Smartwatches have exploded in popularity in the last few years. Fueled by the success of the Apple Watch and sporty FitBit it seems everyone is getting involved in the smartwatch game. Garmin, maker of quality dash cams and sat navs has even got in on this, although the focus of this particular smartwatch seems incredibly narrow, fitness-focused truckers.
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Based on the rugged Instinct II Smartwatch, the Dezl edition introduces a break planner, a selection of trucker’s workouts and can also be linked to the Garmin Dezl Truck Sat Nav. As it’s based on a sports watch it’s shockproof, waterproof up to 100 metres and features a sweatproof silicone strap, suitably rugged then for life on a lorry driver’s wrist. It’s slightly more expensive than a regular Garmin Instinct II but still remains a mid-range smartwatch.
But the question still remains, is this smartwatch a niche too far or is there a genuine market for offering easy long-distance drivers convenient roadside exercise?
This article was originally published on 16/05/2022. We’ve checked back to update the links and change some formatting, so the date at the top of the page may not match up. The words and score of the original review remain unaltered.
Garmin Instinct 2 Dezl Edition Rugged GPS Smartwatch
Price: £346.64 | VIEW OFFER
Is it smart?
It doesn’t matter how many features a smartwatch has, if it’s a pain to navigate it falls down massively. Thankfully the Garmin’s controls are simple – five buttons on the bezel (there’s no touchscreen) – each with a textured grip. It’s fairly intuitive to use, but does require a few minutes pressing all manner of combinations to uncover the less obvious functions.
As it’s a sports watch at its core, the Dezl offers a whole host of statistics to keep track of workouts. It could tell me how stressed I was, my heart rate, how well I’d slept the night before and pretty much anything else a smartwatch can gather from your wrist. This extended beyond my body too, it had a built-in GPS to tell me where I was and could even tell me what moon cycle we were in. It easily connected to my smartphone (an iPhone 13) via Bluetooth allowing me to change music and receive notifications.
The break planner offered exclusively with the Dezl edition was simple enough to use. It required pressing a button in the break planner menu to start the timer and then pressing the button again to let the phone know you were taking a break. UK law states that HGV drivers need a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving so this little feature is a handy way of keeping track of breaks and ensuring you’re not driving tired. Oddly, however, the watch states to break before eight hours, a figure that won’t apply to HGV drivers or van drivers here in the UK.
Layby workouts
The standout feature of the Dezl edition has to be the selection of available fitness workouts that require nothing more than the Dezl mobile app and willpower. The ‘trucker workout’ options range from simple five-minute stretching exercises to 20-minute high-intensity exercises, with all instructions clearly explained in the app.
The Trucker’s Life workout was particularly ingenious. It incorporates a HGV (the front bumper most of the time) into the workout which makes working out on the go really easy. There’s no need to carry weights or other exercise equipment, everything can be done in a car park with nothing more than a few clicks of a button.
My job means I spend long periods of time sitting in a chair staring at a computer screen, so the ability to take a short five-minute break and do some stretches or a 10-minute low-intensity workout helped keep me refreshed and fight off any aches.
Other sports are also catered to; everything from weightlifting and swimming to snowboarding and hunting could be tracked using the Garmin. The Dezl edition carries across the standard sport tracking apps that Garmin smartwatches are something of an industry leader in. Any sports that aren’t included can be added from the ConnectIQ app store.
Any downsides?
The screen and its outdated grayscale graphics leave a sour taste. We live in a world of super-crisp LED smartwatches, so for this watch to have the graphics of a scientific calculator is unacceptable. That’s not to say it’s not legible and there’s a short-lived charm in seeing pixelated Emojis show up on the watch face. However, it’s simply not good enough for its price, colour should be standard.
The step counter is also a little over-enthusiastic in my experience too, usually by up to 10%. Anecdotally, I once reached my step goal sat down and clapped. I’ve since checked, and this doesn’t usually count towards a step goal. While it’s great to be pleasantly surprised with how many steps you’ve taken, it means nothing if it’s not accurate.
By far the largest issue was the battery life. When it runs as nothing more than a timekeeper, there’s legitimacy to the 28-day battery life. Add in a couple of health monitoring features and that battery life will plummet from 28 days right down to four days, not the end of the world but far from ideal for something that’s meant to track your health and driving hours.
Price and competition
The Dezl is a £50 price premium over the standard Instinct II, a rather large figure considering the extras are limited to a fitness app, break timer and connectivity to a specific type of Garmin sat nav. More worryingly, it’s slap-bang in Apple Watch (S7) and Samsung Galaxy Watch4 country, and that’s where it starts to fall apart. All three feature good build quality and sporting abilities but the Apple and Samsung options also come with a crisp LED watch face, far more visually interesting than the Garmin.
The fitness app is excellent, but the price can be hard to justify against its key rivals and even a standard Instinct II. There are hundreds of fitness apps available for less than £50, money better spent than on this.
Verdict
A solid effort but a clever solution to a problem that doesn’t really exist. The Garmin does an awful lot right; it’s well-made, ergonomically designed and a fine smartwatch. Viewed in isolation it’s excellent and the perfect companion for a lorry driver, but examine any other similarly priced smartwatch and it plays second fiddle.
The included workouts are the only tangible reason to buy the Dezl edition, and even these can be replaced with a simple app or even a trip to YouTube. If you’re a long-distance driver after a fitness smartwatch, certainly consider the health benefits of the Dezl, just be aware that a general smartwatch will be 95% as good, but comes with a far better screen.
3.5/5
Garmin Instinct 2 Dezl Edition Rugged GPS Smartwatch
Price: £346.64 | VIEW OFFER
Pros:
• Free fitness app is excellent
• Rugged and dependable construction
Cons:
• Graphics aren’t acceptable
• Battery life leaves a lot to be desired
Specifications:
Materials: Strengthened glass, reinforced polymers
Strap: 22mm, silicone
Size: 45 x 45 x 14.50 mm
Wrists: 135-230 mm
Display: 23mm, 176 pixels, monochrome, sunlight-visible
Weight: 52g
Battery: Up to 28 days, 30 hours GPS
Connectivity: Bluetooth, ANT+
More items to consider:
Garmin Vivoactive 4 GPS Smartwatch, RRP £279.99
Fitbit Versa 3 Health & Fitness Smartwatch, RRP £199.99
Apple Watch Series 7, RRP £369
How the product was tested:
I tested this watch for six weeks, wearing it every day to examine my health including stress levels and resting heart rate. I used the Dezl fitness app daily completing a range of different workouts as well as monitoring weightlifting and walking.
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