Looks like a good deal on this, but 50mm watch face is too big for me.
Garmin Instinct 2X Solar GPS Smart Watch - Graphite $384 + Delivery ($0 C&C/In-Store) @ Harvey Norman
790
Blackfyre on 24/06/2026 - 15:23 harveynorman.com.au (9970 clicks)
Last edited 24/06/2026 - 15:27 by 2 other users
Last edited 24/06/2026 - 15:27 by 2 other users
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sorry should have wrote, family member bought the Instinct 2 Standard (no solar) for closer to $300 slightly less than this 2X Solar. but it is smaller, and doesn't have NFC and solar.
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very good price, buy buy buy!
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Wish it's 2 solar at around 300
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$84 extra for a much better watch; this is basically the same as the Instinct 3 (better battery life, GPS, etc.etc)
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i know that, but 50mm is too big for my like. i don't care any of those "better" prats.
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the 2 Standard (no solar) dropped to around that much. so I don't think it will get as low as that. this deal is a good price for being 2X (bigger model bigger battery) and solar model.
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Yea that's the model I'm looking around for too. My skinny wrist can barely pull off a 45mm watch
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This watch ruined my entire watch collection, I'm so used to have a torch and notifications on my wrist now I just cannot live without it. Everything works great on my 3yo one, I went on many holidays with this and never had to worry about battery life with constant phone connection.
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Yeah this watch battery life is absolutely nuts!! Godsend from the other smart watches that gotta charge daily or every second day!
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How effective is the solar charging? Enough to never need to manually charge with daily use or needs to be out in direct sunlight for a proper charge?
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i feel you need quite substantial amount of direct sun for it to charge enough. like you'd need to be gardening or something in sunny conditions for couple hours a day i reckon though i never tested it personally
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@FrozenFred: Thanks yeh I read something about charging with 3 hours of direct sunlight but was hoping it could also top up with a whole day of ambient light.
I came across this video after, probably a good indicator. Directly placed under an LED light for 4 hours gave 1% charge so ambient light wouldn't do too much.
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@bamzero: it does pick up ambient light and indirect but it's like you said 1% or like others have said it'll stop battery drain (unlimited battery marketing) but charging in direct sunlight would need at least an hour i'd think. Maybe more doable in summer but in winter with low UV it'll be weaker too.
Even if you went camping these watches last 1 month anyway haha, so it's crazy good. No one would be out the wilderness that long. A big trail or hike, flash light use etc or after several years battery would still last more than a week or 2. That's where solar would make some sense and help out
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Feature wise, how is it compared to the Fenix range?
I never own a Garmin watch before.
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Main thing is Fenix range has full maps while the Instinct doesn't.
Other big differences included on Fenix
Better sensors (HR)
Onboard musicThe flip side is that the Instinct will have better battery life
There may be other differences but those are the main ones
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That's a good summary.
Re battery life - charge basically never for this one. Charge every couple of weeks for Fenix.
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I got the fenix 6 solar and battery life is over 20 days even after 5 years. Amazing battery life. Ditched the samsung watches and never gone back. Watch is still going strong.
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Yep love mine
It's tough and like an 1980s watch was made smart
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It's a casio with extra steps
Jokes I have a fenix and I was very tempted by this as a backup but ended up with a cheaper casio
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Solid price for those with beefy wrists to match the 50mm casing. I note Garmin has released the Instinct 3 now as well, which moves into colour AMOLED display, but if this was the 45mm I'd probably grab it.
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I note Garmin has released the Instinct 3 now as well, which moves into colour AMOLED display,
my friend has that model and he says in real world use the AMOLED isn't that much worse battery than the Memory pixel display. the only downside of AMOLED is solar is not possible with AMOLED.
he uses sleep mode ( I recommend this to him, use it on my Smart band 8 pro it does wonders for battery life) don't use the watch while you sleep anyway so disconnects bluetooth and goes into low power time/date only mode. can still see the info in dim orange if you press a button. they are also past garmin user, so they know how accurate their step counting algo is. they said you just have to do a couple walks with GPS, then the step counter on it's own is very accurate on stride length/distance etc. so without using GPS for walks, using sleep mode, all notifications health track enabled they get 14~21 days until 50% battery (they said it depends how much they use the flash light).
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he says in real world use the AMOLED isn't that much worse battery than the Memory pixel display
your friend is a liar/idiot.
