The Garmin Forerunner 965 is the latest addition to Garmin’s premium Forerunner series, aimed at runners, triathletes, and fitness enthusiasts looking for top-tier performance metrics and features. As an upgraded version of the Forerunner 955, the Forerunner 965 comes with several enhancements, including a vibrant AMOLED display, upgraded design, and improved performance analysis tools.
This review dives deep into every aspect of the Forerunner 965, evaluating its features, design, performance, and overall value to help you decide if it’s worth the investment.
Table of Contents
Key Specifications:
- Display: 1.4” AMOLED touchscreen (454 x 454 pixels)
- Battery life: 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 tools: Training readiness, VO2 max, Training load, Recovery time, race widget, suggested daily workouts
- Sports modes: Running, cycling, swimming, triathlon, strength training, and more
- Water rating: 5 ATM (50 meters)
- Music storage: Up to 500 songs
- Contactless payments: Garmin Pay
- Price: Around $600 USD
Design and Display:
Premium Build and Vibrant AMOLED Display
One of the most noticeable upgrades in the Forerunner 965 is the AMOLED display. Unlike previous models, such as the Forerunner 955, which used a transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display, the 965 sports a 1.4-inch AMOLED touchscreen that is incredibly vibrant, colorful, and sharp. With a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels, the display offers superb clarity, making it easy to read in both direct sunlight and low-light conditions. This is especially useful during outdoor runs or indoor workouts, as you won’t have to struggle to see your data.
The touchscreen functionality is smooth and responsive, making navigation through menus and data fields intuitive. For those who prefer traditional button controls, the Forerunner 965 retains the five-button layout, allowing users to toggle between touchscreen and button-based interaction.
The bezel is made from titanium, a lightweight yet durable material that adds to the premium feel of the watch. The fiber-reinforced polymer case ensures the watch is lightweight (just 53 grams) yet sturdy enough to withstand rugged outdoor conditions. The silicone strap is comfortable and easy to adjust, making the watch suitable for all-day wear.
Overall, the design of the Forerunner 965 strikes an excellent balance between style, functionality, and durability. Whether you’re wearing it for a run, a bike ride, a swim, or just as an everyday watch, it looks sleek and feels comfortable.
Battery Life:
Impressive Longevity for a Feature-Packed Watch
Battery life is always a critical consideration for endurance athletes, and the Garmin Forerunner 965 excels in this area. Garmin promises up to 23 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, which is a huge selling point for those who don’t want to worry about frequent charging. In GPS mode, the Forerunner 965 offers up to 31 hours of battery life, which is more than enough for marathon runners, triathletes, or anyone training for long-distance events.
The addition of an AMOLED display typically drains more battery than a MIP display, but Garmin has optimized the power consumption of the Forerunner 965 to ensure it still delivers outstanding battery performance. During real-world usage, the watch easily lasts over a week with a mix of daily fitness tracking, GPS activities, and smartwatch features like notifications and music playback.
If you use the watch in GPS + Multi-band mode (which delivers the most precise tracking in challenging environments), battery life will be reduced to around 19 hours, but that’s still plenty for the vast majority of users.
GPS and Navigation:
Multi-Band GPS for Unmatched Precision
The Forerunner 965 comes equipped with multi-band GNSS, which includes support for GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo. Multi-band GNSS ensures that the watch can access multiple satellite signals simultaneously, providing superior accuracy in challenging environments such as dense forests, urban areas with tall buildings, or mountainous regions.
In testing, the Forerunner 965 delivers outstanding GPS accuracy. Whether you’re running in an open field, along city streets, or on a trail covered by trees, the watch consistently tracks your route with precision. This is especially important for athletes who rely on accurate distance, pace, and elevation data during their workouts.
The map and navigation features are also improved with the AMOLED display, as maps appear sharper and easier to read. The Forerunner 965 supports turn-by-turn navigation, breadcrumb trail tracking, and point-of-interest (POI) navigation, making it an excellent companion for trail runners, hikers, and cyclists who need precise navigation tools.
