Garmin - Forerunner 165

I had a samsung galaxy watch and my bestie had an apple watch. We both switched to garmin. I have the forerunner 165, and she has the vivoactive. One of best features of the garmin watches is battery life - one charge lasts about a week with daily workout tracking

Forerunner 55 for the absolute basics. Forerunner 165 is the cheapest with a AMOLED screen. Forerunner 255, 265, 955 and 965 are just discontinued. In my opinion 955 is the most value for money as it includes mapping. 965 is the same watch as the 955, but with an AMOLED screen. If you don’t need mapping, then go for the 265. It is the same as the 965, but without maps. So if you can find a 955 that would be your best bet in my opinion. Forerunner 570 and 970 introduce unnecessary features, such as microphone & speaker, sapphire glass, shiny metal bezels all of which add nothing to running but do increase the price.

So if you are mostly doing gym and park workouts a Forerunner 165/265, a Suunto Run or a Coros Pace 3 would likely fit your needs. Suunto automatically calculates your speed vs other times on the same route to see if you are faster or slower much like Strava premium except that it’s free. The Pace 3 and Suunto Run will let you put MP3s on them if you like to listen to music. For Garmins you would have to make sure you have a music model to do that and Garmin has Spotify. The Pace 3 and Suunto Run are really light at about 30g and 36g and the Forerunner 165 is 39g. The watches are about Forerunner is 43mm while the pace 3 is 41.9 while the Suunto Run is technically 46mm but looks the same as the Race S which is 45mm (but weighs a lot more at 60g and 53g depending on model).

Talong talo naman sa battery na daily kailangan mo icharge haha. We can't have nice things talaga. Yun lang naging factor ko kaya I went with FR165

No, the 165 Music versus not is just price point budget options thing. Forerunner 265 and 965 have the music functionality of downloading directly to the watch from YT Music. If you just want good basic run and training tracking I would do the 165 music, if you want more training support and data collection and management, I would go for the 264. Either way a focus on running I would only select between these 2 watches.

I was also going to recommend the 165, but there isn’t an S version. In the relative specs its a 43mm 165 versus 41.7mm on the 265.

I would personally always take a Forerunner over the Venu series, as I am pretty serious about my fitness. I don't really care much about smart watch features, just need a bare minimum. And the venu series seems to take tradeoffs with fitness features to accommodate the increase in smart features.

Running is just what the Forerunner targets to be the best choice for. It is a lighter watch, with all the GPS accuracy you can get. It doesn't focus on Golf or diving or being "rugged". So yes, a Forerunner would still be a great option for your situation, and it will just be a plus if you ever decide to run.

Let me start by saying I have spent way too many hours researching the best smart watch for my needs. All the different options and features are overwhelming. So my hope is I can save you some time and stress if your needs are similar. I am starting to count calories and workout again with a mix of strength training, pilates, walks and running. I wanted something that could track my calories burned, step tracker, heart rate monitor and obviously simply tell time without being too big on my wrist. Also receiving reminder notifications from my phone and messages were important too. I've gotten many cheap fitness watches over the years that never lasted long so it was time to spend some more money on one. I have an android, so at first I went with the galaxy classic 6 43mm in silver. The rotating bezel was awesome and the watch had everything I needed and more, but as a female the size was way too big on my wrist and the silver color made me look like a spy kid. The bezel made it look chunky. I returned it and researched Garmin instead. Vivoactive 5 I considered but many reviews said it was not worth it. Has too big a watch face for me anyway. The forerunner 165 is great if you care about detailed running metrics at a lower cost. I ran a half marathon for a college elective and only really learned about many of the metrics from that class. So if you're big into running, I'd definitely recommend this one. Still a bit too big for my wrist though. The venu 3s I also highly considered and is a popular choice amoung smart watch users. Has all the features you need, but still was too big for me at size 41mm. This one is on the pricier side but has more features and a longer battery life. It's great for an all around fitness and lifestyle watch. If you have the money and don't care about the size as much, I recommend this one and almost got it myself. I finally landed on the lily 2 active. The smallest Garmin watch I could find at 38mm. 2 side buttons, and it had all the features I was looking for as mentioned above but could see myself using more features as time went on. I really didn't feel I needed anything too complicated. The screen is in black and white vs color, but as a previous review had said, if I want color I can just look at my smartphone. I decided to buy the lily 2 active and am so happy I did. It's the perfect small size for me and looks sleek. Even has sleep score and body battery functions, which will get more accurate as time goes on. The silver color does NOT make me look like a spy kid. The lines on the screen took a little time to get used to, but are not a big deal to me. I love that I can choose what notifications I want to receive on my watch on ALL my phone apps. If you want to see the feature comparisons in detail side by side you can search "Garmin product comparison" in your browser which I found helpful. If you have any questions I'd love to help if I can!

If you're using an iphone, under 15k you can get an Apple Watch SE. But assuming you aren't, Huawei Watch Fit 3/Watch GT 5, Garmin Forerunner 165 (Lazada/Shopee sale), Samsung Galaxy Watch (even as old as the watch 4, I see it at 5k sometimes) I would suggest Garmin Forerunner 165 if you can find it at 15k. You'll appreciate the battery life and UI/data readily available from Garmin. Huawei is also okay, has a better battery life over Apple watch/galaxy watch. I'd only suggest Galaxy Watch if your phone is Samsung, otherwise Huawei is better to get.

I had the 165 for over a year (now fenix 8) and I would choose the Suunto in your case. Its gives more data. I found the 165 a great watch for the price but it was missing a lot of training/recovery metrics. It doesn’t have as many sport profiles as the Suunto and the interface was a bit laggy. Garmin has a good GPS accuracy regardless of not having the dual band chip. I also like the sleep core that garmin provides and I feel it reflects the experience well. (My brother has race s and sleep score is always 80ish)

I just upgraded from a forerunner 55 to a forerunner 970 (bday present to myself). I’ve had an Apple Watch. My opinion is if you want barebones and dont mind running with your phone if you need music, a forerunner 55 is good enough. If you want good enough + music, forerunner 165 Music. There are a number of good comparisons online. I got a 970 because I wanted a fancy one. I love it but it does provide some redundant metrics to whoop that dampen the impact whoop has for me

Big feature on the FR165 is a barometric altimeter, which they removed from the VA5. This will aid in stair counting and elevation changes when running. The other two features I preferred on the FR165 were the 5 button layout and the extra running metrics. As a runner, FR165 for sure, and if an advanced runner, I’d look to see if you can get a 265 on sale this holiday season

I had an older generation Vivoactive and purchased the 165 music when it came out. The running features and metrics are worth it alone, but I also like the physical buttons. I looked at the 265 and 965 as well but the advanced metrics and better heart rate sensor wasn’t worth it for my needs, and I use a heart rate strap anyways.

Garmin all the way. The FR 165 would be a great starting point.

The 165's GPS is fine. Sure, more expensive models will perform slightly better in challenging situations (e.g. when surrounded by tall buildings), but does that make any practical difference to you or is it just a matter of having the best? I mean, my daughter does marathon training with an FR55 and doesn't feel that the GPS limits her. I'd say a better question is probably whether any of the more advanced training features of the higher-end watches matter to you, or whether you have a use for built-in maps, that sort of thing. I'd compare the models, see what extra features you get as you go higher up the range, then ask yourself how important those are to you? Garmin's website allows you to compare different watches' features in detail. 

Yes, the point is that the tests he normally performs are heart rate, sleep and GPS tests. The issue is that this data goes through X algorithms that will “interpret” it differently. For example, according to their videos, the Huawei watches have excellent sensor accuracy, on the other hand, the interpretation they make of data for sleep, for example, is very bad... even though there is an inaccuracy in Garmin watches for heartbeats, the Garmin algorithm is very good at estimating, for example, calories, number of steps, recovery, etc. and so on... now whether it's worth it, depends, I think that for the cost (at least in Brazil, where I live) it's not worth it, for example, the 165 costs practically 2 times more than any Huawei or Amazfit watch (some top of the line model from these manufacturers), and they don't deliver that much more... if it's for a 265 the cost is already 3 times.... So for the cost it doesn’t end up being worth it…

Id get the Forerunner 165. Amazing display right now $224 - that's such a great deal for a powerful watch. Pay no mind to the fact that the word 'runner' is in there. All of their watches are probably 75% similar features. It would be perfect for tracking sleep, every day activity, and specific activities like cycling or walking. The only draw back of the forerunner series is they are slightly more vulnerable to damage if you are very hard on your stuff / watches. I love the Fenix lineup bit honestly they are very bulky due to the extra protection. The Forerunner series are sleeker.

The 265 has training status, training load, lactate threshold tests, and a slightly more accurate GPS. It also comes in two screen sizes. If you aren't super excited about any of those things, the 165 will be fine.

I've been an Apple Watch user for more than 7 years. Currently have Ultra 2. But I just got a Garmin Forerunner and love it. It's a refreshing change with superior data for me. On a practical note, I can use Spotify in the Garmin and it hasn't glitched on me once. Apple Watch is a disaster with playing music at the same time as running and this has held true for years over several different watches, watchOS versions and headphones. I like to row and the Garmin counts the strokes per minute whereas the Apple watch gives you no data. The built in training plans on Garmin are much better than having to pay for a subscription to Runna or Fitness+. The recovery insights through the day are better for me than Apple and don't require a third party app. The Find my iPhone equivalent feature on Garmin works better for me. Good luck with your AW but I'm enjoying the Garmin experience and I say that as a diehard Apple user.

I bought and returned a 165 (realizing I LOVED the Garmin system, coming from an Apple Watch) and got the 570 for the coaching, recovery and additional training metrics... But, before I jumped to the 570 I strongly considered the 265 Music. Music on the Garmin has been better for me than using my iPhone (using the Garmin Spotify app).

This!!! I bought a 165 and refunded it because the lack of powermeter. If you train with zwift, your VO2 max will never change because you cant connect to your smart trainer!

Just bought forerunner 165 and it’s pretty damn good

I have a FR165 and I love it, use if for running and some basic wellbeing monitoring zich as sleep, etc. So definately go for one of the basic FR-models

Went from AW SE to Forerunner 165 last month and very happy about it. Couldn’t stand the 12 hour battery anymore and never really understood the need for the smart functionalities (personally). I really only want to use it for time and health metrics

Yeah, if it’s just running the 165 will suffice. A lot of metrics you don’t need.

Got a 165 as well! No complaints! There are features that drain the battery but if you shut them off, works really well. If you are entry level and not going for triathlete, 165 is great! Otherwise you might want step up to the 265

It does… HRV, Pulse Ox, Pulse Ox Acclimation, Fitness Age, Race predictor, Vo2 - a bunch of stuff I can’t keep up with The only criticism I have is that it’s mainly just for running. I lift and do strength training (it has that feature to, but it isn’t that accurate). I can live with it, but if that’s a dealbreaker then maybe the 265?

Go na with [Garmin FR 165](https://s.shopee.ph/9ACzhzCAAW) hindi mo ito pagsisisihan.

If your main focus isn’t running I would stick with AW. The garmin is really a running watch but if you’re dying to switch I would get the lower models because no matter how much you spend they are pretty basic watches. They only give you data, notifications and music for some. I’ve had a few garmins but I settled with the 165 it’s has just the right amount of features but its entry level. Trust me the much expensive models don’t do much more just more data and information that you’ll probably never use.

I have the 165 it’s for what your trying to do. Just set up one of the coaching plans or if you know a coach in person they can send the workouts through the garmin app. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money consider the forerunner 55 it’s like $169

Just go for the 165

I love my FR165. If you're not training for a triathlon, it is definitely a good option. Some of the other garmin models have features I probably won't utilize right now. If you're able to get it during a sale, definitely jump on it

I love my FR 165. For the price and features available, it's a great watch. Knowing what you want vs. need in your garmin is very important. This watch is a very good compromise.

If running and biking are her primary activities, then it's a good option. If she's a swimmer, then you might want to look into other models

It really depends on what type of swimming you're doing. If it's just a couple of laps in a pool, it might be okay. If you want to train for a triathlon, then the 165 might not be worthwhile. Just my opinion.

My Garmin 165 has been working without any real problems to track my OTF workouts, runs, and bike rides. Figure out what you really need vs. want in the watch. There are many features in the more expensive watches you might never use or need. For instance, if you're not training for a triathlon, do you need those metrics.

Think about your desired features and uses (future proof a little, maybe) and check the DC Rainakers comparison chart [https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator](https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator) For Garmin (I love my Forerunner 265) the FR series is intended for runners. The 165 should be nice.

Thank you for your opinion! I don’t really want to spend the extra $100 for the 265, but I do run around some of the US’s biggest skyscrapers all the time, and the recovery settings sound kinda cool.

Thank you for the info. Just ordered one! I’m ok with the slightly-worse GPS. I do run around skyscrapers a lot, but I don’t really care if it’s 5% off for a $100 price difference.

Thanks! Ended up getting the 165 music.

I don’t regret getting it because I didn’t really need the features of the 265 (multiport/triathlon). It does pretty much everything that the 265 does but cheaper.

I switched from a Fitbit to a forerunner years ago and was immediately hooked on team garmin! I love the accuracy, stats and better connectivity. I recently upgraded from the forerunner 55 to 165 and there are some added features that are pretty cool. I would say the switch from 55 to 165 was a lot less noticeable than the switch from Fitbit to garmin. The only feature I feel like Fitbit did better than garmin is the sleep tracking sometimes.

Good review! Cant fault mine at all. [The Consumer report](https://theconsumerreport.net/garmin-forerunner-165-review-amoled-running-smartwatch/) said it best in their review. it sticks to the essentials without pretending to be a pocket-sized smartphone. Granted you know what your looking for its not a shabby choice by any means.

Compared to the 265, you'll miss out on the animated weight lifting, bike stuff (power meters, etc), and multi sport mode. So if you aren't going to do a triathlon, the 165 is pretty great. Also the animated weights are neat but ONLY useful if you pick a weights plan by Garmin or spend the time programming the routine in connect.

For biking I'd suggest a 265 instead, just cause the 265 supports power meters and multi sport while the 165 doesn't. Otherwise the 165 is pretty great.

[Review of 55](https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2021/06/garmin-forerunner-55-depth-review.html) [Review of 165](https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2024/02/garmin-forerunner-165-depth-review.html) As well as the OLED display, the 165 has a touchscreen. It would be my preferred choice of the two

Even a Garmin Forerunner 165 has up to 19 hrs of GPS battery life, more expensive models will last longer https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/1055469

You are describing exactly what I do every week. I got a watch yesterday. I didn’t really mind the watch for weight lifting except tracking my heart rate. I picked the Garmin Forerunner 165 with music. It’s not too bulky (I even would have preferred a bit bulkier). The watch captures a lot of data and I’m very satisfied so far. From what you described, I believe the 165 might be perfect for you too.

I’m still struggling with the size. I sleep on my arm and I never noticed the AW, but with the Garmin it’s uncomfortable (and I’m saying this with the “thin” Forerunner 165)

Well ano bang stats gusto mo? Kung heart rate lang throughout the workout, may mga watch na 2-4k na enough. Kung gusto mong may pace, gps, intervals tapos makakarecord ng volume, sets, reps during strength training ayern mas mahal yung ganun. I currently have the Garmin FR 165 You can dm me for the comprehensive review I made before

I was having the same challenge when shopping for my wife's birthday. She got the 165 because it came in pink/purple. Nothing else really mattered to her. I would choose the 165 over the 265"S," becuase it has a better screen. Go try them on at the store and see which one you like best. I would say the one feature I miss on the 165 is the red shift at bedtime feature so its not super bright when I look at it when I'm in bed. My 965 has it and its the only thing I really would miss with the 165 over the 265. Otherwise, just pick the one you like best.

On the 165? How?

965 is the best watch garmin makes, its the same screen, internals, etc as the new Fenix 8. 265 is a slightly smaller screen that does just about everything that 965 does but lacks the on screen maps. 265s has an even smaller screen, and even the 165 has a better screen than the S model. All the garmin watches last well over a week between charges and the idea that you have to charge an apple/samsung watch daily is just idiotic. Get what makes you happy.

The forerunner is the same internals and same 1.4" OLED screen as all the other high end garmin watches. The heart sensor is elevate 4 instead of elevate 5. Otherwise its the same watch with different styling. You can put whatever watch face on the watch you prefer. You want it to look like any other watch, just use that watch face. Just don't get the extremely outdated MIP screen that the zealots keep pretending is a good choice even though it doesn't save any battery anymore and is only offered on the obsolete watches. Some people can't afford the new OLED screens so they want to say they are inferior, when they are just poor and can't afford current tech that is obviously better. It really comes down to the styling of the watch case, if you want it to be super oversized 51mm or normally only slightly oversized 47mm or you want the colored accents or the flashlight or whatever. Its a personal styling decision at this point, get what makes you happy.

For weights none of them are great, you should not spend more money expecting better results. If you think you might get a little more serious about running in the future, get the FR165 (or even the 255/265 if you find a good deal). If not, Vivoactive is a good choice.

