A Triathlete Reviews the New Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED Smartwatch

Along with the Coros Pace line of endurance smartwatches, Garmin’s Instinct line is one of my sleeper favorites. While the base Coros Pace line dominates the $300-and-under category, in my opinion, the Instinct line is the best bang-for-your buck when it comes to functions and battery life. As someone who believes that triathletes should truly focus on battery life – because of, well, lots and lots of training/physio data needs – imagine my excitement when Garmin released the $400 Instinct 2 Solar back in 2022 with infinite battery life. Yes, infinite freaking battery life. In certain conditions, this watch could run indefinitely, and with triathlete usage it was less than forever, it was still more than literally any other triathlete-friendly smartwatch.

Sure the Instinct line is marketed a little more toward the “outdoor/tactical” customer, but I know many triathletes who love this line because it’s literally bulletproof, does all of the multisport things, and lasts forever. The biggest problem with the Instinct 2 Solar? Losing the charging cable because you go so long between charges.

But of course everything comes at a cost, and the Instinct 2 Solar was beset by a super tiny little monochrome display with a funny little circular window – which I thought was cool, but makes things even tinier. If you need glasses, the Instinct 2 is not for you.

Fast forward to 2025, and while Garmin did a little update to the Instinct 2 by adding an actually super-awesome LED flashlight – like the Fenix 7X+ line has for over twice the price – it’s been quiet on the Instinct front for a while. Then, with little fanfare, Garmin quietly dropped the Instinct 3 that’s now available with an AMOLED screen version (and that awesome LED flashlight on all models). This release had me refreshing UPS.com every hour until the 50mm AMOLED version appeared on my doorstep. Now with many miles logged, there’s surprisingly a lot to unpack on a watch that’s traditionally known for its simplicity. Let’s dig in.

Garmin Instinct 3 review: The basics

Similar to the Garmin Fenix 8 line released last fall (which won Triathlete’s Smartwatch of the Year, despite its obscene $1,000 base price), the Instinct 3 line comes in two flavors and two sizes: AMOLED or solar screen; and 45mm or 50mm. There’s also a super-basic $300 40mm Instinct E, but I’m not including that in this review, as it doesn’t have a triathlon or multisport mode, and the advertised battery life is a snoozeworthy 14 days. The Instinct 3 base model – a 45mm version with a solar screen – starts at $400, while the top end is the $500 50mm version with an AMOLED screen.

All versions of the Instinct 3 (Instinct E notwithstanding) have pool and open-water swimming, cycling, running, triathlon, and multisport activities. All track sleep, HRV, blood oxygen, performance readiness, and menstrual cycles. All versions of the Instinct 3 also – and very importantly – have a super-bright built-in LED flashlight located on the top of the watch face. This flashlight is as bright as most smartphone lights, but can also act as a strobe for nighttime visibility or throw a red beam for “secret nighttime multisport missions.” In all seriousness, I know bowhunters who use this to navigate the trails to their deer stands.

In terms of battery life, the advertised numbers range wildly from seven days of always-on daily smartwatch use (23 hours full GPS with multiband; 45mm AMOLED version) to 40 days/infinite (34 hours-60 hours full GPS with multiband; 50mm solar version). In my experience, you’ll want the AMOLED version to be in always-on mode, as the raise-to-wake is pretty sluggish and doesn’t give you any info at all until it wakes up. More on this below.

The displays are also quite different: The biggest-and-brightest 50mm AMOLED screen is 33mm with 416 x 416 pixels; the 45mm solar version has an ultra-tiny MIP 23mm screen (with tiny circular window) and 176 x 176 pixels. As I said before, if you need glasses, the solar version probably isn’t for you.

All versions of the Instinct 3 also have super super small onboard storage – 128 MB in the 45mm solar version to 4 GB in the 50mm AMOLED version. For reference, the latter figure is the same as the ultra bare bones Forerunner 165, while a more comparably priced smartwatch – like the Coros Pace Pro or the Suunto Race S – has 32 GB of storage.

This brings us to what the Instinct 3 does not have, and is worth noting in the basics section (we’ll dig in deeper in the sections below): Like its predecessors, the Instinct 3 line does not have any mapping navigation, nor does it have any onboard music storage. It does however do route navigation with breadcrumbs and control smartphone music via Bluetooth. Also, none of the Instinct 3 AMOLED watches have touchscreens. This is something that’s significant because not many AMOLED-screened watches don’t have touchscreens, and that distinction is slightly buried in Garmin’s specs.

Garmin Instinct 3 review: What we liked

When it comes to the solar versions of the Instinct 3, there’s quite a bit to like, but it’s also almost the same as what we liked about the Instinct 2. The near infinite battery life is amazing, and still unrivaled at the $400-450 price point. And by adding the built-in LED flashlight to the entire line, Garmin has taken another feature that no other endurance-focused smartwatch has and put it in something that’s both affordable and works with various wrist sizes (previously the LED was only on giant versions of the Fenix line or the massive 50mm Instinct 2X).

In terms of use cases for the LED flashlight, I think triathletes are a key subgroup who typically train early in the morning and late at night. Both situations are ideal for the flashing safety setting, as well as the quite bright flashlight. Also, as someone who has been to his fair share of predawn transition areas, trying to fumble around with their smartphone flashlight is the last thing you want to do when you’re trying to set everything up quickly.

