Garmin has added to its Intuition out of doors watch model with the Intuition 2X – a super-sized and super-charged model.
The Intuition model is a barely odd match throughout the Garmin range. It began life because the extra affordable hiking and outdoor-focused downgrade from the Fenix vary, however it’s now a enjoyable Fenix various – a much less premium all-rounder, with extra persona, geared toward anybody from runners to CrossFitters and gym-goers.
It’s nonetheless a top running watch and boasts most of Garmin’s finest biometric and restoration insights, in addition to primary golf monitoring.
Be conscious that there aren’t any TOPO maps right here, although, so to class it as an outside watch is an rising miscategorization – and will postpone these it fits finest.
Both means, we have been placing it to the take a look at to see the way it performs, and whether or not it is price the additional money.
Garmin Intuition 2X – what’s new?
- 1.1-inch show (up from 0.9-inch on Intuition 2)
- 50mm case (up from 45mm)
- 50% enchancment in photo voltaic efficiency
- Improved battery life
- Multiband GPS/GNSS
- Flashlight
- Coaching Readiness
Worth and competitors
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The most effective a part of the Intuition 2X is the worth. At $449 / £399, it’s $50 greater than the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic and represents an enormous saving over the Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X, which have related function units.
The usual non-Photo voltaic Instinct 2 is a gorgeous £249 – however you do miss out on fairly a bit over the 2X, together with multiband GNSS, Coaching Readiness, superior analytics, the torch, solar energy, and hours of battery life.
The value places the 2X alongside the likes of the Forerunner 265 – and firmly a part of Garmin’s mid-range.
In case you go searching opponents, there’s not an excessive amount of in its wheelhouse. It’s a fraction of the worth of the Coros Vertix 2, and across the similar as a Polar Grit X – and we’d say it’s higher than each of these two, with the breadth of sports activities monitoring, and the addition of superior Firstbeat analytics.
In case you’re on the lookout for cheaper nonetheless, the Amazfit T-Rex Pro is a good choice, however once more, falls wanting the Intuition vary.
Design and show
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The Garmin Intuition 2X retains the essence of the Intuition model, merely delivering it in an even bigger case this time round.
It nonetheless makes use of the polymer construct, which is a light-weight plastic. It nonetheless feels good high quality and makes the massive, outsized 50mm case way more manageable, than the Garmin Enduro.
The construct provides to that enjoyable, G-SHOCK-esque build – and we did have a few admiring feedback about whether or not it was certainly a Casio.
The 5mm case measurement distinction from the common Intuition 2, and in addition yields a bump from a 0.9-inch to a 1.1-inch show. It’s nonetheless the old-style monochrome MIP, too, which presents very primary visuals however good energy effectivity. It is also simply viewable in direct daylight.
The bigger case implies that the torch function comes over from the Garmin Fenix 7X.
It’d sound psychological to have a torch on a sports activities watch, however it may aid you see your means if unexpectedly trekking at midnight, or heading to the bathroom whereas tenting (we did this, it was nice).
It’s additionally good for runners, and you’ll decide to have the torch strobe which makes for a wonderful visibility function for night-time runs within the winter.
The important thing design inclusion, actually, is the return of the stunning inset secondary show, which has been well-used by Garmin so as to add contextual knowledge, iconography, and menu navigation. We’re glad it stays right here, and in fantastic fettle too.
With extra info on the bigger primary display screen, as effectively, the secondary inset display screen is healthier than ever.
Total, that is an outsized sports activities watch that is primarily geared toward males. It is comfy, and the torch isn’t any gimmick. However a lot of the justification for the additional value comes with its function set.
Health options
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By way of sports activities and health monitoring – there’s not an excessive amount of distinction from the usual Intuition 2.
Garmin has added impediment course racing, boxing, and MMA profiles – which is nice information for a really particular sort of person. It most likely speaks extra to the positioning of the Intuition 2, which, as we talked about earlier, is now extra of a enjoyable, all-action model of the Fenix collection.
However outdoors of that, we’ve operating, biking, climbing, swimming, golf, and winter sports activities. It’s just about a fully-fledged Fenix when it comes to tracked sports activities.
The in-run expertise can be extraordinarily related, with the usual tempo/time/distance metrics joined by coronary heart charge, coronary heart charge zone, and operating energy, for those who use it.
Nonetheless, you don’t get PacePro or ClimbPro, which you’ll discover on the Fenix and Forerunner vary, so it doesn’t fairly provide each operating function on the market.
Likewise, mapping can be omitted, so you may’t get the improved TOPO maps you’ll get on the Fenix/Epix. Nonetheless, you may comply with GPX breadcrumb routes nonetheless, and get the turn-by-turn instructions from the inset show.
Exercises are all tracked inside Garmin Join, which stays top-of-the-line health platforms on the market.
It’s additionally waterproof to 100m (100 ATM) so it’s good for open water swimming each within the pool and sea and browsing – though it’s not diving-rated.
It’s a prime set of health options that serve 90% of individuals – regardless of how lively they’re.
Sure, a number of the bells and whistles of the Fenix 7 are neglected, however this can be a dwindling record that will get ever smaller with every era of the Intuition. For all of the addition the Fenix will get for being Garmin’s flagship, the Intuition deserves a lot extra consideration.
