The Garmin Forerunner 265 is the successor to the 255 series. This new generation smartwatch has been highly praised by critics for its upgraded features, redesigned casing, and brand-new AMOLED display. It can be said that this is one of the best watches Garmin has offered to its users. In today’s article, let’s take a deeper look at the Forerunner 265!
Table of Contents
Exterior Design of the Garmin Forerunner 265
The Forerunner 265 sports a slightly larger exterior compared to its predecessor, specifically measuring 46.1 mm, while the previous 255 model was 45.6 mm. The difference is not substantial, so the overall Forerunner 265 remains compact and lightweight, with a weight of 47g.
The watch case is crafted from titanium, giving users a solid and sturdy feel. Additionally, the buttons around the watch have been redesigned, with the start-stop button now larger. The other buttons retain their original size, but the change in the main button has made navigation and interaction more convenient.
Display Protected by Corning Gorilla Glass
Display
One of the standout features of the Forerunner 265 is its AMOLED display, a major upgrade over the traditional MIP (memory-in-pixel) displays found in previous models. The 1.3-inch screen boasts vivid colors, crisp details, and excellent contrast, making it easy to read in bright sunlight and low-light conditions alike. The 416 x 416 pixel resolution gives an almost smartphone-like clarity to the screen, which is a welcome change for those who prefer a more vibrant and modern display.
Build Quality
The watch is rated at 5 ATM water resistance, meaning it can be submerged in up to 50 meters of water, making it suitable for swimming, snorkeling, and other water-based activities. The Corning Gorilla Glass provides durability and scratch resistance, ensuring the display remains intact even in harsh conditions. Overall, the Forerunner 265 strikes a balance between ruggedness and comfort, designed for daily wear in and out of training.
Features of the Garmin Forerunner 265
Smart Touchscreen
The Forerunner 265 is equipped with a new touchscreen that offers some exciting features. Users can now scroll up and down through lists using the screen, rather than relying solely on the buttons as before. However, the touchscreen may be challenging to use if the user sweats heavily or wears gloves.
Body Battery Feature on the Garmin Forerunner 265
Additionally, the Forerunner 265 includes the Body Battery feature, which calculates the intensity of recent workouts, sleep quality, heart rate, and recovery time between sessions. It then provides an updated score based on the body’s readiness for activity. This feature is highly useful, as it helps users understand how long their body needs to recover, allowing for better workout planning.
The watch also sends users a notification each morning with details about their sleep score, readiness score, weather information, and running suggestions based on their workout history.
Music Storage for Enhanced Workouts
Another standout feature of the Forerunner 265 is its 8GB internal memory, allowing users to store their favorite songs and listen to them during workouts. This makes exercise sessions more enjoyable and motivating.
Fitness Tracking Features
Garmin is well-known for its extensive fitness tracking capabilities, and the Forerunner 265 continues this legacy with a host of new and improved features. Whether you’re an avid runner, cyclist, swimmer, or someone just looking to stay fit, this watch has you covered.
Running Dynamics and Performance Monitoring
At its core, the Forerunner 265 is built for runners. It tracks essential metrics such as pace, distance, cadence, and heart rate with precision. But what sets it apart is the advanced running dynamics tracking, which includes ground contact time, stride length, vertical oscillation, and balance. These metrics provide a deeper understanding of your running form and help you identify inefficiencies that can be corrected to improve performance and reduce injury risk.
The VO2 Max estimation is another crucial feature, providing an estimate of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during exercise. This is a key indicator of aerobic fitness, and the Forerunner 265 uses your heart rate and speed data to calculate it.
Additionally, the Performance Condition feature gives real-time feedback on how well you’re performing during a run. It compares your real-time performance to your average fitness level, allowing you to push harder when you’re feeling strong or ease up if you’re not at your best.
Heart Rate Monitoring and SpO2
The Forerunner 265 comes equipped with Garmin’s Elevate V4 heart rate sensor, which continuously monitors your heart rate 24/7. The sensor is highly accurate and provides real-time data during workouts, helping you stay within your target heart rate zones. This is particularly useful for interval training or long endurance sessions.
