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Garmin Instinct Crossover Solar · Photo source

Garmin Instinct Crossover Solar
Photo 1 of 56

Garmin Instinct Crossover Solar · Photo source

Garmin · Instinct

Instinct Crossover Solar

Released November 2022

Instinct Crossover Solar is a hybrid outdoor GPS watch with mechanical analogue hands, a monochrome display and solar-assisted battery life.

Type
Smart and sports
Sizes
45 mm
Movement
–
Power reserve
–
Display
Memory-in-pixel
Battery
28 days
Water
100 m
GPS
Single-band
Weight
65 g

What reviewers say

Both reviewers praised fast, accurate GPS tracking and long battery life, but found the watch bulky and its small monochrome display restrictive. Advnture liked the smoothly moving analogue hands and practical hybrid layout. T3 found the launch price hard to justify against the Instinct 2 Solar. Both charged twice during roughly a month of testing; neither demonstrated Garmin’s maximum solar claim.

From t3.com and advnture.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Case sizes
45 mm
Panel
Memory-in-pixel
Always-on display
Yes
Display detail
Monochrome sunlight-visible transflective memory-in-pixel display, 23 x 23 mm (0.9 x 0.9 inch), 176 x 176 pixels, with a central hole for the analogue hands. Five-button controls; no touchscreen. The hands move aside to show data; RevoDrive detects and recalibrates hand misalignment after an impact.
Screen protection
Power Glass solar-charging lens; Super-LumiNova-coated analogue hands and hour markers

Health and fitness

ECG
No
Blood oxygen
Yes
Skin temperature
No
Sleep apnoea alerts
No
High blood pressure alerts
No
Body composition
No
Fall detection
No
Crash detection
No
GPS
Single-band
Water resistance
100 m
Sensors
Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate; Pulse Ox; barometric altimeter; compass; accelerometer; thermometer
Health features
HRV status; Body Battery; advanced sleep monitoring and sleep score; stress and respiration tracking; continuous heart rate and abnormal heart-rate alerts; Health Snapshot; fitness age; menstrual cycle and pregnancy tracking through Garmin Connect. Pulse Ox availability varies by country.
Fitness features
Training readiness, status, load and effect; recovery time; VO2 max; Garmin Coach and daily suggested running/cycling workouts; wrist running power. Running dynamics require a compatible accessory. Multisport/triathlon, pool and open-water swimming, cycling, hiking, climbing, strength training and golf. Breadcrumb courses, TracBack, reference points, projected waypoints and off-course alerts; no built-in topographic maps. The current web table lists Jumpmaster/Tactical activities, but the exact series owner guide and launch release restrict tactical functions to the separate Tactical Edition; those functions are not attributed to this Solar model.
Safety features
Incident detection during selected activities, assistance and LiveTrack require a paired compatible phone. Screen flashlight; no physical LED flashlight.

Battery and connections

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 28 days
In low-power mode
Up to 71 days
Mobile data option
No
Works with
iPhone and Android
Battery life detail
Smartwatch: up to 28 days, or 70 days with solar; battery saver watch mode: 71 days, or unlimited with solar; GPS: 25 hours, or 31 with solar; max-battery GPS: 111 hours, or 553 with solar; expedition GPS: 40 days, or 327 with solar. Daily-mode solar claims assume all-day wear with 3 hours per day outdoors at 50,000 lux; GPS-mode solar claims assume use in 50,000-lux conditions. Actual endurance depends on settings, activities, sensors and notifications.
Charging
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery; proprietary Garmin charging/data cable connects to a USB charging port. Power Glass provides supplementary solar charging; the watch does not solar-charge while connected to external power or when its battery is full.
Connectivity
Bluetooth and ANT+; GPS, GLONASS and Galileo. Garmin Pay; paired-phone music controls and smart notifications; Android text replies. No offline music playback, cellular connectivity or multi-band GNSS.
Storage
64 MB; paired-phone music controls rather than offline audio storage

Design

Weight (lightest version)
65 g
Software
Garmin
Case materials
Fibre-reinforced polymer case; fibre-reinforced polymer/stainless steel bezel; silicone band. Maker states MIL-STD-810 thermal and shock testing.
Size
45 x 45 x 16.2 mm; 65 g. Maker does not identify this as a case-only weight.
Bands
22 mm silicone band; compatible with QuickFit 22; fits 135–230 mm wrists.
Colours
Current UK Solar finishes: Graphite (010-02730-01) and Tidal Blue (010-02730-02). Non-solar Standard, Solar Tactical and later AMOLED hardware are separate models.
In the box
Instinct Crossover Solar smartwatch; charging/data cable; documentation

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Solar charging with published sunlight conditions
  • Analogue hands with automatic RevoDrive recalibration
  • GPS navigation, Garmin Pay and 10 ATM water rating

Cons

  • No touchscreen or built-in topographic maps
  • No multi-band GPS or offline music playback
  • No physical LED flashlight

Closest rivals

Model
TypeSizesMovementPower reserveDisplayBatteryWaterGPSWeightReleased
GarminInstinct Crossover
Smart and sports45 mm––Memory-in-pixel28 days100 mSingle-band65 gNov 2022
GarminInstinct Crossover Solar Tactical
Smart and sports45 mm––Memory-in-pixel28 days100 mSingle-band65 gNov 2022
Garminfēnix 7
Smart and sports47 mm––Memory-in-pixel18 days100 mSingle-band79 gJan 2022

Sources

  1. garmin.com/en-GB/p/819727/pn/010-02730-01
  2. garmin.com/en-GB/p/819727/pn/010-02730-02
  3. garmin.com/en-US/p/819727
  4. garmin.com/en-US/newsroom/press-release/outdoor/new-rugged-instinct-crossover-b…
  5. www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-64328278-25D1-45C2-BF05-6EC0CFD000D0/EN-US…
  6. mynewsdesk.com/ch/garmin/pressreleases/analog-smart-individuell-und-voller-aben…

Photo: res.garmin.com

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