Garmin Instinct 2

Works with: iPhone and Android
Display: MIP, 0.9 in
Case sizes: 45 mm
Battery: 28 days
GPS battery: 30 hours
Water resistance: 10 ATM
Weight: 52 g

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Garmin Instinct 2 at a glance

Battery

Weeks between charges

Up to 28 days in smartwatch mode. 30 hours with GPS.
GPS

Built-in GPS

No maps. Runs and rides without your phone.
Display

MIP, 0.9 in

0.9 in.
Health

Heart, sleep and more

Measures blood oxygen and HRV.
Phone & smart

iPhone and Android

Notifications from your phone.
Build

10 ATM water rating

52 g.

Garmin Instinct 2 full specifications

Overview

Brand	Garmin
Model	Instinct 2
Series	Instinct

Platform & apps

Works with iPhone and Android phones, running Garmin.

It has an app store for extra apps and watch faces.

Operating system	Garmin
Works with	iPhone and Android
App store	Yes

Display

A memory-in-pixel screen: always on, easy to read in sunlight and very light on the battery.

0.9 in.

Display type	MIP
Screen size	0.9 in
Resolution	176 x 176
Colour display	No

Design & durability

A 45 mm case weighing 52 g.

Rated 10 ATM: fine for swimming, snorkelling and water sports.

Case sizes	45 mm
Dimensions	45 x 45 x 14.5 mm
Thickness	14.5 mm
Weight (case)	52 g
Case material	Fibre-reinforced polymer
Bezel material	Fibre-reinforced polymer
Lens	chemically strengthened glass
Band material	silicone
Band width	22 mm
Band fitting	QuickFit 22 mm
Fits wrists	135-230 mm
Water resistance	10 ATM

Battery

Weeks between charges: up to 28 days in smartwatch mode.

With GPS on, up to 30 hours. Makers test with their own settings, so treat these as best-case figures.

Battery (smartwatch mode)	28 days
Battery (GPS)	30 hours
All battery modes	Smartwatch: 28 days; Battery saver: 65 days; GPS: 30 hours; Max battery GPS: 2.9 days
Battery type	Lithium ion
Charging	proprietary-plug

GPS & navigation

Built-in GPS, so you can record runs and rides without your phone.

Navigation shows a breadcrumb trail, not a full map.

GPS	Built-in
Satellite systems	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
Maps	Breadcrumb trail
Navigation features	point-to-point navigation, Breadcrumb trail in real time, back-to-start, TracBack, projected waypoint, course guidance

Health & sensors

Tracks heart rate around the clock, plus blood oxygen and HRV.

For sleep, it offers a nightly sleep score.

Sensors	optical HR, SpO2, barometer, compass, accelerometer, thermometer
Heart-rate sensor	Garmin Elevate
Heart-rate tracking	24/7
High/low heart-rate alerts	Yes
Heart-rate variability	Yes
Blood oxygen (SpO2)	Yes
Respiration rate	Yes
Sleep tracking	Sleep score
Stress tracking	Yes
Energy score	Body Battery
Readiness score	Training Readiness
Cycle tracking	Yes

Safety

Has an emergency SOS feature.

SOS works through your paired phone.

Emergency SOS	Via phone
Incident detection	Yes

Training

Built for training, with the metrics serious athletes use.

It adds a triathlon mode, running power and daily suggested workouts.

Auto activity detection	Yes
Triathlon / multisport	Yes
Swim tracking	Pool and open water
Underwater heart rate	Yes
Training metrics	VO2 max, training load, training effect, recovery time, race predictor, HRV status
Adaptive coaching	Yes
Running dynamics	Yes
Wrist running power	Yes
Strength rep counting	Yes
Heart-rate broadcast	Yes
External sensors	ANT+, power meter, foot pod, speed/cadence, bike radar/lights
Smart trainer control	Yes

Smart features

Notifications	Yes
Message replies	Android
Find my phone	Yes

Diving, golf & more

Specialist modes	golf, tactical

Specs compiled from Garmin's product pages and datasheets. Manufacturers revise hardware between versions, so check the version on the box. Spotted an error? Tell us.