In addition to heart rate tracking, the watch also includes a Pulse Oximeter (SpO2 sensor) to monitor blood oxygen levels. This is particularly useful for high-altitude training, as it helps assess how well your body is acclimating to reduced oxygen levels. It’s also beneficial for sleep monitoring, where low oxygen levels might indicate issues like sleep apnea.
GPS Accuracy
Garmin’s reputation for GPS accuracy is well-earned, and the Forerunner 265 continues that trend. The multi-band GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) support ensures that the watch can lock onto GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO signals quickly and accurately, even in challenging environments like dense forests or urban areas with tall buildings. Whether you’re running in the city or out on trails, the Forerunner 265 tracks your route with precision, making it ideal for those who need reliable data for analysis post-run.
Training Load and Recovery Insights
To optimize training, the Forerunner 265 tracks your training load—the amount of exertion you’ve placed on your body over the past week. This metric helps ensure you’re balancing training intensity with recovery to avoid overtraining. Coupled with the Training Status feature, which tells you whether your current training is productive, maintaining, or detraining, the Forerunner 265 provides invaluable insights for athletes looking to improve their performance.
Garmin also provides recovery time estimates based on your recent activities and stress levels. After each workout, the watch calculates how much rest you need before you’re fully recovered and ready for your next training session, helping you avoid burnout or injury.
Health and Wellness Monitoring
Beyond fitness, the Garmin Forerunner 265 offers a suite of health monitoring tools that can help improve overall wellness. Whether you’re focused on sleep, stress, hydration, or energy levels, the Forerunner 265 is equipped with the sensors and software to keep you informed about your body’s needs.
Sleep Tracking
The Forerunner 265 provides advanced sleep tracking features, breaking down your sleep into light, deep, and REM stages. With the Pulse Ox sensor and heart rate monitoring, it offers a detailed analysis of your sleep quality. Additionally, Garmin’s Body Battery feature uses sleep data, along with stress and activity levels, to give you an overall energy score, helping you decide when to push hard and when to rest.
Stress and Hydration Monitoring
Garmin’s Stress Tracking feature uses heart rate variability (HRV) to estimate your stress levels throughout the day. It provides insights into how your body responds to physical, emotional, and environmental stressors, helping you manage your mental and physical well-being. The Hydration Tracking tool allows you to log your daily water intake, reminding you to stay hydrated based on your activity levels and environmental conditions.
Smartwatch Features
In addition to being a high-performance fitness tracker, the Forerunner 265 also functions as a capable smartwatch. It includes notifications for texts, calls, emails, and apps when paired with your smartphone. You can also control music directly from the watch, with the ability to sync playlists from services like Spotify and Amazon Music for offline listening.
Garmin Pay
The inclusion of Garmin Pay adds a layer of convenience, allowing you to make contactless payments with your watch. This is especially useful during runs or workouts when carrying a phone or wallet isn’t ideal. Garmin Pay supports a growing list of banks, making it a practical option for many users.
Customization and Third-Party Apps
The Garmin Connect IQ Store allows for extensive customization of the watch. Users can download different watch faces, data fields, widgets, and third-party apps to tailor the experience to their specific needs. Whether you want a minimalistic watch face for casual wear or a detailed one for tracking metrics during a run, the store has plenty of options to choose from.
Garmin Connect App
The Garmin Connect app serves as the central hub for all your activity data. The app’s user interface is intuitive and offers a deep dive into metrics, training plans, and progress tracking. You can view detailed reports of your workouts, including split times, heart rate zones, and pace variations. The app also integrates with other platforms like Strava and MyFitnessPal, allowing for seamless syncing of data across services.
The app’s social features allow you to join challenges, connect with other Garmin users, and even share your achievements on social media platforms, fostering a sense of community and motivation among fitness enthusiasts.
Performance of the Garmin Forerunner 265
The performance of the Forerunner 265 brings many advantages, such as its vibrant AMOLED display, which breathes new life into Garmin’s familiar interface. With this screen, users can easily view their heart rate and running routes in a clear and dynamic manner.
Additionally, the GPS integrated into the Forerunner 265 provides stable experiences. When running outdoors, the GPS accurately tracks routes and execution time.
