If you’re an avid hiker or spend any time exploring the wilderness off-the-grid, at one point or another you may find yourself in the market for a new smartwatch.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a smartwatch that is GPS enabled, and has the ability to track not only your fitness stats but also your location every time you’re exploring the trails? If so, the Garmin Instinct Solar may be the perfect smartwatch for you.
In this article, we’ll take a close look at one of the top-ranked GPS smartwatches on the market. Garmin Instinct Solar gets nearly 5-star reviews from customers on every online marketplace where it’s sold. You’ll learn in this article why it deserves that ranking.
Garmin Instinct Solar: What You Get
When you unbox the Garmin Instinct Solar, you’ll get the watch, a USB charging cable, a quick-start guide, and an instruction manual.
It should be stated up front that this isn’t your typical smartwatch. Don’t expect flashy screens or the ability to add all of the apps you want from an online store. However, what you do get is one of the most rugged, long-lasting GPS watches that has everything you need to track your location anywhere on earth as well as monitor important health metrics.
Key features of the Garmin Instinct Solar:
- The case is made of fiber-reinforced polymer
- Scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla glass
- Comes in a variety of colors
- High contrast display for easy outdoor viewing
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery uses solar charging to extend battery life
According to Garmin, this watch was built to U.S. military standard 810 thermal, shock, and water resistance ratings. This is especially important if you plan to take the watch hiking, camping, or hunting where the odds of extreme use conditions are much more likely.
Garmin Instinct Solar: Health Sensors
If you flip the watch over and look at the back, you’ll see a series of sensors in the middle of the backing, next to the charging port.
These sensors monitor important bio-metrics that help the Garmin Instinct Solar calculate your stress levels and provide accurate feedback about your body’s response to activities like working out at the gym or climbing a mountain. And all that biofeedback is provided in real-time on different built-in apps.
- See your real-time heart rate so you can maintain a healthy rate while exercising
- Keep a log and see a charted history of your heart rate throughout the day
- The Pulse Ox2 sensor tells how well your body is absorbing oxygen, which can help the watch gauge your sleep quality or how well you’re acclimating to the altitude
The Garmin Instinct Solar uses various heart rate and oxygen level algorithms to gauge your current stress and energy levels. It provides feedback on this in the form of a stress tracking app, and a “body battery” app that’ll tell you whether you may need to rest and recharge your energy levels.
Garmin Instinct Solar Displays and Apps
It may seem like a major drawback that the Garmin Instinct Solar doesn’t have some online store where there are developers regularly releasing new apps. However, the library of apps already offered on the Garmin Instinct Solar is so extensive that it covers nearly all of the activities and functions any hiker, kayaker, runner, and nearly any other outdoor enthusiast or athlete may need.
To see if these apps and this watch are right for you, let’s dive into the apps and features you’ll find on the Garmin Instinct Solar smartwatch.
Garmin Instinct Solar Main Displays
Each display on the Garmin Instinct Solar may at first appear a bit dated. Think 1990s digital watch, but with extra digital graphics and icons tossed in.
The main watch display is basically the time, the date, sunrise and sunset, and battery life. You can alter the watch face slightly by scrolling through watch face designs and choosing one. Mostly the differences are what data you want to be displayed on the main face.
Pressing the down button (lower button on the left side of the case), you can scroll through other displays. These are your default apps and include:
- Your pulse Ox2 level and current heart rate
- A log of your heart rate over the last four hours with the max and min for the day at the top
- A summary “My Day” page showing all health stats like steps, floor climbed, minutes of vigorous activity, and more
- A display dedicated to total steps for the day as well as your most recent workout
- Current precipitation at your location, as well as the current temperature and the day’s high and low temps
- A compass display showing your direction in degrees, as well as a visual compass around the rim of the display
Navigational Features
To see activities that are available to be tracked on the watch, you’ll just need to tap the GPS button (the upper button on the right side of the case). This takes you to a list of activities you track using the watch. To quickly track your basic progress during a hike using GPS, just scroll down (using the down button – lower left side of the case) and select (with the GPS button) Track Me .
The quick Navigate feature will bring up a display showing how long you’ve been hiking, the distance you’ve traveled so far, and your current heart rate.
All three of these pieces of information are critical to know during a hike, especially if you’re hiking for fitness. Every time the watch tracks your hike it also logs all of the sensor information for you, and a map of your location and progress.
