Not quite as low as the price offered by Amazon UK via AU a few weeks ago, but a good deal for those who prefer to avoid a grey import.
Free shipping from Garmin.com for orders over $100
Note that JB Hifi also has the Instinct 2S Solar at the same price (by delivery only), if you prefer to buy from them.
Haha - yeah it's an absolute nightmare to toggle/compare between different options on a product page.
Great watches but man, Garmin suck so hard at the internet. When they were hit by ransomware in 2020 they had no alternative but to pay the ransom.
i got the instinct 2. Would really recommend it if people are looking for an all round but basic tracker. battery life is really good at about 20-30 days depending how often you get it to actively track
What's difference between instinct 2 and 2s?
S is Smaller (40mm)
Yep - this also impacts battery life which is slightly longer on the Instinct 2 by about 30%.
Otherwise the only feature difference that I recall is that the Solar editions can do NFC payment.
The 2s is the smaller variant
This is a great watch if you want something that looks smaller on the wrist compared to most of the others. It is very compact.
Moving away from ticwatch 5, does this 2s has notification and other bells and whistles…..I'm not much into running but would like to track steps and exercise
Yeah its got notifications, replies to messages with custom preset text, NFC, heart rate, steps, weather, sunset/sunrise, music controls.
I got the 2S Solar for the same price a few months ago and its been great for keeping track of runs/walks as long as I remember to start the tracking. Its only got bluetooth so your phone has to be close by to get notifications but I dont bring the phone with me when I go for runs anyway.
Thinking of getting a smart watch for the wife. She got an iPhone. Would I be better of getting Iwatch?
Definitely go with the Iwatch much better than the Apple Watch
Meant Apple watch. Not sure why thought was Iwatch lol.
Yeah Apple watch is better for her
Probably because they tacked "i" onto all the other stuff they make. They probably realised one day they would like to make an electronic eye, and thus the naming tangent began…
Much more excusible than an apple user assuming every android phone is a Samsung.
They're completely different watches.
Apple watch probably needs to be charged every day, you can install heaps of apps, and has a pretty colour screen.
Which one is "better" for her depends on how she values the Garmin's battery life against the extra functionality of the Apple.
For me, if I want to do anything more complicated than checking the time, reading notifications, or exercise tracking, I'd rather do it on my phone, and that's one of the reasons why I have a Garmin.
100%!
I actually got the instinct 2s at the last sale for my wife's birthday. She currently wears a baby g and said something like that but with the ability to go for a run plus a few smart features.
In her case certainly the garmin was "better". But if your wife just wants something pretty and slim to charge every night, the apple watch might be "better".
Baby G brings me back to school days
decent price on the Instinct 2S Solar. prices usually just don't come down on the Solar models.
I was interested in it, until I heard putting in the Garmin pay code is a very slow tricky process because you have to use the buttons.
other than that perfect watch though that looks like just any other normal watch but has great battery life and NFC pay. well at least you only need to enter the Garmin pay code once per day when you put on wrist. I think it will happen like this though, scroll through numbers (multiple buttons presses), select number. and you have to repeat do this 4 times.
I find putting the code in isn't that slow at all. Maybe in the beginning if you've never done it before but once you get used to it you can get it done in around 5 secs. You put the code in once a day or until the watch gets taken off.
Coudn't agree more. I have Epix 2 and have disabled touch screen as it was annoying when showering and in bed if I go early before my set time for night mode.
I now exclusively use buttons and it's super easy and quick once you get used to it. In fact, I find it it quicker to enter PIN using buttons than my fat fingers poking at small numbers on the screen ;)
I find it it quicker to enter PIN using buttons than my fat fingers poking at small numbers on the screen ;)
the screen is small on my Garmin and for whatver reason the numbers are in a weird non keypad pattern so yeah it had a bit of learning curve as well.
no problem after the first few tries though even with a small screen i got used to where on the screen to press.
once you get used to it you can get it done in around 5 secs.
ok yeah makes sense your code is always the same so you start memorising the button presses and it just becomes easier.
and yeah i know about the once a day part i use Garmin pay on my Venu SQ.
but thanks makes me more confident in getting Instinct 2S Solar again for my next watch.
same price at JB Hifi and you can use the Perk $20 voucher there too.
there's also this really weird colour 2S Solar Surf for $367 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com.au/Garmin-Instinct-2S-Smartwatch-Waik…
for anyone wondering yes Garmin AU spec says Solar Surf has Garmin pay.
not to yuck other's yum but that thing is hideous
I mean the positive I can see is… it looks even cheaper than bland non attention grabbing black?? (which is what I want)
the point of Instinct 2S for me anyway is it looks like any other watch. so people won't think i'm into fashion or anything fancy and it will just be ignored on my wrist.
also hidden benefit is nobody will think it's worth yoinking even though it has secret NFC pay function.
if the weird Solar Surf colour, people definitely won't want to yoink it. 😂
Recall there was a prime day deal posted for the Instinct 2 Solar for about 350 or so very recently.