During runs, the watch frequently reports on the user’s progress through headphones or the display. This helps users stay on top of their workout routines.
Aside from health and fitness support, the Forerunner 265 also performs well in everyday tasks. Users can make quick payments with the watch or accept and decline calls with a simple tap.
Battery Life
One of Garmin’s strengths across its lineup is its impressive battery life, and the Forerunner 265 is no exception. With the AMOLED display, you might expect a hit in battery life, but Garmin has optimized power consumption remarkably well. In Smartwatch mode, the watch lasts up to 13 days, which is more than enough for most users to go almost two weeks without needing a charge.
However, in GPS mode, which is critical for runners and athletes, the battery life drops to about 20 hours. While this is a significant reduction from the smartwatch mode, it’s still competitive for GPS-enabled fitness trackers, especially considering the AMOLED display. For athletes who rely heavily on GPS for tracking long runs, marathons, or triathlons, the Forerunner 265 delivers a solid performance without the frequent need for charging. 
Pros of the Garmin Forerunner 265
- AMOLED Display: The stunning, high-resolution AMOLED display is a significant upgrade over the traditional MIP displays, offering vibrant colors and crisp details.
- Comprehensive Fitness Tracking: From advanced running dynamics to VO2 Max and recovery insights, the Forerunner 265 covers all the bases for runners and other athletes.
- Lightweight and Comfortable: At only 47 grams, it’s designed for all-day wear without discomfort, even during long workouts.
- Improved Battery Life: Despite the AMOLED display, the watch offers excellent battery life, with up to 13 days in smartwatch mode and 20 hours in GPS mode.
- Multi-Band GNSS: Enhanced GPS accuracy ensures reliable tracking in even the most challenging environments, from dense urban landscapes to wooded trails.
- 24/7 Health Monitoring: With continuous heart rate monitoring, SpO2 tracking, sleep analysis, and stress tracking, it offers comprehensive health and wellness insights.
- Garmin Pay and Music: The inclusion of Garmin Pay and offline music capabilities adds a layer of convenience for users who want to leave their phones and wallets at home.
- Customizable: The Garmin Connect IQ store allows users to personalize the watch with third-party apps, widgets, and data fields.
- Training Plans and Adaptive Workouts: The watch offers personalized training plans and adaptive workout suggestions based on your fitness level and goals.
Cons of the Garmin Forerunner 265
- No Built-in Maps: Unlike the Forerunner 965, the 265 does not include full mapping capabilities, which may be a drawback for users who frequently explore new routes or run in unfamiliar areas.
- Limited Battery Life in GPS Mode: While 20 hours of GPS battery life is respectable, long-distance athletes, particularly ultra-marathoners, might find it limiting compared to other models with extended battery performance in GPS mode.
- No Advanced Navigation Tools: The watch offers basic navigation features such as breadcrumb trails, but it lacks the full mapping and turn-by-turn navigation found in higher-end models like the Forerunner 965 or Fenix series.
- Price: While not as expensive as premium models, the Forerunner 265’s price is still on the higher side for those just getting started with running watches or fitness trackers.
Final Thoughts
The Garmin Forerunner 265 is a well-rounded, feature-packed running watch that offers significant upgrades in display quality, fitness tracking, and user experience compared to previous models. Whether you’re a dedicated athlete looking to optimize your training or a fitness enthusiast seeking a comprehensive health and wellness tool, the Forerunner 265 delivers an exceptional experience.
While it may lack some of the ultra-premium features of Garmin’s top-tier models, it still offers everything most runners and athletes need to track their performance, improve their fitness, and stay healthy. With its beautiful AMOLED display, extensive tracking capabilities, and long battery life, it’s a compelling option in the mid-range sports watch market.
For those seeking a balance of advanced features and affordability, the Garmin Forerunner 265 is an outstanding choice. It provides the performance and tools necessary for serious training while remaining accessible and user-friendly enough for everyday fitness tracking. Garmin continues to set the standard for running watches, and the Forerunner 265 is a testament to that legacy.
Garmin Forerunner 265 Running Smartwatch, Colorful AMOLED Display, Training Metrics and Recovery Insights, Black and Powder Gray: Buy it now