The most recent addition to Garmin’s illustrious Forerunner series is the Forerunner 965-the premium choice for running, triathlon, and fitness enthusiasts seeking the best performance metrics and capability. The Forerunner 965 is touted as the upscale successor to the Forerunner 955. Thus, improvements include an AMOLED display, an upgraded design, and even better performance analysis tools.
This review covers the whole wide scope- features, design, performance, and ultimately, value of the Forerunner 965 before making up whether it is worth investing in the costs.
Key Specifications:
Devices display: 1.41 AMOLED touchscreen (454 x 454 pixels)
Battery: Up to 23 days in smartwatch mode, up to 31 hours in GPS mode
Weight: 53 grams
Materials: Titanium-bezel, fiber-reinforced polymer case
GPS: Multi-band GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo)
Health tracking: Heart rate, SpO2, sleep tracking, HRV status, Body Battery
Training tracking: Training readiness, VO2 max, Training load, Recovery time, race widget, suggested daily workouts
Sports modes: Running, Cycling, Swimming, Triathlon, Strength training and many more Water Rating: 5 ATM (50 meters)
Music storage: Up to 500 songs with Contactless payments: Garmin Pay
Price: About $600 USD.
The Premium Build: Displayed with a Vibrant AMOLED.
Amongst the highly commendable upgrades in the Forerunner 965 is an AMOLED display. Unlike its predecessor like the Forerunner 955 which employs a transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display, the 965 is actually equipped with a 1.4 inches AMOLED touchscreen which is vibrant, colorful, and sharper. Having an amazing resolution of 454 x 454 pixels, you can find it very clear and easy to read whether in bright sunlight or very low-light conditions. This could much help especially during outdoor running or indoor workouts, as you will not struggle to see your information.
The functionality of the touch screen is pretty smooth and responsive, cruising through menus and data fields very intuitively. The Forerunner 965 also retains the five-button layout for traditionalists who would rather stick with button controls, toggling between touch screen and button inputs.
Lightweight and yet very durable, this creates that premium feeling acquired from this watch, as shown in the bezel made of titanium. The fiber-reinforced polymer material in the case allows the watch to weigh as light as 53 grams yet provide a sturdy support structure needed to go rugged outdoors. Thanks to the silicone strap, the wearer will have a good, easy adjustment and will feel comfortable to wear the watch the entire day.
The Forerunner 965 fits the bill perfectly in style, function, and durability. Be it a run, bike ride, swim, or just your everyday watch, you will always find it sleek and comfortable.
Battery Life:
Incredible Longevity for a Feature-Packed Watch
Battery life is always a major concern for endurance athletes, and with that, the Garmin Forerunner 965 delivers. Garmin says the watch will stick around for 23 days on smartwatch mode, a massive selling point to those looking to avoid frequent charging. In GPS mode, you can expect the Forerunner 965 to last up to 31 hours on a single charge. All of this is well beyond what a marathon runner, triathlete, or any long-distance athlete needs.
AMOLED displays usually consume a lot more battery than display screens with MIP, but according to Garmin, the Forerunner 965 was optimized for power efficiency so that it can still deliver exceptionally great battery performance. And based on actual usage experience, it actually exceeded over a week under normal day-to-day use even where fitness is being tracked, GPS activities, and notifications, and music consumption through smartwatch technology are thrown in.
If you were to use it in GPS + Multi-band mode (which provides the most precise tracking under difficult conditions), however, battery life would drop to about 19 hours, but this would still be more than sufficient for most users.
GPS and Navigation:
Multi-Band GPS for Unparalleled Precision
The Forerunner 965 is loaded with multi-band GNSS, including GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo support. If you didn’t know before, “multi-band GNSS” means that the watch can receive multiple satellite signals at a time, which means it can locate you more accurately, even in tough environments like very dense forests, really tall urban areas, or mountainous areas.
The Forerunner 965, in testing, displays excellent GPS accuracy. Running in the open, the city streets, or on a trail glancing trees, the watch tracks your route accurately as it is supposed to output the readings. This is important especially for athletes whose workouts require accurate data regarding distance, pace, and elevation.
Now the maps and navigation get even better at display-and as it improves comparison of the AMOLED displays-the maps now look sharper and easier to read. Along with turn-by-turn navigation, breadcrumb trail tracking, and POI navigation, the Forerunner 965 would certainly make a wonderful companion for entertainment or even serious trail running, trekking and cycling, with its exact navigation tool.