You can access that log by pressing the GPS button to see Activities again, selecting Navigate , and selecting Activities .
This will show you each activity logged and saved including the total activity time and total mileage. Just scroll to that activity and select it to see all of the activity details.
This will include:
- Distance
- Time elapsed
- Speed traveled
- Calories burned
- Average and max heart rates
- Total altitude ascended and descended during the hike
Location tracking is an area where Garmin excels better than any other smartwatch on the market. Garmin lets you access multiple global navigation satellite systems including GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo. This watch will track in areas where GPS alone may fail.
This watch also includes a “Trackback Routing” feature that helps you return back to where you started by showing you how to backtrack along the same route you took to arrive where you are. So long as your watch has battery life in it, you’ll never get lost wearing it.
Other Activities Garmin Instinct Solar Can Track
You aren’t limited to hiking with this smartwatch. There’s a long list of activity apps included that you can add at any time. To see activities to track just select the GPS button and start scrolling with the Up and Down buttons on the left middle and bottom of the watch case.
Preloaded activity apps include:
- Swimming
- Running
- Biking
- Hiking
- Rowing
- Strength Training
- Much more.
If you get to the end of the list and don’t see the activity that you’re interested in, you’ll see a final Add screen you can select with the GPS button to add more activities to your list.
Other Features
In addition to all of the features listed above, you’ll also have access to email, text, and alert notifications all on your wrist, so long as the watch is paired with your smartphone via Bluetooth. You can also access your calendar events and details that you’ve stored on your smartphone.
Finally, you can pair your watch with any inReach satellite communication devices to send or receive satellite messages, get weather alerts , or send an emergency message out.
The Garmin Instinct Solar isn’t a smartwatch with the latest bells and whistles or flashy apps that let you browse social media from your wrist. But what it is intended for, it does exceedingly well. That is navigational and activity tracking for all of your outdoor activities. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, you won’t be disappointed owning the Garmin Instinct Solar.
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If you don’t have a full-sized printing machine at home and often need to print a document on the go, check out the Newyes portable printer . This wireless printer is lightweight and small enough to fit in your bag. Not to mention it’s environmentally friendly, since it uses thermal paper instead of ink.
Follow our review of the Newyes portable wireless thermal printer to see if it suits your printing needs.
Newyes Portable Wireless Thermal A4 Printer: First Impressions & Specs
When I was a student, I remember my university always required hard copies of documents. Luckily, there was a print shop on campus where I could always pop in to print something.
Then I became a professional, and to my surprise many life spheres still required me to have printed versions of documents with me. Of course you can get your own full-sized machine to print things at home, but if like me you live in a small apartment, you value every extra bit of space and don’t want a massive printer to take it up.
One day, when I was looking for a neighbor with a printer to help me with my event tickets, they introduced me to the concept of a portable printer. Seeing how easy it is to use, I immediately wanted to get my hands on one of those. So here I am, reviewing one of the most useful gadgets I received recently – the Newyes portable thermal printer.
Before we continue with this review, here is the full list of specs of this printer.
- Model: Newyes LD0801
- Dimensions: 10.4 x 1.2 x 2.28 in (265 x 58 x 30.5 mm)
- Weight: 16.8oz (475g)
- Paper format: A4
- Paper width: 210mm or 218mm
- Printing Type: thermal paper
- Resolution: 203DPI
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Charging port: USB type-C port
- Input Voltage: DC 5V / 2A
- Battery: 1200mAh lithium battery
- Charging time: 75 min
- Automatic shut down: after 30 minutes
- Stand-by: about 30 days
- Extra features: LED light, reset, on / off switch button
- Color: white, black
- Warranty: limited one year warranty
- Price: $199 on the Newyes website
If you find yourself in need of hard copies of important documents while on the move, the Newyes portable wireless thermal printer will become your go-to gadget. Newyes calls it “the world’s smallest printer”, and with the weight of under 500g this seems plausible. This mini printer offers a handy solution for those moments when you need to quickly print an important document but don’t have access to an office setup.
Operating this printer is a breeze – a simple Bluetooth connection is all that’s required. Once connected, just fire up the app, choose the file you want to print, and send it over. Efficiency is at the forefront, and you can easily print multiple sheets by inserting new pages back to back.
The only limitation this printer has is that it can only print in black. So even if your original file is in color, the printed document will still come out in black and white. Other than that – you can print a variety of file types including Excel, Word, PDF, JPG, PNG, and web pages – and it only takes seconds.