Sat on it and decided to stay on my Forerunner 245 (~$180 thanks to JB that one time), as reviews from TheQuantifiedScientist do not rate the sensors on the instinct 2 series highly.
I remember agonising over whether to get the Instinct vs Apple watch after seeing reviews on how sensor is much better on Apple watches etc. In the end I decided to go with the Instinct 2s and I don't regret my decision at all.
The garmin ecosystem is great for fitness if that is your focus. Battery life is amazing and it gives so much fitness related data that isn't paywalled behind a subscription (looking at you fitbit and google watch). Watch aside the software also has coaching plans that automatically tailors to your fitness data. If anyone is on the fence and is similarly looking at getting a watch mainly to improve fitness, I would 100% recommend getting this model.
Battery life is amazing
usually because of this people won't even consider the AW. it literally claims 18 hours of battery on every model now (I thought it was only for the SE because of new Watch OS's and the SE processor being slower - but now all models claim 18 hours). with some changes to settings you can probably stretch it to 24 hours so you can actually track sleep properly but honestly 18 hours claimed is terrible. 😂
The Instinct series is really good. I used to have an Insinct Solar, then upgraded to the Insinct 2 (non-Solar). I preferred the physical design of the older Instinct, but don’t miss the solar as much as I thought I would (battery life is still amazing). It’s worth noting that the Insinct 2 has the same optical sensor as the Fenix 7 so you end up with accurate GPS/HR and a bunch of other features usually missing from cheaper models.
Instinct 2 is also a much lighter watch compared to the Fenix range (I have the older Fenix 5). Sometimes I forget I'm wearing it.
Personally very happy with my Instinct 2. As a long-time G-Shock fan, sad to say I'm wearing this way more than my G-Shocks these days.
It's a good deal, but keep in mind this watch is over 2 years old, so an Instinct 3 will be around the corner. The rumour was June 2024 and that it will have the following:
- Updated GPS chipset
- Updated HR sensor
- EKG
- Multiband GPS w/ SatIQ
- Flashlight on all sizes
The RRP of the 3 might be double (or more) than this deal on the 2.
Not sure the rumour is true because, ummm…it's August.
That's why I said the rumour "was". But there is still a lot of talk about the 3.
Yeah I totally agree with you, the sale prices and disappearance of the 2S non-Solar from JB Hifi earlier this year made me suspect this model is on the way out. But as you mentioned, the RRP is out of range for me so I went for the deal.
they also released the “tough” instinct 2X which is like a 2.5?
so 3 might be delayed.
i thought the instinct 2 already had multiband gps?
Yeah it has GPS, Glonass and Galileo, but you can't use all 3 at once. Maybe they're fixing that.
but you can't use all 3 at once.
yeah that's odd.
Venu SQ that we have also supports all 3, but I checked the GPS setting recently while waiting for it to sync and you can only use 2 at a time. either GPS + Glonass, or GPS + Galileo. but I can give it a pass because it's entry model.
My Instinct 1 is 5 years old and still trucking on, easy ~2 week battery still. Kind of wish I had a reason to upgrade to one with NFC but the thing just won't die
Only gripe I have with my Instinct 1 is, sometimes it will add steps when I’m in car in traffic assuming that I’m walking. HR monitoring is also not as accurate compared to standalone HR monitors.
Got an instinct 2 via this deal (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/854934) recently to replace my Venu SQ. It's a great watch if you want G-shock style with activity tracking and smart functions.
If you want a smart watch a Samsung or Apple would be better but you'll be charging it every day. The instinct lasts 2 weeks easy.
I'm super happy with mine.
Got an instinct 2 via this deal (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/854934) recently to replace my Venu SQ.
that’s what I plan to do! (if Instinct 2S Solar becomes clearance prices)
most appealing part of Insinct 2S Solar (in black) is it just looks like any regular watch, but has the great fitness tracking and NFC pay.
