Garmin is now offering a new smartwatch. The Garmin Instinct 3 Tactical Edition features a metal-reinforced bezel and is available with both an AMOLED screen and a solar-powered charging lens. It also includes a built-in flashlight, which offers unlimited charging time in the best-case scenario.
The Garmin Instinct 3 Tactical Edition is official. The smartwatch is available in two versions: one with AMOLED and one without AMOLED, with a transflective MIP display and charging lens. The MIP version is also available in two sizes. The design of the solar version provides unlimited charging time, as long as sufficient sunlight is available, and users use the smartwatch in smartwatch power saving mode or one of the two GPS power saving modes.
It features a metal-reinforced bezel and claims compliance with MIL-STD-810 requirements for heat and shock resistance. They say the watch is waterproof to a depth of 100 meters. It also has an integrated LED flashlight that emits white and green light and serves as a strobe light. There’s also a night vision mode: This dims the display, making it easy to read with night vision goggles but virtually invisible to others.
The Garmin Instinct 3 Tactical Edition has typical smartphone features, including heart rate and blood oxygen saturation measurements, sleep quality analysis, and a morning report. Garmin Pay enables contactless payments, supports incident notifications, and allows users to send messages to other Garmin smartwatches.
You can also quickly share routes using Garmin Share, for example. They have implemented rucking as an activity type, and sports shooters can access additional features. You can also analyze the estimated VO2 max.
Also see: Garmin Instinct 3 Hands-on: AMOLED version at CES 2025
Garmin Instinct 3 Tactical Edition Price and Availability
The watches can be ordered from Amazon. The models with a solar charging display cost $499, while the AMOLED version costs $100 more.