The Newyes portable wireless printer combines convenience, portability, and efficiency – all the things I appreciate in a modern gadget.
Design and Unpacking
Let’s have a closer look at the design and build of this smart printer, as well as what you get included in the package when you purchase it.
What’s in the Box
Here’s everything you’ll find when unpacking your Newyes portable thermal printer:
- The Newyes portable wireless thermal printer
- Bracket
- USB type-C cable
- Storage/carrying pouch
- 100pcs thermal printing paper
- User manual
You can use the Newyes portable printer right out of the box, as you’re all set with essential accessories. Aside from the printer itself, the package includes a bracket which will make printing more than one page smoother, a convenient storage bag for carrying your printer with you, a USB-C cable for charging, and a supply of 100 pieces of thermal paper to get you started.
One important thing to remember is that this printer only works with thermal paper. While thermal paper is significantly more expensive than normal paper, this printer also uses inkless printing and works without a ribbon and toner. Since you don’t have to spend money on ink, carbon ribbons or toner cartridges, you ultimately end up saving money with thermal paper.
The Newyes LD0801 is a pocket-sized printer that features straightforward design. For the purpose of this review, I had a printer in white color. The printer looks like a small white brick with just two pressable buttons on top – one for switching it on and off, and another for opening the printer’s cover. You’ll also see the paper entry slot on top of the printer.
On the side of the printer, you’ll find a single charging port.
The printer is made of plastic, but the build feels sturdy. I never have to worry about throwing it into my bag or damaging it when traveling. Besides, you can use a nice carrying pouch included in the package for protection.
Performance & Features
According to Newyes, the portable printer has a “handheld size and two times the weight of an iPhone”. This can give you an idea of how portable and convenient this little gadget is. In a month of testing, I used it at home, in a store, and even in a car while on the road.
Using the printer is unbelievably easy. Connect it to your mobile phone via Bluetooth, press the button to turn the printer on and put a sheet of thermal paper into the paper entry slot. Make sure to use thermal paper and not standard paper, and put it with the black marks facing down. Bear in mind that the thermal printer can only print in black and white and only on one (marked) side of the thermal paper sheet.
Then open the iPrint app on your smartphone. If you’re printing an A4 document, you can select one of two options – Photo Printing and Document Printing . Then choose the document from your phone’s files and print it.
The printer is reliable and in the time that I used it the Newyes LD0801 never let me down. The printing quality will surprise you, as it’s sometimes better than what you get from a full-sized printer. The printer supports printing in various formats, and you can use it to print documents from your smartphone (Android and iPhone), iPad, and Android tablet.
When fully charged, the printer can support up to 90 pieces of paper continuously, which is very impressive for a gadget of such a small size.
Software
The Newyes portable printer requires an iPrint app to operate. The app is available for free on iOS and Android. You’ll need to download the app on your device from the App Store or Google Play before you begin printing your documents.
The app has a simple and user-friendly design. You’ll need to pair your device with the printer on the first use via Bluetooth.
Depending on the type of document you want to print, you can choose different options from the app. There’s photo printing, document printing, web printing, and banner printing.
The app also has Materials and Template sections, where you can find various pictures and templates for printing to-do lists, post-its and holiday cards. You can also use the Newyes LD0801 as a label printer using these templates.
Battery Life
The Newyes portable wireless thermal printer is equipped with a decent 1200mAh lithium battery. This high-capacity battery allows you to print on the go without constantly worrying about running out of charge. When I received the printer, I charged it fully once, and it still hasn’t run out of battery after one month of use (I use it to print something almost every other day).
Charging this printer is quick and takes just over an hour to charge the printer from zero to full. The type-C charging cable facilitates a rapid charging experience. And if you run out of battery while on the go, you can quickly charge the printer from a portable power station or a power bank to continue printing.
The printer doesn’t support wireless charging, so I’d recommend always bringing the usb-c cable with you just in case.
Should You Buy the Newyes Portable Wireless Thermal Printer?
The Newyes portable thermal printer ensures high-quality wireless printing while on the go and easy operation. It’s not the most budget-friendly option, but this purchase will save you money and nerves in the long run thanks to its versatility and portable nature.
Personally, I can say that this printer made my life easier. So much that it’s probably my favorite smart gadget of the year. If you’re looking for a portable printer that won’t take any space in your house, I’d certainly recommend considering the Newyes LD0801 model.
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