Using a smartwatch to record your sporting activities is an excellent way to stay motivated as you track your fitness progress. The Garmin Instinct 2 is a rugged and fully featured model that's ideal for all kinds of activities and gives you a wealth of health stats too. It's also now at its lowest price ever in this deal.
Save $120 and buy the Garmin Instinct 2 for $179.99 at Walmart.
This deal is for the 1.7-inch (45mm) diameter model in Graphite Camo, but if you're looking for a more subtle option, the best price for the Instinct 2 in black is $199.99 at Amazon.
We gave the smartwatch 4 out of 5 stars in our Garmin Instinct 2 Solar review. The version on offer here doesn't have solar charging, but every other function is identical.
Save $120 on this rugged smartwatch which packs up to 28 days of battery life, sleep and heart rate tracking, and excellent fitness modes for running, cycling, swimming, and much more. The Instinct 2 is currently at its best price ever
The Instinct 2 is Garmin’s entry-level adventure and multi-sports smartwatch. This rugged little wearable is packed with activity-tracking sensors as well as useful health and training features. The smartwatch picks up GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO signals to keep activity tracking as accurate as possible over all kinds of terrain.
The health metrics measured by the Instinct 2 are comprehensive and it can document everything from heart rate, blood oxygen (pulse ox/SpO2) readings, and breathing rate. The smartwatch then uses these readings to calculate recovery time from activities and the level of stress on the body. Sleep Score and Body Battery are other useful metrics and can help you manage your energy levels throughout the day.
Battery life is impressive and it can potentially run for up to 28 days between charges. Activity recording puts more demands on the watch though and the greater number of activities you do will mean more frequent charges. Heavy users can go a week to ten days before recharging is required.
Two face sizes are available, the 45mm option on offer here and the smaller, 40mm "S" size covered in our Garmin Instinct 2 Solar review.
The only real downside to the Garmin Instinct 2 is its navigation facility as it only uses breadcrumb route marking rather than full maps. This works well enough if you're running or walking a preset route though, but it's more problematic while cycling as the watch struggles to load routes over 10 miles long.
Key features: 28-day battery life, 1.12-inch (28.4mm) display, rugged design with waterproof rating up to 100 meters.
Product launched: February 2022.
Price history: The Garmin Instinct 2 is a few years old now and has just been superseded by the new Instinct 3. This deal price at Walmart is the lowest the Instinct 2 has ever been and is $20 cheaper than the previous best price.
Price comparison: Walmart $179.99 | Amazon: $199.99 | Best Buy: $299.99
Reviews consensus: With impressive battery life, the Garmin Instinct 2 is ideal for long runs, cycles, or swims. Its excellent GPS tracking and Garmin Pay mean you can leave your phone at home, and it has enough tracking modes for almost any type of activity.
TechRadar: ★★★★★ | Toms Guide: ★★★★½
✅ Buy it if: You want a feature-rich fitness watch that's now available for its lowest-ever price.
❌ Don't buy it if: You want a smartwatch with full mapping, or a large, bright display.
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Rich has been a journalist and editor for over 25 years, beginning his career in Future's videogames division. He's spent the last 12 years working in cycling media and, until recently, was the editor of BikePerfect.com.
Rich is a keen mountain biker, surfer, and all-round fitness enthusiast. Away from journalism he also works as an on-call firefighter and holds a Level 3 Certificate in Fire Engineering Science from the Institute of Fire Engineers.