Edit: why not change the battery of your AW7? Shouldn’t be too expensive normally, and that may help you run the 15k distance without running out of battery. It should still be supported for a few years, so it won’t be obsolete immediately. The FR55,165 and 255 won’t receive any updates anymore, except maybe a bug fix, but don’t expect new features like Apple may still add to WatchOS. I won’t recommend you to get the FR55, it’s just too old and expensive for what it is. Try to look for a 165 or 255, they are more recent and/or have some extra features and better gps (255). https://www.reddit.com/r/Garmin/s/PoeYUQKgTm And between Garmin and Amazfit, ask yourself if you want a no nonsense running watch or a watch with lots of gadgets and features, which may not all work well or be useful? They’re just 2 different types of watches. Personally I’m still using my FR245 that I got in December 2021, and it’s still working great. I’d love to upgrade, but the most recent version of it, the 570, is just soooooooo overpriced. And I secretly also prefer MiP instead of OLED. 😀

Full battery on race day. 165 can hold more than 4 hours with GPS and music on.

Me and my friend run near a mountain with many high trees; my friend has 965, and mine is 165. We have almost the same GPS tracks when we compare them. It may be a generation behind, but it is still accurate.

I also have the same use case as you and I’m happy with my forerunner 165. If your budget permits, go for forerunner 265, you will not regret.

Forerunner 165 would likely fit the bill. It can alert you to call, texts, etc, but you can't really respond. Also, you can modify settings to not notify you. If you are wanting rowing specific info, that might be tricky. If you just want to track heart rate training zones and workout times, it would work just fine. Basically stick to the lower end of the spectrum. Instinct could also work too, if you are OK w/ the G- Shock style.

This was watch tracks swimming but fyi it doesn't have a dedicated triathlon mode for your race. You'll have to log each event separately during the race.

absolutely keep using your apple watch, i have to say i got tired of the battery life and couldn’t take it on longer distance swims as it just would run out of battery. I upgraded to a garmin FR 165 as i OW + pool swim, cycle and occasionally run a 5k - i absolutely adore it and think its so much better than my apple watch. Had i of slightly further looked into i probably would have gone for a different model of the FRs, just because you can’t use a chest strap when swimming but if that’s not your bag then the 165 is not as expensive and just a really good watch. I charge it maybe every 7-10 days depending on how many activities i’ve done in that week! Edited to say that maybe the garmin swim2 would work best for you as you said you just want to swim with it

Garmin FR 165, perfect for basic swimming and drills, also does OWS , gym and running along with a load of other things! pretty in love with it to be honest. Not as expensive as other models and the garmin stats are incredibly useful

yup I'm with you on this. it's clearly an entry level running-focused watch and it does all the basics really well for its price point. the GPS accuracy is good enough and anyone who's into data analytics enough knows that HR and sleep measured from your wrist is clearly far from ideal, even if you're using a really expensive watch. Rep counting isn't a major selling point for most people getting a running watch either lol I agree, 7-8/10 is what I'd give it too! :)

Bought the 165 and kinda wish I had went for the 265. Didn’t know at the time but I would like the multi sport option/triathlon training. I got to really enjoy running but have since gotten into mixed Hyrox style training as well. So mixing in Hyrox movements with a fair amount of running. I’d like to track that better and can’t with the 165. If I didn’t mix workout activities I’d be fine with the 165.

I "upgraded" from a 745 to a 165 and don't regret it at all. While I lost a couple features it was never anything that I really used or care about. The only thing about the 165 is that you need to make sure you buy the music version not the standard version

I bought garmin forerunner 165, im happy with my purchase, feels like the build quality is good and step counter is accuratre (but my steps gets miscounted lesser if i work by my hands on standing table while using wlaking pad) other than these its good

I don't know what you are guys doing, but I am doing gym 3x per week and I run 80-100km per week and there is no way that I can go without charging twice a week my Forerunner 165. Also my good friend is thriathlete and he has Fenix 7 and he says he is also charging his watch non-stop. Idk, I guess I am hard user or something. Can't imagine going 12 days without charging watch.

Garmin Forerunner 165 music. It has everything I need for my runs

What do you want from your watch? What kind of runner are you? Are you training for a marathon or just running a few miles each day? I have a 165 and used it to train for a marathon and it met every one of my needs. Sure it doesn't have training status or training readiness, but guess what? Those are just made up numbers, listen to your body instead.

Not everyone needs, nor cares about those missing features. If you're a casual runner then the 165 is perfect. Oh no, it didn't tell me my run was "unproductive" today, what will I do.

I bought the 165 at first. Unfortunately I haver very small wrists which meant the watch moved around and due to how the hr sensor is located it got cadence lock every time. So I returned it and got the 265s, which is smaller and due to a flatter design just works better for my wrist. In addition as it was an olde remodel I managed to get it 20% off (and that was 1.5 yrs ago, so you definetly can get it cheaper now) so the price difference was small. Honestly it ha s a lot of extras like much better gps, better battery life by a long shot and all have music. I love it and it still feels brand new!!!

FWIW I'm primarily a cyclist (though I did get back into running since buying my Garmin watch), and I really love my forerunner 165 music. It's not the bottom of the line, but it's definitely not their top offering. The forerunner is only $250. Maybe you've already got a cycling computer, but if not it's super handy being able to track rides on your watch with the click of a button. Like that it includes heart rate info too.

The 165 will check all the boxes. If you like the price but would like something capable of tracking even more sports (myltiaport especially) then the Suunto Run would be a great choice.

The V6 contains up to 8 data fields during activity. I prefer 165 but this information could be useful.

165 has more buttons so it's easier to use while running without using the touchscreen. 165 will have daily suggested workouts for running (Vivoactive only suggests walking workouts for some reason) 165 has a Barometer so can measure elevation changes on-device during your activity, and count how many 'floors' you've gone up in a day (if you care about such things). Vivoactive will backfill elevation data once the activity is completed through Garmin Connect. 165 has training status/acute load (I think) to show what effect your recent workouts are having on your fitness. And they look different. Other than that, largely similar capability in terms of GPS and HR accuracy.

Well that's just ridiculous 😅 it tracks your VO2 max but hides the thing (training status) that indicates if you're doing the right levels of exercise to improve it?

Garmin is absolutely the right fit. Garmin Connect exports to Strava automatically. If you're just getting into running maybe the Forerunner 255 if you don't mind not having touchscreen, or 165 if touch screen is a must have, as they'll have 'Suggested workouts' for running and no features you don't need. If you don't mind not having your watch suggest running workouts to you and want a touchscreen then Vivoactive 5 is another suggestion. I'm sure someone will be along in a second to tell you to go wild and splash out on a 265 or a 970 or something like that, but if you're just starting it's complete overkill price and feature wise.

I just got this and can vouch it’s a great starter watch. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend the money on the 265 so this was a great place to start

Recently got the Forerunner 165 and have been loving it for many different reasons but I actually really like the strength training workouts. I used an Apple Watch and the strong app for years and I already like how garmin does it better. Is it as nice looking as strong? No but it works great IMO and has pretty much all of the features of strong that I need. Hope this helps!

I use the Garmin forerunner 165 and honestly don't see the need to get anything fancier. Really all you need is something that reliably tracks HR and distance accurately. Even for stuff like sleep tracking the reliability and validity of the forerunner isn't too shabby. At least this is the case if you aren't doing too much training anywhere too remote (e.g. in the mountains), in which case you might be better off with watches that can handle that better.

I recently bought the Garmin Forerunner 165 which is amazing. It tracks everything from Yoga to running/swimming all everything in-between. You can then sync to Strava using the garmin connect app. The 165 has a lot of features but is still classed as within their budget range. Not sure where you are but I paid £200 for mine.

As a new runner, been on the fence about the watch to pick up, this FR 165 looked pretty good for the use I want to give it but 279€ seemed a bit out of the budget I was going with, still, I was considering it. This morning made a quick search on the online stores I have in Portugal and one popped out instantly. Every single one of them had them for 270-280€, which is on par with what Garmin itself is offering on their website, but there was one at 199€, almost a -30% promo. Instantly pulled the trigger. Value is too good to pass on. Can't wait to put my hands on it and take it for a run.

Absolutely! It's everything I expected and more. Easy to use, extremely light on the wrist and the screen is pretty good. No complains. Pretty happy with it. I'm finishing a C25K program, currently on week 6, and after will test one of Garmin's half marathon plans.

For proper health statistics, check the Venu 3 which comes with the latest, more accurate HR sensor, the Elevate 5. FR265 /165 both have the older Elevate 4, more focused on sporting/training. Or wait for the Venu 4 to be released, probably later this month.

You can set the color to red after sundown

Yeah. Somewhere in the display settings. I just sold my 165 so I can’t look. Sorry.

Now that you say that, I only remember seeing the option in the later months of using it.

Garmin Forerunner. Borrowed my first one explicitly for Couch to 5k. I think pretty much all of them will work but I think the 255 is probably peak value at the moment. My current model is the 165 but it's crippled. The ones ending in 65 are close to the same as the ones ending in 55 but have a nicer and also more expensive screen. The ones starting in 9 add maps and some advanced training features for cyclists and triathletes and are more expensive.

Lots of options. Check out the Venu series, Vivofit, and Vivoactive. IMO the value-added aspects of the Forerunner are around running and other aerobic endurance sports. Are those relevant to you?

I have a 165. It's annoyingly nerfed, particularly for cycling, more so if you use a power meter. So 255 or 265, depending on what the AMOLED screen is worth to you. It's pretty but imo not a functional improvement.

Do you have a power meter or smart trainer? 265 vs 965 to my eye is mostly about maps and auto detection of FTP. Auto detection of FTP is pretty cool if you have the other gadgetry to support it, and not so relevant otherwise. The 265 has really good cycling support other than that. My 165 is kind of disappointing but that's somewhat mitigated by also using an Edge.

I had a 610 years ago and a 700-series a different time. Might be getting it backwards. I think there's always been a 900-series? The intermediate models tend to wander, though I think they've usually had a 200-series as well. I had a 230 for a while and I know there was a 245, 255 and 265, so it was a reasonable assumption that there'd be a 270. DC Rainmaker kind of hated the 165 and 265. Like his reviews really read like he thought we should get Instincts instead. He's also been talking about how Garmin is maybe trying to rationalize their line. So maybe now it's Lifestyle watches -> Instinct -> FR 570 -> FR 970 -> Fenix -> higher-end Fenix variants. I dunno... I was really waiting for this because I wanted to at least wait a generation before replacing my 165. But the price hike in the 970 is kind of a shock. Maybe I'll do a 965 in a bit, now that there's something to make it last year's model. Now that I have AMOLED I don't really want to go back, especially if part of my deal is wanting maps.

Forerunner can be a great alternative to Fenix if you're price conscious. Or just last generation Fenix. Do you care about maps?

I have a 165. It's just ok. It's definitely Better At Everything than the 230 I had before. But it's also heavily nerfed vs. the 265, or even the 245. If you do a 200-series watch, the 'S' versions are smaller and available with more fem-coded colors. I'm not that familiar with Runna. Garmin has a fairly strong point of view about who they think their user is. I'm not that user. You may or may not be. I run once a week and ride my bike twice. I settled on that probably a few years ago now. I sometimes do more but that's what I find sustainable. Most of my rides and runs, I don't care about that much. I just want to keep maintaining my fitness. ("Build" is a bit optimistic for this frequency and given my previous fitness peaks.) So the memes surround a few things. Sleep tracking on watches, including Apple, is kind of a shitshow. Garmin ties sleep tracking to some other metrics. If you don't wear your watch to sleep, no problem! Also it'll give your wrist a break. Training Status actually works kind of well, I think. Don't get too spun up about the specific number it comes up with for VO2max, but it probably does correlate well. Daily Suggested Workouts work well for someone with a stable running practice, which I think is both of us, and with a correct max heart rate entered in the watch. If you want to use Daily Suggested Workouts, keep running normally or following your Runna workouts for the first two weeks or so when you get the watch. If you don't know your max. heart rate, you're probably fit enough to do a field test. I found auto detection over reported mine, and made the workouts too hard. If you run 3X/week or less now, don't uncritically start doing all the Daily Suggested Workouts. Keep it to 3X/week until you think you're ready to add more, if you even want to. They actually work fine on lower frequencies. Garmin Coach wasn't super usable for me. The resistance training module was a total bust for me. I usually don't wear my watch outside of running, so I'm not sure about the smartwatch stuff. Also I think for those of us who actually run and do more ambitious activities, step tracking and stair counting are a bit silly, though we can probably all benefit from getting off our asses on non-run days.

Forerunner does that stuff too. In general, higher-end Garmins add, they don't take away. Are you serious about any of your sports? Like planning seasons, building for events, that kind of thing?

Changed my mind... I think without an explicit indoor rowing activity profile and VO2max, the extra analysis stuff on the Forerunner won't really work. Not sure if any of the watches have that. I know there are some accepted equations to estimate that stuff, though I think you'd also need a reasonably accurate power meter on your rowing machine. So yeah, Venu or whatever is fine.

255S. The 165 is nerfed: no training load or distribution analysis, which I actually think is pretty cool. And way fewer activity profiles, which is hit or miss at to whether it matters. The training load thing is particularly helpful when you're mixing sports, like running and cycling.

My opinion, go with the Forerunner. Check out all the chatter from people moving on from their Apple Watches - I get that some of the newer ones have much better support for running but you say you have an older one. And you're not going to want to carry your phone either. How much running have you done up to now?

I'm kind of confused by your post. Do you run and do triathlon? Are you training for Half Marathons and Ironmans? There's another comment here to this effect but for me, Garmin's watches are really good run computers and can be a bike computer replacement if you don't need mapping and they're honestly just-ok at other things. If you like smartwatches generally and your expectations have been set by the Apple Watch, you may be disappointed. So basically whether you like Garmin or not comes down to whether you are actually training in endurance sports and using the training and analysis features. There are a decent number of people who are interested in endurance sports and also like smartwatches who accept Garmin for being good at endurance sports even if they're not that happy with them as smartwatches. It's honestly a little hard for me to judge. I generally avoid Apple products and don't really like smartwatches. So if my Garmin is good at helping me make the most of the time I spend running, I'm satisfied. For that, I think the 255 is a kickass value and kinda wish I got that instead of the 165. (Which is arguably better at being a smartwatch.)

I have the 165 music…It does everything you list except for control Strava/nike run club (or maybe it does and I just don’t use that…I use Runna and the workouts automatically sync to the watch and Garmin guides me through my workouts).

Gone from fenix 6 to 165 for lower weight, now Race S titanium and it feels so much nicer to the point I forget I'm wearing it. App wise Garmin has too much and Sunnto has too little for me. Only one watch face installed, but more can be downloaded but its limited No gear tracking Not real challenges or proper badges, good motivation for me Sunnto has so many activities to use where as my 165 was vastly limited for no good reason other than to get me to buy a more expensive watch. Love the "chores" activitie and makes more put more effort into stuff like gardening I will stick with Sunnto as I love the actual watch and the app does cover the essentials, also nice to give a big "F You!" to garmin for the paywall crap and overpricing!

Having used both, the 255 is the better watch, and the only time I'd go for the 165 is if you really must have the AMOLED screen and don't care about anything else. The 255 has dual band GPS (more accurate) and a bunch of other fun stuff. Here's a comparison: [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/compare/?compareProduct=780139&compareProduct=1055469](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/compare/?compareProduct=780139&compareProduct=1055469)

Yes, it's almost certainly overkill. I just have the FR165 and it does more than I really need ! But two years in and I might make a different choice now.

Forerunner 165 is a great watch for the money. At around 200 USD, it's a bargain.

I went from FitBit to VivoActive music (3 and 4, I believe), and now have a 165. I prefer the 165. It seems more runner-friendly, but still easily tracks other activities.

You can get a Garmin Edge 530 for around that - few models old, but same as I use. Or if you prefer a watch (might want heart rate data?), then Garmin Forerunner 55/255/165. Let me know if you need more info on them, know the watch range pretty well these days.

165 has AMOLED too. 265 has training readiness and training status. I personally prefer to listen to my body rather than relying on an algorithm. A gimmick imo. 265 has triathlon mode which is nice. Also some extra sports like skiing. Personally, the extra sports the 265 has I like to enjoy without having them to be tracked. Like skiing. 265 has multi band GPS but according to a lot of reviews this barely matters unless you’re in Manhattan or very dense forests. 265 is also 46mm and the 165 42mm. For me 46mm is way too big, but you could also get the 265S. Forerunner 165: €229 (about $230) Forerunner 265: €429 (about $450) So personally I would be paying almost double for triathlon mode, which I don’t use.

I have the forerunner 165 and it’s does a perfectly fine job. Misses kickboards and sometimes 25 yds but whatever

I have the FR165 and it has OW! The lap swimming usually drops a 25 or two, which is annoying, but manageable because I also manually track what I do Also a little silicone pop-it (about 9 bubbles) to help me track repetitive sets

165 is a great watch for beginners, 570 is the middle tier and 965 is for advanced runners etc All depends on what matters to you, if you want the ability to take calls on your watch then 570 is the one to get as it comes with in built speaker and mic. If you want best battery life it would be the forerunner 955 as it’s MIP display and lasts longer than amoled displays

I got a 570 because I wasn't sure I wanted to fully invest in the Garmin system. I've been very happy with my 570 after a month (that's after also trying a 165 so 570 was a huge jump in features). Probably get the 975 or 980 if and when those come out some day.

