Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED

This is a hybrid watch design that works

Nov 03, 2025

I’ve been fortunate to have reviewed a couple of different Garmin smart watches (you can read those here), and have liked the tracking that their units do so much I’ve actually picked up one of their fitness trackers to wear as a bracelet on my off-wrist while wearing a review watch on my main. All was copacetic in my personal Garmin device domain - and then I learned of the Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED.

Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED: what it is

Well, yeah, it’s a Garmin smart watch, so of course it comes with all of the trackers you’d expect, as well as the top-notch app that pairs with it. Secondarily, you also know that you’ve got a super bright-and-crisp AMOLED screen. Those two things right there, that should be enough to make you take notice. But what about that “Crossover” in the name?

Well, friend, the Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED is part of Garmin’s hybrid lineup, which means you get that full-dial customizable display, but you ALSO have a set of mechanical analog hands.

Hands? Why?

That’s a fair question, and one that is going to be asked by everyone who’s just gotten used to a full-screen watch digital watch dial that you can swipe and adjust to your heart’s content. And yes, there is an adjustment here, as there is no touch capability on the sapphire crystal. You’re back to navigating through things with the buttons built into the case.

In one sense, this feels like a step backwards, as we’ve all gotten so accustomed to navigating UIs through a touch screen. However, if you’re using a watch like this less like a smart watch (to read and respond to things from your phone) and more like a way to quantify your workouts and daily life, it works.

But back to those hands - and why they’re there. Let’s ask another question: what is the primary job for a watch? It’s to tell the time. With all of our digital devices, we’re hyper aware that having the screen on all the time drains batteries down. But if you have a physical handset involved, now you’ve got the ability to tell the time, all without engaging the screen.

What other neat tricks does it have?

Well, for one, it’s got a flashlight built in, that’s dimmable. Sure, not as bright perhaps as your standalone LED/LEP monster, but the best flashlight is the one you have with you when you need it. And this one is always with you.

Secondly, this has some pretty solid battery life. Even with using smartwatch functions, they’re estimating two weeks of battery life, and putting it into battery-saver mode extends that to 18 days.

Now, back to those hands - because they trigger a few more tricks. First off, the watch will adjust itself, to keep the time-telling accurate, as well as keep the hands properly aligned. Secondly, the AMOLED display can re-organize itself to keep things visible, without moving the hands. Or, the watch can move the hands to get the full display in use (depending on the mode).

Wrapping things up

Then, of course, you’ve got all the activity, sleep, HR and oxygen, stress, and so on, tracking that we expect from a watch with any level of smarts to it. In other words, the Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED has all of that, just following behind a design (and implementation) that keeps timekeeping front and center.

The Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED is available today for $649.99, or you can opt for the Tactical version (which along with being blacked out, offers some military-specific things, like night vision goggle compatibility) for $749.99. Check out the full range (even solar powered versions) right on over at garmin.com