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Also: The best Garmin watches you can buy: Expert tested
The previous Garmin smartwatch I reviewed, the Instinct 3 has both an AMOLED and monochrome MIP display option, but the new Instinct Crossover only comes with the AMOLED. You have other options, though, between Charcoal, Black, and Bronze/Sunburst colorways. I chose the Charcoal model with a default watch face in teal and white, and it looks fantastic.
In my review of the previous version of the Instinct Crossover, I mentioned that the perfect addition to this smartwatch would be a flashlight. Well, I’m thrilled to see that Garmin took this to heart and added it to the updated Crossover AMOLED.
It’s good, too: the flashlight gets very bright, with four levels of white light and one level for the evening red light. The analog hands continue to show you the time with the LED flashlight turned on and the rest of the display in sleep mode.
The analog hands also serve as the compass indicator, with the minute hand lighting up in red to point North. You can further customize by illuminating the display behind the hands, and choosing your preferred highlight color.
In addition to the display highlights, the hands have Super LumiNova coating to provide visibility in low light conditions. Red shift is also an option for the AMOLED display so your night vision isn’t impacted by the colors of your watch face, widgets, and other data shown on the display.
Also: The Garmin Instinct Crossover grew on me. I just wish it had this one killer feature
The Instinct Crossover AMOLED is clearly focused on those who prefer analog watch hands, since the Instinct 3 AMOLED offers the same software experience for $150 to $200 less. Personally, I enjoyed my time with the analog hands and if glancing down to check the time without lifting your wrist is how you roll, then this is one of the best watches for you.
The Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED has a sapphire crystal lens, MIL-STD-810 thermal and shock resistance, dual-layered metal bezel, and 10 ATM water resistance, so it’s built to withstand just about everything you throw at it. All of the excellent Garmin ecosystem features are present, including the new lifestyle logging feature that supports collection of actions you take in your life that may affect your sleep, stress, and HRV.
ZDNET’s buying advice
Garmin has a host of great watches available in 2025, but the Instinct Crossover AMOLED