Garmin - Forerunner® 265

This is bad info. The 265 has the older hr sensor, Venu 4 has the elevate 5 sensor. Venu has all the training features the 265 has, including training readiness, and more. The 265 is a sweet spot as far as bang for the buck running watch IMO. I’m trying to decide between the Venu 4, 265 and 570 myself.

I prefer the 265, due to how vibrant and readable the AMOLED screen is

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.

the improved battery life is going to go a long way for casual usage, and sleep tracking is a huge benefit it's worth noting that the 265 is rather large. you may want to take a look at the 265s, especially if you dont mind not using it as a smartwatch

Most of these calorie counters are estimates and not even close to accurate for any sport with high amount of directional changes, they're more accurate for more straightforward sports like running cycling and swimming, but even then those are broad estimates. I use a relatively high end garmin, fenix 7 pro which I wouldn't recommend for badminton as it is heavy and sometimes will smack into your racket and your racket will lose the clash. If you want to try one I would recommend the Forerunner 265, or basically any sports watch thats not too big, garmin has significantly better optical sensors but aside from hr data don't trust the calorie estimates too much.

I wore both an Apple Watch Ultra and Whoop for 3 years. Just cut both for a Garmin Forerunner 265. Haven’t missed the other 2, and I’m fully in the Apple ecosystem.

I tried both 255 and 265, if you are okay not having the amoled screen, it is better to get a 255 and save around $180 (cad)

I have a Garmin forerunner 265. I used to do CrossFit so I used it to keep up with my workouts. Now it works as a body battery checker, it keeps track of my sleep, heart rate, HRV, stress levels, and so many other things that help me realize how bad I'm doing during the day. And I don't have to pay a subscription. My favorite part! Otherwise I think my husband would get me a Whoop band that also keeps track of a bunch of the same info, but they are also subscription based.

Since you’re a runner using Runna and want better battery life, the sweet spot is probably the Forerunner 265 if you want something light, run-focused and comes with AMOLED brightness which your Galaxy probably has. If you want more of a “smartwatch vibe” with a mic for calls then maybe the Venu 2 Plus is the only Garmin that adds voice assistant and call handling but its training metrics aren’t quite as deep as the Forerunner 955/965 series ones If I were you I’d also consider the Forerunner 955 or 965 for serious running and battery though, it’s pretty much the best watch you can get as a runner IMO or you could try [9 Best Smartwatches Worth Investing in 2025 for Running and Hiking](https://alaskanarrows.com/best-smartwatches-in-2025-for-hiking-and-running/) for others as well Cheers

It's a watch aimed at entry level runners but also allows to track other activities. so if someone doesnt care about all the fancy running stats and the more advanced life style tracking metrics then it probably is more than enough and way more than Gshocks offer from what I remember. I've not used it myself as i have a middle of the range FR265 but a friend of mine has FR55 and he seemed pretty happy with it, it is an older watch so there is also that. Gshocks definitely look amazing that's why I'd love a collab :D