Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical: the fair-weather adventure watch
Garmin promises extra power thanks to solar energy with the Instinct Solar Tactical models. How long does the battery of the fair-weather adventure watch last? For my taste, it could be a little longer.
"Do it like the sundial" ... you know the rest. The more cheerful, sunny hours you spend outdoors in nature, the longer the battery of the Instinct Solar Tactical from Garmin should last. In smartwatch mode, it delivers up to 54 days of juice, and even more in battery saver mode. I ran out after around three weeks. That's okay. However, there are products from the competition that boast almost twice as long a battery life. And that's without solar glass.
The battery has to deliver
Battery life is currently the number one selling point for a GPS multisport watch. Apart from that, these watches all do more or less the same thing. More or less accurately. They measure your pulse, count your steps and also determine the oxygen saturation of your blood. Or, like the Instinct Solar Tactical, they are equipped with additional army functions:
- Mode for night vision goggles: Here you can reduce the illumination of the smartwatch so that you can also use night vision goggles.
- Cloaking mode: In cloaking mode, you hide your GPS data and deactivate wireless connectivity to remain undetected.
- Dual position format: The Instinct Tactical shows you the coordinates in two different formats. You can see both the UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) and the MGRS system (Military Grid Reference System).
- Waypoint projection: This allows you to determine new coordinates based on your current position and by specifying a distance.
- Jumpmaster mode: This function is used to calculate HARP (High Altitude Release Points) in accordance with military guidelines and helps you to navigate to your destination after the parachute jump.
Compatible devices
The Instinct Solar Tactical is compatible with various other products from Garmin. There are also various accessories, such as the HRM Dual chest strap.
More specs
| Material of the watch glass | Power Glass |
|---|---|
| Bezel material | Fibre-reinforced polymer |
| Housing material | Fibre-reinforced polymer |
| Quickfit watch straps | Yes (22 mm) |
| Bracelet material | Silicone |
| Physical size | 45 x 45 x 15.3 mm
For a wrist circumference of 132 to 224 mm |
| Display size, W X H | Customised, two-part design; 23 x 23 mm (0.9 x 0.9 inch) |
| Display resolution, W X H | 128 x 128 pixels |
| Display type | Monochrome, transflective MIP display (Memory in Pixel) that is easy to read in sunlight |
| Weight | 53 g |
| Battery life | Smartwatch: Up to 24 days/54 days with solar charging*
Energy-saving watch mode: Up to 56 days/unlimited with solar charging* GPS: Up to 30 hours/38 hours on solar charge** Maximum GPS battery mode: Up to 70 hours/145 hours on solar charge** GPS expedition activity: Up to 28 days/68 days on solar charge* * With solar charging; assumes all-day wear time with 3 hours outdoors at 50,000 lux. ** With solar charging; use at 50,000 lux is assumed. |
| Watertightness | 10 ATM |
| Memory/log | 16 MB |
Garmin Connect and Explore
Use the Connect app to analyse all the data you have collected with the Instinct Solar Tactical. Practically all standard and trend sports and outdoor activities are pre-installed on the watch. This autumn, I did strength training with it, was on the treadmill, sat on the bike ergometer, went on a few trails, hiked in the Engadine and went for a leisurely walk with the dog at home.
The Explore app is specifically for outdoor activities. These can be recorded with the app even without a network, such as the descent from Muottas Muragl to Samedan.
My impression
The Instinct Solcar Tactical from Garmin also works in bad weather, of course. More sunshine simply means a longer battery life. How much longer this is depends on many factors. Look again in the specifications under "Battery life". After two weeks of using the smartwatch and then in energy-saving mode for ten days, I ran out of battery. That's good, but not outstanding.
On the other hand, the display is very easy to read even in direct sunlight. This is often not the case with competitor products. A Garmin Instinct with solar glass costs around 400 francs. This puts it somewhere in the middle of the price range between the Vivoactive 3 and the Fenix 6 Pro. Overall, it is a good adventure watch with a few additional functions that may be of interest to members of the army or hunters. For me as a health athlete, the camouflage mode or the mode for night vision goggles are not so exciting.
Here you can find all Instinct Solar models from Garmin in our range.
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Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
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