Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic GPS Watch Evaluation

Backside Line

A protracted favourite of ours, the Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic continues to land close to the highest of our lineup of finest GPS Watches. It resists water, impression, and chilly temperatures, making it ideally suited for these utilizing it on rugged adventures. The photo voltaic charging functionality via the watch face extends battery life considerably, lowering the necessity for frequent recharging when on the path.

Whereas geared up with solely a single-band GPS, the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic nonetheless has spectacular accuracy, even in tight canyons or mountain valleys. We by no means skilled any skipping. Expedition Mode limits satellite tv for pc pings to as soon as an hour for long-duration monitoring. Whereas this watch doesn’t include the choice to obtain topo maps, back-to-start and breadcrumb navigation are greater than satisfactory for locating your method on the path.

With a tactically rugged exterior, the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic prioritizes operate and sturdiness over appears to be like or a smooth design. Whereas the .9-inch show measurement is on the smaller finish of the spectrum, the watch may be very massive attributable to its cumbersome housing. We discovered that it often caught on jackets and backpack straps and protruded greater than others we examined.

Total, the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is a high-performance, backcountry-oriented watch that may monitor all of your actions precisely and keep powered on for days at a time, because of its continuous photo voltaic charging and long-lasting battery.

How We Examined

We put the Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic via in depth field-testing in Alaska, utilizing it for path runs, backcountry snowboarding, and on a regular basis smartwatch features to judge its efficiency throughout totally different eventualities. All through a number of months, we utterly drained and recharged the battery a number of instances to check its longevity, wore it for prolonged intervals to evaluate consolation and usefulness, and verified GPS accuracy throughout various terrains and circumstances. By incorporating the watch into our every day actions, we ensured this assessment is thorough and based mostly on direct expertise.

Accuracy

Whereas the Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is provided with a single-band GPS, and different high-end watches reviewed are dual-band, it nonetheless has spectacular accuracy throughout a number of environments.

From dense forests, steep mountainsides, and deep valleys, the Intuition 2 photo voltaic maintained connectivity and produced a easy monitor. We examined the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic on a fixed-length loop and located that it normally shorted the loop by just a few hundredths of a mile.

Essentially the most vital discrepancy we observed whereas testing is that the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic repeatedly shorted us on elevation achieve by as a lot as 5 hundred vertical toes on larger vert days. Whereas the gap remained largely correct, the vertical achieve was essentially the most affected by mountainous terrain. Regardless of this shortcoming, the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic gives dependable information for lengthy days on the path.

Battery Life

The Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is a standout choice for anybody needing a watch to final for days at a time. With a acknowledged GPS battery lifetime of 30 hours, it packs greater than sufficient battery life for many adventures.

The largest characteristic of the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic’s battery life is its potential to cost via the watch face when the solar is out. This wonderful characteristic provides it extra battery life to go the additional mile. Whereas Garmin states that the battery life in GPS mode with photo voltaic charging is 48 hours, in follow, it’s onerous to attain. Inconsistent solar publicity, use quantity, and GPS settings play a big function in battery well being, and we discovered that the photo voltaic charging in GPS principally helped to gradual the speed of battery drainage by a number of hours at most.

Garmin additionally claims that the watch has a vast battery life in smartwatch, expedition, or battery-saver modes. As soon as once more, photo voltaic does lengthen the watch’s life, however in follow, photo voltaic charging on the wrist, significantly in cloudy locations or whereas sporting lengthy sleeves, is just too inconsistent to depend on for indefinite charging.

Battery saver mode is nice for extending the battery life with no need GPS, and expedition mode reduces monitoring to as soon as per hour. These are nice options for utilizing the look ahead to days at a time whereas on lengthy adventures.

Consolation & Wearability

With a show measurement of .9 inches however an total diameter of 1.77 inches, the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic has a big and, at instances, cumbersome outer case. This provides the watch glorious sturdiness and climate resistance, however could make the watch really feel overly massive for these with slender wrists.

In case you’re in search of a virtually similar watch with a smaller measurement by virtually 1 / 4 of an inch, the Intuition 2S could also be a greater match. We discovered that the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic often caught on backpack straps and was onerous to suit underneath the cuffs of gloves and jackets.

Lastly, with a acknowledged weight of 53 grams and a measured weight of 51 grams, the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is about common in weight for its efficiency.

Options

With many exercise sorts, from {golfing} to fishing, backcountry snowboarding to horseback driving, the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic covers you regardless of your sport. It’s straightforward so as to add and take away exercise sorts from the watch to pare down the checklist to your high sports activities.

The Intuition 2 Photo voltaic additionally has a number of options, making it nice for backcountry use. Whereas it can’t obtain maps, it will probably add routes to comply with.

It additionally has breadcrumb navigation for back-to-start tracing. We have been additionally impressed with the flexibility so as to add waypoints whereas on the go.

A singular characteristic discovered on no different watch is the flexibility to hint a polygon with the watch to calculate its space. It’s a novel characteristic for discipline science or search and rescue functions if that’s your area of interest.

Whereas its small display screen measurement doesn’t make it an ideal smartwatch, we have been stunned that the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic comes geared up with Garmin Pay, which permits customers to simply pay on the go with no bank card.

Ease of Use

The Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is the one watch in our lineup that’s not touchscreen enabled. Whereas this can be a disadvantage to some, we admire this utilitarian strategy with up/down buttons and a display screen that’s not unintentionally touched and scrolled whereas in movement.

The Garmin IQ companion app is without doubt one of the finest and oldest smartwatch apps available on the market. It gives straightforward evaluation of metrics, exercise planning, and a social media part. Third-party apps join shortly and simply, and actions add seamlessly via Bluetooth.

The .9-inch show measurement is without doubt one of the smallest in our lineup, which makes making an attempt to learn charts, smartwatch notifications, and messages difficult. Moreover, the monochrome show improves battery life and visibility in shiny circumstances however lacks the vibrancy of different smartwatches. This makes the watch much less fitted to a every day smartwatch, however the excellent match for outside fans who want solidly constructed fundamentals with out the additional fluff.

Ought to You Purchase the Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic GPS Watch?

The Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is a superb alternative for outside adventurers, endurance athletes, and anybody who prioritizes sturdiness and battery life in a GPS watch.

Because of photo voltaic charging, it will probably final for days and even weeks at a time, making it excellent for prolonged backcountry journeys. It’s extremely correct and has options like exercise sorts, route navigation, waypoints, and breadcrumb monitoring.

Whereas it can’t load maps on to the watch, it nonetheless gives sufficient efficiency for devoted backcountry use. Whereas the comparatively small show measurement, lack of touchscreen, and elementary smartwatch efficiency make it not nearly as good a match for a every day smartwatch, the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is ideal for anybody in search of a efficiency watch in a no-frills platform meant to go the gap.

What Different Watches Ought to You Think about?

The Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic GPS watch isn’t the one backcountry-worthy choice available on the market. We examined and reviewed one of the best of one of the best, and they’re all in our full GPS watch gear information.

Coros Apex 2 Professional Evaluation: In case you’re in search of one other watch with spectacular battery life, the Apex 2 Professional is certain to fulfill the calls for of monitoring for a number of days at a time.

Garmin Forerunner 165 Evaluation: At a extra inexpensive worth, the Forerunner 165 delivers a lighter platform with a bigger show measurement for improved show capabilities for various actions.

Garmin Vivoactive 5 Evaluation: If the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is just too massive of a look ahead to you, the Vivoactive is the slimmest and lightest in our lineup, excellent for smaller-sized wrists.