The Instinct series and Fenix series are Garmin’s two main ‘outdoors’ and adventure focused watch series. And while these two models have continued to converge, there are a ton of differences. Somewhere in the 100+ differences range, if you were to add them all up (and those are just big ticket differences).
In this post (and the above video), I dive into every single difference I could find, hands-on, with these two watches. It’s as simple as that. Let’s get into it.
The Pricing and Models:
First up, is the most obvious – pricing. The Fenix 8 is 2-3x the price of the Instinct 3, depending on which exact model you get. The Instinct 3 starts at $399 and goes up to $499, while the Fenix 8 stats at $999, and goes up to $1,199
Thus, here’s the core models from the Instinct 3 realm::
Instinct 3 AMOLED (45mm): $449USD
Instinct 3 AMOLED (50mm): $499USD
Instinct 3 SOLAR (45mm): $399USD
Instinct 3 SOLAR (50mm): $449USD
Note – I’m *NOT* including the new Instinct E in this comparison. The Instinct E is not an Instinct 3, nor even an Instinct 2. It’s like an Instinct 1.5. And given I still can’t get clarity on what features are actually in the darn watch (versus ripped out), I’ll wait until the unit I ordered has arrived. At this point, I see that model as dead in the water from a price/features standpoint. But again, it’s *NOT* an Instinct 3 or anything near it. Just go buy an Instinct 2 on sale for $200.
In any case, and on the Fenix 8 side:
Fenix 8 AMOLED (43mm): $999USD ($1,099 for Sapphire/Titanium)
Fenix 8 AMOLED (47mm): $999USD ($1,099 for Sapphire/Titanium)
Fenix 8 AMOLED (51mm): $1,099USD ($1,199 for Sapphire/Titanium)
Fenix 8 SOLAR (47mm): $1,099USD (Sapphire/Titanium only)
Fenix 8 SOLAR (51mm): $1,199USD (Sapphire/Titanium only)
Now, before we get too far, I will point out that if price is the barrier to your Fenix, the most logical solution is Garmin’s own Epix (Gen 2) at $399 most days. Remember, the Epix naming is simply what they called the AMOLED version of the Fenix 7/7 Pro, before merging the names in the Fenix 8 series. And given the Fenix 8 was mostly about adding dive & speaker functionality (rather than any other new sport/fitness features), you won’t be missing out if you don’t care about dive/speaker. Note that the Epix Pro/Fenix 7 Pro are floating in the $600-$700 range, and that includes the Gen5 sensor and LED flashlight.
Still, the Epix at $399 gives you far more software functionality than the Instinct 3 AMOLED, in a package that’s equally durable. It’s kinda a no-brainer unless you really want the Instinct-specific look.
The Hardware Differences:
Next, let’s look at how they differ from a hardware standpoint. Obviously, the biggest difference is frankly, just the styling design. The Instinct series roughly imitates the look of a Casio G-Shock watch, while the Fenix lineup has a pretty consistent design style of its over, over the last 10 versions.
