Garmin Instinct 2X In-Depth Review: The Biggest Upgrade Yet!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 พ.ค. 2024
- Here's the only review you need on the new Garmin Instinct 2X GPS watch, including the new flashlight, new Training Readiness, and plenty more! Dive into all the details. Buy the Instinct 2X here (amzn.to/3o5nsBc), link helps support the channel, much appreciated!!!
Garmin’s new Instinct 2X aims to complete the threesome size lineup of the Instinct series, offering now a small, medium, and large edition. However, most notably, it becomes the next series of watches to include the flashlight, which Garmin launched on the Fenix 7X last year. This flashlight has multiple modes including strobe and red-light mode. But beyond that, and most critically for those wanting higher accuracy, the Instinct 2X also includes multiband/dual frequency GNSS/GPS. Oh, and it gets Training Readiness!
In effect, the Instinct 2X follows in the footsteps of Garmin’s Fenix X variants. From the first Fenix X variant back on the Fenix 5X, Garmin used the larger size unit to ‘introduce’ new features to the market. A blend of market interest validation tests (do people find this new feature useful?), with charging a premium for said fancier features. The company is now applying that same concept here with the Instinct 2X, albeit by taking already existing features from higher-end units.
In any case, I’ve been testing the Instinct 2X for quite some time now. Putting it through more paces than I can shake a stick at. Swims, rides, runs, hikes, trail runs, gym, and whatever else floated my boat (except, I don’t have a boat). As usual, I’ll dive into what works well, and what needs more work - there’s a helping of both in this unit.
0:00 Pricing & Variants
2:06 The Flashlight
3:56 Multiband GNSS/GPS
4:55 New Solar Feature
6:28 Training Readiness Explained
8:23 Morning Report
9:02 Basic Widgts Hands-On
9:49 Sport Modes & Customization
11:18 Courses & Navigation
13:39 GPS & Heart Rate Accuracy
15:07 Worth it?
Note: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and links may earn me a commission (at no cost to you).
#Garmininstinct2X #GarminInstinct #Instinct2X - กีฬา
call me retro, call me a fossil but I prefer the simplicity of this monochrome screen over fancy amoleds
Retro fossil
Amoled is good for city watches like Venu, Vivoactive, but for Outdor watches like Fenix and Instinct it is not suitable in my opinion
That’s why I want this! Gonna go from Apple Watch Series 7 to this 😅
SAME DUDE!
True 💪🏻
got the 2x to replace 245. surprised how much clarity the monochrome screen can provide. everything is so clear! and the flash light is so useful! never know how often a light is useful until the 2x. and the best part is battery life. charging the 245 every 3to5 days is so irritating.
PLEASE NOTE: Garmin has removed the course point limit in the 14.05 and newer firmware.
Hope I can check this with next official update
Okay, thank you so much! Now I definitely want to buy it😅
@@dtomvan what’s the difference?
I have the Enduro 2, and never would have guessed how handy the flashlight has been. It’s life changing 😀
Yup, I use the flashlight feature on my 6x almost daily. Way more handy than my phone light for navigating my house since using my phone light requires finding my phone.
An actual dedicated LED is much more of a selling point to me than it should be. But it's one of my most used features on the huge list of the features on this watch, so it makes sense to upgrade the feature you actually use. A better version of Jumpmaster would be worthless to me, for instance.
I have the Tactix 7 and also find the flashlight to be one of the best things about the watch lol.
Are you happy with the enduro2?The screen with no amoled is ok?
I was using the display of my old Forerunner 35 as a flashlight to "navigate" inside house without disturbing the family, the fact that my Instinct 2 has a dedicated light mode is priceless, I can only imagine how useful could be to have a dedicated LED flashlight especially, this one which can be turned to red.
I used the "flashlight" on the FR 945 a decent amount. Now that I've got the Enduro 2 I use it daily. It is incredibly handy to have a flashlight always attached to my wrist at a double tap.
You are the only one who mentioned the 12k limitation, and you can tell you actually used the watch, not like most channels.
Thank you sir
Thanks!
That’s been a constant with his reviews in the 10+ years I’ve been consulting them for. The best in the game. Full stop.
@@tylerbyarsno doubt
What was that 12K limitation means? I dont understand
@@si.babiganas just listen to the video, he explains it
2 days ago, as I was purchasing my new Instinct 2 to replace my old Instinct that wouldn't charge anymore, the sales guy suggested that I check out your videos for details on other Garmin watches. I wish I had started here first. I would now have a 2x instead of a 2.
Perhaps a Forerunner or Epix is in my future. Thanks for the awesome, comprehensive reviews.
This guys has taken great effort to make the video. Kudos
Got my 2x yesterday. Love it!