My MIP watches have always had far better battery life than *LED watches
My first was 10 day (when LED was 3-5). My second was 40 day (when LED was 6-14 days). My last was 21 day (when LED was 6-14 days).
This is 30-unlimited, when LED can barely do 20, at best.
But there is one thing that *LED can't come close to touching: the fact that MIP is always on. Absolutely the best feature about it. Driving, on a motorcycle, or cycling - I can glance at my wrist for the time, no need to for a shitty "flick" or button press or anything. It's just… an actual watch, all the time (heh).
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umm, that's a bit uncalled for? AMOLED uses more battery that's for sure compared to 2X MIP but 'maybe' AMOLED unit has a bigger battery? and not having AOD and combo of sleep mode it is very efficient? It doesn't last as long as MIP but it's still got good battery life. Who's gonna notice 20 days vs 30 days?
Got 2X currently but would prefer a 3X for the better screen or even the AMOLED if it wasn't so expensive. MIP is great when you're outdoors but indoors it sucks. AMOLED would be the opposite. I don't run that much so AMOLED would be most ideal personally
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MIP is great when you're outdoors but indoors it sucks.
This has not been my experience with MiP displays. They are far more legible than LCDs, even comparing a negative MiP to a positive STN LCD (one of the more desired Casio display types), the MiP is still more legible.
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even comparing a negative MiP to a positive STN LCD (one of the more desired Casio display types), the MiP is still more legible.
I think most Memory pixel is negative (inverted) type. because the reflective layer underneath is the brightest it can get. makes sense to have the numbers white and reflect the sunlight, and the rest be black pixel which is darker.
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@skibidigrimacmoggr67: I don't think it's actually set, it may be decided by software, rather than hardware. I saw some commenters on a discussion about Casio MiP watches who were wondering if / when Casio would introduce the ability to swap the polarity of their MiP bluetooth watches in the Casio watches app.
I actually just got the watch in this deal and I am able to swap the polarity with some watch faces.
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@tubeidea: ok sure they give you the option.
but since you just got one give both a try under sunlight. I think white numbers being brighter would be easier to see the edges more easily but just my personal opinion.
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@skibidigrimacmoggr67: I have, they are both about as legible in direct sunlight, maybe the MiP is a bit more legible, though that may be due to the fact that MiP screens do not have any breaks in the numbers, unlike LCDs, but where MiPs really shine are the viewing angles. Old LCDs don't have great viewing angles, for example: if you were trying to sneak a glance at your watch without looking rude, and you don't want to lift up your arm or turn your wrist because that would make it obvious, it would be hard to see on an LCD, but on an MiP screen it would be easy to read, even at a poor angle.
In dark rooms I think the MiP is more legible, because the smallest amount of light is enough to illuminate the screen, as long as it's light enough to see your hand in front of you, you can read an MiP display.
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@tubeidea: sorry I meant you could see the difference under sun in legible between negative (white numbers) and positive (black numbers) on the same Memory pixel watch.
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sorry but maybe you misunderstand my first sentence. I typed it "isn't much worse" meaning it is worse definitely than Memory pixel, just not that huge gap expected because particular real world use is better than Garmin's own battery life claim.
they were counting the days by putting the day they charged in their calendar so it isn't wrong. not going by what the watch says they said it shows "14~16 days remaining" with 100% charged on their particular settings, but it lasts longer then that.
you also have to compare like for like. Instinct 2 Standard (no solar) claims up to 28 days. Instinct 3 AMOLED (no solar) claims up to 18 days for the regular size which is the same size as 2 Standard (not the 2S). so already the gap isn't that big, but they are getting more like up to 21 days on AMOLED. so 28 days vs 14~21 days it isn't a huge difference.
can't compare a Solar model to a non solar model that's just unfair, because if you get enough sun per day the Solar model battery basically becomes unlimited. I did mention in my comment above Instinct 3 AMOLED does not have a Solar model because it's not possible with AMOLED.
AMOLED also has always on display mode so it shows time all the time, but that kills battery so my friend said they don't use it and moving wrist is fine.
one display isn't automatically better than the other, each has goods and bads. AMOLED has full color and bright under all light except the sun, but struggles in direct sunlight because the screen is putting out the light. Memory pixel is lower resolution and most of the time black and white only (like on Instinct 2) but it has a reflective layer underneath, so wins in sunlight because those white numbers are basically the sunlight reflected, but in the dark is also needs to use a LED backlight to be visible. AMOLED with higher resolution can fit more smaller text in the same size screen, so you can read more of a message notification for example. Memory and pixel is a little worse at this, but is more energy efficient and only consumes power when the screen changes (Memory pixel) and some people prefer this sure.
