Here are the new and detailed Garmin Instinct Specifications and a Garmin Fenix 5 vs. Garmin Instinct Comparison. A separate Garmin Instinct review is now live and these specs & comparison form a part of that. Q: What Is the Garmin Instinct? The Garmin Instinct was announced on 11 October and is targeting the outdoors market but in a notably cut-down form when compared to the Fenix 5/6 and Fenix 3. In one sense the lower-priced, lower-featured Garmin Instinct is CLEARLY justifying the higher-priced and uber-featured Fenix 5/Fenix 5 Plus/6 devices but the Instinct is also a full-frontal attack on competitors' cheaper outdoors watches such as the improving Casio Pro Trek WSD-F20 which has morphed into the beast that is the WearOS based WSD-F30 Must Read: Garmin Instinct 2 Review Solar & Thoughts The Instinct is a clear call on FEATURES and COST. The Instinct is a clear and good addition to the Garmin range. A: It's an outdoors watch and it's mostly well specified for that job. ...and it is proving surprisingly popular. What Garmin Instinct HAS got It's got nearly all the sensors of the Fenix 5 including GALILEO and a barometer It's smaller and lighter than the Fenix 5 Nearly all the outdoor adventure features on offer from Garmin. Open Water Swimming 3D distance measurements Waypoints and trackback Garmin Explore app compatibility What Garmin Instinct has NOT got It's got a smaller and lower-resolution screen when compared to the Fenix 5. I'm not happy about that. The bezel and case are more than sufficiently rugged, but not as 'elegantly made' as the Fenix 5 No colour screen, just black and white. Perfectly fine. 2/3rds the price and 2/3rds the battery life of the Fenix 5. Less money is always good. A notable omission is CIQ. That is totally missing and shows that Garmin now sees that CIQ adds value to its offerings - and I WOULD agree with Garmin on that front. Do you need CIQ when the Instinct already does so much? Maybe not. No Firstbeat physiological stuff like VO2max. You pays your money...you takes your choice. No STRAVA goodies BUT you can sync your workouts back to STRAVA easily enough No Group track No special sports features like HR when swimming and running dynamics when running and a PM or lights when cycling - fair enough. No golf (!) No WiFi, no Garmin PAY, no Garmin Music (no CIQ) You get the picture. Lots of relevant stuff and no extra fancy stuff. From a commercial perspective this device makes a LOT of sense to me. It looks sensibly focussed on core functionality for the end-user. IT DOES THE JOB. The Instinct has missed out the CIQ functionality...why? Go figure. If you want it you pay for it. You don't need it. Perhaps the absence of Garmin PAY is a slightly strange omission as Garmin can actually make money from you using that service. However, there could be hardware limitations that warrant its exclusion (eg B&W low res screen) From a hiking user standpoint, I'm not so sure it makes quite as much sense. Some omissions would just annoy me like, errr,...let me think.....errr.....golf? No. It makes sense for a user as well :-) . It has all the core functionality that the vast majority of its intended users will need. The buyer may feel that they are a bit of a poor relation compared to the Fenix owner. Or the buyer may feel delighted with the rugged Casio-esque looks. The Casio WFD-F20 ProTrek (F30 now released) is probably a prettier option with a pretty screen and the Casio's battery MIGHT last you for a couple of days in real-world usage. But the screen WILL DEFINITELY be prettier ONLY while it works. The Casio comes in at $399. I'd probably go for the Casio for short days out walking but if I ever ever ever planned to do anything vaguely serious where there was no phone coverage for emergencies and I relied on my watch for safety then I'd go for the Garmin. Wiggle: Down to just over £200 in UK (here at Wiggle) [caption id="attachment_25677" align="aligncenter" width="789"] Best REI/Wiggle/PMC price is linked to. $/Eu299 £270 and UNlikely to fall until late 2019.[/caption] amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "the5krunner-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B07H4XR133"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "83714659265e501cfbf3d473b3b9e425"; Garmin Instinct Specifications The Garmin Instinct Specifications are below and shown compared to the Fenix 5 and Fenix 3 (non-HR). These are the official Garmin specs which often contain small errors eg I don't think MOON times are included. Garmin Instinct Comparison to Garmin Fenix 5 and Garmin Fenix 3 Instinct fenix 5 fenix 3 $299.99 USD $549.99 USD and Up $449.99 USD and Up Rugged, reliable outdoor GPS watch Premium multisport GPS watch with wrist-based heart rate Rugged GPS multisport watch General Lens Material chemically strengthened glass chemically strengthened glass or sapphire crystal domed glass