Still, setting that styling aside, there are practical hardware and materials differences, they are as follows:
– Fenix 8 offers 3 case sizes (43/47/51mm) while Instinct offers two case sizes (45/50mm)
– Fenix 8 bezel materials is either stainless steel or titanium (depending on model) vs plastic for Instinct
– Fenix 8 backing (underside) is metal, whereas Instinct is plastic
– Fenix 8 has larger displays at 1.3” & 1.4”, versus Instinct 3 AMOLED at 1.2”/1.3” and SOLAR at 0.9”/1.1””
– Fenix 8 has a touchscreen, Instinct 3 has no touchscreen
– Fenix 8 MIP-display is color, whereas Instinct 3 MIP display is black/white (both units AMOLED displays appear identical in color range)
– Fenix 8 has sapphire display lens option, Instinct 3 does not
– Fenix 8 has a speaker for audibly playing voice/music/voice commands/assistant, whereas Instinct 3 has a beeper only
– Fenix 8 has a microphone for taking calls (if phone is nearby), whereas Instinct 3 does not
– Fenix 8 has WiFi for syncing data/music/maps, whereas Instinct 3 has no WiFI
– Fenix 8 has offline music playback/storage (Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music), Instinct 3 does not
– Fenix 8 has 32GB of storage, whereas Instinct 3 has 3GB (AMOLED) or 90MB (SOLAR)
– Fenix 8 has ELEVATE Gen 5 optical heart rate sensor (with ECG & skin temp), whereas Instinct has Gen 4 (no ECG/Skin Temp)
– Fenix 8 has a nacho cheese dispenser, Instinct 3 does not
– Fenix 8 has a depth gauge, for measuring diving down to 40m, Instinct 3 does not have any depth gauge
– Fenix 8 has inductive buttons (theoretically leak-proof design), whereas Instinct 3 has traditional o-ring seal buttons
– Fenix 8 has a ‘sensor guard’ to protect the microphone/barometer in between the two right buttons, Instinct 3 does not
– Fenix 8 weight ranges from 72g to 92g, whereas Instinct weighs 52g to 59g
Note that from a hardware standpoint, they are similar in this respect:
– Both units have 5 buttons
– Both units have barometric altimeters
– Both units have a magnetic compass
– Both units dual-frequency/multi-band GNSS/GPS with SatIQ
– Both units have a flashlight with white/red LED
– Both units have SOLAR on the MIP displays (not on AMOLED)
– Both units use newer SOLAR panel tech on MIP displays (not on AMOLED)
– Both units use standard watch strap/band sizing and attach systems
– Both units are compatible with Garmin QuickFit bands/straps
– Both units have 100m water resistance rating
– Both units have Garmin Pay
– Neither unit has built-in cellular connectivity (requires your phone nearby for cellular connectivity)
Next, there’s the battery differences. Now obviously, there’s a lot of models here, and they all have different battery claims. Thus…umm…yeah. I’m just gonna give you two battery charts. TLDR: Both AMOLED product lines honestly give you relatively similar AMOLED life if comparing 50mm Instinct 3 AMOLED to 47mm Fenix 8 AMOLED, and both SOLAR product lines give you relatively similar life between 50mm Instinct 3 SOLAR & 47mm Fenix 8 Solar. Here’s the Instinct 3 lineup first:
The core line items I’d personally be comparing are:
1) Smartwatch battery life (always-on)
2) SatIQ battery life (the main GPS sports mode). In the Instinct chart above, SatIQ is presumed on for “All Systems Plus Multi-band”, as it should be.
And then the Fenix 8 lineup next:
Of course, where things get a bit crazy is on the Instinct 3 SOLAR side in basic smartwatch mode, where you can basically get to unlimited power if you’ve got enough sun.
Ok, got all that? Good, let’s start looking at the software side, which is where things get quite a bit more complex.
The Software Feature Differences:
Garmin is arguably the king of software differentiation between devices. Arguably, it’s why they are so successful as a business, due to their ability to upsell you on higher-end devices with more features. Some of these are obvious differences (e.g. no maps), but many are actually much more nuanced. I’d wager that on a device like the Garmin Fenix 8, there are probably between 800 and 1,000 features. Maybe more. Every toggle is effectively a feature. Silly things like “Is the water salt or fresh?” in the dive gas calculation settings, is a feature. As is other features you’ve likely never used like the beat type for the running metronome, or whether or not ‘Spot Soundings’ are enabled in the map view, or whether it avoids ferries during routing.
The point is, the below is my best attempt at distilling those 1,000 different features into something manageable. But I’ll warn you, this list is 1,000 features long. As such, when I say “maps aren’t on the Instinct 3”, then in turn, the 30-50 different map-related features and settings aren’t there either. Most of them I won’t line-item out. Make sense? Good. Let’s get cooking.