The thing I like about the Instinct is that it's a modernized version of the Fenix 2 which I loved for its battery life. Love the flashlight!
Your reviews are fabulous! Is the sleep tracking better than previous Instincts and or Garmin models?
Always a great review, cheers!
I own this watch as an upgrade from earlier versions. Very affordable watch with top features like: torch, battery life with solar, sensors. Never had a torch on my watch but this is super convenient and use this on a daily basis. Highly recommended!
Excellent review. Thank you.
Appreciate the insight into the software and hardware features. I like your balanced feedback especially on limitations. Well done!
Wow impressive, wish they would bring these features to the 2s for those of us with small wrists
If you've got such small wrists, how do you expect to fight a bear...??
Thanks for the great review! Not sure about trail running with a baguette though!
Upgrading from the old instinct solar to the 2X ! Looking forward to it
Thanks for the breakdown 👌
Beautiful watch with the led, good to know that it has some limitations in hiking.
still have the original instinct, works well for my weight training sessions but the omission of VO2 max and other more detailed tracking is something these newer variants can solve. Solid review
Had original Instinct for 2.5yrs, used Instinct 2 for a couple of weeks ans now got the Instinct 2x. The 2 is wayyy better than the original terms of training and health features its a HUGE upgrade and is well worth it. 2X adds couple more features plus the flashlight and a larger screen. Also worth the upgrade. Battery life is ridiculously good on the 2x as well ans even 2 is a way better than the original.
lol reading this comment when I just bought the original instinct for Prime day... Wish it had VO2 Max for my strength training/run sessions.. But cant complain of the deal they had!
ok, I am on 1solar and frankly quite happy, but that flashlight actually look super handy.
Thanks for this great video ! I definitely made the good choice by replacing my Instinct 2 Solar by this 2X.
It fits totally my expectations. I have to wait now...
06:23 - Can't forget that loaf of bread for the hike!
Even when no Des, I always Bread.
Hey just fyi you say (and write) “green backlight” for the tactical.
I think you meant to say “green flashlight.”
Thanks for the review! Very cool. Excited to see this watch in person.
Informative as always. When I heard first rumors about a 57mm watch case, I was curious but not interested. But 50mm sounds great. I might give it a try.....
Yeah, the 57mm rumors were kinda nuts. But I guess that’s why they were rumors..
I have a Tactix 7 Pro. I don’t use the maps or the music. Wondering if I should make the switch. Love the look of the screen at night!
I just bought the instinct crossover for the watch face, and last month when I got it it was still $549. Now I want this! Haha
Oh how I would appreciate a DC Rainmaker vlog series on these trips!!
You are by far the best reviewer. Thank you, i wanted to know about courses or maps and you delivered. ..
It really sucks this model doesn't do turn by turn.. I'm really forgetful when jogging and easily miss my turns.
I guess I'll spend $600 more and get the Enduro 2 instead. I do need that brighter flashlight too and also the auto GPS modes that change automatically depending on the terrain
Great review and thanks for testing that new Garmin 😄
That's very unfortunate. Just got my Instinct 2 Solar Tactical couple of moths ago. Would have gone for this one if it existed back then. But yeah, if the rumors about the Fenix 8 release in September are true, I'm gonna switch anyway, even though the Instinct 2 is an amazing watch.
just ordered with your link.
I never thought I wanted/needed a smart watch until I bought the Garmin instinct. I’ve only had it for a week and bought the instinct 2x solar!!! Obviously returning the original but got to admit, I’m a stat junkie now!
Have an Apple Watch ultra and still would love the extended battery life of this one! - I use a garmin for cycling already so would make sense ^_^ great review!
I really love my Instinct solar for my life style. Maybe I can talk my wife into this newer version for my birthday in June.
I ordered Instinct 2X for my 50th birthday
@@wrightstuf73sw nice….congrats and Happy Birthday.
@@wrightstuf73sw I'll be doing the same for my 45th next month :)
The reviews are as great as ever but Ray, your video production just moved on to the next level. I especially enjoyed the drop. 👍🏻
Thanks!!!
I am thinking to upgrade me Garmin Instinct 1 standard to this... Finally a worthy watch. Hope HR monitor is a bit improved.
If only it weren't so massive. I wish they made a 40mm version with the torch feature.
Hello Ray. I’m a long time fan of your channel. I have a question for you. For your money. Of all the Garmin watches, which would you say is the best for triathlon? Thank you.
Bedankt
Love the color
😍 - B-Roll is looking 👌
Haha, thanks! Had to do that by hand, sadly I haven’t used the Edelkrone in so long that either the batteries are failing to charge, or my chargers are oddly both dead.
