Garmin  Instinct 2X Solar

I'm only a week into owning this watch, but I have to say that I love it! I'm coming from a Google Pixel Watch that fell apart right after the warranty ended, and this thing is so much better. There was a lot to love about the Pixel Watch but the disconnect between the Fitbit run tracking on the watch and the numbers showing in the app were hard to swallow. I decided it was time to focus more on the running/tracking features and less on the smartwatch/phone integration. I checked with a buddy who has the Instinct 2X Solar and he had great things to say about it, and all the Garmins he's owned. Mostly I'm a runner but not as hard-core, tweak-every-detail as some. I over-analyzed between the Instinct 2X Solar and the Forerunner 955, and liked a lot of the 955's advanced running features (most of which were over my head). I also liked the 955's color touchscreen. Wifi was less of a concern since the Instinct doesn't seem to have as much of a need for it. It was a tough decision, but with 2 items on the I-can-always-return-it list I went with the Instinct 2X Solar. Things I love about my Instinct 2X Solar (some apply to many Garmins, some are 2X-specific): I loved the 2X's look, its ruggedness, and how it doesn't try to do everything. Which sounds a little silly considering how much it can do. It's also lightweight and doesn't LOOK like an expensive watch, which for me is a plus. IYKYK. LiveTrack. Both the 2X and 955 have this (the one where you can let people see your real-time blue dot on a map), but since it uses your phone to update the location I was a little concerned about how much phone battery it uses and was unable to find any feedback online. I haven't tested this much but so far it doesn't seem to drain the phone excessively. As an example, I think about 5-6% during an hour-long run. Power banks for the phone are also an option on an extremely long run. Group LiveTrack. Same as above, but you can see everyone in your group. Per the Garmin site's comparison, the 2X doesn't have this. Not a big deal to me, but as I was actually setting up the watch I was surprised to find this feature present on the 2X. Live Event Sharing. Garmin's comparison says the 2X doesn't have this, so advantage to the 955. This is the one that texts out periodic updates (like every mile or whatever you set) during a race. To me this seems more respectful of your phone battery on a longer race, and I really wanted this. (Item #1 on the I-can-always-return-it list.) And then I got my 2X and it actually DOES have this? I was way too happy when I discovered that. Note that iPhone users don't have this option since iPhone doesn't let third-party apps send text messages. Blame Steve or Tim, not Garmin. Screen. Given the old-school screen and my old eyes, I had some concerns. My local REI only had some dummy versions available to see and I'm not gonna lie, it was hard to see the smaller lines--especially since the dummy didn't have a backlight. Item #2 on the I-can-always-return-it list. But I liked the 2X, and fortunately that doesn't seem to be an issue in actual usage. There are multiple watch faces you can choose from, some easier to read than others. And once you learn where everything is, it becomes a lot easier to pick out the data you want. I'm also a fan of the second, inset screen that highlights whatever's most relevant at the time. (The little round one in the pictures.) And the type of screen makes an always-on display possible without any battery-life worries. Buttons! Moving from a touchscreen-only watch, I was excited to have actual buttons. It's amazing how much sweat and rain can hamper using a device with a buttonless touchscreen. And having the buttons auto-lock when you start an event? Love that. Being able to start and stop your run as you cross the line, without looking down to see where to touch? Looking forward to that. Actually tracking runs. (1) Seems a lot more accurate than my previous watch, and a lot more accurate than my phone before that. There's really something to the multi-band GPS. (2) Being able to pause/stop an activity without turning the screen back on and then swiping a few times is refreshing. (3) Switching from one activity to another on the fly is incredibly handy when the dog has had enough of the run and is ready to turn the rest of the outing into a walk. A lot faster than ending the run, waiting for the watch to do all its post-activity stuff, and then starting a walk. (4) I've even programmed in a couple of courses in the neighborhood so I can make sure I hit the distance I want and that's worked well. The navigational directions that pop up are noticeable but not obnoxious. I haven't really used the map. (5) Being able to modify what fields are shown, and having as many pages on your rotation as you want, are very useful. Right now I want to see HR, pace, distance, and time. Maybe down the road I'll dig more into power and stuff like that. (6) I've loaded in a workout with intervals manually and it went fine once I figured out how to advance it. I wish I could set a section, like sprint-run-recover, to repeat until I stop it manually. I think that's an open interval? Anyway, that's available on the 955 but not the 2X from what I can tell. (7) Suggested workouts. I'm actually in training for something right now and so I haven't actually used these. But I'll try them out when I'm done with this race. Flashlight. I've only used it a couple of times, but I can see using it more. It's certainly quicker to