Live Science Verdict
An jock - gradation fitness watch with an OLED screen that does n’t cost as much as the party ’s flagship bands , the Forerunner 265 is the lookout many people have been asking for .
dependable HR and tracking accuracy
Lots of high - end physical exertion features
OLED filmdom is lovely
A little pricey for a plastic watch
No on - watch maps
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The Garmin Forerunner 265 is a watch series we knew would come one day . It is an partisan fitness watch that has an OLED concealment rather of the transflective style take care in almost all Garmins until recent years .
Wondering how it fit in the reach ? The Forerunner 265 is aForerunner 255with OLED . It ’s aGarmin Epixalternative that place much less of a slit in your savings . Or it ’s aGarmin Venu 2that trades in a little design glossiness for some more advanced fittingness feature article .
We call up it is a killer jazz group . The model we ’re reviewing is the smaller Forerunner 265S , but there ’s none of the usual battery living compromise uncouth to smaller lookout here — prescribed figure of speech indicate it in reality lasts more or less longer than the larger Forerunner 265 , making it one of thebest fitness trackersof this year .
1.1 in or 1.3 in AMOLED sieve ( 360 x 360 , 416 x 416 solving )
8 GB depot
5ATM pee resistance
42/46 mm watch fount
Gorilla Glass 3 screen door protection
Up to 15 days battery life story
roughage - reinforce polymer shell
optic substance pace sensor
barometrical altimeter
There ’s one issue . Despite being one of thebest Garmin watchesand one of Garmin ’s more affordable sports watches , this Forerunner 265 is not remotely cheap . At the sentence of review you may find the Forerunner 955 for just slightly more , and it has some next - stratum feature like on - watch maps .
Garmin Forerunner 265: Price and availability
The Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 265S launched in March 2023 , alongside the Forerunner 965 .
Both 265 - serial sentinel be $ 449.99/£429.99 , and each come in three colour . For once , Garmin made it jolly simple — with very piddling to separate the standard and small “ S ” designs , you may just pick establish on what will count and feel mighty on your wrist joint .
Garmin Forerunner 265: Design and Display
Our Forerunner 265 review unit is the pinkish Forerunner 265S , the modest 42 mm option to the standard 46 mm translation . It ’s still big than the Pixel Watch .
The shape is much like that of the Forerunner 255 . Its case and bezel are plastic — fibre - reinforced polymer as Garmin calls it — and the screen is toughened meth . It ’s an older eccentric , though , Gorilla Glass 3 . You fall back the unstained steel bezel of the Venu 2 series , but this does help keep the weighting down .
Our Forerunner 265S weigh just 40 g , the standard Forerunner 265 46 g. As a resolution it ’s a well-to-do sentry , although you could in all probability meliorate it further by switching out the shoulder strap . The supplied silicone polymer strap is a estimable fit for sports use , but after tightening it up for well center rate upshot , it run to will a map of indenture on your wrist . We find it heavily not to over - tighten this one , for some reason .
The screen is the main event here , though . It ’s a 1.1 - in 360 x 360 picture element OLED , or a 1.3 - column inch 416 x 416 pixel one in the Forerunner 265 . While it does n’t fill out the front of the ticker like the Apple Watch Series 8 ’s display , this little screen door has everything we ’re looking for .
It ’s very discriminating , super - colorful , and easily bright enough to work for outdoors use sessions on gay days . This silver screen ’s line of work is to make an argument for itself over the Forerunner 255 ’s transflective screen , and it ’s somewhat persuasive , particularly when it ’s a touching showing too . The Forerunner 255 ’s is not .
Not conversant with the difference of opinion between OLED and the old transflective memory - in - pixel styles ? The OLED Forerunner 265S screen is basically a smartwatch showing . It looks fantastic , but it has to ramp - up its brightness level to compete with vivid environments and down important power when lit . The Forerunner 255 ’s screen looks duller , has fewer pixels and coloring is comparatively infirm , but it uses nigh to zero battery to display a static image , and only gets clearer outdoors .
You have to apply a particular “ always on ” mood in the Forerunner 265S to keep the clock expose all day , and this more than halves the assault and battery life . However , we ’d suggest using this always - on modal value as it have the Forerunner a much better watch — as in something to read the clip off , rather than to track your footrace . That matters too , good ?
Garmin Forerunner 265: Features
The Garmin Forerunner 265 is a fairly hardcore fittingness watch . All less " geeky " Garmins you might compare it to have GPS , stacks of fitness modes , sleep tracking and access to the Connect IQ app store , just like the 265 .
But what separates the Forerunner 265 from the slightly cheaper , slightly slicker - look Venu 2 ? Features like Training Status , Training Readiness and Performance Condition . These make the 265 feel like a real jock ’s sentry . It can tell you how quick it intend you are to train each day , indicate whether you are on lead to make fitness progress or not , and assess each exercising execution compared to your baseline .
For runner and cyclists it can also suggest workouts each day . All of this might sound a turn intense if you ’re new to sport watch , but some of it can really aid — advise physical exercise are based around your physical fitness level and how wear - out Garmin thinks you are , for example . You do n’t need to have any musical theme of what you ’re doing , and we find Garmin ’s suggestions are usually on stage .