– No mapping of any type on the Instinct 3 (you route via breadcrumb routes)
– No unplanned offline routing (e.g. round trip routing, route to a point via trails, etc…) on Instinct 3
– No ECG features/Afib detection/Skin Temp tracking Instinct 3
– No Endurance Score on Instinct 3
– No Hill Score on Instinct 3
– No ClimbPro on Instinct 3 (just total/full elevation plot)
– No Cycling Ability feature on Instinct 3
– No Stamina feature on Instinct 3
– No JetLag advisor on Instinct 3
– No Scuba/Diving features on Instinct 3
– No Voice Assistants on Instinct 3
– No Voice Commands on Instinct 3
– No Voice notes on Instinct 3
– No Calling on Instinct 3
– No countdown calendars/timers on instinct 3
– No DogTrack widget on Instinct 3
– No Fish Forecast widget on Instinct 3
– No Recovery widget on Instinct 3
– No stocks widget on Instinct 3
– No ‘Focus Modes’ on Instinct 3
– No cloud re-processing of Instinct 3 GPS tracks (using internal sensor data to improve accuracy)
– No new UI on Instinct 3 (‘Active Navigation’ menu, notifications menu)
– No customizable low battery alert on Instinct 3 (Fenix 8 can customize it)
Again, that covers most of the major features, though of course, each one of the above features typically has a pile of features/settings within it.
Note, the Instinct 3 AMOLED does technically have a city map-thingy. It’s near-impossible to describe, because it’s so useless. But essentially, if you zoom out far enough on the empty ‘map’, you’ll see a single dot for medium to large cities. I suppose the idea here is that if you’re so horribly lost that just the right general direction towards a big city will help, then this might work. And had Garmin done this for smaller towns, I’d say it actually would be useful. But if you need help, navigating to a big city is really not super helpful. I want to know the small town that can probably save me 3-4KM away, not a city with an airport 50KM away.
Otherwise, navigation on the Instinct 3 is essentially just following a breadcrumb trail on the watch, with occasional turn notifications (e.g. to turn left or right). Here’s side-by-side with a Garmin Fenix 8:
And while that generally gets you where you’re going (as it has on many devices for close to 20 years), in 2025 I struggle to see how that’s competitive to most other watches on the market at or below this price point.
Sport Modes & Sensor Support:
When it comes to sport modes, this is an entirely ugly beast by itself, so, I’ve painstakingly written them all out. But essentially the additive differences are in bold at the end. You’re welcome.
Instinct 3 Sport Profiles (as of Jan 14th, 2025): Multisport, Walk, Golf, Climb, Bouldering, Fish, Hunt, Disc Golf, Horseback, Archery, Inline Skating, Walk, Run, Treadmill, Trail Run, Hike, Virtual Run, Track Run, Indoor Track, Obstacle Racing, Triathlon, Swimrun, Bike, Bike Indoor, MTB, eBike, eMTB, CycloCross, Gravel Bike, Bike Commute, Bike Tour, Road Bike, BMX, Pool Swim, Openwater Swim, Swimrun, Strength, Cardio, HIIT, Yoga, Pilates, Elliptical, Stair Stepper, Walk Indoor, Row Indoor, Climb Indoor, Floor Climb, Boxing, Mixed Marital Arts, Ski, Snowboard, Backcountry Ski, Backcountry Snowboard, XC Classic Ski, XC Skate Ski, Snowshoe, Ice Skating, Kayak, Row, SUP, Surf, Kiteboarding, Windsurf, Whitewater, Boat, Wakeboard, Wakesurf, Water Ski, Tube, Snorkel, Soccer/Football, American Football, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, Cricket, Lacrosse, Rugby, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Ultimate Disc, Gaming, Tennis, Pickleball, Padel, Racquetball, Squash, Badminton, Table Tennis, Platform Tennis, ATV, Snowmobile, Overland, Motocross, Motorcycle, Horseback, Breathwork, Tactical, Gaming, Expedition, Other
Fenix 8 Sport Profiles (as of Jan 14th, 2025): Multisport, Walk, Golf, Climb, Bouldering, Fish, Hunt, Disc Golf, Horseback, Archery, Inline Skating, Walk, Run, Treadmill, Trail Run, Hike, Virtual Run, Track Run, Indoor Track, Obstacle Racing, Triathlon, Swimrun, Bike, Bike Indoor, MTB, eBike, eMTB, CycloCross, Gravel Bike, Bike Commute, Bike Tour, Road Bike, BMX, Pool Swim, Openwater Swim, Swimrun, Strength, Cardio, HIIT, Yoga, Pilates, Elliptical, Stair Stepper, Walk Indoor, Row Indoor, Climb Indoor, Floor Climb, Boxing, Mixed Marital Arts, Ski, Snowboard, Backcountry Ski, Backcountry Snowboard, XC Classic Ski, XC Skate Ski, Snowshoe, Ice Skating, Kayak, Row, SUP, Surf, Kiteboarding, Windsurf, Whitewater, Boat, Wakeboard, Wakesurf, Water Ski, Tube, Snorkel, Soccer/Football, American Football, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, Cricket, Lacrosse, Rugby, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Ultimate Disc, Gaming, Tennis, Pickleball, Padel, Racquetball, Squash, Badminton, Table Tennis, Platform Tennis, ATV, Snowmobile, Overland, Motocross, Motorcycle, Horseback, Breathwork, Tactical, Gaming, Expedition, Other, ***Mountaineering, Adventure Race, Ultra Run, Jump Rope, Sail, Sail Expedition, Tempo Training (Golf), Scuba Dive, Apnea Dive, Meditation***
Essentially, the Fenix series gives you the scuba diving & free diving you’d expect, plus sailing sport profiles and a few others. Though, I’d love to hear the reason they thought they had with withhold Jump Rope from the Instinct. Is the Jump Rope Mafia that big they specifically want to upsell them?
