Garmin Forerunner 245 Music vs Garmin Forerunner 265

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Forerunner 245 Music compared with Forerunner 265
GarminForerunner 245 MusicGarminForerunner 265
Overview
ReleasedApril 2019March 2023
Display
Case sizes42 mm42 mm or 46 mm
PanelMemory-in-pixelOLED
Always-on displayYesYes
Display detail1.2-inch (30.4 mm) sunlight-readable transflective colour MIP display, 240 x 240 pixels, with button controls.Forerunner 265S has a 1.1″ (28.1 mm) AMOLED touchscreen, 360 x 360 pixels; Forerunner 265 has a 1.3″ (32.5 mm) AMOLED touchscreen, 416 x 416 pixels; five buttons; optional always-on mode
Screen protectionCorning Gorilla Glass 3.Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Health and fitness
ECGNoNo
Blood oxygenYesYes
Skin temperatureNoNo
Sleep apnoea alertsNoNo
High blood pressure alertsNoNo
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionNoNo
Crash detectionNoNo
GPSSingle-bandDual-band (L1 and L5)
Water resistance50 m50 m
SensorsGPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate, Pulse Ox, compass and accelerometer.Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate monitor; Pulse Ox blood oxygen monitor; barometric altimeter; compass; gyroscope; accelerometer; thermometer; ambient light sensor
Health featuresPulse Ox, sleep, stress and Body Battery energy monitoring; Pulse Ox availability varies by region.High and low heart rate alerts; HRV status; Body Battery; all-day stress; sleep score, sleep coach and nap detection; breathing variations; respiration rate; Health Snapshot; menstrual cycle and pregnancy tracking; jet lag adviser
Fitness featuresGarmin Coach, VO2 max, training status and load, aerobic and anaerobic training effect, and recovery time. Detailed running dynamics require a compatible pod or heart-rate strap.Training readiness and training status; training load, load ratio and load focus; training effect, VO2 max and recovery time; wrist-based running power and dynamics; PacePro; race predictor; Garmin Coach running, cycling and strength plans; daily suggested running and cycling workouts; triathlon and open-water swimming; course navigation with a breadcrumb trail, TracBack and Up Ahead
Safety featuresIncident detection, assistance and LiveTrack require a paired smartphone.Incident detection during select activities; assistance; LiveTrack; spectator messaging; live event sharing (Android only); these features require a paired phone
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 7 daysUp to 15 days
Mobile data optionNoNo
Works withiPhone and AndroidiPhone and Android
Storage–8 GB
Battery life detailUp to seven days in smartwatch mode, 24 hours in GPS mode without music, or six hours with GPS and music.Forerunner 265S up to 15 days in smartwatch mode, 24 hours GPS only, 18 hours SatIQ (AutoSelect), 15 hours All-Systems + Multi-Band; with music up to 7.5, seven and six hours respectively. Forerunner 265 up to 13 days in smartwatch mode, 20 hours GPS only, 16 hours SatIQ, 14 hours All-Systems + Multi-Band; with music up to seven, 6.5 and six hours respectively
ChargingRechargeable lithium-ion battery with Garmin charging cable.Garmin proprietary plug charger; USB-C charging/data cable included
ConnectivityBluetooth, ANT+ and Wi-Fi; smart notifications, Connect IQ, phone music controls and on-watch playback to Bluetooth headphones. Up to 500 songs, including supported streaming-service playlists.Bluetooth, ANT+ and Wi-Fi; multi-band GPS with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and SatIQ; Garmin Pay; offline music from Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music (premium subscription required); Connect IQ; notifications and Android text responses; Garmin Share
StorageUp to 500 songs and 200 hours of activity history.–
Design
Weight (lightest version)38.5 g (better)39 g
SoftwareGarminGarmin
Case materialsFibre-reinforced polymer bezel and silicone band; 5 ATM water rating.Fibre-reinforced polymer bezel; silicone band; 5 ATM water rating
Size42.3 x 42.3 x 12.2 mm; 38.5 g.Forerunner 265S is 41.7 x 41.7 x 12.9 mm and 39 g; Forerunner 265 is 46.1 x 46.1 x 12.9 mm and 47 g; Garmin does not publish case-only weights
BandsQuick-release 20 mm band; fits wrists 127–204 mm.Quick-release 18 mm bands for the 265S, fitting 115–178 mm wrists; quick-release 22 mm bands for the 265, fitting 135–205 mm wrists
In the box–Forerunner 265 or 265S, USB-C charging/data cable, documentation
ColoursBlack case and band with red accents.–

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