Garmin Forerunner 65: Release date, price, and specs rumors

We’d be hard-pressed not to recommend a Garmin watch to most runners looking for a new device. For those on a budget, the lowest-end Forerunner offers a fantastic fitness tracking experience at a great price. Yet, as much as still recommend the Garmin Forerunner 55, we’re eager to see the company launch an upgraded model. Despite a lack of Forerunner 65 rumors or leaks, we have plenty of ideas about what shoppers can expect from the device. Find out everything we know so far and what we hope to see on a potential Forerunner 65.

We hope so. The Forerunner family is an extremely popular collection of wearables with a device for shoppers at every price point. The 55 is still a great device, but it’s definitely starting to show its age, especially in terms of display quality. We can’t imagine Garmin abandoning its budget-conscious fan base and discontinuing updates to the lower tier.

As of yet, we have not heard any information about the device going into production, however. We’ll be keeping our ears to the ground to update this hub with any new information as it arrives. While other companies have crept into the budget space, we consider Garmin’s training tools a cut above. For example, as much as we love the Apple Watch SE, a comparison of the Garmin vs Apple ecosystems still highlights the former as the best choice for dedicated athletes.

What is the Forerunner 65 release date?

• Garmin Forerunner 15: May 2014
• Garmin Forerunner 25: August 2015
• Garmin Forerunner 35: August 2016
• Garmin Forerunner 45: April 2019
• Garmin Forerunner 55: June 2021

While the launch schedule for Garmin’s cheapest Forerunners hasn’t been especially regular, we’ve grown to expect a new generation about every two years or so. Since it’s already been more than two years since the Forerunner 55, we’re hoping to pencil the arrival of a 65 onto our calendars in the near future.

Unfortunately, we’ve yet to hear any mumblings or Garmin Forerunner 65 rumors. This radio silence suggests Garmin isn’t springing the new device any time soon. There is still a chance we could see the watch in time for holiday shopping, but it’s also more and more likely that the Forerunner 65 won’t land until 2024.

As mentioned, there isn’t any official information available when it comes to determining what we’ll see from a potential Garmin Forerunner 65. We would typically expect some Forerunner 65 rumors or leaks by this point. Short of wild guesses, we expect the device to share a similar design to its predecessor, the Garmin Forerunner 55, including a basic display, five physical buttons for navigation, and standard 20mm straps. Shoppers should also anticipate an optical heart rate sensor, an accelerometer, and a built-in GPS. We would love to see Garmin reintroduce two sizes, but at this point, we don’t know how realistic that is.

As far as health and fitness features, the Forerunner 65 should cover all the basics including steps, sleep, Vo2 Max, heart rate, activity, daily suggested workouts, body battery, and more. We imagine we’ll see even more sport modes and training features, but it’s unclear which Garmin-specific tools will trickle down to this affordable lineup. Most likely, the watch will also continue to offer a multi-week battery life.

• Garmin Forerunner 15: $139
• Garmin Forerunner 25: $139
• Garmin Forerunner 35: $169
• Garmin Forerunner 45: $199
• Garmin Forerunner 55: $199

The Garmin Forerunner 65 will likely land at the same price point as the Forerunner 55 which originally rang up for $199.  This entry-level lineup is meant to provide a budget-friendly running watch from the Garmin stable, distinguished for affordability compared to higher-end models.

In 2021, Garmin delivered a ton of improvements on the Forerunner 55, including better battery life, a better design, and added training tools. Yet, despite these upgrades, shoppers didn’t see an increase in price. Beyond appropriate market inflation, we don’t see the company changing its tune with the next generation. We’ll continue to update these expectations according to Garmin Forerunner 65 leaks and rumors.

It’s always hard to recommend that readers wait for a device that hasn’t been officially (or even unofficially) announced. With so little to go off, it’s impossible to say how long it might be before you can actually have your hands on a Forerunner 65. There’s no doubt in our minds that if the device lands, it will be well worth purchasing, but the best wearable is always the one helping you achieve fitness goals right now.

If you want to purchase a sub-$200 running watch today, the Forerunner 55 ($199.99 at Amazon) is our current recommendation. It packs tons of training tools and highly accurate GPS tracking. If you can spring for the Forerunner 265 ($449.99 at Garmin), we love the device’s AMOLED display and upgraded fitness platform. Meanwhile, Garmin also recently released a brand new smartwatch, the Venu 3 ($449.99 at Garmin), for anyone looking for more features beyond fitness tracking.

There may not be any Forerunner leaks or rumors yet, but that doesn’t mean our wheels haven’t been turning. Below are the features and upgrades we’d like to see most on the new generation.

Wallet-friendly pricing

While it’s always easy to ask for more features, a better build, and upgraded tools, our biggest hope is that the Forerunner 65 remains a ~$200 running watch. We want to see enough improvements to warrant the device’s launch, but don’t want to see any customers be priced out of the Forerunner family.

It goes without saying that our go-to wish for the Forerunner 55 is an AMOLED display. We were thrilled to see this upgrade added to the Forerunner 265 as well as the 965. However, we do understand the 65 is meant to be a lower-priced wearable and as such may not be able to offer an elevated display while still keeping a low price point.

If that’s the case, we hope Garmin upgrades the line’s MIP display with higher resolution. The Forerunner 55 looks quite dated with its pixelated screen. We don’t mind the line’s lack of a touchscreen because buttons are easier to use during sweaty runs, but we’d be happy to see a jump in display size.

Improved sleep tracking

Another feature of the Forerunner 55 that didn’t quite live up to our expectations was sleep tracking. The device didn’t always capture overnight wake time during our review period. We would love to see the next generation iron out these hiccups and provide the same level of sleep data as other devices from Garmin’s stable. We’d be particularly impressed to see the automatic nap detection the company recently introduced on its new Venu 3.

Garmin dropped a bundle of new training features this year ranging from Hill Score and Endurance Score to Training Readiness. We’d love to see some of these features trickle down to the company’s most affordable running watch. To be clear though, the Forerunner 55 isn’t short on tools for athletes. The device offers everything from PacePro and daily suggested workouts to race predictions and women’s health tracking. We fully expect all of the 55’s offerings to make their way to the 65.

We’re simply huge fans of Garmin’s toolkit and are excited to get our hands on every training advantage we can. It also goes without saying that we expect the same high-level GPS and heart rate accuracy we’ve grown to expect from Garmin watches. We wouldn’t be disappointed to see music storage added in as well.

Multiple case sizes

Inclusivity is a key facet of wearable tech that Garmin typically nails. We’ve seen more and more of the brand’s lineups offer multiple case sizes to provide a better fit for all customers. The Forerunner 55 is only available in a single 42mm build, despite the 45 offering two sizes. We’re hoping Garmin brings more selection back to the next generation.