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Instinct end of life/planned obsolence?

5076285
over 1 year ago

Hi, this is a noob question from someone who doesn't (yet) have any experience with Garmin products.

I wouldn't consider buying a smartwatch, but recently I started searching for a rugged watch that I could wear during hikes instead of my relatively expensive (dumb) watch. After browsing through many G-Shocks, I realized I could get the 1st gen Instinct for not much more money, as they're currently on sale on Amazon, and it got me into thinking...

Hence the question: if I buy the Instinct new now, in 2023, is there a risk of the watch being intentionally obsoleted by firmware udpates in few years, or can I be sure the watch will still be working in 5 years? I'm not asking about the battery lifetime, only about the way the manufacturer treats old devices... 

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    If you fear malicious intentions from the manufacturer, you can disable firmware updates, and/or keep a copy of an older firmware version for an eventual downgrade in future. However, I do not think anyone here can assure you that the watch will be still working in 5 years. My old Instinct is from 2019, and although I donated it and do not use anymore myself, it still works without issues.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    I still have (and sometimes still use it) a 13-years old Garmin Forerunner 310XT. It does not receive firmware updates anymore, but it still works without issues, and is still supported by garmin in terms of syncing to garmin connect (current version of the Garmin Express app still supports the 310XT).

    So my guess is the odds that the Instinct will work in 5 years just as it works today are pretty high. The biggest long-term issue IMO is the built-in battery. If you take good care of it, it should last longer, but li-ion batteries in such devices are failure-prone in the long term.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to tmk2
    tmk2 said:
    I still have (and sometimes still use it) a 13-years old Garmin Forerunner 310XT

    Same here with a Forerunner 10.  Watch still works as intended and supported via Garmin Connect.  Really doubt Garmin is going to intentionally obsolete a device. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to tmk2

    Thank you, this is the kind of information I was looking for :)