Performance Metrics and Training Tools:
Training Readiness and Recovery Insights
Garmin has packed the Forerunner 965 with a host of advanced performance metrics designed to help athletes optimize their training. One of the most notable features is Training Readiness, which analyzes factors such as your sleep quality, heart rate variability (HRV), recovery time, and recent activity to provide a score indicating how ready you are for your next workout.
This feature is particularly useful for preventing overtraining, as it gives you a clear idea of when to push yourself and when to take it easy. Coupled with Recovery Time recommendations, the Forerunner 965 helps ensure you’re training smart, not just hard.
VO2 Max and Running Dynamics
The Forerunner 965 continues to provide VO2 max estimates, a critical measure of your cardiovascular fitness. Over time, the watch tracks your VO2 max trends, allowing you to see how your fitness is progressing. For runners, Running Dynamics metrics such as stride length, ground contact time, and vertical oscillation are also available, helping you analyze your running form and make improvements.
Training Plans and Suggested Workouts:
Adaptive Training Plans with Garmin Coach
For athletes who want structured training guidance, the Forerunner 965 offers Garmin Coach, which provides adaptive training plans tailored to your fitness level and goals. Whether you’re training for a 5K, 10K, or marathon, Garmin Coach adjusts your workouts based on your progress, ensuring that you’re always on track to hit your targets.
The watch also provides suggested daily workouts based on your training history, recovery status, and performance metrics. These workouts are designed to help you balance intensity and recovery, ensuring that you don’t overtrain or undertrain.
Health and Wellness Tracking:
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Stress Monitoring
The Forerunner 965 comes with advanced HRV status monitoring, which tracks your heart rate variability while you sleep and provides insights into your overall recovery and stress levels. HRV is a valuable indicator of your autonomic nervous system function, and it can give you an early warning if your body is under too much stress or if you need more recovery time.
In addition to HRV, the Forerunner 965 tracks stress levels throughout the day, giving you a continuous view of how your body is handling physical and mental stressors. The watch also features guided breathing exercises to help you relax and reduce stress when needed.
Sleep Tracking with Sleep Score
Garmin has refined its sleep tracking capabilities with the Forerunner 965, providing detailed insights into your sleep stages (light, deep, REM) and overall sleep quality. The watch assigns a sleep score based on the duration and quality of your sleep, helping you understand how well you’re recovering overnight.
Sleep data is integrated into the Training Readiness score, so if you had a poor night’s sleep, the watch will recommend taking it easy during your workout.
Body Battery™ and SpO2 Monitoring
The Body Battery™ feature tracks your energy levels throughout the day, helping you understand when you’re at your peak for physical activity and when you might need to rest. It’s a handy tool for balancing your workouts with your daily life, ensuring you don’t push yourself too hard when your energy levels are low.
The Forerunner 965 also includes pulse oximeter (SpO2) monitoring, which tracks your blood oxygen saturation levels. This feature is particularly useful for high-altitude training or for users with conditions like sleep apnea.
Smartwatch Features:
Music Storage and Streaming
Like its predecessor, the Forerunner 965 includes music storage for up to 500 songs. You can sync playlists from music streaming services like Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music, allowing you to enjoy your favorite tunes without needing to carry your phone. The watch also supports Bluetooth headphones, so you can listen to music wirelessly during your runs or workouts.
Garmin Pay
The Garmin Pay feature allows you to make contactless payments using your watch. This is a convenient feature for runners who prefer to leave their wallets at home and still want the ability to grab a coffee or make a quick purchase during their training sessions.
Smart Notifications and Connectivity
The Garmin Forerunner 965 offers full smartwatch functionality, making it a versatile tool beyond fitness tracking. With smart notifications, you can receive texts, calls, emails, and app notifications directly on your wrist when paired with a smartphone. This feature is particularly useful for staying connected during workouts without having to pull out your phone. You can even respond to messages using pre-set quick replies (on Android).
In addition to notifications, the Forerunner 965 supports calendar integration, weather updates, and reminders, allowing you to stay organized and on top of your daily schedule. Whether you’re training, commuting, or simply out for a walk, the ability to access these key features adds convenience to your life.
The watch is compatible with both Android and iOS devices, ensuring that users from either ecosystem can enjoy seamless connectivity. Pairing the Forerunner 965 with the Garmin Connect app opens up even more features, including detailed performance analysis, insights, and the ability to share your data with others in the Garmin community.
