My favorite Garmin smartwatch of 2025 is finally on sale — save up to 25% off

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Hint: Its battery is seriously long-lasting

Garmin Instinct 3 close-up on the author's wrist while snowboarding
(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

The Garmin Instinct 3 is one of my favorite smartwatches I tested in 2025, and tied with the Garmin Vivoactive 4 as my favorite Garmin model overall this year (the brand released no fewer than 10 new models in 2025, by my count).

More importantly, the Garmin Instinct 3 is currently selling at its lowest price of 2025, $100 off across the board for every version. The biggest percentage discount is on the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar in 45mm, which is normally $399 but is now just $299 ahead of the holidays.

Garmin Instinct 3 Solar (45mm)
Garmin Instinct 3 Solar (45mm): was $399 now $299 at Amazon

The Garmin Instinct 3 Solar is easily the longest-lasting smartwatch I've tested... and I've reviewed tons of watches! It's also impressively well-built, with 100 meters of water resistance, a metal-reinforced bezel, and a shock-resistant design. Fitness and adventure tracking tools are plentiful, GPS and elevation data are precise, and an onboard LED flashlight proves extremely handy.

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Boasting a rugged design with 100 meters of water resistance, impossibly long-lasting battery life (more on that in a second), high-tech multi-band GPS, support for all your favorite extreme outdoor activities, from rock climbing to backcountry skiing, and a sporty, comfortable design, the Garmin Instinct 3 might just be the ultimate smartwatch for outdoor enthusiasts (like myself).

I’ve worn my Garmin Instinct 3 to track my adventures snowboarding in the U.S. Pacific Northwest Cascade Mountains and British Columbia’s Fitzsimmons Range. It's also joined me on backcountry snowmobile missions in the same regions, dozens of urban and forested bike rides, and countless hikes, including an epic trek to New York's highest waterfall.

Of course, the Instinct 3 isn't just for the outdoors; it also did a darn good job keeping up with a jam-packed day of reporting from CES 2025 deep in the depths of Las Vegas' convention centers.

As noted above, every single variant of the Garmin Instinct 3 is on discount right now, including the smaller 45mm model or the larger 50mm option. You can also choose between a bright and easy-to-view AMOLED screen or a slightly less detailed Memory in Pixel (MIP) display. Why opt for the latter? That version of the Instinct 3 is the only one with solar charging.

What’s all the hub-bub about battery life? The non-solar models (AMLOED) last up to 18 days for the 45mm or 24 days for the 50mm in standard smartwatch mode. When using GPS tracking, you still get an impressive 68 hours of battery from the smaller model and 86 hours from the larger one. That's darn impressive!

Close-up of the Garmin Instinct 3 in 45mm on a user's wrist with the 'torch' flashlight shining

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

What about the Solar models, you ask? The 45mm Instinct 3 Solar can last 28+ days in smartwatch mode or GPS track for 100+ hours. The big-boy Solar, meanwhile, is rated for 40+ days in smartwatch mode and 150+ hours with GPS.

By comparison, the latest Apple Watch Series 11 is rated for 24 hours of use in smartwatch mode or 8 hours with GPS tracking.

In addition to longevity and durability, the Garmin Instinct 3 has proven itself to be an incredibly reliable fitness tracker, and it’s gone up against the best. For example, I walked 5,000 steps with the Instinct 3 vs Coros Nomad, and 6,000 steps with the Instinct 3 vs Apple Watch 11. Both times, Garmin came out on top.

Finally, one of my favorite features that used to be exclusive to the Instinct line, but has since been replicated by the competition, like Suunto, is the Instinct 3’s handy, hidden LED flashlight tucked into the case near the 12:00 position.

This small but brilliant design element has proven infinitely handy, saving my butt on quite a few occasions, like when I forget to bring a flashlight while bringing Belvedere (my dog) on his nightly walks. There’s even a red light mode, which is prime for finding your way to the bathroom in a darkened hotel room without waking your sleeping partner.

Ultimately, while the Garmin Instinct 3 series may see an even greater discount between now and the holiday season, my gut says this is as low as they’ll go until the new year. Of course, I’ll be sure to update you ASAP if that changes.

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Dan Bracaglia
Dan Bracaglia
Senior Writer, Fitness & Wearables

Dan Bracaglia is the Tom’s Guide editorial lead for all things smartwatches, fitness trackers and outdoor gear. With 15 years of experience as a consumer technology journalist testing everything from Oura Rings to instant cameras, Dan is deeply passionate about helping readers save money and make informed purchasing decisions. In the past year alone, Dan has assessed major product releases from the likes of Apple, Garmin, Google, Samsung, Polar and many others. 

An avid outdoor adventurer, Dan is based in the U.S. Pacific Northwest where he takes advantage of the beautiful surroundings every chance he gets. A lover of kayaking, hiking, swimming, biking, snowboarding and exploring, he also makes every effort to combine his day job with his passions. When not assessing the sleep tracking and heart rate accuracy of the latest tach gadgets, you can find him photographing Seattle’s vibrant underground music community.

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