How Rugged is the Garmin Instinct Outdoor Smartwatch?

The Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch is an incredibly rugged and reliable smartwatch that is perfect for outdoor activities, extreme sports, and any situation where you need a durable watch. With its 45mm fibre-reinforced polymer case, 22mm removable quality rubber silicone strap, and being built to the U.S Military standard 810 for thermal, shock, and water resistance to 100 meters, this smartwatch can handle anything that comes it’s way.

Not only is it rugged, but it also offers a variety of features such as GPS navigation, heart rate monitoring, step counting, sleep tracking, and more. This means that you can use the watch not just for outdoor adventures but also for indoor activities and on the go. And despite its solid build quality and impressive features, the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch is still affordable, with prices starting at under $300.

Overall, this watch is a decent choice for anyone looking for a dependable, rugged smartwatch.

 The Design of the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch

The Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch is built like a Casio and gives a nostalgic nod to the 1980 style. It comes in a 45mm fibre-reinforced polymer case with the 22m removable rubber silicone strap attached to it and the optical heart rate sensor at the rear, almost as similar to Fenix 5 Plus but 34g lighter. 

The Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch comes in a 23 x 23 mm in size, has a two-part screen design, and is not a touchscreen, which makes sense because it is designed to withstand all environments; a touch screen would definitely be an inconvenience.

The charging connector is similar to the Fenix 5 and V-vector 3.

Display

The Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch is a 1.3-inch colour display with a resolution of 128×128 pixels. 

It makes up for the low resolution with the black and white Memory in the pixel panel that makes it easy to read even in bright sunlight, and you can press the top-left button for light in the dark.

That’s not as bad as it sounds when you consider it’s only 23 x 23mm in size, and, importantly, the black and white MIP (memory-in-pixel) panel is easy to read in all light conditions, including bright sunlight. If you’re using the watch in the dark, it can be illuminated with a press of the top-left button.

Health features

• You can check your heart rate all day with the Elevate wrist heart technology so you can keep a record of where you are going, and the auto climb changes the data page automatically to show you how much climbing you have done. This is really cool if you are doing a lot of mountain running or just hiking.
• You can use the sunrise alerts on the hands-on portion to get a good head-start in your day.
• The Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch has preloaded activity so you get a virtual partner to help you out with your training.
• The Instinct smartwatch comes with basic heart rate sensors that mark calories burned.

Battery life

 The battery life is definitely built rugged, it is 16 hours of GPS on mode or two weeks of just standby mode, and it can also ultra track up to 40 hours in saving mode.

Performance

The Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch comes with a two-part screen design with one part in the top-right corner highlighting a single piece of information and the default watch face showing the date, weather and any other customised widgets to your preference; the user interface can be operated with the two bottom buttons on the left side. 

Alongside the already existing widgets, you can customise your Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch by adding more widgets to the interface like temperature, music control and more. 

For your quick action control, you can long-press the bottom left button to use your compass, altimeter and barometer. 

Although the Garmin Instinct smartwatch has about 12 watch faces which is great, but the option to install Connect IQ apps is not there, so that is pretty disappointing. 

Also, there are different modes of sport to choose from, but the golf mode is not included for some reason.

The Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch has Galileo, GLONASS and GPS support which allows you to get navigation satellite signals that are more accurate. 

It also has a mini-map on it, but you do not get to see the details around you like lakes; it simply just shows you the trail ahead of time; you can also use the trackback feature to navigate back to your starting point, which would be pretty helpful if you are lost on a hike. 

You can keep your bearings with the built-in compass and barometric altimeter for coordinate-based navigation. You just need to put in the GPS coordinates to get familiarised with your area.

