Garmin Forerunner 265 vs 965: Which one should you buy?

Garmin’s running watches are among the best fitness trackers money can buy. The brand’s latest additions even feature colorful, AMOLED displays for a truly attractive user experience. Conveniently, Garmin offers a multi-tier pricing structure for its best devices so shoppers of every budget can tap into the company’s powerful ecosystem. We compare the Garmin Forerunner 265 vs 965, the two newest Forerunners, to help shoppers determine the best pick.

Both the Forerunner 265 and 965 are updated versions of their predecessors, with significant facelifts. Where the older 255 and 955 both featured MIP displays, the newest models introduce vibrant, colorful AMOLED touchscreens. The Forerunner 265 is available in two sizes, a 46mm Forerunner 265 with a 1.3-inch display and a 42mm 265S sporting a slightly smaller 1.1-inch display. The Forerunner 965 is only available in a single 47mm case size with a 1.4-inch display.

With its titanium bezel, the larger 965 does have a slightly more premium look, though we thought both devices were very attractive on-wrist during our review periods. Likewise, display resolutions also vary between the models, but we found all options crisp and vibrant. Each watch comes in just a few two-toned colorways and features replaceable silicone bands.

Beneath the glass, both lines share many of the same core features including robust fitness tracking tools, Garmin’s accurate multi-band chipset for GPS tracking, ABC sensors, a thermometer, and the same reliable Elevate Gen 4 heart rate sensor. Both track HRV, Vo2 Max, SpO2, sleep, stress, and more and offer Garmin Pay support as well as music storage. The Forerunner 965 can store up to 2000 songs, or roughly four times as many songs as the 265.

As far as Garmin-specific training tools, the watches again offer some identical experiences including Morning Report, Body Battery, Training Readiness, Training Status, and more. However, the Forerunner 965 pulls ahead with a few extra advanced training features. These include Climb Pro, PowerGuide, Real-Time Stamina for managing effort, and Load Ratio for comparing short-term and long-term training loads. To help in measuring your load, the device also adds extra sport profiles for tracking more activities. The 965 even integrates ski and golf maps. Other micro-level training tools only found on the Forerunner 965 include an automatic rest timer for breaking down your training patterns and information about how well you are acclimating to your current altitude and heat.

The most significant difference users will find on the pricier model, however, is in-depth, built-in topographic maps. These maps offer incredible detail including landscape information, as well as street and city names. Forerunner 965 users can use NextFork to navigate upcoming turns and AroundMe to find nearby points of interest. The Forerunner 965 even offers a round-trip course creator for exploring new areas. When you’re out and about with the Forerunner 265 you can tap into breadcrumb navigation but it’s not quite as useful without the detailed map.

Additionally, the Forerunner 965 boasts a bigger battery, though comparing the Forerunner 265 vs 965 in terms of battery life reveals pretty respectable specs across the board. On the Forerunner 265, you’ll get around five days of use between charges. On the 965, that number jumps up to seven days. As always, battery life varies with use. The best way to stretch it on either watch is to disable the always-on display. Without always-on display enabled the 265 will last up 15 days and the smaller 265S will last up to 13. The Forerunner 965 will last up to more than three weeks. Compared to devices like the Apple Watch, these are great offerings. Both watches come with USB-C charging cables.

Pricing is one area the Forerunner 265 has an advantage. At just $449 for either case size, the 265 series represents Garmin’s midrange shelf, and the device is a great bang for your buck. While not cheap, the line is priced in spitting range of most leading wearables. For entry to one of the most robust and reliable fitness tracking platforms available, that’s a pay we’d be willing to pay.

The 965’s price tag meanwhile, represents its place as the top tier of the Forerunner series. It’s also $100 dollars more than its predecessor without the option to charge by sunlight. Unless you are a dedicated athlete or outdoor enthusiast, you’ll likely end up overpaying for features you won’t really use. On the other hand, if you do fall into one of those camps, there isn’t much missing from the 965. The watch tracks nearly all the data we can imagine needing and does so with impressive accuracy.

Garmin Forerunner 265 vs 965: Which should you buy?

After quite some time with both devices, we can wholeheartedly recommend either watch to prospective shoppers. Simply put, both Garmin devices are attractive and durably built, accurate, and pack in more tools than you can feasibly shake a stick at. While the Forerunner 965 offers a little extra, the Forerunner 265 is by no means anemic in features. Whether it’s worth $150 for the additional features described above depends on your personal budget.

As stated, a finely-tuned navigation toolkit is the biggest difference when comparing the Forerunner 265 vs 965. With its detailed maps, niche features, and added storage, the Forerunner 965 is the best choice for dedicated endurance athletes and long-distance training. If you’re unlikely to wander off your beaten path and don’t need every single possible data point trackable, the Forerunner 265 is a very powerful running watch that will serve you just fine. Plus, if you have particularly small wrists, the Forerunner 265S will likely be the most comfortable fit.