Club Benefits
The Garmin Instinct 3 is one of my all-time favorite smartwatches for tracking outdoor adventures. This is thanks to industry-leading battery performance, excellent durability, and rock-solid health and fitness data. It also has a nifty LED flashlight tucked in the bezel.
But there’s room for improvement. Even though the Garmin Instinct 3 is only one year old, I’m already thinking ahead to the Garmin Instinct 4. With that in mind, these are the three biggest things Garmin can do to make the next-generation Instinct a stone-cold stunner, and earn itself a spot on our list of the best sports watches.
Support for offline maps
As of writing, only Garmin’s highest-end watches support downloading and saving navigational maps for offline use. I’m talking about watches that are two or three times the price of the Instinct 3, including the Garmin Fenix 8 and Forerunner 965.
However, I think it’s about time Garmin brings this useful feature to mid-tier watches, too. After all, you can get offline map support in smartwatches as cheap as the $99 Amazfit Active 2. While Amazfit's overall experience during offline navigation isn’t nearly as polished as Garmin’s take, the feature largely works as intended, and at a fraction of the price.
Moreover, Garmin’s Instinct range has always been about extreme outdoor adventuring, which is to say, I can’t think of a more fitting line to gain offline map support.
Combine the AMOLED and Solar models
With the current-gen Garmin Instinct 3, you must choose between a bright and well-saturated AMOLED screen with no solar charging capability or a dull and dim MIP screen with solar charging.
When it comes to the Instinct 4, I want to see both features in one model. This could potentially be accomplished by moving the solar cell somewhere other than behind the display, like around the bezel. Or perhaps there is a way to incorporate solar charging into the AMOLED panel.
After all, Garmin is a proven leader in display tech; last year’s Fenix 8 Pro is the world’s first smartwatch with a MicroLED screen. As such, I do not doubt that Garmin engineers can also crack the AMOLED+solar code.
If successfully implemented, the combination of an easy-to-read, colorful display with solar-powered capabilities would truly make the Instinct 4 the ultimate outdoor adventure wearable.
More sizes (kill the Instinct E)
Don’t those with smaller wrists deserve the same awesome tech and features as their larger-wristed counterparts? I certainly think so.
The Instinct 3 is offered in your choice of 45mm (my preference) or 50mm, with either solar charging or an AMOLED screen. While the smaller model wears comfortably on my 6.5-inch wrist, it is admittedly a bit of a clunker.
Then again, the chunky build adds to its durability. The Instinct 3 has a 100-meter water resistance rating and a MIL-STD-810 rating for shock and thermal resistance.
For folks who want something a little more manageable, there’s the 40mm Garmin Instinct E, a stripped-back, budget-friendly version of the Instinct 3 with fewer features. (Here's why I don't recommend the Instinct E).
For the Garmin Instinct 4, I want to see the brand kill off the Instinct E range entirely and offer its excellent, rugged, outdoor-centric model in 40mm, 45mm, and 50mm. After all, don’t those with smaller wrists deserve the same awesome tech and features as their larger-wristed counterparts? I certainly think so.
What features or upgrades do you want to see in the Garmin Instinct 4? Let me know in the comments below.
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