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The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar Smartwatch Is $170 Off

This solar version has potentially unlimited battery life and comes with Garmin Pay and customizable watch faces.
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Garmin Instinct 2 Solar on a teal and green background.
Credit: Amazon.

Anytime you're looking for a good smartwatch, Garmin's name is bound to come up. The Garmin Instinct 3 came out very recently, and that means the Garmin Instinct 2 has dropped in price—and even though that model is now a generation old, it's still an incredible fitness and outdoor smartwatch. With this latest price drop, the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is now $229.99 (originally $399.99), the lowest price it has reached, according to price tracking tools.

The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is a serious smartwatch, visually represented by its no-nonsense, black-and-white display. It puts all of its chips on functionality over other aspects a health smartwatch might offer. As the name implies, it's a solar-powered watch. Three hours of being in the sun gives you about 24 hours of juice or one hour of GPS battery life. Even without sun, a full charge gives you 28 days of juice. The GPS and the heart rate feature are very accurate, so if that's what you care about, the Instinct 2 Solar will not disappoint.

What do you think so far?

The Instinct 2 Solar has a lot of different sport profiles you can choose to track, making it great for triathlon athletes or people who like to practice many different sports. It also has Connect IQ app support, which opens the doors to many third-party apps for extra features, face watches, and widgets. And if you need some motivation or guidance with your fitness goals Training Status can suggest workouts for running and cycling. The watch also includes helpful tools like a built-in compass, altimeter, and barometer, making it great for hardcore hikers. Finally, since the Instinct 2 Solar has Connect IQ, you can configure your watch with the app instead of painstakingly doing it on the watch.

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Daniel Oropeza
Staff Writer

Daniel is a Staff Writer for Lifehacker. He served in the U.S. Navy, where he reached the rank of Petty Officer 3rd Class as a Logistic Specialist and was awarded a Navy Community Service Medal and Navy Letter of Commendation for his exemplary service aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier. He earned his bachelor's in Environmental Science from the University of California, Davis, and earned his master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Daniel was a business reporter for the Miami Herald before joining Lifehacker. He lives in Atlanta, GA.

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