Features

• You can customise the different sports modes you want, from cycling to running and even more exciting open water settings, which is a huge deal for a wearable watch under $300 that is not a triathlon watch; you can check your heart rate and body temperature.
• There are about 12 watch faces to choose from.
• It is a blend of a Garmin Vivoactive series watch like the Vivoactive three with a Fenix watch which is one of their high-end watches, and it comes in at $299, a bit pricier than the Vivoactive.
• It is built to MIL-STD-810G and is water-resistant to 100 meters compared to the usual 50 meters benchmark; the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor smartwatch is a mil-spec for drop testing, so I do not expect it to scratch on any impact except an excess, of course.

Connectivity

You can still stay connected with smart notifications on a compatible phone, of course, and automatic data uploads to the Garmin Connect online fitness community. It also connects well with other Garmin devices.

Pros

• It has a reasonable price.
• It checks the high durability test.
• It is scratch resistant.

Cons

• There is no music support or storage of music.
• There is no advanced sensor support, no power meter lights, no radar, but it supports basic sensors that you can use to check your heart rate speed.

Buyer’s Guide

Here is the Garmin Instinct rugged outdoor smartwatch buyer’s guide (things to consider).

How much does the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch cost?

The Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch cost about $299, which is a bit expensive than the Vivoactive. It is a blend of a Garmin Vivoactive series watch like the Vivoactive three with a Fenix watch, one of their high-end watches.

Is the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch worth buying?

The Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch is the perfect wearable watch for outdoor activities. 

It has great navigation support asides from just GPS, which is the perfect tool for outdoor activities, and It is reasonably priced for a watch that can be used for open swimming.

The health features are pretty solid, although not too extra but the basics like heart rate monitor and activity tracking are well covered.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch is a decent choice for those seeking to buy a rugged and reliable smartwatch for outdoor activities. Its impressive features and sturdy design make it an excellent option for outdoor enthusiasts.

FAQs – How Rugged is the Garmin Instinct Outdoor Smartwatch?

Q: What is the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch?

A: The Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch is a durable and reliable smartwatch that is perfect for outdoor activities, extreme sports, and any situation where you need a tough watch.

Q: What is the material used in the construction of the watch?

A: The Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch has a 45mm fibre-reinforced polymer case and a 22mm removable rubber silicone strap.

Q: Is the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch water-resistant?

A: Yes, it is water-resistant to 100 meters and meets the U.S Military standard 810 for thermal, shock, and water resistance.

Q: What features does the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch have?

A: The watch offers GPS navigation, heart rate monitoring, step counting, sleep tracking, and more.

Q: What is the display of the watch like?

A: The watch has a 1.3-inch colour display with a resolution of 128×128 pixels and is easy to read in all lighting conditions with the help of a black and white MIP panel and a top-left button for illuminating the screen in the dark.

Q: Does the watch have a heart rate monitor?

A: Yes, the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch has a heart rate monitor and can track your heart rate all day.

Q: What is the battery life like?

A: The battery life is decent, with 16 hours of GPS on mode or two weeks of standby mode.

Q: Can the watch be customised?

A: Yes, the user interface can be customised with different widgets and sports modes, and there are 12 watch faces to choose from.

Q: Does the watch have navigation support?

A: Yes, the watch has Galileo, GLONASS, and GPS support, and it also has a built-in compass and barometric altimeter for navigation.

Q: Is the watch compatible with smart notifications?

A: Yes, the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch is compatible with smart notifications on a compatible phone.

Q: Does the watch have music support?

A: No, the watch does not have music support or storage of music.

Q: Does the watch have advanced sensors?

A: No, the watch only supports basic sensors like a heart rate monitor.

Q: What is the price of the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch?

A: The watch costs about $299.

Q: Is the Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch worth buying?

A: The watch is perfect for outdoor activities and is reasonably priced for a watch that can be used for open swimming. Its health features are solid, and it has great navigation support.

Q: What type of navigation support does the watch have?

A: The watch has Galileo, GLONASS, and GPS support and a built-in compass and barometric altimeter for navigation.

Q: Does the watch have smart notification support?

A: Yes, the watch is compatible with smart notifications on a compatible phone.

Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch Photos