Bezel Material fiber-reinforced polymer stainless steel stainless steel Case material fiber-reinforced polymer fiber-reinforced polymer with stainless steel rear cover fiber-reinforced polymer QuickFit™ watch band compatible yes (22 mm) included (22 mm) yes (26 mm) Strap material silicone silicone or steel TPU Physical size 45 x 45 x 15.3 mm 47 x 47 x 15.5 mm 51 x 51 x 15.5 mm Weight 52 g 85 g 82 g Water rating 10 ATM 10 ATM 10 ATM Display type monochrome, sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) Display size custom, two-window design; 0.9” x 0.9” (23 x 23 mm) 1.2” (30.4 mm) diameter 1.2” (30.4 mm) diameter Display resolution 128 x 128 pixels 240 x 240 pixels 218 x 218 pixels Color display Battery life Smartwatch mode: Up to 14 days Smartwatch mode: Up to 2 weeks Smartwatch mode: Up to 2 weeks GPS mode: Up to 16 hours GPS/HR mode: Up to 24 hours GPS mode: Up to 20 hours UltraTrac™ mode: Up to 40 hours UltraTrac™ mode: Up to 60 hours without wrist heart rate UltraTrac™ mode: Up to 50 hours Memory/History 16 MB 64 MB 32 MB Clock Features Time/date Yes Yes Yes GPS Time Sync Yes Yes Yes Automatic daylight saving time Yes Yes Yes Alarm clock Yes Yes Yes Timer Yes Yes Yes Stopwatch Yes Yes Yes Sunrise/sunset times Yes Yes Yes Sensors GPS Yes Yes Yes GLONASS Yes Yes Yes Galileo Yes Yes No Garmin Elevate wrist optical HRM Yes Yes No, oHR Version of Fenix 3 also exists Barometric altimeter Yes Yes Yes Compass Yes Yes Yes Gyroscope No Yes No Accelerometer Yes Yes Yes Thermometer Yes Yes Yes Daily Smart Features Connectivity Bluetooth , ANT+ Bluetooth Smart, ANT+, Wi-Fi with sapphire editions Bluetooth Smart, ANT+, Wi-Fi Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets and apps) No Yes Yes Smart notifications Yes Yes Yes Text response/reject phone call with text (Android only) Yes No No Calendar Yes Yes Yes Weather Yes Yes Yes Controls smartphone music Yes Yes Yes Find My Phone Yes Yes Yes Find My Watch Yes Yes Yes VIRB® Camera Remote Yes Yes Yes Smartphone compatibility iPhone, Android iPhone, Android iPhone, Android Compatible with Garmin Connect™ Mobile Yes Yes Yes Activity Tracking Features Step counter Yes Yes Yes Move bar (displays on device after a period of inactivity; walk for a couple of minutes to reset it) Yes Yes Yes Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) Yes Yes Yes Sleep monitoring (monitors total sleep and periods of movement or restful sleep) Yes Yes Yes Calories burned Yes Yes Yes Floors climbed Yes Yes Yes Distance travelled Yes Yes Yes Intensity minutes Yes Yes Yes TrueUp™ Yes Yes Yes Move IQ™ Yes Yes No Fitness Age yes (in app) yes (in app) No All-day Stress Tracking Yes Yes No Fitness Equipment/Gym Available gym activity profiles Strength, Cardio and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing and Yoga Indoor Rowing, Strength Training and Cardio Training Indoor Rowing Cardio workouts Yes Yes No Strength workouts Yes Yes No Automatic rep counting Yes Yes No Training, Planning and Analysis Features GPS speed and distance Yes Yes Yes Customizable data pages Yes Yes Yes Customizable activity profiles Yes Yes Yes Auto Pause® Yes Yes Yes Interval training Yes Yes Yes Advanced workouts Yes Yes Yes Downloadable training plans Yes Yes Yes Auto Lap® Yes Yes Yes Manual lap Yes Yes Yes Configurable lap alerts Yes Yes Yes V02 max No Yes yes (with compatible accessory) Training Status (lets you see if you’re training effectively by tracking your training history and fitness level trend.) No Yes No Training Load (your total training load for the last 7 days calculated from estimated EPOC) No Yes No Training Effect (aerobic) No Yes yes (with compatible accessory) Training Effect (anaerobic) No Yes No Customizable alerts Yes Yes Yes Audio prompts Yes Yes Yes Finish time Yes Yes Yes Virtual Partner Yes Yes Yes Race an Activity Yes Yes Yes Auto multisport activities No Yes Yes Manual multisport activities No Yes Yes Course guidance Yes Yes Yes Segments (Live, Garmin) No Yes No Strava features (Beacon, live segments) No Yes No LiveTrack Yes Yes Yes Group LiveTrack No Yes No Touch and/or button lock Yes Yes Yes Hot keys Yes Yes Yes Auto scroll Yes Yes Yes Activity history on watch Yes Yes Yes Heart Rate Features HR zones Yes Yes yes (with compatible accessory) HR alerts Yes Yes yes (with compatible accessory) HR calories Yes Yes yes (with compatible accessory) % HR max Yes Yes yes (with compatible accessory) % HRR Yes Yes yes (with compatible accessory) Recovery time Yes Yes yes (with compatible accessory) Auto max HR Yes Yes yes (with compatible accessory) HRV stress test (measures your heart rate variability while standing still, for 3 minutes, to provide you with an estimated stress level; the scale of this is 1 to 100; low scores indicate lower stress levels) No yes (with compatible accessory) yes (with compatible accessory) Records heart rate while swimming No yes (with