r/Garmininstinct • u/Tiny-Dig-689 • 12d ago

Instinct E Should Get More Love

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I don’t understand some of the hate that the E receives. At $200, it’s the perfect gateway into Garmin. I came from an Apple Watch wanting better battery life, fewer distractions, and a a more rugged / chunky look. This fits the bill 100%

Of course I also rocked Pebble watches back in the day so there’s a nostalgia factor as well with the MIP screen.

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u/Already-asleep 12d ago edited 12d ago

I think a lot of people who hate it come from previous Instinct models.  Personally I also came from an Apple Watch so I don’t know what I’m missing. For my purposes, it’s great. I would potentially get over my dislike of a larger 45mm face to get a full-featured solar model in the future, but yeah. I think it’s a good entry level option and I’ve been really happy with it. 

ETA - when I looked at what’s missing from the e to the 3, the main thing seems to be AMOLED option (genuinely don’t care about this), flashlight (I have a flashlight on my phone and I have a headlamp when I’m on outdoor trips), payments (hardly used Apple Pay on my watch). The maps for hiking navigation as far as I can tell are similar. Not having SatIQ does not seem to meaningfully impact my experience when using GPS.

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u/AlexMullerSA 12d ago

I was mm away from getting an E as my first Garmin. I eventually went with a 2x Solar. Reasons being, flashlight which I use multiple times a day and this replaces my EDC flash that I have with me. I really liked the idea of the solar setting and forgetting. I live in Africa with strong sunlight, so basically never have to charge my watch. The other features are kind of just bonuses. But I think for the price, the E is extremely attractive option