Garmin Instinct 2 Solar vs Google Pixel Watch 3
🗓️ Release Year
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: 2022
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: 2024
🏃 Activity
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is a purpose-built, rugged outdoor GPS smartwatch designed for extended adventures and comprehensive activity tracking, featuring enhanced battery life through solar charging. It accurately tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes with customizable daily goals. Its extensive activity profiles are tailored for a wide range of outdoor pursuits, offering reliable data for prolonged training and exploration in demanding environments.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: The Google Pixel Watch 3, running Wear OS and integrating Fitbit's expertise, is expected to offer comprehensive activity tracking. It likely tracks steps, calories burned, heart rate, and distance, with various workout modes available through the Wear OS and Fitbit platforms for monitoring physical activity.
❤️ Health Monitoring
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: This device provides continuous heart rate monitoring, stress tracking, and detailed sleep tracking for insights into daily well-being and recovery. The integrated Pulse Ox sensor allows for blood oxygen saturation monitoring, particularly useful for altitude acclimatization and assessing physiological status during extended demanding activities, supported by consistent power from solar input.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Based on the available information and its integration with Fitbit, the Pixel Watch 3 is expected to include continuous heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and potentially other health metrics like SpO2, offering insights into daily wellness.
🔋 Battery Life
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: A key highlight of the Instinct 2 Solar is its exceptional battery life, significantly extended by solar charging. It provides up to 28 days in smartwatch mode and up to 30 hours with continuous GPS active, with the potential for virtually unlimited battery life in smartwatch mode with sufficient solar exposure, making it an ideal companion for multi-week expeditions where charging is impractical.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Information regarding the specific battery life of the Google Pixel Watch 3 is not available in the provided data.
😴 Sleep Tracking
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: Sleep tracking on the Instinct 2 Solar monitors sleep stages and provides valuable insights into sleep quality, contributing to a better understanding of recovery. The data, combined with other metrics like Body Battery, helps users optimize their rest and training, with reliable overnight tracking ensured by the efficient battery management and solar capabilities.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Sleep tracking is anticipated to be a key feature of the Pixel Watch 3, leveraging Fitbit's capabilities to monitor sleep patterns and duration for insights into rest and recovery.
📍 GPS Tracking
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: Equipped with built-in GPS, the Instinct 2 Solar provides accurate outdoor activity tracking without needing a paired smartphone. It supports multiple satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo) for reliable positioning in diverse and challenging terrains, essential for navigation and route tracking during extended outdoor excursions.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Information regarding built-in GPS tracking for the Google Pixel Watch 3 is not available in the provided data, but it is a standard feature on previous Pixel Watch models.
🏋️ Workout Modes
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: The Instinct 2 Solar supports a wide variety of workout modes beyond standard running and cycling, including profiles for hiking, climbing, swimming, strength training, tactical activities, and more, providing relevant metrics for each activity, with the battery capacity to track even the longest sessions.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: The available data confirms support for workout modes on the Google Pixel Watch 3, indicating its capability to track various physical activities through the Wear OS and Fitbit ecosystems.
💫 Exercise Recognition
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: The device includes automatic exercise detection for common activities like walking and running through its Move IQ feature, ensuring these movements are captured in the activity log even when a specific workout isn't manually started, contributing to seamless and comprehensive tracking over extended periods.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Information regarding automatic exercise recognition for the Google Pixel Watch 3 is not available in the provided data, but it is a common feature in modern smartwatches.
🍎 Compatibility
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: The Instinct 2 Solar is compatible with both iOS and Android smartphones, connecting via Bluetooth for seamless data synchronization and smart notifications, ensuring connectivity is maintained even during prolonged periods in the outdoors.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: As a Google device, the Pixel Watch 3 will be primarily compatible with Android smartphones and integrate tightly with Google services and the Fitbit platform.
📲 App Support
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: Synchronization with the comprehensive Garmin Connect app provides users with detailed analysis of activity data, performance metrics, and health statistics. The app allows for planning routes, customizing watch settings, and connecting with the Garmin community, leveraging the extensive data collected by the watch during extended use.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Running Wear OS, the Google Pixel Watch 3 will have access to a wide range of apps from the Google Play Store, enhancing its functionality for fitness, productivity, and communication.
