Garmin Instinct 3 Accuracy Test Result - 10 mile comparison to all GPS watches...ever

Garmin Instinct 3 Accuracy Test Result - 10-mile comparison to all GPS watches...ever One part of my GPS accuracy testing with watches is a standard 10-mile test following this methodology. You can also see a spreadsheet of all the results at that link. This test has faults and limitations, but it is interesting to compare each new watch to all the old ones that our fading memories tell us were more accurate than they were in reality. The dual-frequency chipsets from a few years ago heralded a new era of accuracy. They were more precise than what came before; at least, that's what these repeated tests showed. I took some comfort in the fact that the results from this test usually coincide with my overall sense of accuracy with any given watch. It also ties in with other trustworthy GPS reviewers, such as FELLRNR, who use a repeated, demanding methodology. More: Garmin Instinct 3 Review In detail The results are excellent. It gets a Top 1o result (8/10) when I cranked its accuracy settings up to the max. I wasn't expecting that. So yes, that beats the Polar V800, Ambit 3 and all those legacy devices from the supposed Golden Era of accuracy. Some quick points The overall distance was spot on to the median distance recorded over all tests - 16.66km. The km markers used in my auto-lap settings nicely chimed at very similar times to my Forerunner 965 on the other wrist (with dual frequency enabled) This larger 50mm watch may have a bigger and better aerial than its smaller siblings. It's also possible this result was a fluke! Accuracy was not as good when close to large buildings, as shown below in images 5, 12 (check this image from dcrainmaker's site when Instinct 3 was close to cliff faces - similar factors affect accuracy) Images 3, 4, 7, and 11 show that Instinct 3 performs well under varying degrees of tree cover Instant pace showed notable variations from reality (buy Stryd if that bothers you) The following image gallery is a series of points viewed from the 10-mile test, including an overall image. For context, I've included tracks of comparator watches; Suunto Vertical is in green, Instinct 3 in red, and the rest in grey. I think this helps readability, and often, the grey tracks give pseudo-limits that constrain where we might expect the track to be. [gallery size="medium" ids="97300,97299,97298,97297,97296,97295,97294,97293,97292,97291,97290,97289,97288"] Take Out Surprisingly, it is very accurate in this test. Possibly uses the new (to Garmin) Synaptics SYN4778 GNSS chipset. I expected a good result based on my other tests, but this exceeded my expectations. The only anomaly is that this dual-frequency chipset should have correction mechanisms for eliminating incorrect distance calculations when using reflected signals near buildings. Like other dual-frequency chipsets and watches, that correction mechanism doesn't work as it should. I don't know why. That is the one area of GNSS accuracy that should be improvable in the short term; beyond that, we have reached peak accuracy. It might improve slightly, but there is room for more meaningful improvement, except in niche scenarios.

Garmin Instinct 3 Accuracy Test Result – 10 mile comparison to all GPS watches…ever

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