Comparisons

Garmin Instinct Solar vs Samsung Electronics SM-R820NZKAXAR

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Garmin Instinct SolarSamsung Electronics SM-R820NZKAXAR
Title Garmin Instinct Solar, Solar-Powered Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch, Built-in Sports Apps and Health Monitoring, Dark Blue (010-02293-11)Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2  (44mm, GPS, Bluetooth) Smart Watch with Advanced Health monitoring, Fitness Tracking , and Long lasting Battery - Aqua Black  (US Version)
Model Garmin
Instinct Solar
Samsung Electronics
SM-R820NZKAXAR

Basic Info

Suggested Price $383.88$269.00
Sale Price Check Price*Check Price*
Release Aug 2020Nov 2019

Overview

DescriptionDo what you love, longer with Instinct Solar. This rugged GPS smartwatch boasts solar charging — giving incredible battery life in smartwatch and Expedition modes while outdoors. Monitor how your body uses energy by tracking heart rate, stress, estimated sleep and Pulse Ox (this is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition) — which helps give you a better understanding of your health and wellness. Get more out of the sports you love with preloaded activity profiles such as running, biking, swimming and more. Smart notifications (when paired with a compatible smartphone) at the wrist keep you connected to what matters. Multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) help you track wherever your adventures take you.Enhance your sporting performance with this Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 Bluetooth smartwatch. Monitor your workouts and receive detailed reports on your performance even as the running coach feature gives you important insight in real time. This Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 Bluetooth smartwatch analyses your sleep pattern and offers helpful advice on how to improve it.
Top Features
  • Vastly extended battery life through solar charging
  • Rugged GPS watch is water-rated to 100 meters and constructed to U.S. military standard 810 for thermal, shock and water resistance
  • Built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter plus multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) track in more challenging environments than GPS alone
  • Track your activities for running, biking, swimming, strength and more
  • Help understand your health and wellness better with all-day health monitoring and Pulse Ox (this is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition)
  • Monitor how your body uses energy by tracking heart rate, stress and sleep estimates with Body Battery energy monitoring
  • Better insights to reach your fitness goals get more out of every mile thanks to built-in pace coaching on the Galaxy Watch Active2; Its advanced sensors keep your pace to help you better achieve your run goals. Audio Playing Format-MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA,WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB
  • Comfortably sleek the Galaxy Watch Active2 is light enough to wear anywhere comfortably; It comes in aluminum or stainless steel and with a variety of faces, bands and finishes so it goes with anything
  • Keep your beat; You can see if your heart rate is where you want it with Galaxy Watch Active2; Get automatically alerted if your watch detects a high or a low heart rate; This device and related software are not intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, Mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease
  • Level up your downtime; Galaxy Watch Active2’s built in sleep tracker offers valuable insights on how to get a better night’s sleep; It also monitors your stress level and helps you recently with the integrated calm app for this device and related software are not intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease
  • Battery built for endurance: The Galaxy Watch Active2’s long lasting battery can go for more than a 5 day on a single charge, and you can always get a quick boost from your compatible Galaxy phone with wireless power share works with Qi compatible Samsung devices (compatibility with non samsung Qi devices not guaranteed); Speed and power efficiency of charge varies by device and may be restricted by cases or covers

Reviews

Walmart Rating4.6 (out of 63 reviews)4.1 (out of 120 reviews)
BestBuy Rating4.8 (out of 18 reviews)4.7 (out of 2409 reviews)
Latest Reviews

Sturdy, functional, fully featured
Rating: 5
I switched from a Fenix 5 Plus... mainly for these reasons: - Solar-Charging - Underwater Heartrate - Pulse-Ox - Monochrome Display I could have upgraded to the newer fenix 6 pro solar to get most of these features above, but the Instinct Solar has, in my opinion a few advantages: - price... lets face it, technology evolves and in two years you probably want the newer model ... the fenix for that is a tad too expensive. - Monochrome Display... the thing offers a far better readability in adverse light conditions in comparison to the colour model in my opinion - larger 100% Solar panel ... You loose the VO2Max... which I truly don't understand why (garmin, if you're listening, SW-Update please - please add VO2max to the Instinct) You loose the full maps... the maps on the fenix are cool - but I don't use them that much, so this wasn't a huge deal. The menus structure and overall interface design on the Instinct is excellent... I think if you're looking for an affordable, rugged, well designed and extremely versatile sports/smart-watch and like the "G-shock" styling - the Instinct is hard to pass on.
by D-G1 on 2020-08-24T17:00:00

Great watch overall!
Rating: 5
Very happy I went with the instinct solar! Battery life is amazing. Coming from the Apple Watch I was concerned but it does all I need it to do plus I don't need to charge daily. Personally for work outs, and hiking/running the Garmin Connect app is amazing.
by Deke23 on 2020-08-10T17:00:00

