Having worn the Garmin Intuition 3 50mm AMOLED for every week, it is troublesome to resolve methods 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 “funds” decide that also prices so much? Possibly it is all the above!
Sunday Runday
On this weekly column, Android Central Wearables Editor Michael Hicks talks concerning the world of wearables, apps, and health tech associated to working and well being, in his quest to get quicker and more healthy.
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 will probably be excited by the innovation.
When Garmin supplied me the Intuition 3 AMOLED or Photo voltaic to evaluate, I selected the AMOLED directly. Except for my deep dislike of MIP shows, I could not imagine 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 frequently misaligned second window.
The complete-res, 1.3-inch AMOLED show appears to be like beautiful on my Neo Tropic Intuition 3, decently brilliant in direct daylight and accentuated by the shiny orange aluminum bezel that catches mild alongside its edge. You dip from over a month or two of photo voltaic battery life to 18–24 days. However at the very least your notifications and information graphs are extra readable, and it stays longer-lived than the Venu 3 or Forerunner 265.
Nonetheless, I feel the Garmin Intuition 3 AMOLED wanted a trademark characteristic, much like the Photo voltaic model’s “limitless” battery shtick. Garmin most likely thought the flashlight and ruggedness certified. However I feel lastly placing offline maps or LTE on a mid-range Garmin watch would’ve been the actual 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 actual 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 rapidly adopted swimsuit. And once you have a look at the $399 COROS PACE Professional, $399 Polar Vantage M3, or $449 Suunto Race, you will discover all of them added offline maps to go along 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’ve got hit in case you want to retrace your steps. That line appeared on a clean display screen, with no visible context for trails, streets, or hills.
Then, the higher-end watches began including downloadable offline maps that contextualized your route. You would 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 right path.
Garmin restricts this characteristic to its Fenix, Enduro, and different $1,000-range sequence, aside from the Forerunner 965 or Forerunner 955. Maps had been Garmin’s bargaining chip to upsell runners from the Forerunner 255/265, and so they weren’t essentially a precedence for the indoor-focused Venu 3 or the no-altimeter Vivoactive 5.
Nonetheless, the Intuition sequence is designed for folks spending weeks out in nature, who would possibly want an offline map backup in case their telephone dies and so they have not pre-downloaded a route. However this could’ve required giving the Intuition 3 a extra strong processor, an precise touchscreen, and (for the Photo voltaic sequence) ditching the low-res, two-window answer.
As a substitute, Garmin reduce 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 effectively forward of its rivals in different methods. Manufacturers like Apple and Samsung might price-lock the most effective 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 would argue that almost all wholesome Garmin customers do not want the Elevate v5’s ECG device, however out of doors sports activities like mountaineering are very talked-about with the middle-aged to aged crowd which may wish to often examine on their coronary heart well being. And pores and skin temperature is changing into more and more widespread as a metric to guage every part 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 observe exercise check, which most wrist-based optical sensors battle with. Regardless of the speedy HR adjustments 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 count on: The Garmin Intuition 3 may be very near the armband information always with a minimal 1 bpm hole at nearly each level and the identical HR common on the finish.
After all, you possibly can 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 good both, although it does are inclined to course-correct to match my arm or chest monitor information somewhat 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 will save the satellite tv for pc maps and contours 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 will probably be completely glad with SatIQ or GPS mode accuracy.
Because of this 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 will probably be thrilled by the accuracy. It is solely energy customers and tech reviewers who would possibly ask, “However what have you ever carried out for me these days?”
The Garmin Intuition 3 is lacking one thing
I do not wish 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 reduction to my eyes.
However these are 2023 Forerunner and 2024 Venu perks primarily ported over. What’s the Intuition sequence’ specialization?
If that is for hikers or winter sports activities fanatics who want a rugged, long-lasting watch, I feel they’d be extra inquisitive 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 tips.
The Fenix 8’s massive success proves Garmin customers pays a small fortune for the most effective options. However this implies Garmin has much less stress 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 prohibit software program so rigidly by value, however that is simply how they do enterprise. And its clients — who would possibly grumble about lacking options and large software program crashes — will not abandon Garmin over a disappointing launch. They’re going to simply watch for 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, it is a nice health look ahead to anybody who makes use of their telephone for maps and prioritizes battery life, sturdiness, and “regular” Garmin smarts over any flashy new tips.
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