Garmin just unveiled two of the latest models in its popular Forerunner series of running watches, featuring advanced training metrics and the most vibrant, clearest displays the company has ever put into its smartwatches.
The mid-range Forerunner 265 series is joined by the outstanding Forerunner 965 in adopting AMOLED screens, which now adorns the entire range. Not only does the brighter display look great; It also ensures that the runners can easily check their stats even on sunny days. It also puts Garmin’s display quality on par with the OLED screens we see on the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra.
Smarter training
The latest Garmin models include a race-specific widget that provides training tips, personalized daily suggested workouts, and predictions of run completion times based on your course, weather, and performance. The sensors in the watches are designed to measure cadence, stride length, ground contact time and more without the need for additional accessories.
You can also start each day with a morning report and a training readiness score that affects sleep quality, heart rate variability (HRV), condition, and even the weather to determine whether it’s more appropriate to put in effort or take it easy during your daily workouts.
Personalized suggested daily workouts adapt to your performance and recovery metrics while thinking about any upcoming races you’ve scheduled in your Garmin Connect calendar to make sure you’re moving steadily toward your goals.
965
As a direct successor to the Forerunner 955, Garmin’s new Forerunner 965 continues to be the flagship of GPS smartwatches. While Garmin’s entire line of smartwatches is arguably designed for serious runners, this one is for those athletes who want to go all out for the best and most unique running smartwatch around.
The bold and beautiful 1.4-inch AMOLED display on the Forerunner 965 is surrounded by a lightweight titanium frame that gives an elegant design. However, this smartwatch has a lot more to it than just its good looks; Garmin has packed advanced premium training metrics and recovery insights to help you perform at your peak and prepare for your next big race.
In addition to other advanced training metrics, the Forerunner 965 also provides built-in profiles for triathlons, duets, brick workouts, and swims that can be selected and toggled with the press of a button. You can also customize your multisport profiles. The exclusive new Load Ratio feature helps athletes stay on top of their training while staying healthy and avoiding setbacks.
This is rounded out with full-color mapping features that help you stay on track whether you’re running city streets or mountain trails. Multiband GNSS with SatIQ technology provides highly accurate positioning, and Garmin’s ClimbPro feature provides real-time information on gradient, distance, and elevation gain for those mountain elevations.
Perhaps best of all, Garmin smartwatches still measure battery life in days instead of hours. In smartwatch mode, you can get a staggering 23 days on a single charge, while GPS mode lasts for 31 hours.
Forerunner 265 series
Garmin’s Forerunner 265 offers most of the same performance monitoring tools at a much more reasonable price. While you won’t get full-color mapping or an enlarged screen with titanium rings, you’ll still get the same vibrant AMOLED touchscreen, advanced fitness metrics, and training features.
This includes tools from Garmin Firstbeat analytics such as VO2 max, performance status, and training effect. Adaptive training plan options help you prepare for your next race, with Garmin Coach plans from expert coaches and daily suggested workouts based on the Garmin Connect race calendar.
Battery life isn’t quite as impressive as the more powerful Forerunner 965, but it’s still something to laugh about. The smaller 265S promises 24 hours of GPS-based playback and 15 days in normal smartwatch mode, while the larger Forerunner 265 comes in at 20 hours in GPS mode and up to 13 days in smartwatch mode.
The Forerunner 265 Series and Forerunner 965 also include all the features you’d expect from a typical smartwatch, including notifications and support for Spotify, Deezer, or Amazon Music for phone-free listening while running. You also get security features like incident detection, LiveTrack, and support for contactless payments from Garmin Pay.
Price and availability
The Garmin Forerunner 965 will be available in late March at a suggested retail price of $600. The Forerunner 265 Series comes in two models, the 42mm Forerunner 265S and the 46mm Forerunner. Both are now available for the same price of $450.
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