Garmin Forerunner 265 vs Garmin Forerunner 645

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Forerunner 265 compared with Forerunner 645
GarminForerunner 265GarminForerunner 645
Overview
ReleasedMarch 20232018
Display
Case sizes42 mm or 46 mm42.5 mm
PanelOLEDMemory-in-pixel
Always-on displayYesYes
Display detailForerunner 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 mode1.2-inch (30.4 mm) sunlight-readable transflective colour MIP display, 240 x 240 pixels, with five-button control.
Screen protectionCorning Gorilla Glass 3Chemically strengthened glass.
Health and fitness
ECGNoNo
Blood oxygenYesNo
Skin temperatureNoNo
Sleep apnoea alertsNoNo
High blood pressure alertsNoNo
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionNoNo
Crash detectionNoNo
GPSDual-band (L1 and L5)Single-band
Water resistance50 m50 m
SensorsGarmin Elevate wrist heart rate monitor; Pulse Ox blood oxygen monitor; barometric altimeter; compass; gyroscope; accelerometer; thermometer; ambient light sensorGPS, GLONASS, Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer and thermometer.
Health featuresHigh 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 adviserAll-day heart rate, steps, sleep and intensity minutes.
Fitness featuresTraining 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 AheadRunning, indoor running, cycling, pool swimming, skiing and rowing profiles; training status and load, aerobic and anaerobic training effect, VO2 max, recovery time and breadcrumb course guidance. Detailed running dynamics require an HRM strap or Running Dynamics Pod.
Safety featuresIncident 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 15 daysUp to 7 days
Mobile data optionNoNo
Works withiPhone and AndroidiPhone and Android
Storage8 GB–
Battery life detailForerunner 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 respectivelyUp to seven days in smartwatch mode or 14 hours in GPS mode per the exact model's Garmin specification table. The same page's prose says 12 GPS hours; its table and headline say 14.
ChargingGarmin proprietary plug charger; USB-C charging/data cable includedRechargeable battery with Garmin charging cable.
ConnectivityBluetooth, 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 ShareBluetooth, ANT+ and Wi-Fi; Garmin Pay, smart notifications, Connect IQ, LiveTrack and phone music controls. No on-watch music storage.
Storage–Stores 200 hours of activity history.
Design
Weight (lightest version)39 g (better)42.2 g
SoftwareGarminGarmin
Case materialsFibre-reinforced polymer bezel; silicone band; 5 ATM water ratingStainless steel bezel, chemically strengthened glass and silicone band; 5 ATM water rating.
SizeForerunner 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 weights42.5 x 42.5 x 13.5 mm; 42.2 g.
BandsQuick-release 18 mm bands for the 265S, fitting 115–178 mm wrists; quick-release 22 mm bands for the 265, fitting 135–205 mm wristsQuick-release 20 mm band; fits wrists 127–204 mm.
Colours–Black band with silver-toned bezel.
In the boxForerunner 265 or 265S, USB-C charging/data cable, documentation–

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