We also love how lots of Garmin ’s exercise modes feel that moment rich than much of the competition — particularly folks who shoot a line about having “ 100 + ” modes . Take Strength for model . This weight - lifting mode has a rep buffet , and lets you specify the number of reps per jell so it can mechanically count sets , if you want it to . Some modal value like this do little more than measure your kernel charge per unit and prison term spent , and have a guess at calories burn . Garmin ’s Strength mode is far less generic .
The Forerunner 265S does miss a few features from upper - grade Garmin watches like the Forerunner 965 and Fenix 7 , though . Maps is the biggie . While , for deterrent example , the Hiking mode will show you a “ breadcrumb ” track of where you have been , flagship Garmins let you stash away state ’ and continents ’ Charles Frederick Worth of topographical map data on the watch itself .
You also mislay “ real clip stamina ” , which displays how much Garmin thinks you have left in the tank , in workout summaries . There ’s no golf game manner either . Get a unlike Garmin if you play , as the company ’s golf game - specific feature are neat .
The Forerunner 265S also lack the extra smarts of theVenu 2 Plus . It ca n’t hook up to smart assistants , does n’t have a microphone or full verbalizer , just a beeper . As ever , the Forerunner series is exercise and sport - focused .
It does have music keep bake - in though , and you get 8 GB to load up with tunes and podcasts , through Spotify , Deezer , Amazon Music or your own single file .
Garmin Forerunner 265: Performance
The Forerunner 265 has internal hardware we ’ve seen in loads of other Garmin determine before . Its spunk rate sensor uses two LED blocks and four beleaguer light sensors . You ’ll find the same transcription in Garmin ’s priciest watch at the second .
As is seen in most Garmins of the last 12 calendar month , heart pace truth is very good . We ’re at the stage where the extra reliableness of a chest shoulder strap does n’t have all that much impact in most situation . You just have to ensure the shoulder strap is on tight enough , and that any long - sleeved clothes do n’t start working their way under the sensors .
GPS performance is great too . The Forerunner 265 has Multi - Band GPS , like theApple Watch UltraandFenix 7 serial . We specify the watch to use its Auto Select musical mode , though , in rules of order to get the most naturalistic bombardment results . This will tack to Multi Band mode only when necessary , as it uses more power .
It ’s quick to connect and has n’t lost sign once during testing . And while mapped routes look less quiet than those of anApple Watch , that ’s just Garmin ’s style . As far as we can recite , there ’s no accuracy benefit to spending more in Garmin ’s line - up after this stage .
And , as usual , Garmin ’s sleep trailing is nicely presented but has missed out on a few wakeful moments during testing . you could see your sleep score , length and the presentation of sleep stages in the Morning Report . This is arelativelyrecent feature that show you things like your suggest workout and grooming readiness — a undercoat for the day ahead .
Garmin says the Forerunner 265S can last up to 15 days between charges , or as short as six time of day if you utilise the most battery - draining GPS mode and swarm medicine to wireless headphones .
We have used the watch in the mode we intend most multitude should , with the “ always on ” display mode switched on . Like this , the Forerunner 265S endure five days , including two roughly hour - long GPS tag runs .
While that ’s nowhere near the 15 days quote when leaving the screen off most of the time , it ’s long enough to make it feel like you are buck the watch some once a hebdomad . Not bad . amazingly , the battery figures are slightly eminent for this smaller vigil than the Forerunner 265 , rated at 13 days . The smaller Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 barrage living is much big than the larger good example , and it ’s great to that has n’t materialise here .
However , this is the key reason some might want to stick with the non - OLED Forerunner 255 . It lasts around double as long as the 265 in its Always - on mood .
Garmin Forerunner 265: Should I buy the Forerunner 265?
The Garmin Forerunner 265 is perfect for folks who like the thought of a Garmin Epix 2 but find its toll way too high . On - scout maps is the only tentpole feature you leave out out on , aside from the higher - end figure of the company ’s priciest lookout man . The price of the Forerunner 265 may seem a lot to pay for a largely pliant vigil , and it is , but it ’s not uncommon for Garmin devices .
It ’s time to have a talking with yourself . Do you really need full function on a watch ? While we think it is one of the neatest Garmin view features of all , we ca n’t say we on a regular basis use it in our daily practice .
Garmin has also sweep through the element we were most implicated about . The Forerunner 265 offers OLED gloss without ruining the barrage sprightliness , even in the minuscule Forerunner 265S. With evenhandedly heavy use it still lasts almost a week .
If this does n’t conform to within the Garmin stemma - up , you have three other clear options for similar money or less . The Venu 2 is comfortably - look but loses some of the more enthusiast - geared fitness metric . The Forerunner 255 is much like the Forerunner 265 , but has a transflective non - touch CRT screen rather than an OLED one .
Spend a routine more and you may grease one’s palms the Forerunner 965 , which lend full on - watch maps and a few other package features . From other brands the Polar Grit X is one of the strongest contenders . It has a metal bezel , and cost less , but apply a transflective concealment and we opt Garmin ’s software to Polar ’s .