While some might not appreciate the ultra barebones screen on the Solar, I actually find it a pretty intuitive way to present information, and since it’s likely a big reason for the insane battery life, I can live with it – especially since mapping isn’t available anyway.

In terms of the AMOLED version, the battery life is fine, but nothing exactly category killing, like the solar versions. That said the 390 x 390 pixel or 416 x 416 pixel AMOLED screen is plenty bright, and vibrant enough to see even in the brightest daylight on the lowest brightness setting.

Both versions are completely triathlete friendly, with excellent accuracy, physio features, a wide range of sport/activity modes, and the near-infinite level of data screen, menu, and button customization that Garmin is well known for – something that Suunto and Coros still struggle with. I also really enjoy all of the Instinct 3’s styling options, but the rugged, tactical look might not be for everyone and is most certainly not at home in the executive boardroom.

Garmin Instinct 3 review: What could be better

This is a tough one because all solar versions of the Instinct 3 have two things that no other endurance-focused smartwatch does: the built-in flashlight and a battery life that’s measured in months. In the solar version, the only complaint would be the minuscule storage which means you can’t store onboard music or mapping. But of course the screen itself would make mapping nearly useless, and it’s likely that fewer people listen to music from their watches than we think.

However, the AMOLED version of the Instinct 3 is a little bit of a puzzle. Yes, it still has the awesome built-in LED flashlight, but it slashes its battery life by at least 60% for an AMOLED screen that’s not even touch activated. While AMOLED is certainly a very cool feature that’s becoming a must have on most smartwatches, I’d argue that aside from the wow factor, an AMOLED screen’s best use is for mapping (and a touchscreen is also pretty much essential for meaningful mapping use on the go).

In the absence of mapping, the 30mm/33mm AMOLED screen is pretty, but it’s a tough sell when the battery takes such a monster hit. Especially when you compare the Instinct 3 AMOLED to lower-priced watches like the Coros Pace Pro, Suunto Race, and Suunto Race S – all of which have touchscreens, excellent built-in mapping, similar or better battery, and a digital crown to help with zooming (something that Garmin still resists across all of its lines).

And yes, some could argue that if you turn off the always-on function, the battery gets closer to Instinct-level, but if always-on is turned off, the screen goes completely black until it’s raised to wake. Garmin’s RTW on the Instinct 3 is fine, but not amazing.

As such, I found the watch not super useful unless always-on was, well, always on. That said, in real-world triathlete use (wearing and monitoring 24/7 and GPS-heavy workouts with always-on), I found the battery on the big 50mm version to actually last over 10 days – versus Garmin’s advertised nine days. It’s great that Garmin beat their listed spec in real-world conditions (which is super rare), but I’d love to squeeze more like two weeks out of an Instinct watch.

Conclusion

So this is a funny one, because the AMOLED and solar versions are almost like two different models – and interestingly an inverse of the Fenix 8 AMOLED/solar conundrum. In my Fenix 8 Solar review, I struggled mightily to justify spending $1,100 for a watch with a lot (but not an infinite amount) of battery and no AMOLED screen. The voice commands/calls and onboard mapping/music storage are great, but there are plenty of watches out there that do 80% of that watch for over 40% less cash.

In the case of the Fenix 8, I strongly recommended the AMOLED version because even though the battery was just ok, the AMOLED touchscreen was put to great use when it came to mapping, and it somehow felt easier to swallow a $1,000+ investment – especially when you take into account the mic/speaker and offline voice commands, which are awesome.

On the other hand, in the absence of mapping and a touchscreen in the AMOLED Instinct 3, the ok battery is…less ok.

It also begs an almost-existential question: If you don’t need mapping and navigation, then is the use case for an AMOLED screen substantially lessened? While a bright-and-shiny display for everyday use is cool, and for workouts can be somewhat helpful, in the absence of mapping, it’s more of a shiny luxury than a necessity. And since the always-on AMOLED chews up battery life pretty quickly on the Instinct 3 (to be fair, this happens on basically all AMOLED watches), it’s more worthwhile to go with the non-AMOLED version with a monster battery life. This way you can not only reap the benefits of a near-infinite battery and the built-in flashlight, but you can also scale down and get the more-diminutive 45mm solar version (for $400), while the AMOLED screen nearly forces you to go to the big 50mm version to get more than a week of battery life.

So then ask yourself: Do I need powerful mapping? If yes, and you want to spend less than $500, then I’d reach for the Coros Pace Pro ($350) with a 33mm AMOLED touchscreen or the Suunto Race ($450) with a 36mm AMOLED touchscreen – both with excellent touchscreens and digital crowns, essential for map zooming, in my opinion. Not to mention that the Suunto Race has an oddly impressive battery life. With that competitive landscape in mind, I’d give the Instinct 3 AMOLED version three stars.

If mapping is not something you realistically use (most folks rely on a smartphone for truly crucial mapping moments anyway), then I’d still say the 45mm $400 Instinct 3 Solar is one of my favorite watches in the last 12 months, given it has endless battery, multisport functions, and that awesome built-in flashlight – all things triathletes truly love and need. If I reviewed only that watch, I’d give it between four-and-a-half and five stars.

Competitive comparison: Garmin Instinct 3 Solar vs. Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED vs. Coros Pace Pro vs. Suunto Race S vs. Suunto Race

*For more smartwatch reviews, check out The Best Triathlon Smartwatches of 2024, Reviewed