Thank you
Has anyone ever told you you sound like Al Michael’s? The legendary NFL Monday night football commentator. Lol
Great video. With regards to the 50 course point max have you had that issue on courses that stick to roads and not trails? I go on group runs and we go on runs upwards of 17 miles on roads and I usually upload the course onto my watch with turn by turn navigation on my current garmin. Can this one do the same?
Wonder did they add more RAM? Seems like they added new features to the I2 with the same amount of memory as the original instinct, as a result the I2 would be sluggish especially when saving an activity and would occasionally just restart.
I have had that issue with my first edition Instinct Tactical.
Good upgrade
Üdv! Nagyon jó lett a teszt! Azt lehet tudni, hogy esetleg a Climb Pro funkció bele fog e kerülni az órába!?
Im not much of a fitness or workout person but your reviews are excellent and worth watching for everyone!
Very helpful video! I have used Instinct gen 1 since Dec 2018 and I’m upgrading to this watch. Is there a difference in the HR abilities in gen 1 Instinct and 2x Instinct?? Thanks.
Thank you very much for this video I’ve ordered this watch today currently using a older Garmin fenix model but the charging connection wiggles so wanted something with solar power to enable mitigation of problems with charger cables been wiggly in socket how are you getting on with solar 2X these days
Great review! was it on your wrist when filming edge 840?
Yup, it was. Though covered by a small wrist strap (basically a sock I cut in sections...).
@@Dcrainmaker indeed, I wanted to mention a sock, but thought there could be a more innovative wrist covers )) by the way, on shiny sunny weather white sock will be the best ))
Fantastic looking watch. I would buy one if not for one huge flaw that nobody talks about: The battery cannot be replaced when it wears out! So, this is literally a disposable watch, and rather expensive for something you have to throw away a few years after purchase.
How is the resolution or more importantly the text size compared to sunshine is the Venu? My eyes are getting older and the Google watch had too small font to effectively use and went back to my Venu. Great reviews and thank you.
bruh i just bought the fenix 7 solar sapphire mainly for the battery life and screen.. but this beast has me reconsidering.
Except for battery life, your F7 is way better than an Instinct 2X.
Has the solar actually increased enough to increase the battery percentage on the lower power modes?
When does the Epix X with a flashlight come out.
Hi DC, thanks for the video. Very helpful. I have a Fenix 6 pro, where I can view 6 datafields per page. Do you know how much the 2X can display? Can I have the same view?
Damn thats an impressive swim
Thanks!
Watch ordered, probably arriving today/tomorrow.
On the music in your intro, did you accidentally use a 400-800 EQ boost? It sounded really muddy on my iPhone during playback.
What hardware changes allow for SATIQ?
Hoping the ins2x get more running dynamics and also, hoping we could see the load focus on the watch instead of going to the app
Did they fix the altitude issues do to sweat entering the barometer port?
Wonder how this stacks up against the G-SHOCK MOVE GBD-H2000? Hopefully you can review the G-Shock as well.
How is the fr955 compare to the new instinct 2x on features?
Is it possible to load some form of Topographic maps on the instinct2 not just only the route (gpx file). I use to get small maps from open street maps and covert them to to gmapbmap.img file and copy them to my etrex10. Can something similar be done with this watch?
Hi. Any update on the boxing and mma activities, when can we expect these??
Thank you
Hi,
if i want to maximize the battery endurance of 2X, the Smartwatch mode (40 days) should be the best choice right? THX
Any idea if it's possible to change watch face layout for garmin coach exercises?
The time is displayed in the small circle and I can barely see it.
Why wouldn't they release the Training readiness for the rest of the Instinct 2 line? I mean all the necessary data are already there so they could do it, they´re just holding out. Also, when is morning report coming to Instinct 2 and Instinct 2s? They have said for quite a while that it's coming "soon".
Yeah, it’s ridiculous… my guess is that they’re holding it back on purpose for I2 users in order (or most likely, never release it for them) to make them buy the I2X watch only for this feature… which is just plain stupid, but I guess enough people do it if they’re really doing it like that. I read somewhere that they scraped the morning report for the I2 as it didn’t show up in the betas anymore after the 2nd public beta.
@@maxifiedler Same strategy that they're doing for the Instinct Solar: not bringing some software features and analysis from the Instinct 2 series. All for marketing and selling strategy.
The Garmin website doesn't have training readiness listed under the specs for the Instinct 2x, an error or are review units going out with firmware with features that are going to be removed?
@@Paul_Sims good catch!
It's just greed. There is no TR on Forerunner 255 either, event though it could be easily implemented.
Can you add rowing as a sport to this watch? Many thanks
completely new to fitness watches. does this have HRV monitoring?
also a few questions:
1. does the heart rate displayed in the watch face realtime?
2. the automatically 'recorded' heart rate is only every 10mins?