💡 Smart Features
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: Beyond its rugged outdoor focus, the Instinct 2 Solar includes practical smart functionalities such as on-wrist notifications for calls, texts, and calendar alerts. It also features a barometric altimeter for accurate altitude tracking, a crucial tool for hikers and climbers, all powered for the long haul by solar charging.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Information regarding specific smart features for the Google Pixel Watch 3 is not available in the provided data, but it is expected to include comprehensive smart notifications, Google Assistant, Google Wallet, and other standard Wear OS functionalities.
💦 Water Resistance
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: With a robust water resistance rating of 100 meters (10 ATM), the Instinct 2 Solar is built to withstand swimming, showering, and various water activities, making it a durable and reliable device for watersports and wet environments encountered during outdoor adventures.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Information regarding the water resistance rating for the Google Pixel Watch 3 is not available in the provided data, but it is expected to be suitable for swimming.
⌚ Display Quality
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: The Instinct 2 Solar features a monochrome, sunlight-readable, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display with an integrated solar charging lens. While not a color screen, this display offers excellent contrast and unparalleled readability in direct sunlight, which is essential for outdoor use, and is highly power-efficient, directly contributing to its exceptional battery life.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Information regarding the display quality for the Google Pixel Watch 3 is not available in the provided data, but previous models feature high-quality AMOLED displays.
👌 Ease of Use
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: The device utilizes a five-button interface, designed for reliable operation and easy navigation through menus and data screens, particularly useful in challenging conditions or while wearing gloves. This button-based interface prioritizes functionality and durability over touchscreen complexity for demanding outdoor use.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Information regarding the ease of use for the Google Pixel Watch 3 is not available in the provided data, but it is expected to feature a user-friendly interface consistent with Wear OS and Google's design principles.
✨ Design and Comfort
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: The Instinct 2 Solar features a rugged and durable design built to withstand tough outdoor conditions, incorporating the solar charging lens seamlessly into the display. Its construction prioritizes resilience, while the comfortable silicone band ensures suitability for extended wear during activities and throughout multi-day excursions.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Information regarding the design and comfort of the Google Pixel Watch 3 is not available in the provided data, but previous models feature a distinct, comfortable, circular design.
🩸 SpO2 Monitoring
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: An integrated Pulse Ox sensor allows for monitoring blood oxygen saturation levels during sleep and at altitude. This feature provides valuable data for assessing acclimatization and overall physiological well-being in varied environments, with continuous monitoring supported by the extended battery life.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Information regarding SpO2 monitoring for the Google Pixel Watch 3 is not available in the provided data, but it is a common feature on modern fitness trackers and smartwatches.
💖 ECG Functionality
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: It is important to note that the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar does not support ECG (Electrocardiogram) functionality.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Information regarding ECG functionality for the Google Pixel Watch 3 is not available in the provided data, but it is a feature on the previous Pixel Watch 2.
🧘 Stress Tracking
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: The Instinct 2 Solar tracks stress levels throughout the day based on heart rate variability and offers guided breathing exercises to help users manage stress, contributing to a more complete picture of their daily physiological state and recovery, essential for sustained performance in challenging situations.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Based on its Fitbit integration, the Google Pixel Watch 3 is likely to include stress tracking capabilities, although specific details are not available in the provided data.
🩹 Recovery Tracking
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: The Body Battery energy monitoring feature provides insights into the body's energy reserves based on activity, stress, and sleep data, helping users understand their physiological readiness for training or the need for rest. This is a key feature for optimizing recovery in demanding training cycles and extended trips, with reliable data available due to the device's battery performance.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Based on its Fitbit integration, recovery tracking insights are expected to be available through the Google Pixel Watch 3, leveraging sleep and activity data, although specific details are not available in the provided data.
💳 Subscription
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: A significant benefit of the Garmin platform is that all features and data tracked by the Instinct 2 Solar are accessible through the free Garmin Connect app, requiring no additional subscription fees for core functionality or advanced tracking features, providing comprehensive and enduring value for a rugged, outdoor-focused device with exceptional solar-enhanced battery life.
2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: Information regarding subscription requirements for the Google Pixel Watch 3 is not available in the provided data. Previous models offered premium features through an optional Fitbit Premium subscription.
🏷️️ Price
1️⃣ Garmin Instinct 2 Solar: $399.99
Check Garmin Instinct 2 Solar Price *2️⃣ Google Pixel Watch 3: $349.00
Check Google Pixel Watch 3 Price ** If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you