Garmin - Forerunner 965
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 15, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
31
2
"The battery life is fantastic ... waking up with 40% battery and knowing it'll be plenty enough for my 2 hours walk in the afternoon and it will still be enough to end up the day, track my sleep and work all the next day, it was a game changer. You basically never have to worry about the battery. 8 hours long hike in the Alps? It got you covered, no worries."
"battery is great even with AOD. ... Battery life was definitely a driving factor for me to switch to the 965 as my primary device. I got tired of babysitting charging my Ultra2 and could rarely use it for sleeping since the battery was always dead. With the 965, I can have everything turned on (AOD, POx, etc) and just charge if while I'm in the shower when needed. Or I can turn off AOD and it lasts a couple weeks for trips."
"965 offers incredible battery life (6 2-3 hour rides per week along with other activities for a weekly charge)."
46
0
"it has MORE workout tracking than an Apple watch has. ... This is the watch that could track my Paddle Boarding, Indoor Bouldering (it also said what V-stage I was bouldering!) Golf, Snowboard, Kayak and many more! ... Meaning your EVERY ACTIVITY is tracked so you will not loose your days and FUN. You don't have to stick yourself to ONLY RUNNING or GYM."
"Even doing y3p with navigation running all the time it only used about 60% battery and that was nearly 12 hours."
"I definitely strongly prefer the Garmin for activity tracking. ... Like the Garmin has things like your interval pace and automatic rest timer. ... But Garmin is hands-down way better as an activity tracker"
10
0
"Fenix & epix felt really chunky in comparison to the forerunner, especially running with them."
"It’s far lighter and that makes a huge difference for me, particularly as I sleep with it."
"I find myself using that far more than my Fenix, simply because it’s so much lighter on the wrist."
22
0
"The 965 has much better mapping when you don't have a phone on you ... I got the 965 for the extra mapping features."
"970 is a great leap forward, especially maps wise. ... Maps on 255 are so basic and if you get into trail running with gpx files you will feel the need for the upgrade."
"love the map features of my 965 ... It gets me back to the hotel every time. ... I don't run with a phone because I absolutely hate the distraction."
11
1
"magnificent AMOLED screen ... bright, sharp and clear the AMOLED displays are in full sun. they are even better. I know- hard to believe. ... gorgeous screen ... the higher resolution and brightness of the AMOLED is very helpful"
"I just went from the 255 from the 965 for this same reason"
"Display is 1000 times better."
Disliked most:
1
8
"Optical HR sensor on the Forerunner is poo compared to a chest strap or arm based optical strap."
"I find the wrist based HR monitors are not reliable for anything above 120 bpm. ... I’ve used Apple Watch, Fitbit, Whoop, and three different Garmins and none of them worked for me above 120bpm so I think a chest strap is a must."
"Apple Watch is much better in terms of hr accuracy"
1
5
"I hate 265/965 curved screen which can get scratched easily and only worked with plastic screen protectors."
"the curved screen get scratched easily ... because of its curve , only plastic screen protector can be used ... because of plastic material, the screen protector also get scratched easily"
"Previously after 2 years I had 2 absolutely tiny scratches on the screen but only if you looked closely in the right light."
0
2
"If you dive in as soon as you get the tick, it's crap."
"full auto-detection is problematic, as it can’t really tell if you’re pausing or stopping, or just pausing quickly."
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"if you have to take your phone anyway, there's a much better device on you for making calls. ... apple watches can have sim cards and place calls *without* having your cellphone on you. that's a real use case -- go for a run, leave the bulky phone at home."
"mic and speaker for the ability to respond to texts better right from the watch"
"Replying to messages on my watch"
30062 1.0Those are both great but I picked the 4 965
5ee5- 1.0Bought FR965 on sale for 450 2 weeks ago
abzlute 1.0Bro you can get a "used" (often actually still new in box) 955 on marketplace for like $300. The only complaint I have about mine is the barometer/elevation data is jacked up, but that doesn't seems to randomly occur with different garmin devices and isn't isolated to this one. The 965 is basically the 955 with OLED, which isn't a real upgrade to me. The 970 is marginally more advanced. But don't spend $500 on it, that would be crazy for a watch 2 generations behind.
Accomplished-Air-773 1.0Forerunner 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.
AccomplishedRow6685 1.0I have a 965 and I charge it for like an hour a week whether it needs it or not.
AcrobaticTraffic7410 1.0Venu 2 plus and I currently use a FR965
adnoguez 1.0I run in treadmills during winter, I have an Apple Watch Ultra and is way off. I prefer my 965 Forerunner for tracking even indoors. Actually I wear it all the time just because it's longer battery life.
AdrienOG 1.0I wear my Forunner 965 24/7 when on a training program. When not, only at night to track my sleep. I then can rotate my “real” watches.
AelfricHQ 1.0I thought my forerunner 965 looked really sleek and snazzy until I read this post and discovered that it was so clunky I looked like a spy kid...
I don't think there is anything that will do this indoors. I use my Garmin Forerunner 965 and it tracks distance and speed outdoors. Inside, I just get heartrate.
aert4w5g243t3g243 1.0Used 965 or if you want flashlight and ecg a used fenix 7 pro.
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