255 aren't getting the newest features of Garmin but it is still getting updates. At least my still does. (See attached) If you are interested in features, perhaps you can get 165 as Garmin usually bring all its features down to the next series, aka 955 to 265 and 255 to 165 etc. Just that I am not a fan of the always on/off feature of the Amoled screen to save battery. Even with that, battery still takes a hit. https://preview.redd.it/y471qhmf3tnf1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5bb215ffddf8b81511438350c30f58b58af3e003

255 or 165 is good enough for an average runner, so definitely they are good.enough for beginners. Many people are just chasing features only to look at them without actually knowing how to maximise them. In fact, if you follow DC Rainmaker and Desfit, even they also do not know what is the real life application for some newer features except that watches with them cost more. No need to fall into the trap of FOMO and chase those, cause very soon, you will want that climb pro, and then stamina, and then... the list goes on. You cousin would have told you prices of Garmin watch is getting crazy this year. As for maps, you can definitely import from others or create your own or Garmin Connect Courses. By the way, 255 and 165 are able to help you follow the maps bread crumbs style. Enough for beginners. Curious about 'pass you map and stuff'. So what is the stuff? Usually we use the word, 'and stuff, and others' when we run out of things to add to the list. In conclusion, 255 and 165 are decent enough watches for beginners. However, if you think training readiness is something you really need and you are able to make use of it, plus you have the extra cash, go ahead and get that. Just remember that once you get into the ecosystem, there are many more features to entice you to upgrade. Like very soon, you will see ppl here recommending 900 series Forerunners for their full mapping features. Have fun training with your forerunner. p.s. I have trained with 1% training readiness countless times and I am still able to type the whole chunk of text and not drop dead. So there is no need to be too obsessed over an algorithm analysis, okay.

Between the two, 165. It has all essentials for running and would be able to meet your training needs. However, would always prefer 255 to the other two due to the MIP display which gives it better battery durability although it is older. Might not get the latest features but Garmin is still updating it. It is a solid running companion.

My suggestion when deciding is to make a list of what you NEED the watch to do, then a list of what features you LIKE, and a third list for what you can live WITHOUT. Using this format, I was able to narrow down my choices. I ended up selecting the FR 165 without music. It's a great introductory running watch, with other wellness features I wanted with a great display. Since I always bring my phone, I didn't see the need for the music option.

I've got a Garmin Forerunner 165 that changed everything after having similar issues with Apple Watch SE. The battery lasts for days, at first it was kind of unbelievable. I got it to train for my first full marathon and I'm glad I did. I didn't use an NRC plan but did use guided runs. Since I keep my phone on me for safety/communication purposes anyways I play the guided run and music from there and use the watch to track all my stats. And I find it really useful for tracking health and recovery stats between runs, which also became a big part of training. Going to take on my second marathon this fall with it! It has already been more than worth the affordable investment.

Both are fine. I would put the Apple Watch as slightly more accurate given it has dual band GPS versus the single on the 165. Personally I think the metrics on many higher end Garmin watches are overboard so this 165 might be ideal for your needs. Apple metrics are very accurate, i’m just not so fond of the touchscreen and button arrangement for runners. And of course the battery isn’t as long as 165.

Partly the reason why I’ll get the 165 instead of a 265. Well, and cost.

IMO, save some money and get a 165. Sounds like that's all you need for your use case.

If you use a powermeter get the 265 or higher. I've used the 165 but the lack of powermeter support made me swith to 265 rather fast. Now I'm using the 970 and I only use my edge cycling computer for convenience, all the evaluation is done by the watch as my main training hub.

The forerunner's will be fine. It comes down to preference, do you want LED or MIP screen? Do you need maps? Something like the 165 or the 255/265 will be more than fine. 955 if you want maps. 965 if you want maps+LED screen. Instinct 2 and 3 will work too, its just more rugged basically. All of them are solid, road and trail runner friendly.

Forerunner has more buttons, so less need to use the touchscreen. I think that's a good thing, especially for exercise where you might be getting wet or wearing gloves etc.

Got my first Garmin in 2018 when I started running. Got an AW in 2023, when I was on a break from running. As I got back into running, the lack of buttons was annoying. I tried to get used to the AW interface, but then ran a race in the rain and decided I needed to try Garmin. I got a new Forerunner 165 on sale to try out the Daily Suggested Workouts and some features my old Garmin didn't have. The display is gorgeous and so easy to see when running. That said, it doesn't hold a candle to AW in any other department. After a few months of going back and forth trying to convince myself to choose one or the other, I decided I will just wear the Garmin to run and my stats transfer just fine to help close my rings. Battery life of the AW isn't an issue for me as I charge it while showering each day and sometimes for a few minutes before bed if I forgot to charge earlier or used a lot of battery doing a GPS workout.

For me, Garmin has two big pro’s over AW- buttons and battery life! I love my AW for daily wear and integration with Apple Fitness+ (and the Runna integration looks so slick!). But man, trying to change screens when drenched in sweat or running a race in the rain….that had me move back to Garmin for running. I use a Forerunner 165 and love the Daily Suggested Workouts and also the metrics screens. I find the one with the pace (or HR) target super helpful when I’m doing speed work. And cycling between data screens with buttons is very easy on the fly. If I had to pick just one, I’d go with Apple. I tried a full switch to Garmin and missed the size and functionality of the AW when I wasn’t running. It’s very much a personal preference; both are great options!

If you want amoled then the 165 but 255 is pretty much 955 minus the maps.

165 would be more than enough watch for you. 265 has a longer lasting battery, bigger screen, more training metrics. The dual band gps on the 265 will hardly ever be noticeable. 265 has “training readiness”, which is a nice little feature but far from a game changer.

I'm a Garmin novice user, i got my 165 less than a year ago. Let me tell you, Garmin mobile interface and the organization of menus and everything really sucks. And i mean It really sucks. If i were ti buy the Watch now i would certainly look into Amazfit and Coros (expecially the latter). If your focus is on sport and running as far as I understand Coros is getting better and better, while Garmin is sucking more and more, even adding a function empty subscription. Would be interested to know what someone who switched to Coros would say

Garmin 165. Smaller watch face. Cheapish, I picked it up for $200. It tracks breathing, heart rate, stress, has workouts through the app, gives out a good overall insight on your health. It tracks your sleep (or lack therof). It's cheap enough I'm not worried if something happens to it, that I would be upset, but gives me alot of data. It was able to tell me through my HRV - health snapshot, that I was getting sick before I got really, really sick. My numbers started lowering before I tanked....

I've had mine for about a year now. I've always thought it was sturdy and high quality.. I've smacked it around a bunch and it's as good as the day I got it. I highly recommend it.

I got mine to do the simple functions, over a long time. I had an Apple Watch but that thing died in about 6-8 hours, my garmin lasts almost 2 weeks without charging. It counts my steps, calories burned, HR, and other basic fitness functions I find useful. I paid around $215 for my forerunner 165. If I wanted another Apple watch I would have paid maybe $450. To me garmin does what I need it to do, at a rather fair price for me.

Both are the same for pool swimming, while only the 165 has support for open water swimming. I'm not an avid swimmer but I can tell you I've owned both of these watches and the most noticeable difference is just the screen. The 55 has a dimmer MIP display and longer battery life. The 165 has a brighter display that takes some getting used to because it doesn't stay on all the time, and the gesture required to see the time is comically exaggerated, so I've resorted to tapping the watch with my finger to see the time. Or you can leave the screen on all the time for a dramatic battery life loss and the risk of burn in. The 165 has the option (for a $50 upcharge) of adding a music feature. Also, the 55 is slightly lighter and smaller. [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/compare/?compareProduct=741137&compareProduct=1055469](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/compare/?compareProduct=741137&compareProduct=1055469)

This sub seems to have never heard of the FR55, still a very capable watch. And the FR165 is even better. I dare say - most people will never utilize the features of the higher end watches that aren't already present on the 165.

I’d say forerunner 165 ($220ish) or the Vivoactive 5 ($200ish) Vivoactive will be a mix between health/fitness and cell phone integration where forerunner is more health and fitness. Both can be bought refurbished/90 day return. How got my forerunner 165 and I’m happy with it.

Forerunner 165 will do everything you need. FR 265 tracks more "nice to have" data points but nothing groundbreaking.

If you are using a watch that is older than 3 years its very likely (outside of apple watch, garmin, coros, polar and suunto) that it doesn't come close to matching current models accuracy levels - especially as most brands (wear os / apple / garmin / coros / polar / suunto / fitbit / huawei / amazfit) update the sensor and gps chipset every 2-3 years (if not more frequently) and there have been significant improvements all around. For example current garmins are either using the elevate 4 or elevate 5 HR sensor (from health 24/7 perspecive virtually immaterial difference in results, but from an activity perspective especially around strength and cycling their is a more marked improvement - plus the elevate 5 sensors include ECG and baseline temp monitoring) however the elevate 4 was a significant jump from the elevate 3 sensor (4 veritcal led lights) which was an even bigger jump from the sensor prior to that (3 leds in a triangular shape). Huge jumps and leaps have been made in sleep tracking too, and for most its way more accurate than it used to be - though don't get me wrong it still can be fooled (i.e. sitting/lying and being super inactive (i.e. reading / watching tv) and its possible the watch can potentially record that as sleep. Garmin Forerunner 165 - its on special on Garmin sales at just under $200. (or could look to see what deals you can find for the instinct 2 or vivoactive 5). These are all running pretty much garmin's latest version of sleep tracking which is way better at determining sleep duration (I find start time is rock solid and seldom gets fooled - if it does at the worst it records it as light sleep so doesn't really impaact recovery at all -as would be giving you that as recovery anyway and the recharge rate from light compared to resting is so simliar I haven't noticed a difference in recharge rate; and wake time is rock solid as long as using morning report - cause as soon as you access morning report it switches off sleep - so if you wake up and want to go back to sleep don't access morning report - the morning report front screen includes time so no need to access it until you want to be up and about). The sleep tracking algorithms are from firstbeat and includes the use of accelerometer, HR and HRV compared to the older garmin sleep tracking which per my understanding was accerlerometer based. You could also look at anything from amazift (stick to bip 6, active 2, t-rex3 or balance - as all running most current version of their software and alogorithms); Huawei including Fit 3 is worth a look; and could consider anything from coros, suunto (just released the run which should be around the $200 mark) and polar. And you could also look at fitbit charge 6, sense 2 or vera. There is also xiaomi but their HR isn't as good as the others... But worth noting the accuracy of optical HR is still impacted by skin tone, body comp, hair, tats, weight & size of watch, how you wear it and if doing an activity the activity type - and until you use it there is no way to know if it will be accurate for you or not. However for most people most of the sensors of the brands I have mentioned tend to do a good job re accuracy for 24/7 health metrics and steady state activities (walking, steady running etc).

I've had all kinds of watches including Galaxy Watch and now a Garmin. If becoming more active/healthy is a priority then Garmin will for sure be the right choice. If 3rd party apps are more important then pick the Galaxy Watch. With your budget I'd recommend checking out the Garmin Forerunner 165. It's not bulky, has an AMOLED touch screen and better battery life. The GW7 is a good smartwatch though not saying it's bad at all, both are good choices.

Garmin 165, auto exports my runs to Strava (social), TrainingPeaks (no longer use TP) and Stryd (replaced training peaks)

Advantage of the 265 is better battery life and larger screen size. The GPS in the 165 is still excellent. Also, the 265 comes with ability to store music. The 165 that’s a $50 add on. I ended up getting the 165 music for around $250 about 6 weeks ago and it’s worked great so far, but I’m probably going to give it to my wife who needs a watch. I’ll probably get the 265 mostly due to battery life. Streaming music while running eats battery and I run every day, sometimes twice a day. One advantage of the 165 is the smaller size is more comfortable for sleeping at night (tracking RHR, HRV, sleep) I have a Stryd power pod paired with my 165 so the pace is extremely accurate, more accurate than the 265 or 965 https://preview.redd.it/uvl2jfaqej0e1.jpeg?width=2297&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=804001387de828f5748ef2a2f1c5c9b570316ba1

Garmin 165 but you have to select each sport swim bike run as separate activities. Or get a 255 / 265

The 165 is a very bare bones running watch. If you want better battery life, more metrics and AMOLED screen go w the 265, but the 955 is a VERY good watch w essentially all the bells and whistles as the 965 sans amoled. There is a handy little comparison tool on garmin website so you can side by side the specs, though. Welcome to the cult!

Even the 165 is very good for running and many other activities. You have to get the “m” version to play music from the watch. (I always play from my phone.)

Garmin Forerunner 165. Music feature is not worth it, IMHO, so it's currently on sale for $237. [https://a.co/d/fBstsbZ](https://a.co/d/fBstsbZ)

If you ever see yourself running in the rain needing to do any manual lapping feature or use the touchscreen quickly, don’t get an Apple Watch, it’s not very usable. If you are in long sleeves in the rain, you need to lock the touchscreen to prevent accidental touches. But that prevents you from using the touchscreen without holding to unlock for a few seconds. So if you are doing intervals, it can be hard to end the interval quickly. If you do run in the rain, get a watch with buttons, Ive also had issues with digital crowns not working well with wet hands. 165 is a great value, hard to top it. Does pretty much everything you need a running watch to do. Buttons, accurate heart rate monitor, manual lapping, more than enough watch faces for activities, good gps. Started with this before springing for the 570. 570 is double the price for not a lot more unless you’re deep in the running game. The differences that stand out for me are the metal buttons, more customization for watch faces during activities, better screen. Voice command for timers. Overall better build quality. There’s some additional training features that I don’t find very valuable. Despite what it sounds like I really like the 570 so far, just wish it was a bit cheaper.

You could go with a far less expensive model like the Fr165 if you are only going to be wearing it for an hour a day. That said why do you care about the stand hours or the rings anyway? You are not getting all your exercise minutes or move calories by not wearing the U2 all day while you are not getting the stand ring closed, so none of the rings are accurate anyway. You won't get any meaningful health data from either watch just wearing to track workouts. Why not just stick with what you have? FYI the apple heart rate sensor is far more accurate as well.

If you are serious looking for a Garmin that can do anything that an Apple can do but better you are going to be seriously disappointed, there is no Garmin that can do that. Apple has better sensors than Garmin and is far better when it comes to health tracking features. Garmin is lacking in sleep tracking as well. They are good at tracking activities and the data that comes from that and has a longer battery because its smartwatch features are so basic. The software is outdated and buggy so be prepared for endless updates and the UX and UI is terrible. The watches themselves are quite cheap looking for the prices with plastic bodies and some with the tiniest of metal bezels, not to mention the tackiest of colour combinations that "scream look at me". Probable the FR165 or the Venu3.

The Vivoactive 6 is a lifestyle watch, a health and fitness device, the Forerunner 165 is a running watch. If you want to get into running the FR165 is the better watch. The Fr265 would be the better choice of you want something that looks better.

One is a training watch and the other a lifestyle health and wellness watch, they are not the same. The Fr165 is the far better watch for running, hands down. The Vivo6 doesn't even have an altimeter. It may look sleeker but it is quite cheap looking in real life. The black F165 can work for you.

The Forerunner but that is just my preference because I feel that the Instinct is the ugliest watch that Garmin makes. I see several have suggested the MIP solar version of the Instinct - I would say a huge no to that. Unless you are going to spend a huge amount of time outside the solar is useless and the MIP is dull and not great inside.

I just tried on Fitbit Inspire 3, Garmin forerunner 165, and Apple Watch series 10 (I use iPhone). They all have pros and cons. I ended up keeping the Garmin. I’d choose Fitbit if you just want to track your walk, I love how affordable and simple it is. The sleep tracking seems to be the best out of all 3. It has auto-start activities when it detects you walk, run, exercise, which is great because I sometimes just forgot about my watch. Longest battery life. I do pilates, yoga, a bit of weight lifting and plan to start running so I went with Garmin because it allows me to track more activities and it collects more data. It’s bigger than Fitbit and more sporty than I’d like but it doesn’t bother me too much. Battery lasts about 10 days. While I liked the stylish AW and its smartwatch capabilities and seamless Apple transition, it was not for me. I only need fitness tracking, not constantly be connected to my phone. The steps count tend to be lower than Fitbit and Garmin. (A few times time it’s 1000+ difference). I hated having to charge it everyday.

I recently got the white Forerunner 165 music. It's a great basic running watch and has all the functions I was looking for (which would include more than an Apple Watch has to offer in terms of running metrics). However, I don't think it's the "prettiest" option. If she cares about the aesthetic and wants something she can wear all the time/dress up or down, the Vivoactive or Venu might be a better option. They still have a lot of basic fitness involved but not as advanced as the Forerunners. Depends on what she's looking for for metrics! Here's a photo of what the white 165 looks like with an Amazon watch band (the original was too bulky/sporty for me). https://preview.redd.it/ywnth469nb1e1.png?width=750&format=png&auto=webp&s=8369bb0740eff7ad4b3e5af527a01e8e78e5239f

A forerunner 165 or 265 might be good. Or a Vivoactive if you want a sleeker look. I run and do weights as well and find the 165 is sufficient! It can only do so much with weights (guessing the actual exercise you're doing, rep counting, etc). I usually go back into my saved workout afterward and edit any info that was wrong.can only ask so much from a watch but it's nice to have the rest timer and general log of the workout.

I mean if you have the budget for the 265, I would go for it. I have the 165 and feel like it's definitely more than enough for me (it was my first ever watch and I only ever trained for half and full marathons with my phone previously) so I kept it entry-level. However if a more accurate gps is important because of your surroundings, that's definitely something to consider. Training readiness seems like a cool feature but kinda just bonus info.

