Garmin Instinct 2X Review || Bigger In Every Way But Price

This review really helped me solidify my purchase. I had an Apple Watch SE that shattered. I wanted an upgrade but battery life and durability were huge for me. It was this or fenix 7. I think I made the right choice in saving almost 300 bucks. I realized that I also prefer no touchscreen. Especially when swimming and not having accidental inputs.

Yes, I'm considering upgrading to the 2x solar tactical, as a hunter I have been using the original (basic) Instinct for a few years and I love the durability and functionality of this GPS watch.

Great review man
Keep it up 👍

Purchased the Surf edition, specifically for the tide data, had it less than a week. The first time it got wet, water leaked through the button and fried it. Garmin sent this model as a replacement due to recall on surf edition model. This model (does not display tide on face) ,Tide is third party glance that has to be downloaded, and is buried in prompts to find it, and ERRORS every time GPS button is used to update tide. COMPLETE TRASH of a watch and not worth the money....... Save your time and money ... luckily i still have my G-SHOCK DW7900

Recently switched from an Apple Watch SE too the Garmin 2X. Batterylife, rugged en the sort of retro looks made me switch. This review made me turn over to the Garmin side.

just ( 18Jan24 ) .. about to get my Instinct 2X. Enjoyed your review of the product, thoroughly informative. Gives me the confidence to get this unit, my first Garmin.. moving away from AppleWatch :-) ...... just a little note; i noticed the Suunto Vertical twit at 3'55" :-) ... should that be a consideration??

Just got the 2x to replace my aged 245. The biggest improvement...clarity! It's monochrome. But it is so much easier to read. It's so bright when there is ambient light. At night the backlight is so bright! 50percent is good enough for me. And the gimmicky flash led...turns out to be my next most used feature. Very useful!

really nice reniew and explaination. I think of going for an Instict 2X Tactical thought because of the color they have and the green light. Simple screen and resolution is what we all need which are focused on the sports avtivities. What is missing is a memory to store music as this watch have a solar system that is capable to charge the battery, adding a music to this watch wouldnt be a big issue.

Thinking of getting the tactical version as it has ballistics capable

It's there nap detection on this?

I have a question..... and by the way, I really enjoyed your presentation.
My question is, as a hiker of longish hikes, 25 to 35km per day, does the GPS tracker and all of the altimeter etc detail still get recorded? On another review the guy mentioned something like that the watch kinda stopped recording the details after 12 miles???

Anything Garmin you come out a winner. best smart watch company on the market .

the alarm/chime sounds like micky mouse. casio timex 20$ sounds much better

Garmin pay???

Why do none of these reviews talk about garmin pay?

Great video, yours was the review that finally made me bite the bullet [currently run a Fenix 6X Pro], just charging it now ready to setup later. Feels so much lighter, and can't wait to try the Training Readiness feature.

With the price drop on the 2x, I have been watching reviews. Thanks for the informative video. On an unrelated note, that traffic circle looks terrifying. 😳

Its on sale everywhere now, 20% off

A new Garmin 2x solar costs 259 dollars and a new Garmin 2 solar costs 303 dollars in my country. I feel like garmin 2x is gonna be too big for me, but its annoying that I have to spend 50 more dollars on a older watch. What do you think?

I have been using the 2X Solar tactical for an year now and I have only charged it 6-7 times IN THE ENTIRE YEAR!

No Garmin pay with this device

Thank you! I’ve been trying to decide between the Instinct 2 Solar Tactical or the 2X. I already have a foretrex for more navigational purposes but these watches seem great for fitness and activity

I can't seem to find whether you mention your wrist measurement. Mine is around 17cm so keen to compare.

The moment I got Fenix 7 sapphire solar I turned off the touch screen. It's useful only for moving maps which I don't use. Got Instinct 2x on sale for less than 300 euros - noticed minimal differences between two in data collection and representation. Love both of them.

solid video

Instead of showing the watch on YOUR wrist, get out a ruler and measure the outside diameter and the screen size in inches.

Does INSTINCT 2X SOLAR support fully HRM-Pro Plus, Bike Speed and Cadence sensor?

Do you think the watch works will with dress clothes and doesn’t look too tacky?

Would you recommend instinct 2x or the venu 3?

Hello,has speaker and mic?

This watch is actually best suited for wild hiking because it has a really long battery life.
Sacrificing a few details and the touchscreen for a long battery life is well worth it on a hike. And the solar charging is a very useful feature in the strong Australian sun.
I've had this watch for 9 months now and have completed two long treks (6 and 9 days) without recharging it. The breadcrumb trail is actually sufficient for hiking, and with its multi-frequency positioning (you can use this feature for up to 140 hours, about 6 days) it always alerts about deviations accurately, especially in the rain when signposts are always hard to find.

Planning to get this one too.. and i think its still worth it in 2024.. one question tho.. how is it when tracking calories, heart rate etc. For strength weightlifting sessions?

Does it have a stop watch?

I love it. Just bought my 2X Tactic version. Love that coyote color.
Coming from G-Shock, it makes it look really cool. Like a great upgrade.
Tracking your sleep isn’t as accurate as Fitbit.

Looks like Garmin is going the Ambled way with Fenix 8.

So this review was published 1 year ago, are you still using this watch as your daily? How has the battery life held up, i've seen some people mention that only by turning off quite a lot of features does the battery last a decent amount of time, would you still recommend this watch after a year?

Really great review. You dont waffle, you get to the point and talk about things that would matter to most people. Great job 👍

50mm is more suited for 7,5"-8" wrists,

Waiting for mine to arrive. When I saw 40 days battery life, strength training support (using entry level forerunner 55 rn which doesn't support much) and the sexy design I just bought one. It fits my style completely. Functional and minimalist. Can't wait.

Mine comes Monday.. great review just confirms I made the right choice.

Does anyone know if this watch counts laps?

Looking to get this and replace my Apple Watch Series 7, getting for for the g shock look more than anything else, slowly getting into outdoors but more of a weightlifting guy

Should I be worried that this isn’t a “running” watch? Def like the aesthetic over the forerunner series. I don’t need maps or music.

Just got the 2 solar for $300

I'm convinced, I bought it thanks.

This watch is really great and in my own experience I got 14 days from a single charge, but I used it all the time for all my workouts or walks with the GPS, meaning after 14 days I still had seven days of charge left. But it was a weekend and I charged it. It is a wonderful thing that provides many benefits and possibilities. Although I just started using it, I recommend it to everyone. Thanks for the video, it's really great and specifically covers all the aspects and key points.

I do not get it why people see the size, the display and other parameter visable at first glance and then complaining about it... like...what?! That is like kindergarden.

The advertising of a Suunto watch on garmin was hilarious 😂

I've had several touchscreens, and with my work, I'm always activating the screen or changing a setting on accident. I've been looking for a smart watch with no touchscreen. So I think this will be a great next watch.

I’ve seen a few reviews, and sadly no one talks about basic watch features, such as an alarm (vibro?), stopwatch, timer. Nobody talks about how easy it is (or not) to use it without connecting to a phone. No one mentions pedometer features, etc. All reviews are pretty similar. 🙁