Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic GPS Watch Overview

Backside Line

An extended favourite of ours, the Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic continues to land close to the highest of our lineup of greatest GPS Watches. It resists water, influence, and chilly temperatures, making it best 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 outfitted 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 sufficient for locating your method on the path.

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

General, the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is a high-performance, backcountry-oriented watch that can 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 completely different situations. 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 value, and verified GPS accuracy throughout diversified terrains and situations. By incorporating the watch into our each day actions, we ensured this evaluation is thorough and primarily based on direct expertise.

Accuracy

Whereas the Garmin Intuition 2 Photo voltaic is supplied 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 clean monitor. We examined the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic on a fixed-length loop and located that it often shorted the loop by only some hundredths of a mile.

Essentially the most important discrepancy we seen whereas testing is that the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic repeatedly shorted us on elevation acquire by as a lot as 5 hundred vertical ft on greater vert days. Whereas the space remained largely correct, the vertical acquire was probably the most affected by mountainous terrain. Regardless of this shortcoming, the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic supplies dependable knowledge 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 said GPS battery lifetime of 30 hours, it packs greater than sufficient battery life for many adventures.

The most important function of the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic’s battery life is its means to cost via the watch face when the solar is out. This wonderful function offers 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 observe, it’s onerous to attain. Inconsistent solar publicity, use quantity, and GPS settings play a big position 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 limiteless battery life in smartwatch, expedition, or battery-saver modes. As soon as once more, photo voltaic does lengthen the watch’s life, however in observe, photo voltaic charging on the wrist, notably in cloudy locations or whereas carrying lengthy sleeves, is just too inconsistent to depend on for indefinite charging.

Battery saver mode is nice for extending the battery life while not having 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 giant for these with slender wrists.

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

Lastly, with a said 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 listing to your prime sports activities.

The Intuition 2 Photo voltaic additionally has a bunch of options, making it nice for backcountry use. Whereas it can not obtain maps, it will probably add routes to observe.

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

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

Whereas its small display measurement doesn’t make it a terrific smartwatch, we have been stunned that the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic comes outfitted with Garmin Pay, which permits customers to simply pay on the go and not using a bank card.

Ease of Use

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

The Garmin IQ companion app is among the greatest and oldest smartwatch apps in the marketplace. It supplies straightforward evaluation of metrics, exercise planning, and a social media element. Third-party apps join rapidly and simply, and actions add seamlessly via Bluetooth.

The .9-inch show measurement is among 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 vivid situations however lacks the vibrancy of different smartwatches. This makes the watch much less suited to a each day smartwatch, however the excellent match for out of doors 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 selection for out of doors adventurers, endurance athletes, and anybody who prioritizes sturdiness and battery life in a GPS watch.

Due to 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 not load maps on to the watch, it nonetheless supplies sufficient efficiency for devoted backcountry use. Whereas the comparatively small show measurement, lack of touchscreen, and elementary smartwatch efficiency make it not pretty much as good a match for a each 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 space.

What Different Watches Ought to You Take into account?

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

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

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

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