Great watch!
Rating: 5
Love this watch. Only had it for a short amount of time but so far getting a really positive first impression. Very comfortable and intuitive to use. Setup was easy and it paired with my inreach mini. The connect app is fun to look at on my iPhone to review the data from each day. Looking forward to taking this watch on adventures!
by Cojacks on 2020-08-13T17:00:00

Insane battery
Rating: 5
I have tried a lot of smartwatches and was using wearOS watch to track activities for a while. I hated that the daily routine of charging the watch. Getting instinct solar was a game-changer. I charge my watch about once in two weeks with about 30 mins of GPS usage daily. I have been following Garmin Coach 10k plan which is super fun. I rarely take the watch off. It's super light so it is not annoying to sleep with. Love this watch.
by sem.udit on 2020-08-09T17:00:00

Lots of information
Rating: 5
Had it for about 2 weeks now and it makes accessing health data easy. I'm not yet saying it will replace a cycling computer, but not far off. Battery life is better than most competitors from what I can tell. The ergonomics of its buttons takes some getting used to, but that's also due to its broad capabilities.
by lesdunham on 2020-08-10T17:00:00

I Am Very Pleased with my New Instinct Solar
Rating: 5
I have had two different FitBit watches and the Galaxy Watch and the Galaxy 2 Watch. The Instinct Solar is my favorite. I like that it is easy to read in all conditions. I am particularly pleased that with the accuracy and consistency of the heartrate monitor, which is quite important to me. I also like that I can turn off the things I have no interest in using like text notifications and phone calls. I just use the watch as a watch and a fitness tracker that is it. That is all I want. The battery life is terrific. I don't know what the maximum life is, but it is way over a week. It has been over a week since I charged it last and it is reading that I have 11 days left.
by aktrout on 2020-08-09T17:00:00

Great battery life
Rating: 4
I love the watch. Had it for one week and still cannot believe the things it can do. The apps that go with it a really good as well. I would give it a 5 str rating except for the manual which does not appear to be up to date with the watch. Some things I just cannot figure out how to get them operating properly. I recommend this watch.
by Orangie on 2020-09-14T17:00:00

Mostly Perfect, Except For One Flaw
Rating: 4
I love many things about the Instinct Solar, but my 51 year old eyes HATE the small and, for me, useless round window on the face. I wish Garmin would ditch it in lieu of something more customize-able. There is simply no data field I can put in there that I can use. That said, I basically LOVE everything else about it. The battery life is awesome, and navigation is easy. It's nearly perfect, but I'm simply not going to run with readers on so that I can see the tiny data field.
by krusty505 on 2020-08-21T17:00:00

Wonder watch!
Rating: 4
I wore another watch (Timex) for many years. In the last year the need arose for a watch to also measure heart rate and steps. I looked at an Apple Watch but it is only partially waterproof, and only has a short time between battery recharging. My new Garmin Instinct Solar can hold a charge for up to 27 days. It was a no brain decision.
by Will80 on 2020-08-10T17:00:00

HR Monitor Died In Less Than A Month
Rating: 1
I've faithfully used an old school Garmin since 2011 and was excited to take my training to the next level with the ability to customize workouts, and monitor my heart rate. Worked well for about 3 weeks, and then I started noticing inconsistent readings during my past couple of runs. I was aware that wrist HRM can be accurate for an entire run, but take time to adjust during quick fluctuations of running intensity. Was just about to order a chest HRM to get that level of accuracy with my interval training when I noticed the wrist HRM just stopped working altogether. I checked the manual, double-checked my settings, recharged the watch, and even reset the system. Sorry to have to return this, but if the HRM doesn't work then defeats the main purpose of having this watch.
by Noe777 on 2020-09-13T17:00:00

Best watch ever!
Rating: 5
I absolutely love this watch! Bright and vibrant, connection to my phone is amazing! I highly recommend! I got the 44 for reference, go big or go home!
by Mary on 2020-05-05T17:00:00

Satisfied customer!
Rating: 5
7th day wearing this watch and have charged it one time from initial full charge (at 42% now). Thought I wouldn't like it because it doesn't have the rotating bezel, but I am getting used to it. The band fit very comfortable unlike my Gear band, I had to order a more comfortable fitting band for the Gear.
by ScorpionQT on 2020-08-09T17:00:00

Thank you so much.
Rating: 5
I love it and much more when I discover that I can use it to talk without connecting with my móvil provider.
by Carmen on 2020-06-30T17:00:00