Performance Metrics with Training tools:
Readiness and Recovery Insights for Training.
The Forerunner 965 is loaded with a lot of advanced performance metrics for athletes and is meant to optimize training. Its most distinct feature is Training Readiness, which measures the amount of sleep quality, heart rate variability (HRV), recovery time, and recent activity to score how ready you are to take on the next workout.
It is a great way to keep someone from overtraining and gives clear direction on just when to push the body and when to let off. Recovery Time recommendations added, and the Forerunner 965 helps ensure that you are training smart, not just hard.
VO2 Max and Running Dynamics
VO2 max estimations have been with the Forerunner 965. It is the measure that determines your cardiovascular fitness. The watch, therefore, measures the trend of your VO2 max over time to indicate how you are developing your fitness. Moreover, Running Dynamics metrics such as stride length, ground contact time, and vertical oscillation are available for runners to help analyze and make running form improvements.
Training Plans and Suggested Workouts: Adaptive Training Plans of Garmin Coach
As with all running-related faculties, the Forerunner 965 is for those willing to take it a notch higher and have Garmin Coach adapt a training plan to an athlete’s fitness level and goals to date. 5-, 10-, or 42-km events notwithstanding, on course progress, Garmin Coach helps calibrate such athletes’ workouts to hit target after target.
The watch goes ahead to provide recommended workouts for each day according to your training history, state of recovery, and performance metrics. These workouts are made to ensure the balance between intensity and recovery so that you can avoid “under” or “overtraining”.
Health and Wellness Tracking:
For complete monitoring, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Stress Measuring Functionality are integrated within the Forerunner 965. The Forerunner 965, besides the advanced HRV status monitoring, provides heart rate variability monitoring while sleeping, offering insight into overall recovery and stress levels. HRV is also a good measure of the functionality of the autonomic nervous system. It provides early warnings if the body has accumulated too much fatigue or requires more recovery time.
To further complement direct HRV measurements, the Forerunner 965 also tracks stress levels in various situations and circumstances throughout the day, so you are able to have a continuous, real-time understanding of how your body is dealing with and reacting to both physical and mental stressors. It also comes with guided breathing exercise applications for your relief and relaxation when needed.
Sleep Tracking with Sleep Score
Garmin has advanced its sleep-tracking specifications with the Forerunner 965-the newest offering from the Forerunner series, giving you detailed data about your sleep cycles (light, deep, REM) and your general sleep quality. To this end, the watch gives you an actual sleep score that derives rating from the sum time of sleep and measured quality of sleep.
It also integrates into the Training Readiness score, which means that if you had a poor night of sleep, it would tell you to take it easy during your workout.
Body Battery and SpO2 Measurement
The Body Battery feature monitors your energy levels throughout the day by telling you when you are at your peak for physical action, and when you might need to take it easy and rest. This is a handy tool in balancing workouts against everyday life to make sure you are not pushing yourself beyond limits at your low energy levels.
The Forerunner 965, among other things, pulse oximeter (SpO2) monitoring, which keeps track of how much oxygen is in your blood. One would benefit from this feature if he/she engaged in training at high altitude or suffers from ailments such as sleep apnea.
Smartwatch Feature – Music Storage and Streaming
Also, like its successor, it has 500 song music storage in Forerunner 965. You will enjoy listening to your favorite tunes using the watch without having to carry your phone as it syncs your playlist from major music streaming services such as Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music. You can connect your Bluetooth headphones and listen to tunes during or while working out.
Garmin Pay
Garmin Pay will enable you to pay with your watch contactlessy. Great when you do not want to carry a wallet. Perfect for runners who still want to grab a cup of coffee or buy something during their training sessions.
Smart Notifications And Connectivity
The Garmin Forerunner 965 incorporates all the attributes of a high-end smartwatch with a plethora of features that are not just limited to fitness. It offers smart notifications of the messages, calls, emails, and other app alerts when connected to a smartphone. This can be especially handy when you want to stay updated while working out without the hassle of pulling out your phone often. You can even use it to reply to messages with a pre-defined quick replies (on Android).
This Forerunner 965 also provides support for adding calendar events, getting updated information on the weather, and remembering reminders, making sure that you stay ever organized and always on top of your daily schedule. It is good to go in any situation, be it when training, commuting, or going for a simple walk, to get your hand on a few key features and add convenience to your life.
