Garmin Instinct 3 Solar GPS Watch Review

Bottom Line

Long trusted by the CleverHiker team, the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar continues to land near the top of our lineup of best GPS Watches. It resists water, impacts, and cold temperatures, making it ideal for thoseon rugged adventures. The solar charging capability through the watch face extends battery life and reduces the need for frequent recharging when on the trail.

Equipped with multi-band GPS, the Instinct 3 Solar still has impressive accuracy, even in tight canyons or mountain valleys. We never experienced any skipping. UltraTac limits satellite pings to once a minute for long-duration tracking. While this watch does not come with the option to download topo maps, back-to-start and breadcrumb navigation are more than adequate for finding your way on the trail.

With a tactically rugged exterior, the Instinct 3 Solar prioritizes function and durability over looks or a sleek design. While it’s .9 inch display size is on the smaller end of the spectrum; the watch is very large due to its bulky housing. We found that it frequently caught on jackets and backpack straps and protruded more than others we tested. The Instinct 3 Solar is a high-performance, backcountry-oriented watch that will track all your activities accurately and stay powered on for days at a time, thanks to its continual solar charging and long-lasting battery.

How We Tested

We put the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar through extensive field-testing in Alaska, using it for trail runs, backcountry skiing, and everyday smartwatch functions to evaluate its performance across different scenarios. Over several months, we fully drained and recharged the battery multiple times to test its longevity, wore it for extended periods to assess comfort and usability, and verified GPS accuracy across varied terrain and conditions. By incorporating the watch into our daily activities, we ensured this review is thorough and based on direct experience.

Accuracy

The Garmin Instinct 3 Solar offers four GPS reception options: GPS only, All Satellites, Multi-Band, and UltraTrac. Each of these options has varying levels of GPS accuracy and, correspondingly, different battery drain. Multi-Band provides the best accuracy but has the biggest impact on battery life. UltraTrac pings GPS only once a minute, providing lower accuracy but the best battery life. We use the GPS only setting the most frequently and are impressed with its blend of accuracy and battery performance.

 From dense forests to steep mountainsides and deep valleys, the Instinct 3 solar maintains connectivity and delivers a smooth track. We tested the Instinct 3 Solar on a control test loop and found that it shortened the loop by only a few hundredths of a mile. 

The biggest discrepancy we notice while using it is that the Instinct 3 Solar regularly shortchanges us on elevation gain by as much as 500 vertical feet on bigger vert days. 

While the distance remains largely accurate, the vertical gain seems the most affected by mountainous terrain, which is kinda when you want it most. Despite this one shortcoming, the Instinct 3 Solar provides reliable data for long days on the trail.

Battery Life

The Garmin Instinct 3 Solar is a standout option for anyone needing a watch to last for days at a time. With a stated activity battery life of up to 40 hours, and up to 100 hours in GPS-only mode, it packs more than enough battery life for most adventures. The biggest boost to the Instinct 3 Solar’s battery life comes from its ability to charge through the watch face when the sun is out. This is an amazing feature that gives it more battery life to go the extra mile. Even on a cloudy day, it was still able to receive a small amount of charging. 

While Garmin states that the battery life in GPS mode with solar charging is 48 hours, in practice, we find it hard to achieve this. Inconsistent sun exposure, usage, and GPS settings play a large role in battery health, and we find that the watch’s solar charging delays battery drainage by only a few hours at most.

Garmin also claims that the watch has an unlimited battery life in smartwatch, expedition, or battery-saver modes. Once again, solar does extend the watch’s life, but in practice, solar charging on the wrist, particularly in cloudy places or while wearing long sleeves, is too inconsistent to rely on for indefinite charging.

Battery saver mode is great for extending the battery life without needing GPS, and expedition mode reduces tracking to once per hour. These are great features for using the watch for days at a time while on long adventures.

