What you need to know
- The Garmin Instinct 2X Solar and 2X Solar Tactical Edition arrive in April for $450 and $500, respectively.
- Compared to the original Instinct 2 Solar design, 2X Solar adds MIL-STD-810 protection, a thicker enclosure, and a solar panel that collects “50% more energy.”
- The built-in LED flashlight features varying intensities and strobe modes and can be set to match your running cadence.
- New software features include morning reporting, training readiness, multiband GNSS, and obstacle racing.
The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is one of our favorite rugged watches, with up to 10 ATM and heat/shock resistance. But if you can put off buying one, the Instinct 2X Solar adds a more durable design and new tools for the exact same price.
Originally, you needed to purchase the Instinct 2 Tactical Edition 2 to get official military-grade durability; Now, the Instinct 2X is MIL-STD-810 rated with a thicker bezel to protect the Power Glass display.
Most interestingly, it comes with an LED flashlight—something previously restricted to the $1,000+ Fenix 7X Solar and Enduro 2. Built into the top of the case, the Instinct 2X’s flashlight can be activated by tapping the Light button twice and can Set it to different brightness levels and modes like Blink, Blitz, Beacon, and Distress. You can even make it match your rhythm, so that it lights up with alternating white and red patterns depending on the position of your arm.
If you are a frequent night runner or camper, this flashlight could be an excellent way to keep you focused, let nearby people and vehicles know your presence, and generally avoid injury.
With the Instinct 2X Solar Tactical Edition, the LED comes in white and green, the latter evoking a lighter night vision feel. Other exclusive tools include “pre-loaded tactical activities and predicted waypoints, dual-location GPS coordination, and night vision compatibility” as well as a stealth mode that shows your GPS location but doesn’t save it anywhere, while also blocking any wireless communication.
Perhaps the most sensational claim about the Garmin Instinct 2X Solar is that its solar panel produces “50% more energy” from 3 hours of sunlight than the Instinct 2 Solar. That added hour jumped from 30 to 48 GPS hours with a solar recharge, much more efficient than the Forerunner 955 Solar (which only adds 7 hours). So we’re excited to test the 2X and see how long it can last.
Of course, new features such as an LED flashlight and multi-band GNSS (which tends to burn your battery twice as fast versus ultra-accurate tracking) will likely offset the solar gain. But maybe it’s only because solar charging has been improved that Garmin can add these gadgets.
Other than that, the Instinct 2X adds a morning report and a training readiness meter. Training Readiness uses your sleep score, HRV data, acute load, and recovery time to recommend when you’re ready to train again—a more useful tool than the typical Garmin Body Battery scale.
Given that the Instinct 2 was bare bones compared to other Garmin watches, we welcome the new additions (and hope they make it to the original Instinct 2 Solar too.