Having worn the Garmin Intuition 3 50mm AMOLED for every week, it is troublesome to resolve find out how to label it. A rugged Energizer bunny? A missed alternative? A palette swap of the Intuition 2X Photo voltaic? One other nail in MIP shows’ coffin? A “finances” decide that also prices quite a bit? Possibly it is all the above!
Sunday Runday
On this weekly column, Android Central Wearables Editor Michael Hicks talks in regards to the world of wearables, apps, and health tech associated to working and well being, in his quest to get quicker and fitter.
Many Garmin customers spend years between upgrades. Since I’ve reviewed the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic, Intuition 2X Photo voltaic, and a dozen different Garmins, it is simpler to take the flashlight, dual-band GPS, and different cool upgrades as a right, the place last-gen customers can be excited by the innovation.
When Garmin supplied me the Intuition 3 AMOLED or Photo voltaic to evaluate, I selected the AMOLED without delay. Apart from my deep dislike of MIP shows, I could not consider that Garmin nonetheless gave a $450 watch the identical 1.1-inch, 176 x 176 decision show simply to prioritize “limitless battery life” and an epic 260 GPS hours over on a regular basis usability. To not point out the return of the continuously misaligned second window.
The total-res, 1.3-inch AMOLED show seems beautiful on my Neo Tropic Intuition 3, decently brilliant in direct daylight and accentuated by the shiny orange aluminum bezel that catches gentle alongside its edge. You dip from over a month or two of photo voltaic battery life to 18–24 days. However at the least your notifications and information graphs are extra readable, and it stays longer-lived than the Venu 3 or Forerunner 265.
Nonetheless, I believe the Garmin Intuition 3 AMOLED wanted a trademark characteristic, much like the Photo voltaic model’s “limitless” battery shtick. Garmin in all probability thought the flashlight and ruggedness certified. However I believe lastly placing offline maps or LTE on a mid-range Garmin watch would’ve been the true game-changer.
As a substitute, Garmin made compromises with the Intuition 3 software program and options that really feel designed to upsell you to the $900 Enduro 3 to get the true 2025 Garmin adventurer expertise.
Everybody besides Garmin bought the offline maps memo
Garmin might have kicked off the MIP-to-AMOLED transition amongst working watch manufacturers, however its rivals shortly adopted go well with. And while you take a look at the $399 COROS PACE Professional, $399 Polar Vantage M3, or $449 Suunto Race, you may discover all of them added offline maps to go together with their new AMOLED shows.
Most working watches allow you to obtain a GPX route from Strava or create one out of your watch’s companion app, then observe turn-by-turn instructions with a line displaying a breadcrumb path of GPS information factors you have hit in case you want to retrace your steps. That line appeared on a clean display, with no visible context for trails, streets, or hills.
Then, the higher-end watches began including downloadable offline maps that contextualized your route. You could possibly see how the GPX route and GPS breadcrumbs aligned with real-world geography, making it simpler to know the place you are going or should you’ve strayed from the correct path.
Garmin restricts this characteristic to its Fenix, Enduro, and different $1,000-range collection, aside from the Forerunner 965 or Forerunner 955. Maps have been Garmin’s bargaining chip to upsell runners from the Forerunner 255/265, they usually weren’t essentially a precedence for the indoor-focused Venu 3 or the no-altimeter Vivoactive 5.
Nonetheless, the Intuition collection is designed for individuals spending weeks out in nature, who would possibly want an offline map backup in case their telephone dies they usually have not pre-downloaded a route. However this is able to’ve required giving the Intuition 3 a extra strong processor, an precise touchscreen, and (for the Photo voltaic collection) ditching the low-res, two-window resolution.
As a substitute, Garmin minimize corners and prices: the Intuition 3 has noticeable lag and button-only enter to navigate via menus. You may have to purchase the Enduro 3 for photo voltaic charging and maps.
