Garmin’s latest running watches pair vivid visuals with your vitals
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Garmin already has an extensive range of advanced running watches in its Forerunner line, but it’s gotten even bigger. The wearable tech company has announced two new smartwatches: the Forerunner 265 and 965. The highlight of the release are their vibrant AMOLED displays, a first for Garmin GPS running smartwatches. Each offers an optional, always-on, full-color touchscreen (although you can lock the display during activity and rely on Garmin’s classic five-button navigation system). We loved the Garmin Forerunner 955 and its fundamentals form the basis of the new models, so we have high expectations for these new additions to the Forerunner family.
Training functions of the Garmin Forerunner 265 and 965
Garmin watches have traditionally offered an impressive array of sensors and performance tracking/analysis capabilities. As a result, they are great Apple Watch alternatives, especially for athletes. And all this applies even more with the two new offers. Like existing Forerunner (and other Garmin watches), they calculate VO2max, power status, training effect and more. And all of this data is used to calculate a Training Readiness Score so you can better plan your recovery.
Sleep is a key component of performance that Garmin clearly understands. Its watches can track your sleep, in part by evaluating heart rate variability, giving a more complete picture of wellness and training. And, assuming you sleep with the watch on, a morning report summarizes your sleep, your training prospects for the day, and expected environmental conditions.
These watches also provide daily training suggestions that adjust after each run to help you improve your running performance and avoid overtraining. The race widget, along with Garmin Coach and PacePro, provides training tips and race performance predictions based on specific course details, weather and performance. You can even measure mileage and running dynamics without any additional accessories. However, thanks to the upgrade of memory-in-pixel displays, some of those metrics will now be more visible and vivid indoors and out.
Garmin Forerunner 265 details
Priced at $449.99, the Forerunner 265 sits squarely between the Forerunner 255 Music and the 955. It has all of the sensors found in Garmin’s advanced fitness smartwatches, including the wrist-based Pulse Ox sensor. The 265 also offers Garmin safety features like accident detection and LiveTrack.
As a smartwatch, it easily connects to your phone for smart notifications and allows you to download music to the watch from Spotify, Deezer or Amazon Music for phone-free Bluetooth listening. And you can use Garmin Pay for contactless payments.
The Forerunner 265 will be available in two sizes, each offering different battery life. The 42mm Forerunner 265S promises 24 hours of battery life in GPS mode and up to 15 days in smartwatch mode. The larger Forerunner 265 with a 46mm case is said to offer up to 20 hours of battery life in GPS mode and up to 13 days in smartwatch mode.
Garmin Forerunner 965 details
Garmin designed the Forerunner 965 for serious athletes. It’s at the top of the Forerunner lineup and costs $599.99. As a result, it will contain the same things mentioned above and more. Garmin says it adds “additional performance metrics, built-in mapping and the ability to store more songs right on the watch” compared to the 265.
The 965 also offers a new feature called Load Ratio to track “short-term to medium-term load ratio” to stay healthy during exercise. Endurance insights also help track stress levels to get a well-rounded picture of your training. And ClimbPro displays real-time information about inclines during a run, including incline, distance and elevation gain. There are also full-color built-in maps for route planning and navigation.
The 965 features a 47mm case with a lightweight titanium bezel. The AMOLED display is Garmin’s largest yet at 1.4 inches (the epix Gen. 2, Garmin’s first AMOLED-equipped watch, has a 1.3-inch screen). Garmin says it will offer up to 31 hours of battery life in GPS mode and up to 23 days in smartwatch mode.
Prices & Availability
The Garmin Forerunner 265 costs $449.99 for the 42mm or 46mm versions. It is available now. The Garmin Forerunner 965 costs $599.99 and won’t ship until late March/early April, but is available to pre-order now.