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Bought the blue version of the Instinct Solar. I come from as a long time Fitbit watch owner and a more recent Apple Watch owner. My original Fitbit is the Fitbit Versa (1st generation), which is square shaped and fairly simple tech. It provided what I needed, which were steps, date and time, water proof for common usage. It allowed me around 3 days' worth of battery life. It is square shaped. It was free from work, otherwise, it would not have been my first choice for a watch. I bought my wife an Apple Watch Series 6 to wear, but after several months she stopped wearing it and went back to her own Fitbit watch. She explained she was tired of having to recharge the Apple Watch every day. She preferred her Fitbit watch that lasted 6 days before a recharge. I took the Apple Watch thinking I would make better use out of it as a techie, but I also ran into the issue of it required a recharge every day or every 1.5 days at most. It was not recommended by Apple to be worn while showering even though if you go swimming Apple states that is acceptable. I literally was afraid of looking at the Apple Watch Series 6 due to the battery drain. The inconvenience of having to remember to charge the watch before I sleep to monitor my sleep, remembering to take the watch off before jumping into the shower, and multiple other issues just wore me down too. The sleep data for Apple Watch Series 6 is nothing close to Fitbit sleep data and anything more advanced, you have to buy from third party app developers. I could not find anything free that was similar to Fitbit and especially not something where you could just pay a one time fee. I preferred a circle shaped watch anyways. I did some research on what was available out there that would not cost an arm and leg to purchase but had all the bells and whistle. My criteria were: - Long battery life. - Steps count, heart rate, sleep monitoring. - Some kind of GPS feature. - Not super expensive, but not a cheap throw-away watch either. - Can take a little bit beating but doesn't have to be military grade ruggedness. - Circle watch and looks good (obviously). I know that "smartwatches" will not last as long as a non-smartwatch, unless the battery replacement is simple, LCD screen will last for a long time, etc. This Garmin Instinct Solar seems to fit all my wishes at this price range. The battery life is crazy good, I mean enable everything including the pulse ox and you should get at least a week+ worth of battery life easily. This is with the watch not absorbing any sunlight at all. It has a simple GPS, nothing fancy, but I bike ride and will be using an external dedicated GPS device for routes. I just want something for casual hiking and biking, nothing serious. I can wear this to sleep, the sleep data mimics close to Fitbit's details. Really nice and it's built-in to the watch, you do not have to make a separate purchase. I do not know how accurate ANY of the watches' heart rate are, but wearing the Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Garmin working out, the rates show to be within 15 beats of each other. Take that for what its worth, I don't need the accuracy for any critical medical monitoring conditions. I read that external heart rate monitor strap would make the readings accurate, so I am considering to get that should I need it later (5K/10K running, etc). There's a lot of other features from this watch that I have not yet used, so that is just a bonus goodie for me. I have used Garmin to connect to Strava, the data recorded is great and as expected (same with Apple Watch and Fitbit), no complaints there. I wear this watch showering, sleeping and everything in between. The recharge of the watch is fast too, if I am standing around working, I plug in the watch and I think within 30 minutes I can get a full charge from 50% (I never really paid attention how long it takes to fully charge). There's got to be something not that great about this watch, you ask? Otherwise, why the 4 stars instead of 5 stars? Yes, the PULSE OX feature is a bit flaky. At night, it seems to measure the oxygen level all over the range. As log as 80, and as high as 100. I wore the Apple Watch Series 6 and my wife's Fitbit Luxe, they all had above 90 range. Now, one thing I am starting to realize is how you need to wear the Garmin Instinct Solar and online research also confirms. You have to wear the watch higher on the wrist, it cannot be loose. When you sleep, just slide it up the wrist and make sure it's tightly pressed against your skin. I need a few more sample nights to test, but I had one night where it was 85 or higher, the next night it was 90 or higher. I'll sleep on it a few more nights and then see, but looks hopeful now that I have the watch tightened a bit more against the skin. If you measure the Pulse Ox manually, it is always 95 or higher, this is as expected. Overall, highly recommended watch. I would buy again!Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
This watch is very useful for any activity indoor or outdoor. GPS is very accurate while the heart rate and pulse oximetry are as well. The size may be a little big for some but seems just right for me. I love the options to turn on/ off features and sensors that you don’t want or if you just want to conserve battery. The battery lasts around 5-6 days in “normal”mode or can almost last forever in battery saver mode ,by solar power, if the watch get enough sunlight throughout the day. Get yourself some extra watch bands so you can change your colors to suit what you feel like that day. I would definitely buy again.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Watch is like brand new works great got here super fast
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Great connectivity to my android phone. GPS seems to connect better and faster than my other watches. I have several different GPS watches and I like this one the best. I've only had it a couple weeks, but the battery power is much better with the solar panel. I'm still showing 15 days of battery power left. I must say that I don't wear if unless I'm exercising outside, so I'm sure the battery power would be much less if I was wearing it constantly and sleeping with it on.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
OVER PRICED But lots of features
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
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