Forerunner 645

At this point, one of the few Garmin's advantages against AW, it's the battery life and it being compatible with both Apple and Android. Taking that into consideration, Coros is becoming more and more appetizing with new Garmin's release, and it even has better battery life than most Garmin watches (I think it's better than the Fenix). For now, I'm sticking with Garmin because of their support, it has been awesome for me (they already replaced my FR645 two times for free). Don't know if Coros is similar in that regard. Either way, once my FR645 dies for real, I'm not sure if I'll stick with Garmin.

How quickly does it charge? I've gotten used to popping my Garmin (FR645, FR945, Fenix 7s, then Fenix 7s Pro) on the charger for 10min or so while I shower and that is enough that I never have to worry about the battery. Think the same would be true of the Venu 4?

I had an Apple Watch Series 3 for many years. Then I bought a FR645 to try alongside, just for running. Loved it so much I decided to go full Garmin with a FR745. Loved that watch so much, until I smashed it climbing 🤦‍♀️ Decided to upgrade to a Fēnix 7S SS because I wanted maps and I clearly needed the sapphire glass. I’ve had the Fēnix maybe 2.5 years now. Recently, I thought I might prefer an Apple Watch as I am now dealing with chronic illness and have not been able to engage in any of my usual sporting/outdoor activities for 6 months. I lasted 3 weeks with an Apple Watch Series 11 before coming back to my Fēnix. I just prefer the MIP display, the battery and the buttons. I don’t really care for smart features. Also the workout screens and maps but obviously not using those much right now. Sold the Apple Watch yesterday. No regrets.

Just got a 265 I am happy with

Same here. Loved my 645 but I am happy with the upgrade.

FR645 is what's on my wrist, I like the screen color and contrast. I also own a 6x, but the screen was lacking, although the golf function is much better on the Fenix.

Yeah I've had mine for 6 months or so, it's a great watch and much better than the 645 I had previously. It gives heaps of running dynamics especially if you pair it with a chest strap. It's more than enough for most runners, assuming you don't need navigation/maps.

Funny thing is do not carry a phone on any runs except for my long trail runs as I'll have a hydration vest for those. I've been running with an older Forerunner 645 that is more than sufficient for what you are looking for. Any of the lower-end Forerunners is what you should be looking at.

Love my 265S and I don't feel like I'm missing anything that the more expensive models offer. I no longer use the third-party arm band that I paired with my old FR 645 as the HRS in the 265 is so much better than the 645 was. GPS tracking is great and initial sync-up only takes a few seconds. I honestly ignore most of the training/recovery crap in the watch as I find it pretty useless. I thought I might not like the AMOLED after using a MIPS watch for years but it I find the AMOLED is great once you get used to the brief wake-up delay.