Excellent Pebble Replacement!
Rating: 5
until the galaxy watch active 2 came out, there was not a worthwhile contender for my pebble imo. this watch meets all my requirements and even has a touchscreen! i can talk to it, listen to it (couldn't do that with the pebble), control music with it, and do all of the other things i need with it (appointments, texts, phone calls, etc.). i even found a text based watchface (one of my favorites for my pebble). i am very pleased with it so far, and even the battery life has surprised me (i avg. 5 days/chrg, but i don't use any of the fitness/health tracking stuff and i turn off wifi and bluetooth every night). i'd have preferred a stainless steel band instead of the rubber (so i picked one up). i even find bixby quite useful/helpful. nice watch and looks to be an awesome replacement!
by Hyacinth on 2020-07-09T17:00:00

Amazing Watch!
Rating: 5
i had done some research in finding an affordable, reliant, and durable watch. the samsung galaxy watch active 2 met all of the criteria! once i purchased the item, it was very easy to set up and get going. you can change everything in your watch from your phone, using galaxy wearable, which i find is very handy. i would recommend this highly to anyone looking for a smart watch with the same criteria as myself. one thing i noticed, however, is that in ordering on samsung.com, it was very confusing because they made you buy the watch, band, and charger separately. i ordered it through samsung on amazon, and it came with everything for a much lower price.
by Mace on 2020-07-21T17:00:00

THE BEST ...SO LIGHT and Comfort
Rating: 5
i have some of the collections of samsung smartwatch's. like the samsung 46mm, gear sport ,gear s3 the frontier and classic....but the is samsung active 2 44mm is the best light weight and comfort smartwatch.it works fast and count steps at ez.i am a samsung guy.it pairs good with my samsung galaxy s10+.
by Alkim on 2020-07-20T17:00:00

ALEXA on your Galaxcy Active 2 ?? YES you Can!!
Rating: 5
This new Galaxy Active 2 watch does it all!! I’m not a fitness fanatic, so I will not comment on the accuracy of the calorie count or heart rate monitor. I'm happy to know my daily steps taken, be reminded to move when I've been sitting too long at my computer, know my ticker is still tick’n, and receive kudos when I've reached my daily goal. First of all this is a stunning piece of technology, very sleek, and looks great on any wrist. I replaced the pale pink silicone band with a slim black leather one so it looks very sharp and professional. The Pink Gold color keeps the watch looking slim, not bulky (although the Aqua Black was intriguing), and blends well with most skin tones. I chose the 44mm for better battery life - yes, I get 3 days between charges. I also like the larger screen for easier interaction with the touch screen, which by the way is very clear, bright and easy to see even in sunlight! LOVE LOVE LOVE, that I can receive and respond to texts and calls. I have found that the 30 foot maximum distance to my phone requirement is actually conservative, my phone has been further away from me than that and I still receive texts and calls. I work in a showroom where I cannot have my phone with me; I can now react immediately when I'm contacted. For texting, I can use voice to text and even edit my response after I have spoken it using my voice again or hand writing on the screen. There are endless emojis I can reply with and I can send and receive texted images. I can ANSWER THE WATCH, if my phone rings. There is a mic and a speaker on the Active 2, and the voice clarity is perfect. I can also reject a call right from my watch and send a text back instead, like letting the caller know that I'll call them back in a bit. The Galaxy Active 2 also gives you detailed quality of sleep feedback. It does a great job breaking down time spent in REM vs the other sleep phases. And with the ability to fully charge in about 2 hours, every 3 days, you can absolutely wear the watch to bed every night to benefit from that useful information. The watch is completely customize-able. You can choose what notifications you want to receive on your watch and how (vibration, sound, or both). With the Do Not Disturb feature, you can also schedule hours at night that you won’t receive any notifications at all. You can arrange the widgets in any order, add and subtract Apps, and navigate by scrolling between them or use the digital haptic bezel. The digital bezel adds a bit of class to the watch and works flawlessly. It's responsive and brings back that rotating functionality that the first Galaxy Active lacked. I have uninstalled the Apps I did not find useful to conserve battery life and added a couple, including Alexa. YES, ALEXA!! I added the Alexa App, called "Talk to Alexa" In the companion "Galaxy Wearable" App. You can find it in the App section: Discover>Top Watch Apps>Categories>Lifestyle>Top Paid. I can ask Alexa to answer questions, things that I would typically Google on my phone, in addition to finding out the weather, set timers, and control my smart home, RIGHT FROM MY WRIST! I have tested various requests using my Active 2 vs asking Alexa in my home. The responses were identical. The first photo below is of Alexa ready to listen, and you can program her to launch when you double tap the Home button. This is an amazing Smart Watch, get it, you won't be sorry. Now complete with Alexa, this is a perfect alternative to an Apple Smart Watch if you are an Android/Samsung phone user... I have been using it since the day of its release and it is a fun watch to use and a wonderful companion. Click below if you found my review helpful. I purchased this watch at full price and was not compensated for my review…
by Hounddog on 2019-11-11T16:00:00