When it comes to sensor types, here’s what each unit supports:
Garmin Instinct 3 sensors: External HR (BT/ANT+), Speed/Cadence (BT/ANT+), Power (BT/ANT+), Foot pod (BT/ANT+), Garmin VIRB, Garmin Tempe, Cycling Lights (ANT+), Cycling Radar (ANT+), Extended Display (ANT+), RD Pod (ANT+), Xero Laser Locations, Garmin inReach, DogTrack, Smart Trainers (ANT+), eBike (ANT+)
Garmin Fenix 8 sensors: External HR (BT/ANT+), Speed/Cadence (BT/ANT+), Power (BT/ANT+), Foot pod (BT/ANT+), Garmin VIRB, Garmin Tempe, Cycling Lights (ANT+), Cycling Radar (ANT+), Extended Display (ANT+), RD Pod (ANT+), Xero Laser Locations, Garmin inReach, DogTrack, Smart Trainers (ANT+), eBike (ANT+), ***Golf Club Sensor, Rangerfinder, Headphones (Bluetooth), Shifting (ANT+), Shimano Di2 (ANT)***
The differences above being the last 5 sensor types are available on Fenix, but not Instinct 3. Also, for lack of anywhere else to mention it – both watches support offline data transfer from the Garmin HRM-PRO series of straps, and both watches support Garmin Rally power meter pedal Cycling Dynamic metrics.
Things That Are The Same:
Now, there’s an absolute boatload of features that are either identical, or effectively identical (meaning maybe slight UI styling differences). They are as follows:
– Both have Daily Activity tracking that seems identical (e.g. steps/stairs/HR/etc…)
– Both have sleep and nap tracking (except wrist temp tracking as noted above)
– Both have the same flashlight levels and software features
– Both have Sleep Coach & Sleep Score features
– Both have Garmin Body Battery features
– Both have Garmin Training Readiness features
– Both have HRV tracking/status features
– Both have stress tracking features
– Both have Blood oxygen tracking (aka SpO2/PulseOx)
– Both have Respiration rate tracking
– Both can create folders for widgets/glances
– Both do altitude acclimation
– Both have Health Snapshot feature
– Both have Garmin Messenger app
– Both have Garmin Share app
– Both have music controls (of phone)
– Both have tide tracking features/widgets
– Both have moon phase tracking features/widgets
– Both support Connect IQ watch faces/apps/data fields
– Both have customizable watch faces
– Both have project waypoint and reference waypoint features
– Both have broadcasting of heart rate (on both ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart)
– Both have Garmin PacePro (on Fenix 8 can also do unplanned PacePro routes)
– Both have triathlon auto transition
– Both have Performance Conditions, Training Load, Training Load Focus, Load Ratio
– Both have strength training Muscle Maps & Workout Animations (though not Instinct 3 SOLAR)
– Both have Garmin LiveTracking (with phone nearby)
– Both have safety and incident detection features (e.g. fall/crash detection)
– Both have Battery Power Saver Mode
– Both have Battery Power Manager modes/customizations (e.g. Extended/Max Battery/Jacket/etc…)
Finally, when it comes to accuracy, from a GPS track standpoint, both as noted earlier share likely the exact same chipset, and from a specs standpoint, both are identical. More importantly though, all of my testing across openwater swimming, cycling (road and gravel), running (trails & road) and hiking, has shown it to be identical and highly accurate from a GPS perspective. Garmin’s multi-band/dual-frequency GPS implementation continues to be the market leader:
However, when it comes to heart rate sensor accuracy, there is a moderate difference. The Instinct 3 features Garmin’s much older ELEVATE Gen4 optical heart rate sensor, whereas the Garmin Fenix 8 uses the newer but still nearly two-year old Gen5 optical heart rate sensor. That sensor is among the best in the industry.