Comfort & Wearability

With a display size of .9 inches but an overall diameter of 1.77 inches, the Instinct 3 Solar has a large and, at times, bulky outer case. This gives the watch excellent durability and weather resistance, but can make the watch feel overly large for those with slender wrists. We find that the Instinct 3 Solar frequently catches on backpack straps and can be hard to fit under the cuffs of gloves and jackets.

With a stated weight of 53 grams and a measured weight of 51 grams, the Instinct 3 Solar is about average in weight for its performance.

Features

With a plethora of activity types, from golfing to fishing, backcountry skiing to horseback riding, the Instinct 3 Solar has your recreation preferences covered. Easily add and remove activity types from the watch to pare down the list to your top sports. Connect to the Garmin IQ app for nearly limitless watch face and activity customization. 

The Instinct 3 Solar also comes with a host of features, making it great for backcountry use. While it cannot download maps, it can upload routes to follow. This consists of a track on a blank screen. While not the best for navigating complex terrain, it can get you back to the trailhead in a pinch. It also has a simple breadcrumb navigation for back-to-start tracing. We really like the watch’s ability to add waypoints while on the go, display elevation, and have an easy-to-use compass. 

A unique feature found on no other watch is the built-in LED light. If we were caught out in the dark on the trail without a headlamp or simply wanted to see in a dark room, this small yet powerful light makes a big difference. Simply double-press the light button to turn it on and use the up/down arrows to adjust brightness or switch to red light. It also has a strobe and SOS pattern for emergencies. 

While its small screen size does not lend itself to being a great smartwatch, we were surprised that the Instinct 3 Solar comes equipped with Garmin Pay, Garmin Share, and Garmin Messenger for increased smartwatch capabilities.

Ease of Use

The Garmin Instinct 3 Solar is the only watch in our lineup that is not touchscreen-enabled. While this may be a drawback to some, we appreciate this utilitarian approach with up/down buttons and a screen that is not accidentally touched and scrolled while in motion. 

The Garmin IQ companion app is one of the best and oldest smartwatch apps on the market. It provides easy analysis of metrics, workout planning, and a social media component. Third-party apps connect quickly and easily, and activities upload seamlessly through Bluetooth. The .9-inch display size is one of the smallest in our lineup, which makes trying to read charts, smartwatch notifications, and messages challenging.

Additionally, the monochrome display improves battery life and visibility in bright conditions but lacks the vibrancy of other smartwatches. This makes the watch less suited for a daily smartwatch, but the perfect fit for outdoor enthusiasts who need solidly built basics without the extra fluff.

Should You Buy the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar GPS Watch?

The Garmin Instinct 3 Solar is a great choice for outdoor adventurers, endurance athletes, and anyone who prioritizes durability and battery life in a GPS watch. Thanks to solar charging, it can last for days and even weeks at a time, making it perfect for extended backcountry trips. It’s highly accurate and comes loaded with features like different activity types, route navigation, waypoints, and breadcrumb tracking. 

While it cannot display maps, it still provides enough performance for dedicated backcountry use. Despite the relatively small display size, lack of touchscreen, and lower smartwatch performance, this is still one of our favorite watches. Not as good a fit for a daily smartwatch, the Instinct 3 Solar is perfect for anyone looking for a durable, backcountry-ready watch designed to go the distance.

What Other Watches Should You Consider?

The Garmin Instinct 3 Solar GPS watch isn’t the only backcountry-worthy option on the market. We tested and reviewed the best of the best, and they are all in our complete GPS watchgear guide.

Coros Apex 4 Review: If you’re looking for another watch with impressive battery life, the Apex 2 Pro is sure to meet the demands of tracking for multiple days at a time.

Garmin Forerunner 165 Review: At a more affordable price, the Forerunner 165 delivers a lighter platform with a larger display size for improved display capabilities for different activities.

Garmin Vivoactive 6 Review: If the Instinct 3 Solar is too large of a watch for you, the Vivoactive is the slimmest and lightest in our lineup, perfect for smaller-sized wrists.