I have an older Apple Watch I use for running and it works great for me since I use NRC and syncs fine. I also have a Forerunner 165 (I got as a gift) which I wear on the daily since it holds a long charge. For me personally it’s fine and not necessary as I don’t use much of the Garmin ecosystem and I mostly still just use NRC. FWIW I trained for two marathons with the Apple Watch and it worked great.

I would recommend the Forerunner 165. It’s one of Garmin’s newer budget models, has a really nice screen, accurate GPS and heart rate, and handles pretty much everything most people need. Has both touchscreen and buttons, so it’s easy to use either way. Unless you need something super advanced, it’s the one I’d go for.

It's already outdated (but still do more than 165). That why you can buy it at that price so don't expect anymore new update (same as 165,265,955, 965, Epic Pro etc) but the good thing is it's more stable/less bugs.

Five years is a great run for the 245. If you just want something simple, the FR55 will cover the basics. If you’d like a modern upgrade that feels closest to your old watch, the FR165 is the sweet spot. And if you want something that looks more like a daily watch but still tracks workouts, the Vivoactive 5 is a good call:)

For running, the **Forerunners** win because they’re lighter, have better training tools (readiness, load, recovery, VO₂, etc.), and give you more run-specific metrics. The **Instinct/Fenix** are better for hiking/backpacking since they’re tougher, with longer battery and more rugged features. Animated workouts are more of a nice to have, useful if you like guided bodyweight or gym sessions, but most people don’t rely on them. Daily suggested workouts are hit or miss: they’re good for structure but not something to blindly follow. Maps are genuinely handy if you do trails or long hikes; on runs they’re mostly good for keeping you on a planned route. The 970 only records ECG if you start it manually, it doesn’t passively check like an Apple Watch. Smart features: you’ll see texts and calls, but RCS isn’t supported (just standard SMS/notifications). The mic/speaker are fine for quick replies or answering a call in a pinch, but not something you’d want to use all the time. Why Garmin? Mostly the depth of training metrics, reliability, and ecosystem, Coros and Suunto are good but Garmin still has the most polished data!!

Since you’re running 10–20 km almost every day, the FR570 or FR965 make the most sense. They’ve got the latest sensors, the most accurate GPS, and all the running metrics that actually help you keep pace, watch your cadence, and avoid injuries. The 570 is the straightforward runner’s watch, while the 965 gives you the same tools but with a sharper AMOLED screen and a bit more of a smartwatch vibe. The 265 is fine if you don’t need every advanced stat, and the 165 works for casual use, but for the long haul the 570 or 965 will serve you best:)

Go with the **Forerunner 165,** big upgrade from Fitbit with GPS, HR, sleep, stress, and HRV. If hiking navigation is important, look at the **FR255 or 955** since they add route guidance and Komoot sync.

I’d go with the **Forerunner 165** ,it has better sensors, solid sleep and health tracking, and supports readiness and guided workouts. The **245** is still good but discontinued, so future updates might stop soon. The **55** is fine for basics, but the 165 gives you a noticeable upgrade without unnecessary extras like music

After going through multiple fitbits and an Apple Watch, I got a Forerunner 165 and I love it! I primarily use it to watch my pace and heart rate when I run, and it’s great for both. The GPS is solid for route tracking, and I can use it to track my swimming!

I really enjoy not having an iPhone on my wrist. Plus, it can do everything I used my AW for: see messages and calls, use timer, pay for things, wake me up, and of course record workouts. It gives you way better insights for activities. And the battery life is so nice. To get good battery life of an AW, you’d have to get the clunky Ultra and no way am I paying that much money. I went from AW9 to Garmin Forerunner 165.

165, has amoled and in general a better fitness watch when you want to take fitness more seriously. I chose the 255 over the 165, worth considering for you...really happy with it. I prefer mip over amoled for the visibility in direct sunlight and battery life.

I am a trailrunner (beginner) and have a FR165 since 4 months. For running it’s pretty good (navigation on the watch is really bad- but I saw many places I didn’t planned to see). I use it for running, indoor cycling, strength training, swimming, yoga and Pilates. For strength training I use a HRM bc you can start the activity and lay the watch aside- I don’t trust the glass so I am really cautious when using weights. I often leave my phone at home during my runs outside, the watch has gps (without any subscription)- you only need your phone with you if you want to use life track (safety feature). You can use many features, here are missing parameters who bother me personally: You have no training readiness or hill score and no cycling vo2 max (this bothers me the most) You can choose between run, trailrun, track and treadmill. I never used it on a treadmill, but I have an indoor bike and it works fine with it (except for the cycling vo2 max part) My only software problem I have is, that when I use a button during sleep mode my touchscreen switches itself on for the rest of the night. But garmin already told me they would change it if it’s a big issue for me. It’s a good watch, especially for that price. For running and strength training it’s absolutely fine. For trailrunners and cyclists not optimal.

I am really happy, I would say if I were a normal street runner I would keep it forever. Since I want to do only trail runs I am saving my money now for an enduro model. But for running it gives you really good data and training advice. For strength training you have also trainings from garmin for free. It’s a really good watch for a decent price.

I've got the lowest end one - the Forerunner 165 non music and I love it. I use it for running and for CrossFit and while it does not have all the metrics of the more expensive models it's got all the features I need/want. Reading your post, I am not sure if you need your watch to alert you when you move from zone 1 to zone 2 to zone 3 etc. I don't think this Forerunner will do this - maybe none of the Garmins? I don't use any alerts myself but I think you can set a band - minimum and maximum heart rates as described in the manual below. [https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-607F08F6-33FC-40BF-9727-84E54043D82D/EN-US/GUID-D68697C7-D321-4B42-8A52-5C9D257B58CE.html](https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-607F08F6-33FC-40BF-9727-84E54043D82D/EN-US/GUID-D68697C7-D321-4B42-8A52-5C9D257B58CE.html) It sounds like you already have a chest strap. An external HR monitor is definitely nice to have if you are using a watch during CrossFit workouts - Because your wrist is moving into flexion and extension during many CrossFit movements there may be occasional glitches in the HR readings from the watch's sensor. Because of this I use a Coros HRM (armband heart rate monitor) along with my Garmin. Depending on the workout, the glitches are small and few.

IMHO, Forerunner 165 is not good enough (it lacks some firmware features like metronome). If I were you, I would look at Forerunner 265 (or 255, if you do not mind Garmin's MIPS screen). Pace 3 is quite good for running, however it may be not that accurate in HR and training load measurement when it comes to some other kinds of sports (like cycling). You wrote that you always carry your phone with you, which means that the biggest pros of Garmin watches (like Spotify and Garmin Pay) make no difference to you. In other aspects, there is no much difference between Pace 3 and Forerunner 255/265, only different ecosystem experience. You could download and check out both apps and decide which one is better for you.

I had forerunner 245 and used it for running and swimming. It was great, but I fell and trashed it. Had forruner 165 but didn't get training readiness so I upgraded to forruner 265 and happy with my choice. Ony downside with forruner 245 is that it didn't have hrv stats.

If you can swim one lap without a break in one style or a pause in it, it will count correctly. If you bump into someone mid lap and it makes you stop or brake the rhythm of your armstroke it will count it as two laps. Otherwise it's very correct and never had an issue. F255, F165, F265s Edit: omg I can't write. Sorry for my past and future mistakes lol

As long as you’re happy with the AW battery life then keep it till it breaks. Or replace with a newer watch or Garmin Venu 3 or Forerunner 165

I would suggest Forerunner 165 Mates all your requirements.

Entering my 3rd month with my FR-165, happy with my choice as well !

I switched two months ago, and do not regret it - given the AW poor battery life. But mostly because of the many useful running statistics I now get from my FR-165. If anything, I sometimes miss the "hole" in my Apple eco system.

Came as a surprise to me the first time, so yes - it works well. https://preview.redd.it/gqlldsgvnzkf1.png?width=412&format=png&auto=webp&s=3a083ca3c8a102929b13e8112f98139b0269964f

Another former *\[Apple Watch SE + Battery Charger\]* user here, and totally with you. One of the things I like most, is the fact that my FR-165 is a true sport watch with dedicated functions and lots of running statistics.

i have a forerunner 165 music. it hardly lasts 5 days 😭

No one has mentioned form factor. This is something to keep into consideration, size and weight. I’m very happy with my 265, which I feel is much smoother than the 165 after using it for about a month.

Either will work. 165 delivers more conversational encouragement approach to running. 

I recently made the switch. I elected to go with the Garmin 165 (non-music). So far I'm pretty happy with it. It did take some getting used to the controls. The battery life is great, it's water resistant to 5 ATM (50M) so it's going to be OK to swim with, and has tons of health metrics. [https://www.garmin.com/en-CA/p/1055469/#specs](https://www.garmin.com/en-CA/p/1055469/#specs)

It works greate! Love all features and the screen. I really think I made the best choice buying a 165.

I'd say 265 is a better comparator to V3 and 165 is a basic entry level sport/run watch - still capable and a great price to get into Garmin. Battery life, dual band GPS, barometric altimeter are 3 features that I'd say are close and critical to me. The 165 does not appear to have dual band GPS, so, despite being better than other brands, your accuracy may suffer on mountainsides and in big cities. Seems the 265 has a lot of perks and training metrics that add up over the 165 and you get what you pay for. https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2024/02/forerunner-differences-comparison.html Venue 3 is less of a 'run focus' in favour of overall health and less sporty finished look. It has a later gen heart rate sensor, as well, than the 265.

[Vivoactive 5 vs Forerunner 165 vs Venu 3 for non-runner : r/GarminWatches](https://www.reddit.com/r/GarminWatches/comments/1ec4sl7/vivoactive_5_vs_forerunner_165_vs_venu_3_for/) I had both and like both for different reasons / features. Kept the 165 for the additional sport features, breadcrumb routes, etc. Would have liked a combination of the two, a sleeker looking Forerunner. [Garmin | Product Compare](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/compare/?compareProduct=1057989&compareProduct=1055469) Something not mentioned is that the Vivo can't beep, only vibrate and doesn't have the sunrise / sunset glance, which I find interesting.

Red / green shift has been added to the 165 in a FW update :)

I think the 165 is enough. One potentially handy feature that's missing is execution score if you do a daily suggested workout. The 265 has quite a few extra features, but I wouldn't say they're must haves. Nice to have though. [New to running. Should I get the Garmin 165 or 265? : r/garminforerunner](https://www.reddit.com/r/garminforerunner/comments/1b8x9nn/new_to_running_should_i_get_the_garmin_165_or_265/) [Garmin | Product Compare](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/compare/?compareProduct=886785&compareProduct=1055469) The product compare tool isn't always accurate or up to date because Garmin adds new features via FW updates. The user manuals seem to be updated though.

The size of the 165 is perfect for me, but I want some of the features of the 265.

Elevation data fields are available according to the user manual. [Forerunner 165 Series Watch Owner's Manual - Data Fields](https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-607F08F6-33FC-40BF-9727-84E54043D82D/EN-US/GUID-73BCE454-042E-420D-96A4-9DBA46626CD4.html) But... there's no elevation glance by default.

Quite happy with mine. Would have been nice if it had some dedicated activity profiles like MTB, but cycling works fine.

Both are nice and the 165 has plenty of features. Would have been nice if it had execution scores for the daily suggested workouts though.

Plenty of comparisons online :) [**https://www.reddit.com/r/GarminWatches/comments/1ax0s1i/forerunner\_255\_vs\_165/**](https://www.reddit.com/r/GarminWatches/comments/1ax0s1i/forerunner_255_vs_165/) I'm happy with my 165.

[What does the forerunner 165 give me that the Vivoactive 6 don’t? : r/GarminWatches](https://www.reddit.com/r/GarminWatches/comments/1kudc6m/what_does_the_forerunner_165_give_me_that_the/) As you've noticed the UI on the 165 is more plain, and will probably remain that way. I think the newer Forerunner models have a ui closer to that of the VA6.

165 does not have training status.

For casual runners the 165 is fine. For the extra features you'll need to buy a more expensive model.

They're very similar. If you want daily suggested running workouts get the 165. It can be useful, but you don't really need them though. I prefer a full set of buttons so I can disable touch in some cases. I have the blue 165 and wear it most days. It doesn't really fit in, but our office is quite casual. The black / white one could maybe work. But I agree that the VA6 looks a bit sleeker. It can't make beeping sounds though, only vibrate. Tough choice, but both are nice imo. You could also import the data into something like Runalyze.

Almost all of the current lineup. Check the specs section on their product pages. Do you need maps or basic breadcrumb navigation? If maps, then 955 / 965, Fenix / Enduro. Otherwise The Forerunner and Instinct series should be fine.

I’m not the commenter you replied to - but my husband has a Garmin Forerunner 165, got it for $150, and it has been phenomenal for tracking swimming metrics. I have a hand-me-down Forerunner 945 which is a “fancier” watch (was like $500 new) and his watch does almost every single one of the same things, plus a couple mine doesn’t do. You can get a swim-ready Garmin for under $200 for sure.

I have a 165 I use for running. It’s very accurate for my usage and battery lasts a week (although i’m on my second charge ever, so I think it still needs calibration). Coming from a really old casio and never owned a smartwatch before so the 43mm screen looked perfect for me, it’s also very visible during runs

Yeah, it gives me a morning report every day. So far it seems pretty accurate with sleep duration and awake time (i woke last night and the watch reported the correct timing). Btw it also has pool swimming, cycling and gym options.

Btw the 165 has running metrics too (ground contact time, vertical oscillation, vertical ratio, stride lenght etc). If a 43mm screen isn’t an issue for you, I wouldn’t spend the money on 265/570. I got a 165, rn I’d go 165 or 965/970

The fr165 does receive bug fixes and security updates, it won’t get any additional features even if the hardware supports them (but this is the same for any garmin watch sadly)

I'm an iOS developer. In fact I have an app, MyBodyWatch which tracks recovery. I'm a diehard Apple Watch user. I'm an avid gym goer and casual runner (15 miles/week). I recently purchased a Garmin Forerunner 165 to test the data received from the Garmin and sent to Apple Health to see if the data was usable for my app. Long story short, no. The Garmin is missing daytime HRV and evening HRV does not sync to Apple Health. However, I decided to keep the Garmin and in fact I upgraded to the Garmin 570. There are some insights and features of the Garmin which are quite nice. The built in workout coaching features are great and the detailed running metrics and charts while slightly dated looking are actually quite useful. My intention is to take inspiration from the Garmin and incorporate into MyBodyWatch where it makes sense. Other notes: Having physical buttons to control functionality over a touchscreen during a workout takes getting used to but I see the benefit. Spotify on the Garmin worked flawlessly once songs were downloaded contrary to my experience with the Apple Watches and downloaded music (both Apple Music and Spotify). Apple Pay is superior. Garmin Pay only worked with one of my cards. It did not work with Capital One or Amex. The ability to edit distance run on a treadmill after a workout with the Garmin is quite nice although Apple sometimes gets this close enough. Which will I keep? Good question! But it's great inspiration for MyBodyWatch. AMA

I’d say compare the differences to the other watches. I spent a couple hours deciding and I went for the forerunner 165 instead. I’m a beginner runner, advanced lifter, avid walker, hiker, and snowboarder. I didn’t find much of the extras that needed for me. Maybe in the future in a couple of years but rn the 165 seems plenty for me and the AMOLED screen looks amazing. Maps seems to be the biggest appeal for the 955 from what I’ve seen, but I mostly just run laps around a park next to me

Most Garmin watches would do those things. Depending if you want the latest bells and whistles, such as an OLED screen vs a MIP screen from an older generation, a model from an older generation will be more than fine. However, I wouldn't recommend getting a second hand one, but that's just my preference. Take a look models such as the Instinct, the Vivoactive, the Venu and Forerunner 55/165. Those would suit you. I would not recommend more expensive models as the Fenix and the more expensive Forerunners. They would be way overkill and extremely expensive.

FR 165 user here: The accuracy for strength training is so-so. You are able to go in and edit metrics and exercises/muscles worked after the workout. When working out, I press one button to record the active set time, and it estimates number of reps with the accelerometer (not accurate for single-sided/alternating work, but you can edit immediately after completing the set on the watch). It’s a bit cumbersome, but not so poor that it ruins my workouts or stops my flow of sets/rest.

For sure! Overall, I’m glad I made the switch (only one month in. My AW6 died which made me search the market). The running information is so much better overall. I have access to AI training recommendations. It’s easier to set what kind of notifications I want coming through. It’s better at sleep tracking. Etc.. I never used Strava with Apple, so I don’t know how Garmin compares to that combination, but having one system do all of the running analysis on its own is a plus for me.

Would recommend any garmin devices. FR165

I have a Garmin and it works perfectly for tracking laps. Unsure why you’re hearing ‘mixed things’

Garmin Forerunner 165 - I couldn’t be happier with it

>Are garmin watches really comfortable to wear all day? I stopped noticing the watch after a couple of days, however, I bought a smaller one (Forerunner 165). I really dislike the rubber band, though, so bought a few cheap stretchy/elastic nylon ones.

1) Decide on a budget. 2) Decide on what "smartwatch" features you want. (Eg. Ability to take calls on the watch, reply to texts, ability to play music, etc) If you want a great basic fitness watch then the Garmin Forerunner 165 will do you well. If you can find the 265 for cheap then that is also an option. If you want to be able to take calls and such then the Garmin Forerunner 570 or Venu 4 are amazing choices. Where these two are 95% the same the Venu 4 really steers towards more lifestyle than fitness in terms of fit and finish.

