Garmin Forerunner 265 Review
The Forerunner 265 is the latest version of the best selling Forerunner, featuring a new AMOLED touch screen and Garmin’s signature Training Readiness Score feature that the previous version lacked.
Garmin Forerunner 265
Features
Train smarter with the Forerunner® 265 GPS running smartwatch.
This running watch features a colorful 46 mm AMOLED touchscreen display to make it easy for you to see all of your running stats at a glance. The 265 has access to multiple global navigation satellite systems to give you the most precise data from your runs, walks, bikes, triathlons, swims and more. Plus, there are over 30 different activity profiles that it can track, so you can use it for both running and cross-training.
A new feature in the Garmin Forerunner 265 is the training readiness score that is based on your sleep quality, recovery, training load and HRV status to determine if you’re primed to train hard and get the most out of your workout (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked). Our runners loved this feature in our Garmin Forerunner 265 review.
To get the most out of your Garmin watch, you can plan your training and race strategy with personalized workouts suggested daily based on the race and course that you enter into the Garmin Connect™ app and view from the race widget as you train.
Keep track of your health—this smartwatch tracks your heart rate, sleep, recovery time and more. Plus, this watch features numerous safety and tracking features including incident detection during select outdoor activities and the ability for you to send your live location to your emergency contacts when paired with your smartphone.
The Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch has everything you need to track your runs and a brilliant AMOLED touchscreen to show it all.
Not sure which Garmin is right for you? Check out our guide to choosing the best Garmin watch for you.
Want a smaller watch? Check out the Garmin Forerunner 265S.
Tech Specs | Garmin Forerunner 265 |
Dimensions | 46 mm |
Battery Life |
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Water Rating | 5 ATM; waterproof |
Heart Rate Monitor | Yes; wrist-based monitor |
Smartphone Compatibility | Yes (iPhone, Android); Smart notifications |
Star Rating is 5 / 5
Great running watch!
After using my Forerunner 45 for many years I was finally ready to upgrade to a running watch with more features. The 265 fits my wrist well (the 265S felt too small for me, but I can see the appeal with people with smaller wrists) and the two features that jumped out to me first was the display and battery life. The display is much larger than my 45 and bigger than my Apple Watch that I use for everything but running. The colors and brightness are crisp and easy to read even in direct sunlight. The battery is a revelation because after doing an 11 mile run it was still at 90% (I set the display to always on because I don’t need it to go 22 days or whenever between charges, but it would probably be higher if I turned on the motion display). The buttons are intuitive so it makes tracking the workout easy. I have a Spotify premium account so it was pretty easy to add playlists from my account onto the watch, but I am not sure how easy it is to add music you already own onto it otherwise. There are a lot of customizable features which is a blessing and a curse because I found them overwhelming at first, but if you are really into customization I’m sure you’d appreciate the flexibility. The interface on the music function while running was a little clunky, but it’s better than trying to use an Apple Watch which is great for music playback and not great for runs. It has a lot of other exercise types available for workouts, but I can’t really speak to the functionality of those.
Star Rating is 5 / 5
Running Watch
Great watch, does all it’s meant to do.
Star Rating is 5 / 5
Garmin Forerunner 265
Wonderful watch, great customer service helping me hunt down the color for Christmas
Star Rating is 5 / 5
Great for running
Only a month in and still exploring all of the features this watch has to offer. The connectivity to an in-house non-subscription app is also an excellent addition.
