Introduction of Garmin Instinct 2 / 2S – NFC payments and unlimited battery life

Tags: Review | Garmin | Smart

9.3.2022 | 5 MIN

There it is. Garmin Instinct 2. One would assume that after the release of Fenix 7, Garmin won't surprise us with anything new – or so we thought before the introduction of a watch with an unlimited battery. In comparison to the previous generation, we are presented with the option of a contactless payment, a better heart rate sensor and it all comes in a smaller size. So ladies – and gentlemen too – listen up. And surfers also. And soldiers. And truckers. Just everyone.

What is new with the Instinct 2?

• Two case sizes
• New heart rate sensor
• Pulse oximeter
• The Solar models can be fully charged merely with solar power
• Contactless payment (only in the Solar version)
• Compatible with Connect IQ
• Can be paired with Bluetooth accessories
• Estimation of VO₂ Max levels
• Piles of sport / lifestyle functions such as Fitness Age, Recovery Time, Predicted Race Times, Daily Suggested Workouts, etc.

The summary does not cover all the new tricks and gadgets that we discovered with the Instinct 2 so be sure to keep reading. A bit of a spoiler... Did you know that Garmin also released an edition for truckers?

Instinct once again offers size variants

When I found out that Instinct also has a version for women, the only thing I had on mind was... What kind of nonsense is that? Which woman would get a watch that looks like Tamagotchi with a strap? And you know what? The only nonsense here is what I was thinking.

The Instinct 2S looks awesome and strongly resembles the very popular line Baby-G by Casio.

Men's version of Instinct 2 has diameter of 45 mm and the women's 2S version has 40 mm. Then there is 10 gram weight difference – 42 g and 52 g.

I also cannot help but praise the improvement in Instinct's weakest point – the resolution, which swelled up from 126x126 to 176x176. Take that, Tamagotchi.

What I personally really enjoy is that Garmin reached for rather bold, vibrant colors, which probably won't be entirely up a soldier's alley (worry not, there is also a Camo edition with toned down colors), but mortals will come to love them. I mean, at least I am pretty excited about them – just like I was with GBD-200, which uses similar colour palette.

One sensor improved, the other made an appearance

On the Garmin Instinct 2, we can now find the new heart rate sensor Elevate 4 that shines through the skin a bit better, making the scanning much more accurate. We could firstly see it perform on the Venu 2, and it did not let me down on the Fenix 7 as well. What's more, the Instinct 2 can now scan our heart rate even underwater.

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Besides that, we can also see the sensor glow in red now, meaning that the Instinct 2 is capable of measuring the level of oxygenation in our body.

By the way, in terms of GPS, the Instinct 2 still has the old Sony chipset so, unfortunately, we won't find the new GPS receiver here that is present in Garmin's new Epix.

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The first smartwatch from Garmin you do not have to charge

"When was the last time you charged your watch?" "Last year." That is exactly how a conversation with you may go if you have the Instinct 2 Solar on your wrist. For the very first time in the Garmin line-up we are met with a watch that you do not have to charge at all if it's exposed to a light source.

Information about the Solar version are included in brackets.

If you want to achieve an unlimited period of use, your watch has to be exposed to a light source of intensity 50 000 lux for at least 3 hours a day. When it comes to any of the GPS modes, the exposure of 50 000 lux is necessary throughout the entire period that the GPS mode is active.

The vision of not having to charge your watch at all surely does sound appealing, sadly in our conditions, we only seldom reach that intensity of light.

From dummy to a smart fellow 

Throughout Garmin's watches, Instinct has always been this tough guy that withstands nearly anything but is still pretty awkward – that all changed with the new generation, though.

With the Solar version you can now make contactless payments, which is probably the greatest improvement here. Connect IQ is also now supported on all versions (downloadable dials, data fields, apps, etc.) and the connectivity made some progress as well since you can pair Bluetooth accessories with your watch, such as smart trainers, powermeters or golf accessories (CT10).

One step closer to sport

You know, the Instinct 2 kind of scores in all categories. Not only is it smarter but we also got VO₂ Max – estimation of VO₂ levels in our body. That is where we get the Predicted Race Times in various distances (5, 10, 21 and 42 km) from.

There is also a feature listed as 'Training Status' or 'Training Load' that helps us determine whether or not is our exercise being productive. Besides all that, we can make use of the provided Recovery Time and Daily Suggested Workout, too. The Instinct 2 is therefore a strong competitor of the Forerunner line.

The rest is pretty specific so let's just sum it up. We also have:

• MTG Grit / Flow
• new Cycling profiles for Gravel and eMTB
• multisport activity (manual switching)
• Heat and Altitude Performance Acclimation
• HIIT trainings
• Surf edition: surf support in the Surfline app
• Surf edition: different algorithm for wave tracking
• Surf edition: Windsurfing and Kiteboarding feature added

The Instinct 2 also dug a bit into fitness

I cannot help but marvel at the Instinct 2 being not only smarter, sportier but this generation also comes with few more functions in the fitness department. Your watch now has your Fitness Age, Health Stats (all measuring done at once), Menstrual Cycle Tracking but what is a real deal breaker – Sleep Monitoring right in your watch.

You asleep?

Garmin has quite a bit to offer already, yet it still manages to pull a surprise on us here and there. Last year we were surprised with Instinct Esports edition but now we are standing at the border of just "surprise", it is amazement from this point on. Meet Instinct 2 dēzl – designed specifically for truckers.

There are not many alternations in comparison to regular Instincts but this version offers some short-break workouts to prevent any unwanted accidents caused by microsleep or inattentiveness. To make this model even more attractive, it is compatible with the dēzl car navigation. That is probably the best part.

So... My thoughts on the Garmin Instinct 2?

Absolute game changer. Garmin improved this watch on so many levels that I am genuinely in awe that it is even possible. The Instinct series offers universal, all-purpose experience but it excels in the aesthetic field too. The watches are now suitable even for regular mortals, but they do not cease to impress as a design stunner that you do not see at every corner.

What do you think? Are you thrilled about Instincts too?