For the things you described any would be good. Even a FR165 (or F255/265 slightly bigger screen) or a basic Vivoactive. With that budget you can buy even an Epic if you like it (though would be overkill in terms of features). I would go on a shop, try them and pickup what you like the most in terms of size, look and comfort on your wrist.

Garmin Forerunner 165. Although it’s not specifically designed for swimming, it has worked perfectly fine for me. Since you’re looking to get fit, it can also be useful for other types of sports. The price is pretty good, it has an OLED screen, and the buttons are useful when swimming. I only have experience with this watch, but i'm sure other models would work perfectly fine too!

Its objectively better than the 165 but I have a weakness for amoled screens. Got the 165

If the only downside you have on the Lily 2 (35.4mm screen size) is GPS, then I would suggest the Lily 2 **Active** because it has built-in GPS. The screen is slightly bigger at 38mm. If you want a similar screen to the vivoactive 5, then your options are another vivoactive 5 (42.2mm), a venu 3s (41mm), or a forerunner 165 (43mm) / 265s (41.7mm). Note that the forerunners may not be as classy as your wife would like.

Why not FR165? It's \*far\* cheaper and covers everything you mentioned

My partner (nurse) got the Forerunner 165 (get the S if you can), which is significantly cheaper than the 265S and has nearly all the same features and loves it. I have the 265S and love it myself -- but I paid about twice the cost.

I have a 255, but I bought it after I knew I wanted to get more serious about running (I ran for a year without one). If we're talking best in terms of features, that's the 9xx series. If we're talking best value, the 265 is probably your best bet right now, maybe even a 965. If you're not too sure about this running business, the 165 is enough to get you started. PS: Be aware the 9xx series only comes in one size, whereas watches like the 265 and 570 come in two sizes. Perhaps this plays into your decision.

In contrary to all the comments I would recommend the 165 as you are a beginner. If you would like to upgrade you still can, but till then the FR165 is absolutely sufficient tbh also considering the price difference.

I bought the Forerunner 55, but after realizing it’s a 2021 model and that the 165 was released just last year, I canceled the order and went for the 165 instead, even with the price difference. I haven’t tried any MIP displays before, but I can say the AMOLED on the 165 is more than good enough. Overall, I’m very satisfied with the watch (got it yesterday and still getting used to it). The only drawback for me is having to keep the Connect app open on my phone to use the Find My Phone feature, which is essential for me, but I guess that’s just how it works. The sensors are better, the display is larger, and it has so many more features than the 55, which is a 4yo model. For runners, the FR165 includes metrics such as vertical oscillation & ratio, ground contact time, stride length, running power, adds a pulse-ox sensor, detailed sleep tracking with score + nap detection, advanced Body Battery, better stress monitoring. The 165 offers elevation gain tracking (altitude), and breadcrumb-style navigation via compass, useful for trail runs and hikes. It also uses multi-GNSS (GPS + GLONASS + Galileo, etc.) for better accuracy vs the simpler tracking used by the 55.

I have the FR165 and love it

Yea, but it also has a bunch of crap that has nothing to do with running. the FR970 is more of Tri watch. I am very happy with my FR165.

Depends what you want, but if it's just for running then I'd take the FR55 of the FR165.

I would advise against the 165, pace and distance ran is inaccurate. I will be returning it.

Forerunner 165 is an excellent watch, and I love it. I upgraded from the FR 55 model. I currently own three FR watches: 35, 55, and 165. I was previously an Apple Watch user.

I barely run and do some heavy lifting per week, since it was my first Garmin, I grabbed the white FR165 for $192 like a month ago and I love it.

hola! Actually, the Forerunner 255 (at that price!) offers stronger sensors and more supported sports. The 165 has an AMOLED display with touchscreen though. If you don't mind a MIP display without touch, I'd recommend the 255 for the price + tax situation you explained. Also, the 255 gives you more days of battery life, FWIW.

I come from a Charger 5. I got me this white Garmin Forerunner 165 from Amazon US because of the features/discounted price ratio.

I had an Apple Watch , but the battery Life was terrible , switched to the garmin forerunner 165 and couldnt be happier.

I have a Forerunner 165 Music I also got it mainly because I wanted to run without my phone. In terms of battery it’s quite all right, if fully charged you can easily go for a 2-3hr run using GPS and Bluetooth for music. However I do have an issue since the beginning where the music falters at times during the run, I don’t know if it is due to CPU or bad Bluetooth connection, but it seems to be a common issue for various models https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-965/382379/stutter-audio-with-bt-headphones-after-10-min , not the end of the world just a bit annoying at times

I have the 165, the non music edition because I use my phone for podcasts and music. The real reason I bought it instead of the 265 is because 1) I wasn't sure about Garmin so I didn't want to spend too much and 2) I have a small wrist and the 265s has lower resolution screen. However, if you do not have these issues I think you should go with the 265, because it'll last for years and you'll always wonder if you should have gotten that one instead. Note: I bought a chest strap for heart rate monitoring for running, I don't think the watch is accurate.

For wellness, at a given generation (i.e. not comparing old watches vs new), it's pretty much all the same software; none of them are better for the wellness part. The difference between the forerunner and the Venu or Vivoactive are the list of sports activities, andthe Venu allows to you to answer a call with a microphone on the watch. I have a Forerunner 165. If you think they are bulky, look at that one. It is smaller, thinner than all the other Forerunners and fenix, and it could feel a little bit more premium than the Vivoactive There is the compare screen.. [https://www.garmin.com/en-CA/compare/?compareProduct=1555457&compareProduct=873008&compareProduct=1055469](https://www.garmin.com/en-CA/compare/?compareProduct=1555457&compareProduct=873008&compareProduct=1055469)

I chose the Forerunner, in my case the 165 and not the 265, over the Venu 3 because I wanted to have more dedicated buttons and I like the sports look and it was the "right size" for me.. It was also, of course, cheaper. All venus and forerunner have the GPS built-in, almost all the Garmin Watches have it. No need for phone. Very similar software. I very much doubt you'll use the smartwatch features: it's basically just a dedicated button for assistant, which requires your phone, and you can take voice calls on the watch which is nice but I've never used it on my previous smartwatch

What I dislike the most about Garmin is that it's really hard to understand the product lineup Vivoactive vs Venu vs Forerunner is what I looked at. I got the Venu and was surprised by how my brother's cheaper Forerunner 165 can do multiple things my watch can't (like estimate 10K, 21K times and suggest a daily workout). My guess is that most Garmin watches are mostly the same and they use software to tier their products. I doubt there is any technical limitation to offer for example maps in a Forerunner 570 (or even in my Venu). All in all, I wish I listened to the YT channel and got the FR 165 Music. I have no idea what I got for paying extra for the Venu other than golfing (and I don't golf).

after my research i got my 165 non music editon from singapore which was like 4 months back or so and saw an amazing deal for 210 sgd which is around 164usd .. hard to pass an amazing deal.. and its been an amazing 4 months using it

I just got the Garmin Forerunner 165, still testing the various features. Have been using multiple Fitbit Charge devices (charge hr, charge 2, charge 4) for past few years. I gotta say that the Garmin watch looks like a serious health monitoring device compared to my Fitbits. The plethora of information it provides is awesome. I do hear that sleep monitoring is quite bad on all Garmins but apart for that, the Heart rate is tracking is quite good, gps is accurate. I am super impressed with how accurately it measures the number of floors ascended and descended, quite useless metric, but still love the pin point accuracy. Personally I have never wanted notifications on my watch, i carry my phone all the time so I can easily manage notifications there, also it's a pain keeping bluetooth on all the time on phone to receive notifications on the watch. So, if you need a health tracking device, Garmin watches are the ways to go. I can't talk much about Samsung, since I haven't used them. Also check out youtube reviews by - The Quantified Scientist. It may help you find a suitable device.

I really like my forerunner 165. It's a solid watch, I've had no trouble even in the rain.

I got the 165 about a month ago. I’m a distance runner. Upgraded from a Fitbit charge. The degree of running metrics tracked has been a really nice change. It’s probably the most entry level for runners, but I’ve quite liked it, and the price was more affordable for me.

I wanted a new watch because i’ve had my AW for years now. I did know that I was looking to get away from my phone by just get notifications to know when people were texting and calling. For that reason mostly I decided to get a FR 165 over a new AW. Plus the battery life of garmin won me over… As a beginner runner, a FR 165 is working great!

Forerunner 165, 255/265 if you think you're going to get a power meter. 

Forerunner 165 has lot of features compared to Vivoactive 5. As the watch mentions it is targeted for runners, and it has a lot of running features in it. These set of features are absent on the Vivoactive 5 and that in itself would make a huge difference in my opinion.

If running is your main aim, go for FR 165 or even the FR 265 (if your budget allows it, I would recommend thsi for future proofing too). Vivoactive and Venu series will never get any important feature updates. FR series on the other hand will always get some update (better than Vivo and Venu). Skip the Vivoactive and Venu series. Edit: I have the Venu 3 and it is almost 2 years now (it was launched in Sept 2023) and until now, it has received only 1 proper feature packed update. So updates are a big NO for Venu and Vivoactive series. Garmin neglects them severely.

I have a 165 and have about 40 min of gps per day on average. The watch battery lasts me more than a week. Those 3 days are probably with always-on display.

I'd pick up the 165 as the best value for money. Good watch, does everything you need it to do.

Exactly. 165 is an underrated purchase. Does all the necessary things; gps, time, I can set up intervals and I have an estimate of HR. Good enough screen and great battery life.

265 is as much watch that you need. The 165 would likely suffice but I usually recomend the 265 if you can afford it because of the top notch heart rate monitor it has. People into running will be confused if they see the 970 and all you do is run. We don't care that much but we're a frugal bunch and it will seem odd. I'd immediately assume you do triathlons.

Same here. I absolutely ❤️ my 165 and for those special times my Garmin HR strap as well! 😊

Same here. I absolutely ❤️ my 165 and for those special times my Garmin HR strap as well! 😊 https://preview.redd.it/h5c9gjeb9n2f1.jpeg?width=1934&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1faec32def77077e596864c3f5e761119dc61e15

My vote goes for the Forerunner. I ❤️ my 165. Best watch I have ever had. https://preview.redd.it/gkr193sa681f1.jpeg?width=1934&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c2a7d481cc45c9c43c29eb8ad18cfc58d1f73486

At almost 65, as someone who loves to walk, I absolutely adore my Forerunner 165. It’s packed with features, super easy to use, looks great, and won’t break the bank. Just like my previous Garmin watches, I’m sure it’ll be my go-to companion for years to come.

The Forerunner 165 has preformed so much better than my Apple Watches ever could. I’ve had the AW 3, 6, then SE2. Battery life doesn’t begin to compare. Only bummer is Garmin doesn’t really do battery swaps. Once the battery dies it’s time for a new watch.  My only gripes is I want the 265 for the extra training features but the curved screen makes screen protectors difficult. I’m a clumsy oaf and watch faces get wrecked at my job. Even the gorilla glass ones.  Also the sleep tracking is trash. I’ve been awake at midnight and it registered as light sleep. I was watching YouTube or chilling to music. Some walking around the apartment. Def not sleep. My AW would have logged it as awake. 

I have a forerunner 165 that I use when swimming. So far it’s been great. Not too expensive too.

A lot of Garmin watches cover lots of sports. The Forerunner 265 is a great watch. If hiking a lot and want maps, the Garmin 965 has maps. If money is no object, the Fenix or Epix models cover it all. I have a Fenix 6 Pro as well as a Forerunner 165.. Fenix watches are bulky and heavy. The FR 165 is very good for tracking swims and running but leaves out skiing but is thin and light on the wrist and still gets very good battery life.

I'm an Apple guy with an iPhone, 2 iPads, and 2 Macs. But when it comes to a watch for swimming, I much prefer the Garmin. The Apple Watch is wonderful smartwatch but its native swimming app is pretty sparse. I had one but no longer use it. I had a Vivoactive 3 years ago. I'm not up on the VA5 but I really prefer the 5 button Garmin watches anyhow. I'm currently using a Forerunner 165 which gives you a lot of bang for the buck if you are mostly just swimming, running, or cycling. If you do lots of other activities, the the FR 265 or 965 is the better option. They all give you the choice of 5 button use or touchscreen.

None of these subscriptions would apply to the FR165. It is a fully capable watch right out of the box. Garmin has only produced one LTE-capable watch so far (the FR945 LTE), and it currently seems like they will not be releasing another (or at least not anytime soon).

I have garmin forerunner 165. Basic model. It provides HR and stroke cadence etc. recovery time, calories, etc. It’s pretty good for lap counting. It occasionally has a lapse and if it happens in the middle of a 1000 or 1500 I’m in trouble. Once you start using a watch to count laps you become completely dependent on them.

After 10 years of android wear (moto 360 on through to a 1st gen pizel watch) I won one of the low-end garmins in a raffle (a forerunner 165). I'm hooked, not going back. It doesn't look as sleek, but the battery lasts forever, the interface is more responsive (because it is trying to do less) and it does all of the fitness watch things I need it to do, and a surprising amount of the interactive notifications too. Read whole messages/emails and reply, view google maps nav, see pics in chats and from nest cams, etc. The only thing I think I will miss once in a blue moon is being able to trigger my phone camera from the watch. That and a little tripod is a pretty good combo, but the shutter timer works OK for that.

Garmin has great customer support. I would say they're fairly matched, the Coros is MIPS, the Garmin is Amoled and was released more recently. Can't go wrong.

I think you're stressing about after service support too much tbh. I 100% understand not wanting to be left stuck if something happens. I've owned 4-5 Garmin watches and never had an issue with something breaking on a watch.

The Vivoactive 5 has meditation and wheelchair stuff that the Forerunner 165 doesn't. If you don't need either of those, the 165 would be the better choice.

My 165 is plenty for me. Coming from an Apple Watch. 265 etc are nice but not at an extra $200.

I have a 165 and in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with the quality or the perceived quality. It's got that matte plastic finish which counts as premium nowadays, the buttons feel solid and give just the right amount of feedback when pressed, screen is clear, system is responsive and the touch screen is at least as good as my phone. It's put together well - no ill fitting parts, no panel gaps, etc. I assume it feels cheap in comparison to a Patek Philippe but for normal people, it's a perfectly good quality watch. There are no issues with it.

Never seen that on any device I’ve owned. Must be operator error.

I run and use the 165, I'm not into advanced analytics but I do like tracking. I also do strength training but only use the watch to track activities and time. The 165 has been 100% great for me, sounds like we have similar needs. I couldn't justify the 265 and I don't think I'm missing anything.

Better have more advanced features available in watch rather then having a buyers remorse after purchasing a software limited FR165. Fenix 7S is a lot better watch, with maps, AutoScroll and other features which are missing in FR165. You may get to used to their weight quickly.

165 best bang for ur buck

Like what? The upgraded Gps? I guess if your in remote areas and trails w poor service. Other than mine is fine

I have actually. They literally have models beneath the 165. Not sure why your such a 165 hater its great 😂

Garmin forerunner 165 frequently goes on sale just under 10K sa shopee. Pero its the non-music version. Also its a gps/fitness watch first, smart watch second, so texting will be very annoying to do. Battery life easily lasts over 1 week depending on usage of course. GPS can be setup to be accurate for its price and depending on location as well.

Like you, I went with a budget oriented watch - a Garmin FR 165 and the feedback that one is a sports watch and the other is a smartwatch is 100% true. I’ve switched over from Apple Watch 7 a few days ago. Interface on the apple watch is much easier to learn and use. Same with materials and integration with the apple ecosystem. I completely understand why anyone may prefer it or keep it around compared to our lower cost watches. Not in your question but I will add - in my case have decided to make the switch for insights, info and customizeability of the FR165 such as the body battery and recovery time which I think better suits my lifestyle.

Fenix 7 will have a lot more options than the forerunner 165 and its battery will last a lot longer. Fenix 7 has more storage (16gb vs 4gb), longer battery life, better multi-band sat, barometer, spo2 while you sleep (that doesn't kill the battery as fast), and you get full mapping, pace pro, more activities. The only reason i'd go 165 is if you really want a color screen and only ever jog/run.

I got my Forerunner 165 3 months ago. Before I had Venu 2 and I have to say that forerunner is more sport oriented, more metrics. I am running once a week + weight lifting and I have so say that I love my Forerunner 165. For that price it's best bang for your buck. Lot of metrics, stats and very nice features. Unless you are very serious about you running or you are professional or you need offline maps then I think 165 is perfects starting point for activity tracking. I recommend to spent less on watch and buy also Garmin HRM chest strap so you can monitor you hearth rate better. With this combo you can't get wrong.

I started running last summer and bought the forerunner 165 in September. I was still fairly new to running so couldn’t really justify the extra cost for the 265 and wasn’t really bothered about training readiness. I’ve absolutely loved this watch. I’ve become much more serious about running and currently training for a half. My only criticism of the 165 is that it’s ugly! I’m female and want a watch I can wear everyday and it not look out of place… so last month I took the plunge and bought the Venu 3S. I have no complaints with it, it does what I need it to do and it looks beautiful on my wrist. I do still have the 165 though, only really using it for courses and pace pro which annoyingly the 3S doesn’t support. Other slightl niggle is that although the 3S has buttons for stopping and starting a run, you do have to use the touch screen to select run and to save it (unless I’m doing something wrong). In the winter, when I’m out running and wearing gloves, that’s a bit of a pain. I’m still in two minds whether to keep my 165 or sell it. For now, I’m switching between the two and the connect app is completely seamless with both of them.