It will be paired and work seamlessly with all Android and iOS devices so that every user from both ecosystems can enjoy seamless connectivity. Pairing the Forerunner 965 with the Garmin Connect application uses various features that include specific performance analysis features and insights into data which can also be shared with others in the community of Garmin.
Garmin Forerunner® 965 Running Smartwatch, Colorful AMOLED Display, Training Metrics and Recovery Insights, Black and Powder Gray, 010-02809-00: Buy it now
Activity Monitoring and Sports Tracking:
All-encompassing Sports Profiles
The Forerunner 965 is reputed to be a running watch and yet supports more than 30 sports modes, including, but not limited to, cycling, swimming, hiking, strength training, yoga, and triathlon. Whether you run, cycle, swim, or perform multiple sports, the watch promises precise recording and analytics to every sport.
Research shows that the most important performance metrics for runners are running dynamic indicators that include personal effort, stride length, intermediate cadence, underground ground contact time, and vertical oscillation. Swimmers will see all performance-based metrics, such as the number of strokes, distance, and swolf associated with swimming efficiency. For cyclists, they’d be able to see performance metrics such as power output when used with compatible power meters, pedal cadence, as well as processing and calculating velocities.
Triathlon and Multisport Mode
The best part about the Forerunner 965, really, it is the Triathlon mode, which enables an athlete to switch from one sport to the other, be it swimming, cycling, or running, without pausing the session. For triathletes, this is different because they follow their transitions well and are able to form a good picture of their overall performance across different disciplines.
The multisport mode can also be customized to other combinations of sports activities so that it serves well in duathlons or any other endurance event. Ease of switching makes sure that important inputs are not missed, and Forerunner 965 measures everything that matters in each segment of the race.
Strength and HIIT training
For those who choose the gym for workouts, the Forerunner 965 provides strength and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) modes that allow for counting reps, sets, and rest times during weight training sessions. You can also check out the summary after your workout, including metrics such as heart rates and calories burned.
HIIT mode has workouts preloaded into the units-such as as many reps as possible (AMRAP) or every minute on the minute EMOM-and facilitates athletes in doing structured interval workouts.
Garmin Forerunner 965 Vs Competitors: Comparison.
Garmin Forerunner 955 vs. Forerunner 965
Essentially, all you really have with the Forerunner 965 is a more powerful version of the Forerunner 955, and the most distinguishing points would be the inclusion of AMOLED display in addition to the use of some more upmarket build materials, i.e., a titanium bezel. The watches are basically alike in terms of all fitness functions and performance tracking such as training readiness, health metrics, multi-band GNSS, etc.
For those that want the best display possible and a more premium feel, the Forerunner 965 comes through. However, if you’re most concerned with battery life and can do without the AMOLED display, then the Forerunner 955 is still a great option for less money.
Coros Apex 2 Pro vs Forerunner 965
The Coros Apex 2 Pro is another strong contender way up in the running watches market. Some of the features include dual-frequency GPS, an astounding battery life of 75 hours in GPS mode, and off-route navigation. But the Garmin ecosystem packed with a lot of training tools, health tracking, and smart features makes it a better potential choice for athletes interested in a “smart” watch experience beyond the fitness tracking capabilities.
The Apex 2 Pro has the upper hand when it comes to extreme battery performance; however, the Forerunner 965 reigns supreme over the design and simplicity of usage and the overall richness of data and insights, especially regarding endurance athletes.
Should You Get the Garmin Forerunner 965?
For the most serious runners, triathletes, and health jugglers who want the finest offering in terms of performance and health tracking, this is the best decision-making watch. The watch is complemented perfectly by its AMOLED display that provides a wholesome experience without compromising battery life. The watch is also legendary in the aspect of training tools, accuracy in GPS, and health insights in helping you train smarter and better.
Costing high (approximately $600 USD), but that price is totally justified by the value gained from the wide variety of features and the advanced analytics enabled by the watch. It provides most, if not all, of what an athlete would need, while also being extremely wide-ranging in the types of sports and activities it’s designed to support, making it among the very top choices in smartwatches aimed specifically at performance.
Conclusion:
If you want a running watch that goes the extra mile in terms of premium metrics, multi-band GPS, an amazing display, and all-day battery life, the Garmin Forerunner 965 is definitely worth considering. Whether you’re gearing up for a lifetime’s first marathon or you’re a seasoned veteran in triathlon, this piece of kit will help push you towards your goals but also improve your training experience. There is ideally a combination of fitness tracking, smartwatch features, and aesthetics on offer in this watch, making it one of the top choices in Garmin’s Forerunner family.