It's a excellent product
Rating: 5
This is an excellent product for me. I can't speak for anyone else, but it's the right size display, looks good, if fact I have kept the orginal band. Except for the "Iwatch" I've tried alot of smartwatches and trackers. Active 2 has the ability to track fitness, provides very good smartwatch features and looks great. Highly recommend.
by CozyJohn on 2019-10-08T17:00:00

It does most of what I needed.
Rating: 4
It was probably a 3 star watch before I figured out I could buy new faces for it solely because I didn't like the look. I was worried about the 44 being huge since I have small hands but went for it for the battery life. I'm not disappointed. It isn't overbearing and it's very lightweight. I had to restart it one day because it stopped doing anything but it came back on and other than that I haven't had any issues. I mainly use it to control my music and for alarms. I like the phone function when I'm in the car also. I would like messenger to work better with it because I don't real text many people. I haven't figured out how to send a message really on messenger, just reply. I haven't looked it up either though but it's not an available app on here.
by Katastrophie on 2020-06-29T17:00:00

Great Smartwatch
Rating: 4
I've had the watch for two weeks now and love it. It takes some time to get to know how to use. My advice is to turn off the voice assistant ASAP, it's annoying. My only complaint is how it records the floors climbed. I've been on the Samsung site and tried all their fixes and nothing seems to make it work better. I've used Fitbits for years and they work great. Not sure why Samsung can't figure it out. I would familiarize yourself with the features on Youtube to make it easier when your watch arrives.
by Craig on 2020-08-20T17:00:00

All Features

ColourDark Blue
DepartmentUnisex-adult
Included ComponentsInstinct Solar; Charging/data cable; Documentation
Date First AvailableJuly 8, 2020
Item model number010-02293-11
Other display featuresWireless
Batteries1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. (included)
Item Weight5.6 ounces
releaseAug 2020Nov 2019
SensorsAccelerometerAltimeter
Battery Strength IndicatorYesYes
Dust ResistantYesYes
Display TypeMIP LCDSuper AMOLED
Color DisplayNoYes
Form FactorWristwatchWristwatch
Backlit DisplayYesYes
Metrics MeasuredAltitude changesActivity vs. inactivity
Music PlayerNoYes
Battery TypeLithium-ionOther
Charging Interface(s)USBWireless
Touch ScreenNoYes
Manufacturer's Warranty - Parts1-year limited consumer1 Year
Maximum Wrist Size8.8 inches
Multi-Sport TrackingYesYes
Maximum Depth of Water Resistance330 feet164 feet
RechargeableYesYes
Product SetInstinct Solar
Wi-Fi CompatibilityWireless NWireless B
SeriesInstinct SolarGalaxy Watch Active2
Minimum Wrist Size5.2 inches
Mobile NotificationsYesYes
Case MaterialPlasticAluminum
Bluetooth EnabledYesYes
Band MaterialSiliconeFluoroelastomer
Global PositioningGPSGPS
NFC TechnologyNoYes
Color CategoryBlueBlack
Model Number010-02293-11SM-R820NZKAXAR
Operating System CompatibilityAndroidAndroid
Water ResistantYesYes
Replaceable BatteryNo
Internal CarrierNot Applicable
Product NameGarmin Instinct® Solar Rugged GPS Smartwatch 45mm Tidal BlueGalaxy Watch Active2 Smartwatch 44mm Aluminum
Display ScreenYesYes
Manufacturer's Warranty - Labor1-year limited consumer1 Year
BrandGarminSamsung
Adjustable BrightnessYesNo
App CompatibleYes
Product TypeSmartwatchSmartwatch
Data Plan RequiredNo
System Memory (RAM)0.75 gigabytes
Model FamilyGalaxy Watch Active2
Voice ActivatedYes
Shock ResistantNo
Works WithBixby
Built-In MicrophoneYes
Voice Assistant Built-inBixby
Screen Size44 millimeters
Case Width1.73 inches
Ingress Protection (IP) RatingIP68
Product Weight1.28 ounces
Vibration AlertYes
Alert TypeVibration
Internal Memory Capacity4 gigabytes
Customizable Watch FacesYes
Product Depth1.73 inches
Band ColorGold
Clock DisplayYes
Silent AlarmNo
Mobile Payment Service SupportedSamsung Pay
Battery Capacity340 milliampere hours
Band TypeFluoroelastomer band
Number of Sensors5
Product Width1.73 inches
Bluetooth VersionOther
Additional Accessories IncludedWireless charging pad, fluoroelastomer band
Case Thickness0.43 inches
Product Height0.43 inches
Operating SystemTizen
Clasp TypeBuckle
Case ShapeRound
Integrated CameraNo
Case Size44 millimeters
ColorAqua Black

More Information

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