Venu SQ still trucking on though. it has been great as a $99 smartwatch with GPS and NFC pay. small complaints about it though, occasionally (like twice a year) the watch literally freezes up during workout and becomes non responsive, needing to be hard restarted by holding button (bad updates?? kinda expected for entry level garmin I guess).
one time also it froze up on it’s own just sitting there on a table and drained it battery to 0% by itself and was completely dead. this only happened once recently though and it might have been user error although it shouldn’t have been if it was off my wrist!
Yeah I've had my Venu freeze a few times.
İs it possible to sideload apps or tweak with the OS
can this do music like the pixel watch?
All it can do is control Spotify when it's running on your phone. Pause and skip tracks etc.
For those with questions re features:
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/02/garmin-instinct2-2s-2-so…
I got the lime fluro green version of the Instinct 2 when JB had it on special for $250. It's been a great upgrade from my earlier Garmin (forerunner 45s) due to battery life and the addition of suggested workouts. For frequent runners I'd highly recommend it at this price as well.
One qualification - the screen is only black and white and the fonts and is quite small. It can be quite hard to read some of the numbers in poor light particularly if you have presbyopia (without correction).
In comparison the forerunner screen has huge fonts and nice bright colours, but I sometimes struggle to read details on the Instinct 2 when I'm wearing my contact lenses (which aren't optimised for reading near). It's not going to affect everyone obviously, but could be a deal breaker for some of you. When I first tried on the Garmin and took it on my first run I was pretty disappointed with the screen and thought about returning - but I've since actually gotten used to it and it's not the deal breaker it once was.
I have a workaround is that I have set up the screens so I can cycle through the metrics that are important to me (HR, Pace and Cadence) At any one time I may clearly see one metric, but the others are a bit fuzzy due to much smaller front. I can always cycle through and see each of the metrics by button pressing - but alas just can't see everything at a glance as I used to with the forerunner. Having said all that, I prefer longer battery life than seeing the metrics so that Instinct 2 is still my preferred device.
Does anyone know what’s the difference between AU and international version? The 2 Solar has been cheaper before:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/856622
I don't know about all international versions. but read previous comments that Amazon UK model works just fine in AU.
the only difference is the UK version comes loaded with UK maps. if you want AU maps you just use the Garmin app to load them onto the watch.
Be wary of Amazon Germany. I placed an order a few weeks ago and the thing never budged. Ended up paying slightly more for a random Australian stockist via Amazon.
Just FYI, graphite is not black. It's clearly a grey. I ended up getting a black band and a black face cover and am now happier with it.
I feel like I could've made the same swaps to an uglier/cheaper model but too late now
Be wary of Amazon Germany. I placed an order a few weeks ago and the thing never budged.
had a similar experience recently from Amazon Germany. contacted support after 2 weeks and waited a month. item just would not ship and tracking was stuck. was told I couldn't refund by one CS member because it was about to be sent out, then a few days later told I could be refunded by another CS member.
it was a great low price, but amazon should definitely honor it no matter what being a global company. in the end I told them how terrible the experience was of waiting a month for nothing, and they agreed to honor the original price via Amazon credit if I bought the same item from Amazon AU. ymmv.
never had this issue so far via Amazon UK. and I do remember getting one item from Amazon Germany without an issue.
2 solar 45mm $379 at JB
if you don't need NFC is it worth the $30 more?
You mean 40mm?
no
45mm is $529:
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/garmin-instinct-2-solar-s…
The 40mm is $379:
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/garmin-instinct-2s-solar-…
Looks like other models are also on sale ie Venu 3, Fenix 7, Vivoactive 5, Epix & Forerunner 265
Good price. I upgraded recently with this watch from a Forerunner 245 Music. It's more of a fitness/lifestyle tracker than a gorgeous-looking smartwatch but I bought it because of it has heaps more fitness features than the Forerunner 165, insane battery life due to the monochrome screen. One thing you should be aware of is that although this watch has audio prompts (which I wanted to my aging eyesight), when I go on a Garmin coach run, the audio prompts don't come through telling me to speed up/slow down, what stage of the run you are at etc.This isn't a problem with my Forerunner 245 Music and maybe it's because I can connect my earphones to my 245 Music directly. With the Instinct 2 there is no direct connection from watch to earphones, you have to connect via your phone.
I like their watches but never seen a dumber business site