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for anyone after a watch for running, I would recommend looking at the Forerunner 265 from Aliexpress. Often goes on sale (plus boosted cashback), for similar or lower than the price of this $384.
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Why would you recommend that over this?
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- Lighter and less bulky which may matter for running
- Colour display
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AMOLED colour display ya, vs this MIP
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@PeppaPigDidNthngWrng: FYI, Pebble (actual watches, not just the fw) has been re-released by the fanbase. Check it out: https://repebble.com/
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Surely there is a catch with buying Garmin off Aliexpress? I assume no warranty?
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probably no warranty. but at about half the price of Australian retail, it's a risk I'll carry.
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Dunno if they still do it but if you have an issue with the watch, they'll do a discount for replacement. Like, huge discount.
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I missed it the other week and have been hanging for it to return to sub-400
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AMOLED screen, 13 day battery life. Hard pass.
MIP is god mode.
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fair enough if you're after an all day daily driver
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I prefer MIP (coming from a Casio) and got the 255 for $200 after cashback.
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Can you see whatsapp and text messages on this watch?
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Yes you can see notifications. Depending on the app you might only see something like "WhatsApp: brandt said "Can you see Wha…"
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50mm is huge for my wrist too, but price is good
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Does this have a breadcrumb trail or just pointing to the GPS location saved?
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It has breadcrumb trail
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Bought it. I've dailied the OG first release Instinct and has been amazing. Only reason I'm getting this is for the torch really. Great price and I'm out in the sun so the solar is a bonus but I know it really doesn't do a while lot
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Would you recommend it for construction and mine site work? I'm looking for a tough smart watch to bring with me every where!
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My Fenix 6 lasted 5 years on construction sites getting bashed around before I sold and upgraded to Epix 2. Garmin are very rugged
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Hahaha great thanks ! So it's definitely a good option ?
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yeah this is made to be a rugged outdoor carefree watch. definitely recommended. Though i'd get a screen protector as soon as you get it to stop you scratching the screen mistakenly while working
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Best watch ive ever owned. Seriously impressed with this watch.
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yes thats right. Its the 45mm version. Good price, shared just incase.
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For an older watch, with worse GPS, worse battery life, less memory.
Or $6 extra for the 2X.
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Instinct watches are tanks. I still have Instinct 1 which won’t die. I finally got bored after 5 years and bought 265 due to new features. If one wants long battery life and watch that will last long time, these are the ones.
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No music no good
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I have never owned a garmin but looking at a watch thats tough has maps and long lasting and I like the idea of solar charging. I have a small wrist so this wont suit me.
Can I have any recommendations on a watch to buy ?
Thx a bunch
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Check out some of Suuntos.
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garmin watches that has maps in the current market range is probably the higher end $500+ retail watches, maybe forerunner 265 has it but 965 definitely does, so does other top end ones. I wonder if the instinct 3 AMOLED has maps
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I've had 2 Garmin watches and both have snapped where the band connects to the case. Although I got full warranty on both, I won't buy another until an option is made with metal rather than plastic.
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Agreed. I had two Forerunner 245's do the same. Although admittedly beach volleyball diving and pushups flexing the watch around my wrist probably didn't help…
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Prefer the Fenix for the coloured display?
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Garmin Instinct 2X SOLAR : The Smartwatch that Never needs a charge!
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My order has been stuck at backordered. Has anyone had somewhere else price match it?
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Same! It says 2 weeks tho
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Warning there is NO parcel Tracking information provided despite their HN's fake track parcel button in email, very frustrating!!
so you'll get an email from HN that says your order has been dispatched with Track Order link
https://i.imgur.com/Ds4z06L.png
then you'll have to sign in with the order number and your email, which is annoying as all other vendors takes you straight to parcel tracking info
https://i.imgur.com/HiNloN1.png
When you eventually sign in, all you get is the Status : shipped
https://i.imgur.com/BfyN3qQ.png
When a joke of a vendor.
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Odd I have a tracking from Auspost.
Ordered on Friday.
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okay, i got the parcel. HN's logistics is pretty bad.
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A few Rebel stores also have limited stock. I got it from Forest Hill branch today price matched with HN.
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good price for the solar model I think.