Garmin Instinct 3 vs. Fenix 8: Not really a fair fight

Garmin recently refreshed both its Instinct and Fenix product lines with new offerings, and they've immediately become two of the best long-lasting sports and adventure watches available. The Garmin Instinct 3 and Fenix 8 can be found in multiple case sizes and AMOLED or MIP/Solar configurations, so there's almost certainly a style that meets your needs between them.

When considering the Instinct 3 or Fenix 8, the decision comes down to a single question: is the Fenix 8 worth double the price of the Instinct 3? On paper, the premium Garmin Fenix 8 handily outdoes the midrange Garmin Instinct 3, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the better value. Let's break down exactly how these two great Garmin smartwatches compare, and who they're each made for.

Garmin Instinct 3 vs. Fenix 8: Design and display

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The Garmin Instinct 3 and Fenix 8 are both rugged watches built for the outdoors, but the latter features a more premium design. The Instinct 3 uses a mix of fiber-reinforced polymer and aluminum, giving it a softer, rubber or silicone-like texture. Meanwhile, the Fenix 8 uses a steel or titanium construction with Gorilla Glass or sapphire cover glass.

Both watches have a 10ATM water-resistance rating, with the Fenix 8 taking that a step further with dive capabilities and a MIL-STD-810H certification — a military-grade durability standard. As a result, the Fenix 8 is heavier, with the steel variant weighing 74 grams and the titanium option weighing 64 grams. The Instinct 3 weighs just 59 grams by comparison.

Garmin ships the Instinct 3 and Fenix 8 with silicone bands by default, but they each can be configured with nylon and leather straps instead. The Fenix 8 also has a metal band option available, which could dress the steel or titanium chassis up for special occasions.

The Garmin Fenix 8 is available in more case sizes, starting at 43mm and topping out at 51mm. There's also a 47mm configuration right in the middle. Garmin sells the Instinct 3 in two size options: 45mm and 50mm. You'll see a 43mm Instinct watch on Garmin's website, but that's the Instinct E, a cheaper watch with a completely different feature set.

Garmin Instinct 3 vs. Fenix 8: Hardware and features

Garmin's Fenix 8 has better hardware and more software features than the Instinct 3, full stop. It starts with the display, where the Fenix 8 uses a 1.3-inch or 1.4-inch AMOLED panel compared to the Instinct 3's 1.2-inch AMOLED panel. As previously mentioned, there are MIP options that tend to look worse than AMOLED and are less responsive, but offer longer, "unlimited" battery life with solar charging.

We don't know which processor powers the Fenix 8, but the Instinct 3 is powered by the ARM Cortex M4. The Instinct 3's lowly processor, paired with its comical 17MB of RAM and up to 4GB of onboard storage, is the reason why it doesn't support many software features. It can't save offline maps, and you may find yourself needing to delete or offload saved workouts just to install updates because the storage threshold is so tight.

The Fenix 8 gives you a lot more to work with, featuring 1GB of memory and 32GB of storage. That's plenty to store workouts, offline maps, music, and more. It also has Wi-Fi support, but otherwise matches the Instinct 3 in terms of connectivity. Both watches support Bluetooth, ANT+, NFC for Garmin Pay, and multi-band GPS.

The differences start to come in the hardware health sensors, starting with the heart rate sensor. The Instinct 3 uses the same, older sensor as the Instinct 3. The Garmin Fenix 8 is equipped with the latest Garmin Elevate v5 sensor, which is more accurate and adds an ECG function. For what it's worth, while the Elevate v5 sensor is more consistent, our reviewer found the Instinct 3 reaches the same average BPM as a good armband monitor.

Plus, GPS accuracy is on par with the Fenix 8, so not everything on the Instinct 3 is a downgrade. With that being said, the Fenix 8 just has so many more software features, including a rucking mode, offline maps, estimated hydration and electrolyte loss widgets, dive capabilities, ski maps, strength training tools, and the fully featured Garmin Coach.

It's impossible to ignore the fact that the majority of Fenix 8 features are available on the Garmin Forerunner 965, which isn't as rugged as the Instinct 3 but still offers up to 23 days of battery life.

Garmin Instinct 3 vs. Fenix 8: Which one should you buy?

Arguably, the only reason the Garmin Instinct 3 can challenge the Fenix 8 is due to the AMOLED upgrade this year. It's still not a touchscreen, so you'll need to fiddle with clunky buttons to navigate Garmin OS at times. However, the screen is beautiful and bright, and fun color combinations help the Instinct 3 add to its sporty look. With plenty of health sensors and basic Garmin training features, the Instinct 3 does give you almost everything you need.

Certain things, like the lack of offline maps, GPX exports, and a touchscreen, are going to leave some adventurers wanting more. To get those features, you're looking at the $900 Enduro 3 or the $1,100 Fenix 8. As for whether the Garmin Fenix 8 is worth more than double the price of the Instinct 3, that's for you to decide. If you're someone who regularly pounds the pavement or the trails, or is a multi-sport athlete, I could definitely see the appeal.

For most of us, the Instinct 3 is hands-down the better value. But if you have high training demands and a lot of cash, it's hard to look past the Fenix 8's enticing features.