Garmin Instinct 3 Beats Galaxy Watch 9 in 7-Mile Hiking Test
Updated
Updated · Tom's Guide · Aug 28
Garmin Instinct 3 Beats Galaxy Watch 9 in 7-Mile Hiking Test
3 articles · Updated · Tom's Guide · Aug 28
Summary
A 7-mile Snow Lake hike found Garmin’s Instinct 3 tracked closer to the route benchmark than Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 9, logging 6.55 miles versus 6.49, while Strava matched the listed 6.70 miles.
Elevation data widened the gap: Garmin recorded 1,693 feet and Strava 1,674 against AllTrails’ 1,686-foot estimate, while Samsung overshot the climb at 1,866 feet.
Samsung also failed to record steps during the hike and showed only one average pace figure, whereas Garmin logged 16,096 steps and separated moving pace from elapsed pace.
Heart-rate and calorie estimates were broadly aligned—133 bpm versus 130 bpm average heart rate, and 1,442 versus 1,332 calories—leaving hiking accuracy and feature gaps as the deciding factors.