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The primary notable difference between the Garmin Forerunner 265s and the Garmin Forerunner 255 is that the 265s has an AMOLED display as opposed to the 255’s OLED display. This watch is designed for people who primarily run, but it will also cover some swimming, cycling, and even indoor workout time.
It adds a dash of color to Garmin’s Venu and Epix series watches and is designed to compete more effectively with other smartwatches that track sports, such as the Apple Watch 8 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. Does the addition of a screen to the Forerunner make it one of the top sports watches and make it worthwhile to upgrade from the 255? Considering that Garmin already has a proven track record in the sports tracking arena. Here’s our opinion.
Garmin Forerunner 265s Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Garmin |
| Model | Forerunner 265s |
| Display | 1.2-inch color touchscreen |
| GPS | Yes |
| Heart Rate Monitor | Yes |
| Activity Tracking | Yes |
| Waterproof | Yes |
| Battery Life | Up to 7 days |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Compatibility | iOS, Android |
Garmin Forerunner 265s: Design and Display
Even though the 265s has the same familiar look of a sports watch, it looks a little different because of the new way the display works. First, the 265s has a case that is a little bit bigger. It’s now 41.7mm instead of 41mm, while the 265’s stays at 46mm. That doesn’t really change the fact that the s version is a small and light watch to wear. If you like small and light watches, this is what you get.
It still has a polymer case with an 18mm quick-release rubber band that comes in three colors and has the same sporty feel as its predecessor. There are five physical buttons. The main workout button is now a bigger, flatter button with the word “Run” written across it to make it stand out and make it easier to start and stop a workout. The big news here is the screen, which is an AMOLED instead of Garmin’s usual transflective display. It has a 1.1-inch screen with a 360 x 360 resolution and an always-on mode. It also supports the “raise to wake” motion, which works well. Like its predecessor. You can buy this smartwatch from its official website
Garmin Forerunner 265s: Fitness Tracking
Its primary use, as with all Garmin Forerunner watches, is tracking runs, but it has a wide range of additional capabilities. The device offers profiles for skiing and snowboarding in addition to its standard modes of cycling and swimming. It can also monitor indoor workouts on rowing machines and the Elliptical. In a first, the watch also offers a mode tailored specifically to triathlons.
Running is the primary use case, and as a running watch, it has all the features you could want. It’s lightweight and easy to run with, and the screen makes it simple to monitor your progress in real time and customize the display of your data. The statistics, more crucially, are reliable.
Garmin Forerunner 265s: Performance
We used the Garmin Forerunner 265 for about three weeks. The small changes listed above make the watch feel fresh and new when you use it every day. The bright AMOLED screen gives Garmin’s familiar layout a new look. For example, it makes it even easier to look at graphs of your heart rate zone while you’re running. According to scientific study, your eyes are drawn to color, and your brain processes color-coded information better. So, if you quickly look at your vivid, bright, multicolored heart rate graph, your brain will take in the information better than it would on a grayscale MIP.
Other than that, the watch worked as well as any other Garmin watch. I tried the watch’s activity tracking during runs against the GPS on my phone using a competitor app, as we always do, and found the route and time to be very accurate, just like the previous Forerunners. It didn’t have any trouble with rain or water,
Garmin Forerunner 265s: Battery Life
The battery life is shorter with an OLED screen than with the low-power LCD technology that was used in earlier Garmins. The 265 lasts a long time for an OLED watch. If you use it as a tracker and keep the screen on all the time to track your general health, it can last up to seven days without a charge. But that’s only about half of the 255’s life.
The battery life is about the same as its stablemate for tracking movement, though. About 6% of the battery is used up during an hour of running without music. In its normal settings, the watch can track for about 16 hours, which is about the same as its energy-efficient sibling and long enough for two marathons. With the USB-C cord that comes with it, it takes about an hour to fully charge.
Price and availability
The release date of the Garmin Forerunner 265 is March 2, 2023. Forerunner 265 may be purchased for $449 (£429). The “music” and “non-music” variants of this watch are no longer available. Music from services like Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music may still be downloaded to your wristwatch. The Forerunner 265 offers two display sizes, similar to previous models of this watch.
When it first came out in June 2022, the Forerunner 255 was $100 cheaper. The Forerunner 255 can be purchased for $349 (£299) or $399 (£349) in its no-music configuration.
Final Words
The Garmin Forerunner 265s is an excellent multisports watch that has an even lovelier display than the 255. However, the price of this watch is much higher than the price of the 255 because of the screen and some of the other software additions.
Garmin Forerunner 265s review: The good and The bad
The Good
- Solid sports tracking performance
- Still strong battery life
The Bad
- It’s more expensive than 255
Questions and Answers
Pros: slim, light, real buttons, crisp OLED screens, choice of sizes, multiband GPS, accurate heart rate, extensive stats, multisport, great health tracking, highly customizable, seven-day battery life, offline music, basic smartwatch features.
The Garmin Forerunner 265s is a great multisports watch with an even nicer display than the 255. However, the price is much higher because of the screen and some other software extras.