Garmin Instinct Esports Edition Smartwatch Review

Elevate your game with the Garmin Instinct Esports Edition – the GPS gaming smartwatch built for victories. Specific to gamers featuring a dedicated Esports activity profile which allows users to track, analyse and even broadcast their biometrics while gaming.

Engineered to compete, the Instinct Esports can help you train your body and prepare your mind for intense gaming and clutch plays.

Find out more as our avid Gamer/ Twitch Streamer, Chloë Geraghty delves into the smartwatch after having reviewed it over the past week…

Follow Chloë on Twitch| Instagram| Twitter.

“After wearing and experiencing the Garmin Instinct Esports Edition smartwatch, in the striking Black Lava design, I was sad to see it go.

It’s a black chunky-looking statement piece with small bright red details indicating button functions and directional points. There are far too many features to name in this review but the fact that this smart watch packs a GPS, loads of metric trackers, and looking the way it does, it is enough to convince me.

I found operation fairly easy and intuitive. The watch’s home screen displays your heart rate with a monitoring graph, the day and date in the smaller secondary screen, Esports activity and, of course, the time. Navigate away from the home screen to access metrics like daily steps, temperature, hydration, stress levels, notifications and more.

Corresponding software includes the desktop application, Str3amup! (an app that can add real-time heart rate, stress and body battery readouts to your streaming video displays) and Garmin Connect. I found both to be intuitive and practical to use. They required little admin to set up and there were no hitches with orientation. It was interesting to discover that Str3amup! had third-party features that can further enhance the entertainment value of your stream. Not only can you broadcast biometrics to your viewers, but you can also set hotkeys for sounds and visuals through Str3amup!. The mobile application, Garmin Connect, gives more in-depth details on health trackers and stress levels during gaming – Useful information if you want to know how gaming affects your heart rate, etc. Strangely, I found my heart rate to be on a downward trend during gameplay as opposed to other activities.

The battery life is great for what the watch offers, and if used to its potential often the watch will need to be charged every two/ three days.

Overall, the thought that went into introducing something as novel as an Esports smartwatch is commendable. I love the chic, sporty design, the comfort and ease of use, and the variety of useful features it offers. I would recommend this to, not only hardcore gamers, but casual gamers too.“

Garmin Instinct Esports Edition Standout Features:

· Esports Activity Profile
Track and analyse your body’s performance while gaming.
· PC Gaming Stream
Get a new a new live stream experience by broadcasting your stress level and heart rate directly to gaming streams through STR3AMUP!
· Battery Life
Up to 80 hours in Esports mode and up to 14 days in smartwatch mode – less charging and more gaming.
· Sports Apps
Train smarter IRL with preloaded activity profiles for activities outside the game world.
· Wrist-Based Heart Rate
Get heart rate data along with alerts if your heart rate stays too high or too low while you’re at rest. Gauge how hard your heart is working during clutch moments.
· Advances Sleep Monitoring
Get a full picture of how you’re sleeping, with a breakdown of your light, deep and REM sleep stages.
· Stress Tracking
Heart rate variability is used to calculate your stress level score.
· Body Battery Energy Monitor
Tracking multiple body and sleep metrics helps determine how much energy you have — letting you know when to play, and when to rest.
· Smart Notifications
Receive emails, texts and alerts right on your watch when paired with a compatible device.
· Calendar View
Easily see your stream schedule for the day with a dedicated calendar screen.
· Garmin Connect App
Keep track of health stats, achievements and more.