165 should be a good entry level garmin watch. im into hybrid workouts as well, weightlifting and running. this watch gets the job done.

I am very happy with my FR165. I bought it specifically because it can do both indoor and open water swimming. I also use it for hiking, running and cycling. But obviously it has fewer features than high end watches.

Training load and training readiness are not on the 165 meaning it can’t provide detailed / adaptable daily suggested workouts. Other than that and maps it’s very similar to the 965/970

Be aware that the Forerunner 165 does not have mapping capabilities. For that you need a higher model watch e.g. Forerunner 965 or one of the top epic/Fenix models.

Yes. But you can't look at a map on your watch or do map based navigation. You can plan a route on your computer and send it to your watch to follow a GPS breadcrumb trail though. Hope this helps.

Love mine, the 165 is so underrated

Honestly the Forerunner models at the lower end have tremendous capability. I'm not sure what metrics you are looking for, but the 265 has stress monitoring, sleep tracking, training readiness, workout suggestions, and a ton of activity tracking. The 965 has pulse ox (not on the 265), so if that is important stick with the 965. The 965 also has better mapping features and golf course information (distance to green and hazards). The 265 is a little smaller and lighter, easier to wear all day. The 965 is better on battery life - almost double the 265. I'm not big on the extra stuff like music storage, messaging, etc. They both have those things if you want it. If you want to make sure you get everything Garmin has to offer, the 965 is tough to beat. The 265 (or even 165) will save you bucks and get a good deal of what Garmin has available.

I got a refurbished 945 for a little less than that (about a year ago) mainly because in addition to running, hiking, biking, and swimming I wanted golf course distance info. If I didn't need golf, the FR 165 sounds like a winner.

Sounds like the 165 fits with what you’re looking for. If you change your goals and habits in the future you can always upgrade. I rocked an Apple Watch for years and finally got tired of it running out of battery, especially on longer races. The forerunner 265 is what I got and it’s been a game changer now. 

Go for a 255M then. Or for a 165 if you dont need one of the features it lacks vs. the 265 (can't remember what it was, something made me put the 165 off my list). I bought an 265 last year because I wanted a watch with a touch screen. Today I realized I could get around without it easy enough - so a FR255 would be my watch of choice today. 255M vs. 265: 255 has MIP screen, 265 has OLED 255 has models with and without music on watch, 265 always has music capability 255 misses touch screen 255 misses Training Readiness score (but has all others and also the same activities like the 265) 165 (can't reme.ber all the differences) cannot connect to bicycle power meters IIRC it had some analysis missing, either running metric such as vertical movement, left right balance a d ground contact time and or on watch running power estimation. It lacks multi system GPS support (but the normal one is ctually good enough in normal conditions outside of walking in ravines, deep canyons, in between sky scrapers or under thick tree cover) Reviews by Des Fit and DC Rainmaker are very thorough on accuracy and practicabilty of fitness features. They are recommended by many. There also are other great reviewers, but those two really put the sports modes to the test.

There were some limitations of the 165 that made me choose the 265. The features can be compared on the Garmin site. And chances are, some reputable reviewer such as DesFit or DCRainmaker has made an in deep comparison between the two. Ahhh... here is one https://youtu.be/pD77vx9x0Ig?si=o9NNSmrrqm29_RrO I was reluctant to get the 955 because I know I do not need navigation on my watch and the 900 series are pretty big watches (I wear them at night to also monitor sleep). But function-wise, it is a good choice. Especially if you prefer a MIP screen. From a budget vs. function perspective, the 255Music is a great running watch....if I crashed my 265 today, I'd likely get one. I'm still bemoaning the MIP display that I gave up with getting the 265.

Vivoactive and Venu (non X1, that thing should have had a name of its own) don't have the advanced running metrics. So it's Forerunner , then check whether the features you want are in Instinct, Fenix, Enduro or Epix if you like one of those better.

What the 265 has over the 255 (Music) \* OLED display vs MIP - I would have preferred MIP. Neither is a pro or con. \* Touch Screen - I wanted a touch screen, coming from a 2-button Vivoactive 4 \* 265 always has on-watch Music while there are 2 versions of 255 / 255 Music \* 255 did get some activity profiles, but DID NOT get the Training Readiness score - I can live without the training readiness score. Most 3rd arty watch faces don't display it anyway, even the new Venu 4 All Stars version of that watch face sold by Garmin does not have a data field for Training Readiness (currently, it's full of bug, I expect updates) \* 255 has better battery life, but 265 isn't terrible. - I charge my 265 about once a week with 30min to 1.5h GPS activity every day. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* \* The 255 and the 265 share the same mold for their watch body.- They wear the same \* They have the same strap style, albeit the 265 ones come in cheesy 2-tone colors. - Replace them with a strap of your choice anyway. \* They have the same set of activities \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* When I got my 265, I actually wanted a MIP watch that also had touch screen ( the 955 was as expensive as the 265 then and I felt it was too big for me to wear 24/7 and I knew I didn't need the map features of it anyway.). I did not want a Venu 3 either and found the Vivoactive 5 a slap in the face for Vivoactive 4 owners. The FR165 missed indoor rowing and some other tidbits in the Garmin shop listing, so I did away with that one. I basically bought the 265 because of FOMO, for me the OLED wasn't even desireable. Now, after over a year with the 265 I can say: \* I rarely use the touch screen on it (it doesn't work as well as the one on my VA4. The touch targets for OK and cancel are tiny and at the brim of the watch (next to the buttons). I forget to use it for scrolling, which works well. \* I can read the OLED pretty well, but I still miss the MIP's true always on. \* Always on with the OLED is a false friend. It halves the battery life and for most watch faces is so dim that you hardly can read it in daylight. If it's bright enough to read it, you live in constant fear of burning out your display.... \* Forerunner x65 watch faces suffer from overuse of gradient high-glow color schemes. To me, they appear gaudy. Also of the 10+ designs, only a few make for a readable and informing watch face. There is no good "classic" watch face in analog. The basic digital watch face is very barren. I have a selection of 3rd party watch faces that I wear. Most recently I bought the Venu 4-style All Stars Watch face from Garmin - while not perfect, it shows someone at Garmin can design a readable and modern looking but not gaudy watch face. TL;DR: So for me, a 255 Music would have been better. But not by so much that I would change my 265 for a 255M now that I have it already.

Hi, I made the same switch. Enjoyed my charge 6 but I feel that Google will gradually phase out the line. Also, my charge often lost GPS after I started a run. I have a Forerunner 265 and it’s excellent. I tried a 165 first and it was excellent too, I just prefer the glass crystal on the 265. Otherwise they function more or less the same. Haven’t lost GPS on a run with the garmin yet. I feel like the garmin gives me better recommendations for runs and I like the plethora of watch face options and customization. Also the variety and depth of data is definitely superior on the garmin. The interface is a little wonky and takes some getting used to. Highly recommend you find the DC Rainmaker YouTube video for whatever model you end up going with. About a month in, I was very comfortable with the garmin app and interface. But it was more complicated than the Fitbit at first and took some getting used to.

A Garmin Foreruuner hands down. So much data you will love it. I have a 165 no music, budget friendly option. I would have gotten the 265s for the training load/readiness feature if I'd had a crystal ball st the time, but the 165 is amazing for the price!!

The 570 (even my 165) can do breadcrumb navigation which works surprisingly well.

It's a really solid watch. I did an experiment and got it from AliExpress for... around $200. Works and looks fine, it registered on Garmin correctly as well. I was a bit surprised by the size - it's aimed at "average" person, to my surprise it means short and narrow (20mm) strap. Not a big deal, especially as these are normal 20mm, nothing proprietary. GPS on bike works really good for me. It's a nice upgrade from my previous Instinct 1.  It's awesome that it has Garmin pay as well. Downsides: battery is "great for a smartwatch, meh for a Garmin". It also doesn't have that many sports built in, so no triathlon or SUP for you. Not a big deal for me, but worth noting.

Stand up paddle ;) It still has plenty of activities, I just mentioned it because it has less of them compared to other watches and some people forget to check that. Some models can last 3 weeks easily if you don't do a lot of gps activities, so 165 is not great here. But still much better than anything on Android or iwatch.

I thought I'd share my first experiences with the 165 Forerunner as a beginner runner. I bought the watch preparing for my first race, and wanted something not too expensive and compact on the wrist while still having the most important functions for running. I landed on the 165 after comparing back and forth a bit. The watch itself doesnt ooze quality, but is very light on the wrist, and compact enough that I wouldnt be embarrased to wear it with casual clothes. Comparing the screen to my brothers Fenix 7 Pro, I prefer the amoled over the Mip, and have no problem with visibility in the sun, at all. Functions wide I have no complaints, it tracks well, and I get my routes in Garmin Connect and Strava. The GPS typically uses around 30 second to connect in run mode. The touch screen I have had no issue with. Battery life is over a week with my use. I run maybe twice a week and occasionally wear it during the day. So it sits on the counter in standby a fair amount. I havent really found a watch face that I like a lot, but the one on the image is decent I think. I'd score it 7/10. Definitely worth the money.

I totally agree starting with the 165. It can do a lot of things. A second thought would be if you'll actually use unnecessary stuff you really don't need on the 265.

Get forerunner 165. Has these features and is budget friendly

I have a 165 for running and cycling and while it's fantastic, I kinda wish I got the 265 since it's got a lot more sport profiles like badminton that I would occasionally like, some more metrics like training readiness and training status. Though I will say that you can basically work those out yourself also by looking at HRV and recovery time on the 165. The 265 just kind of combines the data into a new metric even though the data it's gathering from your body is the same.

165 has a flat screen. I dropped mine once and the bezel got a bit of a dent but the screen is undamaged. Hope they go that way for a future 275 at which point I might upgrade.

FR165 paired with a chest strap heart rate monitor is perfect for my needs, duathlete

just switched from apple watch SE 2021 to a FR165 and I am LOVING it!!! i don’t think i’ll ever go back. i maybe texted 2 texts and took 1 phone call on my apple watch in 4 years. it’s just not needed. i love how this is solely fitness focused!

Agree 100%. Forerunner 165 is fantastic value

I have the 165 as my first. Originally bought the 55 but it didn’t do elevation. I think the 255 is an older model?

I have a 165 music, love it! Am an amateur as well, does everything I need plus more!

Decathlon has some cheap GPS and HR watches. Running with a phone feels cumbersome. ---- I typed this but now see it's more than the Coros 3: Forerunner 165 for the win if you're specifically after a watch. Most of the required features of the much more expensive Garmins. $250 without music, extra 50 with.

Go the 165 with the pretty screen for a first fitness watch.

I'm using a non-music fr 165 pero for your needs, I think fr 265/265s ang bagay sayo. Yung gps nyan is multiband so mas reliable especially kapag nasa city ka na maraming buildings. Battery life, wala ring problem. Pwede rin for swimming. Lastly, fr 265 ay may music capability na by default. Sa fr 165 kailangan mo pa yung music edition if you want to store music. >Planning to get a Garmin this time since I heard their watches also last for about two weeks in a single charge, which is what I'm used to. Ito, depende sya. Kung nakasmartwatch mode ka lang, yes pwede umabot ng 2 weeks pero kung lagi kang tumatakbo at nakagps, mas mabilis madedrain yung battery.

My current 265 is my 4th forerunner and it has been great. It has everything I need. That said, all these metrics are good on paper, but in practice I find I don't need it to tell me I should rest today because I already woke up feeling like crap. Adding too many metrics at the start ends up being detrimental, IMHO. That said I'd much rather suggest you to get an FR165 and get either an HR arm band or HRM-Pro chest strap since weight training is notoriously challenging for any optical wrist HR because of wrist movements. The HRM-PRO also enables you to play team sports with the watch safely in your bag, which is great for volleyball in my case. 165 or 265, you will have good watches, regardless.

Swapped my Epix 2 for the 165. It was just too big and full of nonsense features… jump master and anchor drift… 🤣. Best Garmin ever the 165

Sorry I misread. I thought you already had the 55. The 55 has more than enough features but for the price difference, I'd get the 165. It's bright enough. From DCrainmaker's review: >Inversely in bright light conditions, such as outside on bright sun, the display is more than bright enough. Over the last few weeks I’ve used the watch both in direct Florida sun, as well as on a bright sunny day in the Alps at altitude surrounded by snow reflecting the light – all without any issue.

I got a forerunner 165 music two weeks ago and I have liked it so far. You can build workouts (picture) in it so even if the reps and weight aren't calculated perfectly, you can edit it afterwards but it automatically goes through the exercise and rests that you've built in the app. I've only used it three times but found with dumbbells the reps were only a couple off. Machines it sucks at but I also don't know how it could count reps on a squat machine, leg extension, etc. It's not great with treadmills, you'll have to calibrate it every time, but outside is perfect. It worked great with my Pixel buds and a downloaded Spotify playlist. https://preview.redd.it/bgdrg8raovbd1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e4fdc5d0675ab9f2b9367a8487a1e6bd4ad6e65

I haven't seen that option for reps, you can set the number of reps you want to do but you can go short or beyond it. With arm stuff it generally does good counting but may be one or two off, and leg stuff it makes sense it wouldn't be amazing at it. My suggestion would be using the timer option instead of reps because that does notify you with a little count down. I don't think it will do the timer and the rep count though. I would suggest doing it with reps, see what your average time it takes you to do the number of reps cause it tracks that, and then switch to that 20 seconds or whatever for your workouts.

I have the same size wrist (19 cm) and the 165 is in my opinion perfectly sized. Lug to lug it sits well on the wrist and it is just so light too. I am not adverse to bigger watches, but they usually come with additional weight and I have decided the lighter the better for me. Only issue I have is that the strap is a bit on the short side. It fits, but only just

FR165 will do all that you need, inc training plans up to half-marathon. Spend the money you save on some running gear.

My Forerunner 165 lasts about a week maybe a touch more

My Versa 4 recently crapped out (battery would drain in less than a day from full charge, and would get the flashing logo / red X) That was my second FitBit. I've since ditched them entirely and picked up a Garmin Forerunner 165.

Weight/size of it is pretty good! Nothing too recognizable in terms of bulkiness. I have a 6.5" wrist and wearing the 47mm version so I hope that helps! It didn't feel much different compared to a Forerunner 165 that I had returned when I ran a 5K test route.

Forerunner 165 for sure.

165 is absolutely a fine running watch, with built in training functionality you would have to assemble yourself from several third aprty apps on apple watch. No subscription needed. Enjoy :).

Reco the Garmin 165. Cheaper now, simple enough to use & good enough to last you several years. But that entirely depends on your budget though.

I had the Vivoactive 5--which was nice for overall fitness--but I switched to the Forerunner 165 and it really is a superior platform for runners. The metrics and training plans are much more interesting/targeted/relevant. The barometric altimeter was dropped in the Vivoactive 4 but is very much essential to the FR165. I have the black 165 with black band, and it works well on a casual weekend as much as in a professional setting. I wear mine every day, and to sleep. It's a dream. PLUS, the screen of the FR165 is flat, rather than the slightly convex one on the Vivoactive series. Bumping my watch and worrying that I'm going to scratch the screen is a thing of the past. Here's the comparison: [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/compare/?compareProduct=1555457&compareProduct=1055469](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/compare/?compareProduct=1555457&compareProduct=1055469)

I have a Garmin forerunner 165 since I didn’t want to spend over 200 , it is perfect for downloading trails onto with the breadcrumb navigation. I am very happy with the 12 days of battery life as well.

I had the Instinct 2 for a few years and with the 165 having a price drop "upgraded" to the 165. I like the color screen and it is lighter than the Instinct. I used my Instinct for tracking my walking and steps through out the day so I did not anything fancy. https://preview.redd.it/61zti7c6s52f1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa5df6410f5c1029e145aedfad12e5eca31aa012

With your budget, I suspect you'd be a lot happier with the Forerunner 255 or 265. They're very similar but fuller featured. I just got a 165 as an upgrade from Vivoactive 4. I think the 165 is a good choice if you are budget-conscious (I am). But if you have the budget, 255 or 265 are worth the extra money. I don't find that watches add much value for lifting - I still track it, but the heart rate monitoring etc for various cardio activities is much more accurate and actionable. The 165 will make it's best guess at treadmill distance, then ask you what distance the treadmill said when you end the activity. I don't value GPS tracking very highly, but all my other indoor training has been tracked very well by the watch. You can edit activities in Garmin Connect easily; what you can edit on the watch itself varies.

garmin fr 165 also watch the quantitative scientist reviews Huawei watch maganda sa test niya, pero garmin fr 165 ginagamit ko for daily run suggestion

I've had mine a little over a month and the GPS seems more than fine to me. I've never had it glitch out or be inaccurate. The sleep analytics seems pretty spot on to me, I feel rested when I get a good score and I feel tired when I get a bad score and the times always seem to about line up. For my first Garmin watch I'm super happy with it and would give it a solid 9/10, only losing a point because I have nothing else Garmin to compare it to so I can't give it a 10. It's comfortable, lightweight, tracks my workouts well, the HR is pretty spot on, as I track my blood pressure as well and it seems to be consistent when I take my readings. I really can't give it a negative review in any way. I'm not a super athlete training for some big event but I run 3-4 times a week for at least 30 mins at a time, do strength training at least twice a week between 30-50 mins and try and throw a bike ride in here and there as well so I'm fairly active, and it suits all my needs just fine. I really like my watch TBH. I went camping this weekend and like a dumb-ass forgot my watch in the bathroom after my shower before we left and I felt naked all weekend. Edit: weird I’m getting downvoted for giving my opinion on a product I bought…

I've been wearing a 165 for the last few weeks. I lift weights, ruck/hike, and a just started running. It's been a great fit! 165, 255, 265 I think would all be great choices.

