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Garmin Forerunner 265 · Photo source

Garmin Forerunner 265
Photo 1 of 94

Garmin Forerunner 265 · Photo source

Garmin · Forerunner

Forerunner 265

Released March 2023

A running and triathlon watch with an AMOLED touchscreen, multi-band GPS, music storage and training readiness tools. The range includes the 42 mm Forerunner 265S and 46 mm Forerunner 265.

Type
Smart and sports
Sizes
42, 46 mm
Movement
–
Power reserve
–
Display
OLED
Battery
15 days
Water
50 m
GPS
Dual-band
Weight
39 g

What reviewers say

Reviewers praise the bright AMOLED screen, light design, accurate GPS and detailed training and recovery tools. Both find its smartwatch features limited compared with an Apple Watch. Tom's Guide criticises the higher launch price, while Wareable notes that always-on mode substantially reduces battery life.

From tomsguide.com and wareable.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Case sizes
42 mm or 46 mm
Panel
OLED
Always-on display
Yes
Display detail
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 protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 3

Health and fitness

ECG
No
Blood oxygen
Yes
Skin temperature
No
Sleep apnoea alerts
No
High blood pressure alerts
No
Body composition
No
Fall detection
No
Crash detection
No
GPS
Dual-band (L1 and L5)
Water resistance
50 m
Sensors
Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate monitor; Pulse Ox blood oxygen monitor; barometric altimeter; compass; gyroscope; accelerometer; thermometer; ambient light sensor
Health features
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 features
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 features
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 15 days
Mobile data option
No
Works with
iPhone and Android
Storage
8 GB
Battery life detail
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
Charging
Garmin proprietary plug charger; USB-C charging/data cable included
Connectivity
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

Design

Weight (lightest version)
39 g
Software
Garmin
Case materials
Fibre-reinforced polymer bezel; silicone band; 5 ATM water rating
Size
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
Bands
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

Pros and cons

Pros

  • AMOLED touchscreen with five physical buttons
  • Multi-band GPS with SatIQ and wrist-based running power and dynamics
  • Up to 15 days in smartwatch mode for the 265S and 13 days for the 265

Cons

  • Course navigation uses a breadcrumb trail rather than built-in maps
  • No ECG app, speaker or microphone
  • Always-on display and music playback shorten battery life

Closest rivals

Model
TypeSizesMovementPower reserveDisplayBatteryWaterGPSWeightReleased
GarminApproach S70
Smart and sports42, 47 mm––OLED16 days50 mDual-band44 gMay 2023
GarminForerunner 255
Smart and sports46 mm––Memory-in-pixel14 days50 mDual-band49 gJun 2022
GarminForerunner 955
Smart and sports47 mm––Memory-in-pixel15 days50 mDual-band52 gJun 2022

Newer model: Forerunner 570.

Sources

  1. garmin.com/en-GB/p/886785
  2. garmin.com/en-GB/p/886689
  3. garmin.com.sg/products/wearables/forerunner-265-aqua
  4. garmin.com.sg/products/wearables/forerunner-265s-pink
  5. garmin.com/en-US/newsroom/press-release/sports-fitness/garmin-adds-amoled-displ…
  6. garmin.com/en-US/p/886785
  7. garmin.com/en-US/p/886689
  8. support.garmin.com
  9. www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-F41EAFB3-6CC9-42DE-9C6C-9E358DBB0671/EN-GB…
  10. garmin.com/en-US/newsroom/press-kit
  11. mynewsdesk.com/de/garmin/pressreleases/wahre-augenweiden-die-smarten-lauf-und-t…
  12. mynewsdesk.com/no/garmin-norge/pressreleases/garmin-forerunner-265-og-forerunne…
  13. mynewsdesk.com/se/garmin-sweden-ab/pressreleases/garmin-adderar-amoled-display-…
  14. garmin.mynewsdesk.com/pressreleases/des-ecrans-amoled-pour-les-nouvelles-montre…
  15. garmin.co.jp/news/pressroom/news2023-0302-garmin-forerunner
  16. garmin.co.jp/event/2026/autumn
  17. mynewsdesk.com/fi/garmin-finland/pressreleases/uuden-sukupolven-garmin-forerunn…
  18. mynewsdesk.com/dk/garmin-danmark/pressreleases/garmin-praesenterer-forerunner-2…
  19. garmin.com/fr-FR/newsroom/des-ecrans-amoled-pour-les-nouvelles-montres-gps-de-r…
  20. mnd-assets.mynewsdesk.com/image/upload/f_pdf,fl_attachment/h9x2ljck0ltn1wfdgq2g
  21. mnd-assets.mynewsdesk.com/image/upload/f_pdf,fl_attachment/dwakwmhdtnwrff0cxzwf
  22. mnd-assets.mynewsdesk.com/image/upload/f_pdf,fl_attachment/algqkwzdpytq3mnyn82k
  23. mnd-assets.mynewsdesk.com/image/upload/f_pdf,fl_attachment/cz3q3xluyuinptmnnbiv

Photo: garmin.com.sg

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