When you think about that the freaking $99 Amazfit Energetic 2 has offline maps, it makes Garmin begin to look out of contact on this space, even when it is properly forward of its rivals in different methods. Manufacturers like Apple and Samsung might price-lock one of the best sensors and instruments out of their cheaper SE or FE watches… however these watches price half as a lot because the Intuition 3.
Coasting on last-gen sensors
The Intuition 3 has the identical coronary heart charge sensor because the Intuition 2 when it launched three years in the past. Does that matter?
You could possibly argue that the majority wholesome Garmin customers do not want the Elevate v5’s ECG software, however outside sports activities like mountain climbing are very fashionable with the middle-aged to aged crowd that may need to sometimes test on their coronary heart well being. And pores and skin temperature is turning into more and more frequent as a metric to evaluate all the pieces from potential illness to interval signs.
On the very least, you possibly can relaxation assured that the Garmin Intuition 3 coronary heart charge information is as correct as most different Garmin watches. I gave it my conventional anaerobic monitor exercise check, which most wrist-based optical sensors battle with. Regardless of the speedy HR modifications and chilly (for California) climate, it stayed comparatively near my COROS HRM information, solely falling 1 bpm brief on common.
For a extra “regular” run, it is also about what you’d anticipate: The Garmin Intuition 3 could be very near the armband information always with a minimal 1 bpm hole at virtually each level and the identical HR common on the finish.
In fact, you may definitely want that there wasn’t such a frequent hole, small as it’s! However to be honest, the Elevate v5 sensor on the Fenix 8 is not excellent both, although it does are likely to course-correct to match my arm or chest monitor information slightly quicker.
The actual fact stays that Garmin should not have coasted with last-gen sensors whereas charging current-gen costs. If the $299 Garmin Intuition E had used last-gen sensors, that would’ve been an affordable compromise.
As for GPS information, I am going to save the satellite tv for pc maps and features for my evaluate. However you possibly can relaxation assured that its multi-band GPS information is as correct as what you get with the costliest Garmin fashions — and most of the people can be completely glad with SatIQ or GPS mode accuracy.
This is the reason I am attempting to be cognizant that I take sure issues as a right. Anybody coming from an older Garmin watch or switching from one other model can be thrilled by the accuracy. It is solely energy customers and tech reviewers who would possibly ask, “However what have you ever finished for me recently?”
The Garmin Intuition 3 is lacking one thing
I do not need to downplay the Intuition 3’s new options. I love coaching load focus for planning my subsequent exercise; nap detection and sleep teaching are helpful for each day insights; working and biking dynamics present some area of interest information, and the AMOLED show is such a aid to my eyes.
However these are 2023 Forerunner and 2024 Venu perks primarily ported over. What’s the Intuition collection’ specialization?
If that is for hikers or winter sports activities fans who want a rugged, long-lasting watch, I believe they’d be extra curious about built-in mobile help for emergencies, a rucking mode, or an estimated hydration and electrolyte loss widget throughout actions. Sure, I wished offline maps, nevertheless it’d be simpler to swallow their absence if the Intuition 3 had dazzled us with different new methods.
The Fenix 8’s huge success proves Garmin customers can pay a small fortune for one of the best options. However this implies Garmin has much less strain to maintain its mid-range fashions as aggressive. Need higher options and good battery life? Pay double for the Enduro 3 or Fenix 8!
I want Garmin did not limit software program so rigidly by value, however that is simply how they do enterprise. And its prospects — who would possibly grumble about lacking options and huge software program crashes — will not abandon Garmin over a disappointing launch. They will simply look ahead to the inevitable Garmin Intuition 3X.
In my case, identical to I felt underwhelmed by the Fenix 8 whilst I acknowledged how nice it was, I am side-eyeing the Intuition 3’s stagnation whereas recognizing that, in a vacuum, this can be a nice health watch for anybody who makes use of their telephone for maps and prioritizes battery life, sturdiness, and “regular” Garmin smarts over any flashy new methods.