In many scenarios, you frankly won’t notice a difference. However, in more challenging scenarios, you will. Challenging in the case of optical HR sensors means things like outdoor cycling (indoor cycling is easy), cold conditions, or some very high intensity interval conditions. As a simple example of those sometimes vast differences, here’s an interval run last night in cooler temps (~50*F/12*C). In this case, we see the Instinct 3 with Gen4 struggle heavily on these intervals, whereas the Gen5-based Fenix 8 had no issues:
Inversely, on this trail run in warmer temps, there was no meaningful difference between the Instinct 3 and the reference data:
As always, you can decide which features are most important to you. Note that there’s also the MIP-based/solar Enduro 3, which sits at $899, which all the Fenix 8 features except the dive/speaker function. But does contain the newer Gen5 optical HR sensor.
Wrap-Up:
Ultimately, it’s probably going to come down to how much you value maps or the optical HR sensors. Those continue to stand out as the big ticket items. And as I’ve said many times above here, if you don’t care as much about the optical HR sensor, then you can easily pickup a Fenix 7/Epix (Gen 2) unit which has virtually every software feature outlined above, for pretty much the same price as the Instinct 3 (and with better case materials). But of course, it’s not all about features. Some prefer the styling of the Instinct, or perhaps the lighter feel of the Instinct 3.
Either way, there’s plenty of choices in this market, from not just Garmin, but Suunto (Suunto Race series), Polar (Polar Vantage series), or COROS (Pace Pro or Vertix series). And of course even more budget options like the AmazFit (T-Rex 3).
Ultimately, most people are buying into the Garmin Instinct or Fenix ecosystem for the depth of the watch features, but also the depth of the online/app platform – neither of which their competitors come anywhere near.
With that – thanks for reading!
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Hopefully you found this review/post useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.
If you're shopping for the Garmin Instinct 3 Series or Garmin Fenix 8 Series or any other accessory items, please consider using the affiliate links below! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchases help support this website a lot.
And finally, here’s a handy list of accessories that work well with this unit (and some that I showed in the review). Given the unit pairs with ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart sensors, you can use just about anything though.
This wifi-connected scale will track your weight and related metrics both on the scale display and in Garmin Connect (plus 3rd party apps like TrainingPeaks). It'll also then sync your weight to your watch/bike computer, to ensure accurate calorie data.
This is a dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart cycling cadence sensor that you strap to your crank arm, but also does dual Bluetooth Smart, so you can pair it both to Zwift and another Bluetooth Smart app at once if you want.
Seriously, this will change your life. $9 for a two-pack of these puck Garmin chargers that stay put and stay connected. One for the office, one for your bedside, another for your bag, and one for your dog's house. Just in case.
These are one of my favorite power meters, due to both cost and accuracy. These have mostly become my defacto gravel pedals, and also get used on a lot of other comparison testing.
The Garmin Rally series is effectively 3 power meters in one, for three pedal types. I use these often in accuracy testing. While they're a bit more expensive than the Favero pedals, they offer the ability to swap pedal types easily.
The HRM-PRO Plus is Garmin's top-end chest strap. It transmits dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart, but also transmits Running Dynamics & Running Pace/Distance metrics, stores HR data during a swim, and can be used without a watch for other sports. Also, it can transmit XC Skiing Dynamics as well.
And of course – you can always sign-up to be a DCR Supporter! That gets you an ad-free DCR, access to the DCR Quarantine Corner video series packed with behind the scenes tidbits...and it also makes you awesome. And being awesome is what it’s all about!
Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. Thanks!
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