I was in exactly the same position, not really into watches smart or otherwise, just want lap counting and some data like strokes and rest time and heart rate. Got the Forerunner 165. I like it a lot. Battery lasts about 10 days, used for swimming only.

Yep , I don't even bring my phone to the pool unless accidentally by habit. It syncs when it gets back in range. Accuracy is generally good, as long as I don't wave my hand around while resting (I let it sit on my knee now so it doesn't give any fake signals). It did once record a 75 hour moving time in a 30min swim which messed up the average, but just once. Overall I'm happy with it.

For weight training I'd go with Forerunner 165 and a chest strap. Without a chest strap watches don't track well lifting sessions.

The 2x5 line is much better for running than the 165, so I wouldn't recommend the 165. I find that Garmin watch are pretty bad at handling audio content (music, but especially podcasts and audiobooks). Coming from running only my Apple Watch, I switched to running with my 255 and my phone. So personally, I wouldn't recommend getting the music version. As for the 955, it does have maps and little more over the 255/265. It really comes down to how much you like to run in new places where maps are needed (and even then, the breadcrumbs map on the 255 can be handy).

I know people LOVE their MIPS for the simplicity and battery life and because it’s familiar. I was recently gifted an AMOLED Forerunner ahead of a half marathon and the screen was excellent and a nice upgrade over my previous Garmins. Battery life is still more than sufficient.

The same I was big on the Apple ecosystem and felt like it was a cool watch just because it integrated so well, but I never even downloaded any apps for it. All I ever used it for was timers and reminders and stuff like that and basic fitness tracking, and my forerunner does all the same stuffbut way better. Should’ve switched sooner

There is Garmin Swim (IMHO essentially it is a ForeRunner, but swim has been put in focus; review here https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/10/garmin-openwater-review.html). However, modern Garmin watches are all able to track pool swim as well as gym workouts (you might have to set exercises later in the app if you want to track muscle groups affected). Essentially ForeRunner is for runners mostly, Forerunner 9xx is focused on triathlon, Fenix is mostly for outdoors - but again, all of them can do almost the same. I’d go with Fenix if budget allows.

All true except advanced metrics. They are also present in Fenix (it has even more features for hiking) and Instinct. Forerunner is not more advanced. The rugedness is mostly about the bezel. In fenix and instinct it has a rim which gives extra protection to the screen. But that means rugged watches are more bulky what can be a problem in the gym. The real question is lightness of forerunner vs battery life of fenix /instinct

I’ve had and loved garmin forerunners and a coros pace. Slight preference for coros over garmin for battery life. Slight preference for garmin for multi-app interoperability.  I’m actually planning to buy an Apple Watch because it’s fine as a fitness tracker and has better health tracking capabilities on top of the fitness stuff. 

I have both and just got the forerunner. I really enjoy the fitness data from garmin. AW is just a superior smart watch and I am coming to the conclusion that I don’t need it any more. At my age I just need to focus more on my health and fitness.

Not having a screen doesn't really seem like much of a selling point. It's nice to have the watch function and access to other data bits on the screen. I have an older Garmin Forerunner that I've used for about 8 years.

I second this. My Garmin Forerunner has been going strong 4 years now.

Yes, they’re great. Make sure to download the connect app, that’s we’re all the useful data will be much easier to read.

The only time that I had issues with a Garmin watch they replaced the watch well over the warrant. I got a forerunner that lasted a lot (6 years?) and then I gave it to a friend. I'm sporting an almost 5 year old fenix and I got it second hand. The watches they make are sturdy

Garmin Forerunners are a great fitness watch.

I think if you primarily want to track those workouts and your alternative is not getting an Apple Watch, then it might be overkill in terms of money spent. I was coming from a forerunner and knew I wanted an Apple Watch so was going between an S10 and ultra 2 and don’t regret getting the ultra 2. Like you, I wanted the extra battery life and preferred the more rugged look

You can get a Fenix 7 Pro for less than that from John Lewis at the moment. It depends what you want from the watch. If you want sturdy and looks good then go for a Fenix, if you want lighter then go Forerunner. You won't get a Fenix 8 in that budget but the 7 Pro is still very good for the money.

My Garmin Forerunner does a decent job tracking lap swimming. It struggles with open water but I do'nt do that very often.

So I train with both the AWU2 and my Forerunner, and I’m a fan of each for different reasons. Never have I heard anyone complain about the GPS accuracy of an Ultra 2 though. I generally find my two watches are very close if I use them together but, if anything, the Ultra is always a bit closer to the mark, especially in areas that challenge GPS. Very odd what you’re saying here.

Where??? I’m really curious. All the reputable reviewers rave about Apple for accuracy of GPS (especially the Ultra, with its dual-band) and HR. Now when it comes to all the other fitness functionality it sucks big time haha. But, on the other hand, the Garmin is far worse from a smartwatch perspective and my AWU2’s cellular connectivity is above and beyond the thing I care most about on long, remote runs.

If you really end up getting into running, I would not suggest Vivioactive 5. The pace shown on the watch is NOT the pace you are running. You won’t see your actual pace until after you run and sync to the app. I’ve learned a way to know “appropriately” what pace I’m running by setting up the watch with .25 mile laps so it will show me the .25 average. Also, I start a separate run activity for both slower warmup and another one for the slower cool down. For weight workouts in the gym, I just use the cardio activity but it’s really just to see approximately how much time and calories I’m supposed earning. Pool workouts are decent for counting laps, just one lap off. Maybe the low-level Forerunner would have been a better option for my running. I’ve only had mine a few months but it’s durable. I’ve worn it doing lots of hiking, over rocks etc. But I’m also a little bit careful.

Coros or garmin pace or forerunner, if you like music while running get the garmin, if your more minimalist (smaller screen, simpler interface) get the coros

I turn it off on my garmin forerunner as it drives me mad and once it’s off you never get notifications. Even after system updates and stuff. Easy peasy

I would suggest any Fenix or even any forerunner over any vivoactive or venu of you're serious about training. Sure you can get by with most basic stuff on those watches but if you get serious about training or want better features you'll have wanted at least a forerunner model

I think it very much depends on what you want from a watch. I’m a big data nerd too and I really do enjoy my Garmin. The other nice thing is that Garmin has a pretty wide array watches that can cater to a beginner or advanced runner. Me personally? I had a forerunner for many years before I upgraded to the Enduro line due to battery life during 100k+ distance races.

Came to say the same… I had an Apple Watch, replaced it with a garmin forerunner for 1 month it was the worst! So inaccurate and when I’d swim in pools it would so often double count my lengths… I went back to Apple Watch

None of the forerunners have a metal bezel. They’re all solid colours. The Venu just looks better period , imo

I’ve worn a lot of watches and trackers. For a beginning runner I would get a Garmin Forerunner. I’ve owned the entry level and the Epix Pro ($1100). Garmin is the most consistent running tool I’ve owned

Update I bought a forerunner and used it a couple times but ended up returning it for the Venu 3. I am happy with my choice!!!

I got the Venu 3s and couldn’t be happier! Tried out the forerunner but hated the way it looked and I feel like their running tools/stats are incredibly similar

I just switched from AWU it FR 970 and it’s really not even a question. I LOVE the forerunner so much more.

Just “downgraded” from a Fenix to a Forerunner (about a month ago) and love it. The battery life of the Forerunner isn’t as great but it’s still good, about 7 days on one charge (using GPS once a day). Forerunner is less bulky. I have zero regrets with the switch.

Go with a venu 3, all the important things is there, it has great accuracy comparable with forerunners, and it's adequate for your running needs, and also the design is more fitting for you.  But yeah, if I have to choose for myself I'd go with Forerunner because as a guy I like Forerunner better design wise, and I like to have all the features even though I might not need it. 

I have a Garmin Forerunner, hopefully soon to upgrade to Fenix. Anyway, it has the quickfit watch strap, so I have an orange band on it all the time, and for formal occasions I have the chestnut leather band, takes all of 30s to swap them over 👍🏻

I’d check Facebook Marketplace for a used Garmin Forerunner. They are good watches for running and biking, and they also have good sleep-tracking if you decide to wear it 24/7.

This was my experience, too-- went from Apple watch to Forerunner and I'm glad that I made the leap. The tipping point for me was that the Apple watch battery was draining so fast on my rides that I was losing data, and I was charging it twice a day.

Definitely Garmin, specifically the Forerunner

I don’t know what you’re doing with your Ultra, but mine gets barely 2 days and I have the brightness on the lowest settings and no third party apps installed. My Garmin Forerunner gets 4-5 days on a single charge and if I turn off the AOD, that goes up to 15

Just about all the Garmin watches do what you're looking for. The only thing with the Instinct is that it's a pretty specific look. You're coming from an Apple watch, which is pretty much accepted as appropriate in any setting and with any attire. The Instinct definitely looks rugged and tough. The Forerunner is more generic looking.

Yes you can order plenty of bands online. I started with the Venu 2S and swapped to the Forerunner. They are the same size. Forerunner definitely has sportier bands. But I appreciate more activity modes, more training metrics and better battery life.

Forerunner or Enduro for all around "everything." Weights suck with any watch, but that's not specific to any model.

Don't underestimate the lightness of your watch. Especially 19 hours in, I just get tired of the heavy shit on my wrist. I'd go Forerunner or Enduro every time.

Garmin all the way if you are using android The tracking is really quite good and the features arent exactly advanced for a beginner, it walks you through basically everything Ive seen a few forerunners or vivoactive go on sale for slightly over 200. Abit higher than your budget but imo worth it, it will last you even when you are no longer a beginner

I would go Fenix personally if money isn't an issue. Better looking, better build, longer battery, and better (more waterproof) buttons. I really don't like the look of the forerunners so that may also be a big bias for me.

Funnily enough, a lot of people do more than just road running..... a forerunner is not great for swimming, cycling, heavy trail running etc. Ive run multiple half marathons in my fenix no issues as well as doing many other activities without the worry of cracking a plastic watch and having enough battery to do so. I also did say that I was bias towards the look.... but it still remains that I think forerunners look cheap.

Most of the training data is a gimmick anyway. Youll be fine with a venu 3. One of my friends is an ex Olympian Rower. Hè has a venu 3 I have a forerunner. He is in much better shape than I am. The Watch doesnt matter.

Brother gave me a used Garmin Forerunner a year ago as he upgraded. It's been awesome so I'd go second hand/refurbished from reputable source.

get a low digit garmin Forerunner, they do what you are looking for

I have the forerunner and I haven’t as it’s not rated for that kind of temp. However google searching has people going into the sauna with their Garmin without issue so it’s really a personal risk / reward scenario.

Basically any Garmin from the 255 and up. Fenix is the best but pricey so forerunner should be more than enough

I had a forerunner and only switched to an Apple Watch when I had to stop running. Garmin is a superior fitness watch. Especially if you are running every day. You can use both but it will screw your daily stats. You get a few more smart features (eg replying to texts)  in n the Garmin if you pair it to an Android phone as Apple deliberately don’t integrate well.  Oh, and the battery lasts days even when exercising a lot (weeks without excercise). 

For a long time, I only ran with my phone and used the Map My Run app, and then switched to Strava. I used live tracking on the apps as I ran, but I didn’t have a watch to see how it was going in real time. Both apps have voiceovers that tell you when you hit a mile and your pace.  I ran my first half marathon and had no clue what my heart rate was, which is what made me get a little more serious afterwards. I got a cheap Garmin forerunner to start with, and moved on from there! So you don’t necessarily need anything, but if you get more serious with it, a watch is nice to have! A running belt like Flipbelt or SPI belt is handy to carry your phone.

...and something good about the Forerunner is that there is one for every budget (unlike other Garmin watch ranges).

the cheaper forerunners and Fenixes are great for this, simple, cheap, reliable and near indestructible

I’ve had both fenix and forerunner. Even as a multi sport athlete ( although primarily a runner) I hands down love my forerunner way better.

If you want a sports watch with superb training feature and battery runtime, get a Garmin (Forerunner). If you want a smartwatch with some sports features, get an Apple Watch.

I tried a Garmin Forerunner but couldn't figure out how to customize it (and I'm pretty tech savvy). Sold it to a triathlete. I'm a Samsung gal and I love my Samsung Galaxy 6. I easily customized it so that getting to the swim app is just one face swipe and a click. It auto detects my strokes pretty reliably and even though I don't do flip turns it knows when I switch direction and gets the distance right.

Probably Forerunner. I did a whole video on picking your Garmin: https://youtu.be/UuSZG52uOrg

Current/recent Forerunners aren't clunky and are a fine everyday wellness watch.

Forerunner. Any model. Any model from last few years up to now. Great range of watches. Loads out there pre-loved as runners do live to upgrade. FR 745 is vastly underrated / undervalued as a device for the non-elite level runner.

I’ve been double wristing it for about a year and a half since I got into marathon training. Garmin Forerunner on the right, rotation of analog watches on the left. It has completely killed any desire for a digital watch on my “nice watch” arm, and I get a question about it occasionally, but otherwise I don’t really think about it

I tried to switch but in the end I came back to Apple watch (I missed it's smart capabilities, it's nice and polished apps and the way it integrates in the Apple ecosystem). I do wear my Garmin Forerunner on my runs though along with my the Apple Watch.

For someone who is new and cares mostly about sleep tracking and GPS activities it’s honestly all kind of the same. You can run with an Instinct and you can hike with a forerunner. Choose based off of look, price, battery life for your particular activities. A Fenix or Instinct pretty much does it all and with great battery life. Doesn’t really matter in the end unless you care about very specific advanced metrics. I personally think most of the Forerunners are ugly so I gravitate towards Instinct because I’m also not willing to overpay for a Fenix when there’s other brands that cover 90% of a Fenix for half the cost. If you want to research alternatives: If you’re looking at an Instinct, check out Coros Nomad. If you’re looking at a Fenix check out Suunto Race 2 or Vertical 2 or upcoming Coros Apex 4.

Dammit I loved my Forerunner, I pool swam, ran, trail ran, hiked, OWS, you name it, and the watch is awesome. It holds music so I can run with just the watch. Tracking was great. The numbers were big enough to read I had it for 3 years, and the plastic bracket that holds the wrist strap pin broke. I am using my sons Google watch and I curse every time I have to look at it. I keep thinking I'll get used to it and eventually love it. Nope I hate it every day. So now I run with 2 fitness trackers, the Garmin without a strap, in my pocket and my every day Google watch on my wrist. Buy the Garmin

Forerunners are much lighter weight and therefore much more comfortable to wear.

I have a Garmin forerunner and it’s great for fitness tracking and everything else, I wear it all day every day. It will give you yardages to front middle and back, and it’s pretty accurate. I mainly use my range finder though so I don’t often use the watch for golf. I was thinking about making the switch to a more golf forward version and the epix pro is the top of my list. It has unbelievable golf functionality but is also a great fitness watch. The only better “golf feature” garmin is the S62 or similar, but they aren’t as convenient for fitness tracking IMO. Garmin kicks ass though, I highly recommend it. The site DC rainmaker is a good resource, that dude has reviews on every damn garmin product I think

Garmin forerunner for sure. I got myself a Garmin venu 3 and it’s good but there’s a few features the forerunners have that I miss. I use that combined with Strava for community, Garmin connect app for stats, and Runna app for training plans. They all connect together. Runna automatically sends runs to my watch, then the watch sends the stats back to all three apps when I’m done 👍 Edit: it also all sends the data to my Apple health and my Lifesum dieting app which updates my daily calorie intake based on activity level

Fenix or Epix and yes they integrate with iPhones. Some fitness apps will connect to Garmin. If you want a slimmer watch you can also go for the new forerunner.

Apple Watch will do fine for a long time - only got a Garmin last year. However once you go to only having to charge your watch once every two weeks you just can’t go back to Apple. I have a Garmin Fenix (on the $$$ side) but I wear it every day as my normal watch too and have had zero issues making the switch. However there’s heaps in the range, I love accuracy, maps, long battery and lots and lots of data so I can overthink every run - so Fenix it is! The forerunners are great and the vivoactives are a good mid range model. There’s other brands like Suunto, Polar etc. For true accuracy on any wrist watch you may need a chest monitor. But if you really like your Apple Watch I found it pretty good unless you’re somewhere with not much reception

It does not sound like you do running or other outdoor activities, so I d recommend a vivoactive 5 or 6 mate. However, something like a basic Forerunner could also give you all plus some running support for a share of the vivo price. I started my first one with a vivomove HR which only gave me steps and basic gym rep counting (that was 8 years ago) then vivoactive 3 and now a FR965 because I do hike a lot and started running recently plus all the gym.

Go for the forerunner!!! No need for anything else

I’d definitely take a look at the Forerunner line. It’s going to be thinner and lighter than the Fenix, and generally carries most of the same (if not all) features. 