Garmin Forerunner® 965 Running Smartwatch, Colorful AMOLED Display, Training Metrics and Recovery Insights, Black and Powder Gray, 010-02809-00: Buy it now
Sports and Activity Tracking:
Extensive Sports Profiles
While the Forerunner 965 is primarily marketed as a running watch, it supports over 30 different sports modes, including cycling, swimming, hiking, strength training, yoga, triathlon, and more. Whether you’re a runner, cyclist, swimmer, or multi-sport athlete, the watch offers tailored tracking and metrics for each activity.
For runners, the running dynamics and performance metrics are invaluable, providing insights into stride length, cadence, ground contact time, and vertical oscillation. For swimmers, the watch tracks metrics such as stroke count, pace, and SWOLF score (a measure of swimming efficiency). Cyclists will benefit from metrics like power output (when paired with compatible power meters), cadence, and speed.
Triathlon and Multisport Mode
One of the standout features of the Forerunner 965 is its Triathlon mode, which allows athletes to seamlessly switch between swimming, cycling, and running activities in a single session. This is a crucial feature for triathletes who need to monitor their transitions and get a complete picture of their performance across different disciplines.
The multisport mode can also be customized for other sports combinations, making it a versatile tool for athletes who participate in duathlons or other endurance events. The ease of switching between activities ensures that no data is missed, and the Forerunner 965 keeps track of all the essential metrics for each leg of the race.
Strength and HIIT Training
For those who prefer gym workouts, the Forerunner 965 includes strength training and HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) modes. These modes allow users to track reps, sets, and rest times during weight training sessions. You can also view a workout summary afterward, which includes metrics like heart rate and calories burned.
The HIIT mode includes pre-loaded workout types such as AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) and EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute), making it easier for athletes to follow structured interval workouts.
Comparing Garmin Forerunner 965 with Competitors:
Garmin Forerunner 955 vs. Forerunner 965
The Forerunner 965 is essentially an upgraded version of the Forerunner 955, with the most significant differences being the addition of the AMOLED display and the more premium build materials, including a titanium bezel. Both watches offer nearly identical fitness and performance tracking features, including multi-band GNSS, training readiness, and health metrics.
For athletes who prioritize display quality and want a more premium look and feel, the Forerunner 965 is a clear winner. However, if battery life is the most important factor and you can do without the AMOLED display, the Forerunner 955 still provides excellent value at a lower price point.
Coros Apex 2 Pro vs. Forerunner 965
The Coros Apex 2 Pro is another strong competitor in the high-end running watch market. It offers features like dual-frequency GPS, extensive battery life (up to 75 hours in GPS mode), and off-route navigation. However, Garmin’s ecosystem of training tools, health tracking, and smart features makes the Forerunner 965 a more versatile choice for athletes who want a full-featured smartwatch experience in addition to fitness tracking.
While the Apex 2 Pro excels in extreme battery performance, the Forerunner 965 wins on design, ease of use, and the overall richness of its data and insights, particularly for endurance athletes.
Is the Garmin Forerunner 965 Worth Buying?
For serious runners, triathletes, and fitness enthusiasts who want the best of Garmin’s performance and health-tracking features, the Forerunner 965 is an excellent choice. Its AMOLED display adds a premium visual experience without sacrificing battery life, and the watch is packed with advanced training tools, GPS accuracy, and health insights that help you train smarter and perform better.
While the price is on the higher end (around $600 USD), the value you get from the extensive features and data analysis capabilities justifies the cost for dedicated athletes. The Forerunner 965 offers a near-complete package with features designed to suit a wide range of sports and activities, making it one of the top choices in the market for performance-focused smartwatches.
Final Verdict:
If you’re looking for a premium running watch with cutting-edge metrics, multi-band GPS, stunning display, and long-lasting battery life, the Garmin Forerunner 965 is absolutely worth considering. Whether you’re training for your first marathon or you’re a seasoned triathlete, this watch will not only help you reach your goals but will also enhance your training experience. It strikes an ideal balance between fitness tracking, smartwatch features, and aesthetics, making it a standout choice in Garmin’s Forerunner lineup.