Well being options
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This part will get a bit tedious to put in writing, as a result of all Garmin’s now provide the identical suite of well being options, from coronary heart charge monitoring, Physique Battery, stress monitoring, and sleep monitoring.
We have included a breakdown under, with a few of our experiences in utilizing these options over plenty of years, not simply on the Intuition 2X:
Coronary heart charge monitoring: Steady coronary heart charge monitoring utilizing the optical coronary heart charge sensor.
It can additionally observe coronary heart charge variability, which is the premise for the brand new HRV Standing and Coaching Readiness. These are prime finish Garmin options that advise whenever you’re rested and recovered to coach, or when to take a break and relaxation, based mostly on coronary heart charge variability knowledge and sleep. It is essnetially the identical as what Whoop presents, and does a great job of constructing this knowledge actionable and helpful.
Coronary heart charge accuracy usually stood up effectively, and it makes use of the identical Elevate sensor as the present era of Fenix and Forerunners. In order for you the most effective accuracy, use a chest strap, however the 2X optical knowledge is appropriate for zone coaching and producing respectable VO2 Max scores.
Sleep monitoring: Garmin watches can observe your sleep phases (mild, deep, REM, awake), present insights about your sleep high quality, and measure respiration throughout sleep.
We discovered an over-estimation of sleep in comparison with Whoop 4.0, and it’s much less delicate to wake-up instances so you’re going to get a rosier image of your relaxation.
Nonetheless, the 2X sleep monitoring is constant and extra helpful for coaching with the Coaching Readiness knowledge.
Stress monitoring: Utilizing coronary heart charge variability knowledge the Intuition 2X can gauge your stress ranges all through the day and recommend leisure reminders or respiration workouts when excessive stress is detected. We nonetheless don’t really feel the info cuts by, neither is actionable sufficient.
Pulse Ox: Some Garmin watches include a Pulse Ox sensor that estimates the oxygen degree in your blood. The Intuition 2X tracks respiration charge all through the day, throughout sleep, and through particular breathwork and yoga actions.
Body Battery: This metric throughout Garmin watches goals to estimate your vitality ranges all through the day. It makes use of knowledge from stress, coronary heart charge variability (HRV), sleep, and exercise to gauge your vitality reserves. It is an fascinating knowledge level, however not significantly helpful or actionable.
Ladies’s well being monitoring: Ladies can observe their menstrual cycle or being pregnant, log signs, and obtain train and dietary recommendation. Nonetheless, this isn’t achieved biometrically (like Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch 5) and is similar form of calendar enter utilized by most current interval monitoring apps.
Health Age and VO2 Max: The Intuition 2X will estimate your health age based mostly in your profile info and VO2 Max, a measure of cardiovascular health and cardio efficiency capability from GPS exercises. Our VO2 Max was in the suitable ballpark, based mostly on lab checks we have achieved up to now.
Battery life testing
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One of many huge pulls for Garmin watches, and particularly the likes of the Intuition 2X and Fenix, is battery life. And that is nonetheless one space that Garmin excels over the likes of Apple.
The Intuition 2X is rated for 40 days as a smartwatch – and may attain limitless battery life if it will get 3 hours of sunshine per day on these photo voltaic panels.
We do really feel, nonetheless, that with all of the bells and whistles turned on, you’ll wrestle to fairly get 40 days from the battery.
We took it on vacation, and we have been nonetheless getting some battery drain regardless of getting loads of sunshine publicity per day.
Sadly, our take a look at got here to an abrupt halt when the battery drained from 9 days remaining to zero in a number of hours. We expect that the torch was toggled on by accident, and we’ve suffered from unintentional button presses since then.
The incident additionally factors to the drain that utilizing the torch for prolonged durations may have on the Intuition.
By way of exercise monitoring, ‘All Programs + Multiband GNSS’ will provide 27 hours of monitoring. In our take a look at an hour run drained it 6%, which works out to round 15 hours. It is not the right take a look at, however we really feel it will wrestle to get to 27 hours with all the pieces turned on.
Based on Garmin, the default ‘All Programs GPS’ will web you 40 hours (65 hours with Photo voltaic) and you’ll go for normal GPS with 60 hours (and a staggering 140 hours with Photo voltaic). So if you happen to want longevity, the Intuition ought to present it.
As we talked about, the Garmin Intuition 2X makes use of All Programs (GPS/Galileo/Baidu/GLONASS) by default, however not Multi-Band (Garmin’s coinage for dual-frequency monitoring).
So, you’ll want to go to the settings to alter this in order for you the extra correct Multi-Band powers. We really feel like this can be a completely different course of on each Garmin watch, so right here you want to head to Programs > Satellites > and alter the mode.
Who should purchase it?
The burning query of the Intuition 2X: who should purchase it?
The reply is straightforward – everybody. In case your wrist is sufficiently big to deal with a 50mm watch, it’s a unbelievable purchase and an excellent all-rounder.
We’re large followers of the usual Intuition 2 and its wonderful value level, however there are important added options right here.
The addition of the flashlight is a superb security function, and far more helpful than you’d count on.
The complete gamut of Garmin/Firstbeat analytics is unbelievable, as ever, and also you get the Coaching Readiness scores now, too.
What’s extra, the Intuition’s light-weight case, enjoyable styling, and inset display screen make it so likable. And the worth is fairly truthful, too.