Forerunner if you care about run-specific metrics, the vivoactive 5 lacks them, the vivoactive 6 has some, but forerunner would be the go-to

I had a 255, also a similarly slim wrist, and recently "upgraded" to a Vivoactive 6. Upgrade in quotes because I'm aware a lot of people don't consider that an upgrade, but it definitely was for me, for things I cared about, and ultimately it's only things you care about that matters. For me the biggest problem was how big and heavy the 255 was. I believe it's very similar size/weight to the 265, and the 955 is even larger/heavier (by a bit). I am also primarily a runner, but not a super serious one (one or two half marathons a year, a few weeks/months of half-assed training). The tracking and training features on the dirt cheap Vivoactive is more than enough for me, and I don't miss the more advanced features from the Forerunner at all. In fact, I still don't know what those are. I suspect very few people wearing Forerunners really benefit from the very specialized running features that the more "lifestyle" Garmin watches don't have, and I regretted falling into that trap and getting that Forerunner a few years ago. Either that or this sub is full of hardcore elite runners. On the Vivoactive, the OLED screen is much more beautiful than the MIP, and the new interface is so much more intuitive to use. The size also looks much less comical on my wrist. It's also much lighter, which I didn't really appreciate until getting this one. It "only" has 10 days battery life, but I just charge it when I notice it going below 20% when sat at my desk, and it really doesn't bother me at all. The 255 was purely a training tool. The Vivoactive gives me joy to wear and look at, in addition to being just as good a training tool for me. But that's a very subjective thing. If you don't like the Vivoactive aesthetic, there's also the new Venu 4/4S that looks more premium. So I think it mostly depends on whether you actually need the additional features. The map is the only feature I would care about in the 9xx, but I wasn't going to pay so much for that, when I never do long runs in unfamiliar places without my phone anyways.

Yeah every forerunner I’ve owned has been great. Also touch screens on a running watch are really annoying if you sweat a lot

Apple watch is pretty useless by the time you're trying to add sensors to your workouts. Look at wahoo and coros. Garmin forerunner is awesome if you want to splurge.

As a long time garmin devotee…their current pricing is just inexcusable. I’ve been a forerunner guy forever and it’s honestly a joke.

If you want a cheaper option the Forerunner is good. Had two in a row. Heart rate, could record rides pretty accurately.

My forerunner lasts like 3 days 🫠

Forerunner, and the version depends on your bidget

If you want to get healthy and get phone notifications and *maybe* do music or something, get a Garmin. Instinct 2 (gives music controls but requires a phone for the music itself) or a used Forerunner (I believe they're done of the cheapest models that do on-board music, Spotify, etc.) or what have you. If you want to do smartphone stuff on your wrist and *maybe* get healthy, go Samsung.

Garmin Forerunner + Playrun App from IQ is working for me pretty smoothly.

I had the same debate - bought the venu & ended up returning it for the forerunner & have been beyond happy with my decision. the extra battery life alone makes it so worth it for me, but I also really love the additional metrics & the daily suggested workouts

Get a garmin forerunner best investment I’ve ever made

I really love my Garmin. I use a forerunner which isnt the most stylish model, but battery life is really good and it has a lot of additional activity features I like (e.g. tracking outdoor swimming, biking , training plans etc). They have a paid subscription model but it is in no way necessarily, you get access to most features as part of the watch.

Well, it is not necessary, but definitely it helps. I’d recommend you to buy at least some basic Garmin Forerunner - it doesn’t cost much, has a decent battery life and is light. Regarding AW, for marathon, you should buy ultra, which is a lot of money. Whoops is more an add-on than running tracker. It’s not very comfortable to run with a phone and the watch shows live metrics, which is very useful. So yes, you should.

I have all phone notifications disabled on my Forerunner and on my Garmin Edge. So it works just as you expected - it records my activities and syncs them to Garmin Connect / Strava afterwards.

My wife has the vivoactive 5. She recently started running and finds it rather basic compared to the running metrics and functionalities I get from my forerunner. The things she would like to have the most, that are not on the Vivoactive, are Daily Suggested Workout and breadcrumb trails.

Had an Apple Watch and currently have Garmin Forerunner Battery life Battery life Battery life Garmin all day.

No smartwatch does swimming or lifting particularly well, imo. The development of swimming software has always been secondary to the watch’s software for biking and running. That said, i do use and find acceptable the swim function on my garmin (I’ve had a swim 2, forerunner, and fenix). I don’t pay attention to stroke detection so I can’t speak to that but it does everything else you’re asking for.  For lifting, paper and pen is still king. I track my lifting workouts on my watch so i get “credit” for them and the workouts help me reach some of the silly little “challenges” garmin has, but it’s too fiddly, prone to errors, and doesn’t provide me the same information I get by writing down my lifts & how I felt. 

if you're trying a lot of new hikes, loading up hikes on the watch is great and I've liked it on my forerunner.

Yeah, the nice thing about the PW is that its user serviceable. You can change out the screen and battery. I hope other manufacturers decide to follow this example. It also has LTE and satellite and okay battery life. On the other hand, the forerunner has buttons which I prefer.

The forerunner is made for runners, it's the obvious choice here.

I have a Whoop band that I really like for tracking activities. It’s not a watch - doesn’t have a face to it at all - but I think it does a good job tracking sleep/activities and horse riding is an option for activity on it. You don’t pay up front for it - it’s a $35/month service fee. So while not a big expense up front, it obviously adds up over time, which is not necessarily for everyone.  I wear a garmin forerunner on my other wrist too. I like that as well, but I have to say I prefer the app and the data provided by the whoop. I basically only use my forerunner for the actual watch face at this point.  Edit: I just checked whoops website and they do offer a $399 up front fee for 2 year membership. 

The forerunner line is geared towards running and triathlon. They are excellent watches. You can get them relatively cheap used.

The forerunner will meet and exceed all your needs except one. What type of integration are you requiring? Basic smart notifications?

I was a Fenix guy until I bought a forerunner. I can't tell the forerunner is on my wrist. I love it.

Fourth for Garmin!!!(I have a forerunner) I love it!

Switched 5 years ago. Echoing the comment here: this is **not** a smartwatch, but a **sports/adventure watch.**  You won’t be reading your emails, getting texts, or calling a Uber, and the screen is nowhere near as responsive as the AW. If you’re looking for a phone one your wrist, Garmin is not for you. But if you’re training for a sports race, anything from a 5k to an ultramarathon, or even just trying to stay generally fit, the load tracking and suggested workout feature alone is worth it. The battery of data signals you get to tailor and improve your training is worth the switch alone, to a Foretunner or Epix or Fenix. Not even getting started on navigation in the mountains, which is really good — if you hike, camp, trail run, cycle, or generally enjoy being out, you will love your Epic or Fenix.

I’d also recommend going for a Forerunner. Forerunners are built for running and can be used for swimming. An Instinct 2 lacks for example Garmin Run Coach, which the Forerunners have.

IMHO Apple does fitness tracking better than Garmin. Esp. sleep tracking is more accurate, plus you get ECG on most Apple Watches. In the US, blood oxygen tracking is currently disabled for new Apple Watches. Btw. I am wearing both, Garmin and Apple (I like redundancy for marathons, plus my Apple Watch has LTE, while my Forerunner does not)

>It's actually not bad, it's just a compromise you MUST take I don't like compromises. So I wear an Apple Watch and a Garmin Forerunner.

I use both, Apple Watch and Garmin (one on each wrist). IMHO, Apple Watch does better health tracking and offers a wider range of devices to contribute data. As well as more apps. Apple really shines in sleep tracking and I have the feeling that Apple’s wrist based HR sensor is better than Garmin’s. I am using a Forerunner, so it’s not the newest Garmin tech, but my Apple Watch is a Series 8, so not the newest gen either). I really like Garmin for training. And the HRM Pro Plus is the best heart rate monitor I ever had.

Yes, serious overkill. Vivoactive is good for general health tracking and logging your runs or you could go for something more running specific like a Forerunner. For more all around fitness at a decent price, you can't beat the Vivoactive series.

Whoops focus during exercise is how much strain you are putting your body through.  I’d recommend getting a Garmin forerunner if you want a fully dedicated running watch! 

Garmin forerunner, Fenix, epix, Enduro. And nothing else matters

Basically any modern smartwatch will do this. Your axes of choice are ecosystem, battery life, and price. The basic Apple Watch will do what you want, but because you’re using the GPS, the battery will be dead mid-day. I do not recommend any Apple Watch but the Ultra for an athlete or active person because of the awful battery life. If you want something cheaper than the Ultra, I’d look at the Coros Pace and cheaper Garmin Forerunner options. They’ll both cost about half and are really good products with roughly 5-10x battery life vs the basic Apple Watch.

Oh wow I didn’t know the Ultra 2 also had that issue. Honestly after getting a garmin watch, I don’t think I can go back.

The Fenix is much heavier than the Forerunner. I had a Fenix and switched to Forerunner because of the weight.

Whichever forerunner is within your budget is usually best if running is the priority

Garmin forerunner, whichever one you want they’re all good

I have the Fenix 8 amoled which I use for running and hiking, the sapphire glass is great so it doesn’t scratch and I love having topo maps standard. Cons is the price. Forerunner is a good option if price is an issue.

I just got a forerunner garmin after my Apple Watch couldn’t last a day. if you can, I’d definitely recommend getting one, maybe even with the holidays coming up. It tracks my sleep, workouts, stress - a whole lot more than my old Apple Watch!

I have an AWU: it’s a smart watch w/ mostly useless rudimentary fitness tracking metrics that don’t match at all with what training peaks, intervals, Strava, or Garmin Connect give for metrics & stats. Also, battery lasts less than 24 hours if you actually use your watch for tracking rides. I had a Garmin Forerunner: It was a legit fitness tracker that has useful metrics that align w/ 3rd party training platforms and also has some basic useful smart watch features. Seamless integration w/ Garmin Edge bike computer stats as well. When I upgrade watches, I’m going back to Garmin because I prioritize the fitness features more than the often annoying & useless smart watch novelty features that Apple caters towards for the general public. What do you prioritize? Novelty smart watch features (Apple), or useful training metrics (Garmin).

Garmin has the best batteries, forerunner as others said

I used my Garmin Forerunner and it was perfect. Only charged once after 6 days.

Fenix 7. Skip the screen on the 8 and go with one that holds up better in bright sunlight. HOWEVER, if these are truly your only options I’d say forerunner. Slightly less rugged, but has everything you need for a little less than Fenix series. Doesn’t have a flashlight though

If price isn't an issue check the Garmin line. They have watches for runners, climbers, n daily life. I'm not a runner but I got the forerunner since it matched well with my life style. Just pick the one that u like the most based on its features. Battery life is from 7 days to 15 depending on the watch n use. If price is an issue get the lower end ones, less feats but still very nice battery life

I use Strava and the Whithings app, paired with one of their smart scales and a few add ons. Apple Health can pull from both, and while I don't care about my daily steps (for example) they automatically pull from my watch (forerunner) into the various apps as well.

The Forerunner would be a watch I’d recommend for sure. There are a number of different models, so make sure you do your research. It also depends on how much you want to spend.

Depending on how much you want to interact with your watch, the lack of buttons on a Venu might be frustrating. For that reason a Forerunner might be better as you can lock the touch screen during runs and use the buttons.

Can't go wrong with Garmin imho. I've had a fenix and a couple of forerunners, and they've all worked great.

If you move all day, whoop will track it. Whether or not you are doing an activity whoop will count any increase in heart rate towards your "strain", and will give you sleep recommendations and adjust recovery based on that. The automatic activity tracking and auto sleep tracking are great. It's the most hands off device out there. Garmin only adds load when you are tracking an activity, so it can miss a lot if it's not a planned workout. But when you do track activities, it gives you much more information. Whoop is not a good activity tracker. It's a health tracker. You can really only see your heart rate zones for the activity. You can't see progression over time or compare it to previous workouts. For that you need garmin or Strava or something else. From what I can tell, Garmin is amazing at activities and good enough with health, while whoop does great with health but is poor for activities. Not sure if this helps, but it seems like there is no perfect option - Im going to have to make this same decision once my subscription is up.

Get the forerunner it’s definitely more versatile and does the swim as well as the swim 2.. I have owned a Garmin for 20 yrs — have the Fenix 8 now

I have been trying to get going as a runner for a few years but kept getting injured... anyway I've had a Garmin Forerunner for a few years as well and I am happy with it. It's useful as an everyday watch but also has built in training programs. I'm going through one right now for a half marathon in May and it's going well. I did six miles yesterday (the farthest I've ever ran in my life) and I feel great today. It is durable, has great battery life, and for the money is a pretty good bargain imo. I would suggest it to anyone.

Three things to consider that comes to my mind. 1. If you are only looking to track runs(no use for daily health metrics) then you can just wear the running watch during the run, and then put the watch away after you are done. That is what I do with my Garmin Forerunner. I do my run with the watch and then after I come back home the Forerunner gets turned off and put away. 2. Alternative option is to just use your phone's GPS data to track run data. Personally I tried this method, and I wasn't a fan because the phone GPS would struggle to find me sometimes and I'd end up with a weird run distance and times. Non watch style fitness tracking device would likely also have this issue where the GPS function is either non-existent or not as accurate as the watch style running watches. 3. Lastly, I'd just run by time and effort without any tracking if you are just starting out. Time on feet will likely matter more for your progress than accurate distance or speed measures. Set a timer on your phone and run until the timer goes off, then turn around and run back to the starting point. Slowly increase the time on the timer over as you get better. This is more or less what I did when starting out, and I still use this method when going for an easy run.

If you don’t wanna get a dedicated computer like the Garmin edge. Then get a forerunner or fenix.

For concept 2 you can use the forerunner to broadcast HR to a PM5, and have Ergdata sync to Garmin Connect. The HR data works well even off the wrist (I used to find that wrist HR sucked for rowing). I also broadcast HR to my cycling computer.

I use a Garmin Forerunner watch, and it displays heart rate while tracking activity. The reading is pretty visible to me even with slightly foggy goggles but ymmv. They have a lot of models with this capability, so maybe you can find one with a bigger screen. The default heart rate screen also has a colored Zone indicator, if that's easier to see & you're not looking for exact numbers https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=kbOXNev7NS4DQcc3IjAV49

I use Garmin forerunner watch, sync Strava with Garmin Connect and sync Komoot with Strava. It works like a charm.

I have a Garmin Edge bike computer and chest based heart rate because I like to see my speed on the handlebars rather than having to look at my watch. It also navigates for me on more adventurous rides and race courses I'm unfamiliar with. For local social rides I just track on my Garmin Forerunner watch.

A Garmin head unit. You could buy used to reduce the cost. I do ride wearing my forerunner watch, however it is purely for heartrate (linkeded to display on headunit) In reality you could buy the headunit and an inexpensive chest heartrate monitor such as magene. I do however like that my watch provides lots of other daily data such as resting heartrate, steps and so forth. There is benefit to headunit + basic level sports watch.

Runs are the same concept as rides. Personally, I use purpose-built devices to record: Garmin Edge bike computer, Garmin Forerunner watch (they also both do navigation, connect to heart rate sensors, watch does music, etc.). When I stop an activity and hit save, it's uploaded to Strava before I can even get the garage door open. I don't want to carry my phone on a run, and I don't want to run down the battery on all-day rides.

Obviously a Fenix 8 Micro LED. For real though, Fenix/Epix watches will give you full golf functionality minus a feature or two which are reserved for the golf specific watches. If you are budget conscious I would look for a Fenix 7/epix 2 series watch. If you have money to spend, a Fenix 8 will be great for everything you can imagine. Forerunner watches do have some golf features but they are dumbed down a bit to basic distance to green and score keeping.

Ive had a few Fenix versions, they are great/ top of the range. Last few years ive been using forerunners which have all the functionality - 9xx series is great, or 2xx for something easier on the pocket. My activities include trail running, hiking, triathlons (and running/swimming/riding only), golf/disc golf. Navigation and battery are good, and glass is strong. Lifestyle is great for sleep, general hr tracking, step counts, tap to pay. The 955 i have also has great multimedia (music). Cant go wrong with a forerunner (solar if you are doing ultra's or multiday). Fenix is a nice splurge

>Its a Vivoactive by another name. ironically i've been looking at the FR series to upgrade my old vivoactive. lack of altimeter is deal breaker for me.

I second this. Exact same use case run 3x/week and weight train 3-4x/week. I found the epix pro gen 2 sapphire to be best utility and bang for buck. I tried the FR but was too run focused and I preferred the more tactical look. The fenix 8 was nice but at double the price with same sensor technology it didn’t felt worth it. You do forgo the mic and voice features but I didn’t need it and didn’t want a true smart watch but prioritized a fitness forward watch. 3 months in and I love my Epix pro gen 2 47mm

People have to stop comparing these. These are for two different people. I would never wear an Apple Watch based on battery life alone. I specifically got the Garmin for a wrist based gps and mapping tool to track and orient myself. You buy an Apple Watch to use smart features and be connected to your phone. Garmin has never been in that market. It’s a whole company based on gps systems for outdoor activities . You buy an Apple Watch to have Apple ecosystem. you can’t use half the feature of the fenix on an iPhone bc they only want you to use their watch… Garmin are all specifically made for their audience even down the the model . Apple watches are just to keep you plugged into your phone and have no bearing on actual outdoor activities despite calling it ultra. The Millitary has been orienteering with Garmin wrist based gps systems forever. You’d never catch an Apple Watch on patrol in Afghanistan. 😂

Garmin - They have a lot of watches at different price points. There is built-in GPS and the battery lasts for several days, unlike a smart watch that you typically need to charge every night. The Garmin app easily syncs with other fitness apps, if that's important to you. If you have a smaller wrist, go for the "S" models that will look and fit better.