HRM-Tri™ and HRM-Swim™) yes (with HRM-Tri™ or HRM-Swim™) HR Broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+™ to paired devices) Yes Yes No Running Features Available run profiles Running, Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Trail Running Running, Treadmill Running, Trail Running Running, Indoor Running, Trail Running GPS-based distance, time and pace Yes Yes Yes Running dynamics No yes (with compatible accessory) Yes Vertical oscillation and ratio (the degree of 'bounce' in your running motion and the cost-benefit ratio with stride length) No yes (with compatible accessory) yes (with compatible accessory) Ground contact time and balance (shows how much time, in the running motion, your foot is on the ground rather than in flight and lets you check your running symmetry) No yes (with compatible accessory) yes (with compatible accessory) Stride length (real time) No yes (with compatible accessory) yes (with compatible accessory) Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) Yes Yes Yes Performance condition (after running 6–20 minutes, compares your real-time condition to your average fitness level) No Yes Yes Lactate threshold (through analysis of your pace and heart rate, estimates the point where your muscles start to rapidly fatigue) No yes (with compatible accessory) yes (with compatible accessory) Run workouts Yes Yes Yes Race predictor No Yes Yes Foot pod capable Yes Yes Yes Golfing Features Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green) No Yes Yes Yardage to layups/doglegs No Yes Yes Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) No Automatic Manual Digital scorecard No Yes No Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit) No Yes No Garmin AutoShot™ No Yes No Green View with manual pin position No Yes No Hazards and course targets No Yes No TruSwing™ compatible No Yes No Round timer/odometer No Yes No Outdoor Recreation Features Available outdoor recreation profiles Hiking, Climbing, Mountain Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking, Tactical Hiking, Climbing, Mountain Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Jumpmaster, Tactical Hiking, Climbing, Mountain Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Jumpmaster, Tactical Point-to-point navigation Yes Yes Yes Bread crumb trail in real time Yes Yes Yes Back to start Yes Yes Yes TracBack® Yes Yes Yes UltraTrac mode Yes Yes Yes Elevation profile Yes Yes Yes Distance to destination Yes Yes Yes Barometric trend indicator with Storm Alert Yes Yes Yes Trail run auto climb Yes Yes Yes Vertical speed Yes Yes Yes Total ascent/descent Yes Yes Yes Future elevation plot Yes No No Compatible with BaseCamp™ Yes Yes Yes GPS coordinates Yes Yes Yes Projected waypoint Yes Yes Yes Sight 'N Go Yes Yes Yes Area calculation Yes yes (via Connect IQ™) yes (via Connect IQ™) Hunt/fish calendar No yes (via Connect IQ™) yes (via Connect IQ™) Sun and moon information Yes (moon?) yes (via Connect IQ™) yes (via Connect IQ™) Dual grid coordinates Yes Yes Yes XERO™ Locations Yes No? No Cycling Features Available cycling profiles Biking, Indoor Biking, Mountain Biking Biking, Indoor Biking, Mountain Biking, Triathlon Biking, Indoor Biking, Triathlon Courses Yes Yes Yes Bike lap and lap maximum power (with power sensor) No Yes Yes Race an activity Yes Yes Yes Time/distance alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goal) Yes Yes Yes FTP (Functional Threshold Power) No yes (with compatible accessory) No Compatible with Vector™ (power meter) No Yes Yes Power meter compatible (displays power data from compatible third-party ANT+™-enabled power meters) No Yes Yes Compatible with Varia Vision™ (head-mounted display) No Yes No Compatible with Varia™ radar (rear-facing radar) No Yes No Compatible with Varia™ lights No Yes No Speed and cadence sensor support (with sensor) No yes (ANT+® and Bluetooth® Smart sensors) No Swimming Features Available swim profiles Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Swimming/Running Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count/rate, calories) Yes Yes Yes Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) Yes Yes Yes Swim efficiency (SWOLF) Yes Yes Yes Drill logging Yes Yes Yes Pool swim workouts Yes Yes Yes Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, calories) Yes Yes Yes Heart rate (real-time during rests, interval and session stats during rests, and automatic heart rate download post-swim) No yes (with HRM-Tri™ and HRM-Swim™) yes (with HRM-Tri™ and HRM-Swim™) [caption id="attachment_25677" align="aligncenter" width="789"] Best REI/Wiggle/PMC price is linked to. $/Eu200 £200 and will continue to fall.[/caption] amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "the5krunner-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B07H4XR133"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "83714659265e501cfbf3d473b3b9e425";
