Garmin just dropped a wacky new smartwatch that combines state-of-the-art fitness and adventure tracking tech with old-school timekeeping chops. Meet the Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED, a fun take on my favorite rugged smartwatch of 2025 and one of the best smartwatches overall.
When I reviewed the Garmin Instinct 3 earlier this year, I called it "a near-perfect smartwatch for outdoor adventure enthusiasts thanks to a rugged and sporty design, weeks of battery life, accurate GPS tracking, loads of training and recovery tools, useful sleep insights, support for a huge range of workout types, and practical features like a built-in LED flashlight."
The new Garmin Instinct AMOLED and AMOLED Tactical Edition offer all of the above, plus mechanical timekeeping. Here's everything you need to know.
Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED: Price
The new Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED is $649 in your choice of Charcoal or Bronze Sunburst, or $749 for the 'Tactical Edition' in all black. By comparison, the standard Instinct 3 AMOLED in 45mm is $449, while the 50mm Instinct 30mm AMOLED is $499.
Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED: Key features
The main difference between the standard Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED and the new Crossover model is that the latter has mechanical watch hands positioned above the screen (but still protected by the watch glass).
The 1.2-inch AMOLED screen on the Instinct Crossover AMOLED is the same as the normal Instinct 3 AMOLED 45mm model. However, for discreet timekeeping in dim lighting, the Crossover's watch hands are coated in a high-quality glow-in-the-dark 'lume.'
To ensure accurate timekeeping, even in rough-and-tumble environments — the Instinct line is, after all, designed for outdoor enthusiasts — the new Crossover models boast Garmin's 'RevoDrive' technology, which automatically corrects mechanical hiccups resulting from bumps or drops.
Like the Instinct 3 AMOLED, the new Instinct Crossover AMOLED offers 100 meters of water resistance, a tough-built all-metal bezel, onboard LED flashlight, multi-band GPS, and sapphire crystal screen protection.
It also supports mobile payments via Garmin Pay. Battery life is rated at 14 to 18 days per charge in smartwatch mode. GPS battery life is expected to be around 60 hours.
Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED: Outlook
The Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED is a niche product, for sure. Feature-wise, it offers little over the standard Instinct 3 AMOLED smartwatch.
Just as rugged, long-lasting, and sporting the same bright AMOLED screen, the Crossover costs a premium because it tosses a mechanical timekeeping element into the mix. Is that necessary? Not at all. Is it cool? Heck yes. But, hey, if it doesn't tickle your fancy, this isn't the smartwatch for you.
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