3. in any time, inside activity or not, does it alarm fhe user that the heart rate is below/beyond user limit? example i'll set it to 60-100 bpm. beyond that does it notify user?
I recently bought a Instinct 2 Solar Tactical, it’s within the return window so I’m not sure if I should get this? Is 50mm too big?
Do you know if there will be a Crossover variant coming?
Just bought a fr955
Maybe I'll try the this watch in a few years. Very solid.
The one thing I'm not sure of is if I can live without touchscreen
Thanks. One question...did they upgrade the processor in it? If not then this is the same watch that every new and then crushes during activity... but... bigger...
This is a great question. I bought one and the processor still doesn’t compare to the F7 line. I have a Tactix 7. I have experienced some lag on it.
A bit off model, currently the Polar Pacer Pro and Garmin Forerunner 935 are at the same price, which would be a better buy? Sleep tracking is my most important feature and football.
DC I need help. I just got the Instinct 2 and I don't know how to use thr health snap shot. Do I need to do something on my phone app 1st?
I hope they have improved the HR functions for this one. I have the Instinct and the HR during workouts is terrible. I’ll be in the 140-150 range and for 5-10 minutes it will show like 80-90 bpm.
Same for me, hr works well (confirmed with hr strap) for everything except workouts. For workouts it's useless for me. Oh and btw that's on 2 watches (one warrantied).
@@sanderscholtens391 glad to hear it’s just not me. For everyday use it works great, but during any workout it is terrible and I’ve tried everything to have it read the wrist better but nothing works. Sad part is I got it mostly to replace the HR chest strap… oh well.
Agree
yea HR measurements during weight training are a joke, does not work whatsoever.
Hello, what do you think on instinct 2 solar vs tactix delta? Thanks!
Will the Fenix 7 and. other garmin watches receive a those same boxing and MMA profiles you speak of?
I have an Apple Watch the garmin instinct 2x tactical and delta. Garmin by far is my favorite. Especially the app. Connection to the app can be better. But all around garmin is better in my opinion. Especially for the price.
The only run lap option I can find on the Instinct 2X requires you to stop the watch, press Lap from the ABC button and then restart the watch again, very messy. On my 920xt you pressed a button and it would record a lap time but importantly keep the watch running and start the next lap. Can you do this on the Instinct 2X ?
Can you do a review on the g-shock gbd-h2000, please? Even a comparison with this one?
is this a good watch to all day use and bike sessions?
To be honest, I found battery life on Instinct 2 and all its lineups a hoax when compared with these numbers on paper. My Instinct2 in smartwatch mode only runs for 14 days max without any activity being recorded- just like a normal smartwatch. I am not using any external watch face (from IQ store) at all, but still, with basic one, it just doesn't want to stay beyond 12-14 days which is a big bummer as this is their biggest USP (as per advertisements)
For the same, I also contacted Garmin support and after several cross-questions and checks, they came across an answer that It is what it is...
Hence, regardless if it says 40 days or 1 light year, it will definitely not stick to that spec for sure. I would've loved this brand more if they could've been transparent about the battery spec instead of providing the wrong info.
Yeah pretty much. I’ve been through original instinct solar, and now the 2 solar, and the original is like 10-12 days batter. The 2 is 14-16 days battery. Don’t know where they get the numbers
The Instinct 2x is not a scam when it comes to solar charging. I was at 98 percent and was in Jeep with my arm out the window and about an hour into the drive it went back up to 100. My past Instincts would have never done that.
Point limitation is over in navigation 🎉🎉🎉
Someone know what is the problem if my new instinct 2X(SOLAR Tactical) dont give me 40 days of battery??. And yes i tried everything on the battery settings.
Thanks for the helpers
Could you please post video showing builtin watch faces ? Thanks
Where do you live bud? Those hikes look gorgeous.
Has Garmin updated the software for the 12k limit in courses and navigation?
Hello
After a couple of years and prices going up and down. what do u recom if someone has to buy a watch between ENDURO 1 BLACK Ti or INSTINCT @X SOLAR TAC. What do u recom?
How many data field display when run on activity?
I'm not that familiar with the instinct line, but really surprised the batt life isn't closer to double what it actually is. The 965 having more than the 2 and 2s is surprising to me.
I just bought instinct 2x but cant find training readiness. I try to find on garmin connect too. And it's not there. Can you help me?
Can you still use this watch and get by just fine with it if you DON'T have a smart phone?
Can i load an ultra marathon route gpx on the watch? Or it is only limited to 12km distance
Looking for the best gps watch for hiking at $500 max price point, any recommendations?
Same price? Not in the UK, this is up for £479, the standard instinct 2 can been found for £200 now. I’d have jumped at the chance if it was that price!
the instict 2 solar is probably more than 200....
does applied ballistics app work with it?
Any updates on instinct 3 ??