double-tap a watch button than to dig my phone out of my pocket and start swiping and tapping for a light. HRM, Pulse Ox, Respirations, Stress, Battery Body, Sleep, Training Readiness and Training Status, Health Snapshot. I follow these regularly. Some are good. Health Snapshot counted about 15 breaths per minute but I counted like 6 so I'm not sure what's up with that. Training details are still getting dialled in but I like what I see. Haven't really looked at the thermometer, which looks like it's for ambient temp and not my temp. I do like the morning report, giving me a summary of where I am first thing in the morning. Battery. I've been throwing it on the charger when I take a shower, and between that short charging cycle and the solar my battery life has hovered between 15-17 days. I plan to skip the charging for a while and see how long it goes. It's just weird not having to stock up on charging cables. Well, maybe one longer one for next to the bed and I'll put the included shorter one in my travel bag. Being able to modify the screens (to some degree) is nice. Like I don't use Garmin Pay, but quick access to the Strobe might come in handy. And having a favorite timer lets me start it within 3 button clicks. My list of glances is getting a little long. I'll have to see which ones can go away and whether there are any others I want handy. I also haven't programmed any hotbuttons, which is definitely a good idea to look into. Altimeter/Barometer/Compass. Because of course you need them. Custom power modes for in-activity battery settings. I guess this could come in handy, but the battery life is insane so I don't think I'm going to need it any time soon. The Garmin Connect app is the best place to dig into your stats, and it seems to work well. I appreciate the link for more info next to some of the terms and measurements that I'm not familiar with. Graphs look nice, and it's easy to set the time period--so for example what's my weight been this week, the past month, or the past 12 months. USB-C. My phone, earbuds, and tablet all use this and my battery bank supports it, so it's convenient that my watch cable does too--at least on the wall end. There's also a giant online retailer that has a Garmin adapter tip that goes onto a standard USB-C cable to turn it into a Garmin-compatible cable. So if you have a USB-C cable in your travel bag you can throw in a tip with it, and only have to carry one cable. With all the pluses, there are a few drawbacks: The training plans listed in Garmin Connect are pretty limited, or maybe they're just not expecting me to have an 18-mile trail run 9 weeks from now. That is pretty specific, I guess. You have 5 buttons, so there's a learning curve. But I got it pretty much figured out within a day or so, and I LOVE BUTTONS. The Garmin replacement watchbands are pricey. I'd rather know that now than find out when I need to buy one. Music controls (for your phone's music) are clunky to say the least. Probably not worth messing with. I don't mind not having music directly on the watch and didn't use it on my prior watch. No widgets, but then I haven't even downloaded any watch faces yet. [PSA: According to online reviews, some downloaded watch faces add a noticeable lag. If you experience lag, see if a stock face works better.] The Connect IQ store isn't available directly from the watch; you have to go in through the Garmin Connect app. Not a big deal because it's not like you're going to spend a lot of time searching and trying out downloads. Notifications. If one pops up on the watch you can get to it easily if you do it right away. After the display reverts, you have to dig a little further to get to the notifications. Clearing them on the phone generally seems to clear them on the watch but I've seen a couple exceptions. Doesn't have "Improved Intervals". As mentioned above, the main one I'd like is the Open Repeats. Overall, I'm really happy with my 2X. There are very few things that I miss from my "smarter" watch, but the added capabilities of my Garmin more than make up for it.

Having had this watch for almost a week now, some thoughts on what would make this really appealing long term. Over the past day I've been considering returning this watch, but not for the good features it has like sleep tracking, pulse oximeter, and activity, but for the lack of Garmin's understanding that there is an increasing trend of people that do not want to submit their personal and highly sensitive data to third parties. In addition there's an increasing trend in people that want to self-host services and use open source apps like Gadget Bridge. The watch is pretty limited without Garmin's Connect app, which presents several issues. Want to review your stats and you're currently in a remote cabin? Nope. The app requires an internet connection. Want to export your stats into portable data formats like CSV, XML, or JSON? Nope, you are locked in to Garmin hosting and holding your data behind a walled garden. Want to use Gadget Bridge, an open source alternative app that supports many other smart watches? Nope, Garmin doesn't support that. In fact, the Garmin Connect app makes the nice health tracking features of the watch useless unless you create an account and fork over highly sensitive data. If values of personal privacy and data freedom are important to you, consider passing this watch. And for Garmin, consider changing your posture and providing features that let users have more control over the data they are forking over to you.