meters of water resistance
Some of the best smartwatch models, including the Apple Watch Series 10 and Google Pixel Watch 3 have just 50 meters of water resistance. While that may sound like a lot, that water resistance rating actually translates to protection for only 30 minutes of surface-level swimming (this is coming directly from Apple).
Fortunately, smartwatches with 100 meters of water resistance, including the Instinct 3, are far more suitable for time spent in the wet stuff, including activities like long-distance swimming, snorkeling, wakeboarding and even scuba diving.
Given the Instinct 3's pedigree as a rugged, adventure-ready wearable, anything less than 100 meters of WR would have resulted in a 'dart' and write-up below.
Garmin Instinct 3 dart #1: No storage for downloaded music
None of the Garmin Instinct 3 models offer onboard storage where users can access music they've downloaded from steaming platforms like Spotify and Deezer. That feature requires you to step up to the far pricier Garmin Fenix 8 range or settle for a more running-oriented watch like the Garmin Forerunner 165 (Music).
Onboard music storage lets you leave your phone at home without sacrificing the ability to jam out. And while I'm unlikely to go off on a long hike sans phone, I do like to go for walks/jogs around my neighborhood without a rectangle of metal and glass weighing me down.
Garmin Instinct 3 dart #2: No support for downloaded maps
This one is a heartbreaker. Despite the Instinct 3's billing as a smartwatch for the outdoors, users can't download maps to the device for offline navigation. For that feature, you'll need to step up to something in the Fenix range or the Forerunner 900 range, both of which are quite spendy.
(That said, it does offer useful safety tools, like TracBack, to help guide lost hikers back to their starting point.)
Personally, I think this omission is an oversight on Garmin's part, especially when you consider the fact that the Amazfit Active 2 — which also debuted at CES 2025 — supports offline maps with turn-by-turn navigation for a starting price of just $99.
Your move, Garmin.
