Tiny font size Instinct 2s, widget glance almost unreadable. Returning it...

Former Member
Former Member

Hi, 

any of you owning an Instinct 2s? The small bad quality display combined with this tiny font size makes it almost unreadable. 

I knew about the bad display quality and this is not a big deal but why do they use widget glances with such a bad display? The widget glances are very hard to read if you are not 20 anymore. Very hard to unreadable. Why not give us an option to use single widget view? I can read the detailed widgets but not those widget glances. And menu is also small but at least somehow readable because of the black font on white background. 

I love the watch, it is so light and small, I always wanted a 40mm sports watch, it combines almost all F7 features. But those tiny fonts are so annoying. The Venu 2s has tiny font size and many complain, but the display is of great quality which makes it better to read. But this is not the case here. And I don't know if it is the display itself or the tiny fonts which makes me need to set the brightness at 50-70% to somehow read anything on the wtach. Never had that before on any Garmin watch. With my Fenix 6s I have it set to 20% like with almost any Garmin watch. 

I have to return it unfortunately. 

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 3 years ago in reply to NeilJonesOnline

    I think it will be even before 40 with the new kind of lifestyle. Displays everywhere and all the time. Smartphone usage of 5-10h etc. I know a lot of younger people than 30 that already need reading glasses. So 40-50 isn't the age anymore eyesight starts to decrease, of course depending on your lifestyle. 

  • Garmin's details on this:

    https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=Eg6DSXgpma697JGZZnhYc6

    Unfortunately the Instinct 2 is in good company in regard to not being able to choose whether or not to activate the Widget Glances.

    Wildly speculating, it could be that either Garmin FW development team are trying to unify the core code across watches or their marketing decided to provide a more "unified' customer experience across watches.

    Either way, odd choice, considering the bazillion other customizations possible and that this choice is available on older generation watches, with less memory and most likely less powerful microprocessors.

  • Concerning the Instinct 2, I think it's probably a unified software core they are trying to achieve. The menu system and IQ-watchfaces of the Instinct 2 are more Fenix than Instinct 1.

    But the abolished ability to turn off widget glances in favour of the older single widget system is a marketing / design decision, as it applies to all new watches.

    The 'reducedness' of the Instinct 1 was one of its core value propositions - so that is a real step backwards. Now it's just a clunkier, black and white Fenix for too much money.

  • I am in same boat. Loved all the new features of the Instinct 2 Solar but with my poor vision , unless I'm wearing glasses I can't read 75% of the data. Had to return it and go back to my original instinct solar. Really did wish Garmin considered this and gave some options for people with less than perfect vision

  • I have this problem too! Generally, Instinct 2S fonts are 75% unreadable for me with my naked eyes! I have the Venu 2S but I needed the buttons when I go MTBiking so I bought this. Sadly it's 75% UI is unreadable!

  • I go MTBiking so I bought the this. Sadly it's 75% UI is unreadable!

    You know that the activity screens are customizable, don't you? I do not always see well the small fields on the standard activity screens too, so I simply added several screens with just a single value in the biggest font. One for the pace, another one for the cadence, the distance, etc, so now, reading any of the values is no problem at all.

  • Yes, I have NO problem with the activity screens. I can customize them so they are readable. The Activity screens (and the Watch-face) is the 25% of the UI that I can read.

    My main problem is the tiny fonts in the Glances, Controls, Widgets list, etc. For my use case, that is 75% of the Instinct 2S UI that is unreadable.

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 3 years ago

    I returned the watch again, returned the solar version before and tried non solar which only had a bit better readability.

    Garmin does some bug fixes but they don't care about the user as it seems. The single view option for widgets f.e. is a MUST if they seem to stay with their opinion that font size seems right (as they do with the Venu 2s). Besides this the lags throughout the whole system in action are annoying as hell too. 

    I hope for a SMALLER FORERUNNER LIKE THE 45S or that they someday will change their mind and show some cooperation with users opinion and make the very nice Instinct 2s more user friendly with bigger fonts, single widget view option etc. 

  • My main problem is the tiny fonts in the Glances, Controls, Widgets list, etc. For my use case, that is 75% of the Instinct 2S UI that is unreadable.

    You wrote your problem was while you go MTB, so I assumed you spoke about the MTB activity. Normally you do not need much to mess with the glances when you are in an activity. And when you really need it, you can always press the GPS button to see the bigger widget.

  • Nope, you totally mis-understood my response. I didn't say my problem was while I go MTBiking - here: "but I needed the buttons when I go MTBiking so I bought this".

    I returned my Instinct 2S today and bought the Fenix 7S.