Garmin Instinct 3 Solar 45mm Images “Leaked” – Fake, Fab or Fugly?
More: Garmin Instinct 3 Review – full and detailed
These images are via u/zouaghia on Reddit and purport to show a new Garmin Instinct 3 Solar 45mm. The images have also been taken up and republished by Gadgets & Wearables. They are, of course, fake – at least in part and not how the final product will look.
I went through many details and did some fact-checking, from the background’s lighting to the lens’s reflection. Many details superficially checked out.
Then I just took a deep breath and looked at the big picture. The front and rear clearly show a different watch. The size of the lugs of the reverse is significantly longer.
Here are some more points for funsies
- I’m not a fan of the Instinct, but look at the images below. The front of Instinct 2 is way more refined than in the leaked photo.
- The screen shows a setup option which adds credibility to the image, supposedly in a test facility by way of the sticker on the rear. The size of the screen and font quality aren’t great, and the Instinct 3 will be better when released; this could be a pre-production tho (at least that would be the retort)
- The 4-pin charging port and hex screws seem plausible, although I’m unsure what that thing is on the rear (left side)
- The WR performance spec, MIL rating and case size written on the rear are correct.
- However, the INSTINCT 3 writing is a) rubbish b) not concentric and c) slightly fudged at the top. It is blended into the background well, though
OK. I could go on, but life is too short to waste more time on this.
On the other hand, this info on the Fenix 8 is real. Enjoy 😉
the5krunner.com © 2010-2025
Reader-Powered Content
This content is not sponsored. It’s mostly me behind the labour of love, which is this site, and I appreciate everyone who follows, subscribes or Buys Me A Coffee ❤️ Alternatively, please buy the reviewed product from my partners. Thank you! FTC: Affiliate Disclosure: Links pay commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
> The front and rear are clearly of a different watch. The size of the lugs of the reverse is significantly longer.
They’re not. It’s an optical illusion based on the shape of the watch and the subtle angle of the first photo. I can replicate the effect with my Fenix:
https://imgur.com/a/8r6b03V
you can replicate at the top or the bottom…but not both I think.
The lugs are far from the face plane and close to the rear plane: the same wide angle lens that makes them appear shorter on a picture of the face will make them appear longer on a picture of the rear.
I’m inclined to agree it’s an illusion, but more so because the lugs are angled backwards quite considerably (as they are on the Instinct 2), and the photos are taken at a short focal length (wide-angle lens) which creates a very exaggerated perspective, significantly enhancing anything that’s towards the front of the shot, whilst reducing and effectively hiding anything further away from the lens.
That said, I still think (and hope!) this is a fake as it certainly looks cheap compared to the I2.
> However, the INSTINCT 3 writing is a) rubbish b) not concentric and c) slightly fudged at the top. It is blended into the background well though
There’s a misaligned protective cover over the OHR which is causing the INSTINCT writing to look like it’s off. It’s actually not.
Maybe the Garming Ünstünct 3. More likely a new Casiio and they got the wrong file for the lettering because those roman letters look so weird.
yeah look a the quality of the layout of the writing on the I2….far superior
There seems to be a sticker on the front as well. If it’s real, it could be a prototype with the sticker hiding the actual watch face.