Verdict
The Garmin Forerunner 165 delivers some excellent feature article for runners in a package that ’s comfortable to wear out and long - lasting . With exact core rate monitoring and GPS in tow , too , it becomes a superb option for beginners and intermediate - even if adding euphony support ensures some of that value is suffer .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Garmin continues to allow for a shot of colour to its running watches , this clock time plug away a much - needed gap in its collection with the Forerunner 165 .
An entirely new business for the troupe ( there was no Forerunner 155 ) , the Forerunner 165 provide those do-or-die for an AMOLED - pack Garmin sentinel under £ 250/$250 with a compelling option to consider . And with rivals Coros and Polar releasing vigil around this score over the last twelvemonth , Garmin is finally capture up .
It ’s not yet clean-cut whether this be the new pointedness of debut for Garmin ’s lam watches , but the feature film lay on offer here is undoubtedly interchangeable to its current cheapest , theForerunner 55 . Those just getting into run – or intermediates who do n’t need to shell out for the loftierForerunner 265s – are well - catered for .
Design and Display
Putting on the Forerunner 165 is reassuring and familiar . It ’s also immediately observable through the lightweight polymer case why it ’s much more low-cost than the likes of the FR265 and FR965 . For physical exercise , it ’s the ideal design – though I am certain many will also replace it outside of runs for something a little more undestroyable or attractive .
While the whirl of only a unmarried case size here might feel like a missed opportunity , I was pleasantly surprised about how well the Forerunner 165 take care on both low and large radiocarpal joint . That unisex appeal is also present across the four coloring option – white-hot / grey , pitch-black / contraband , aqua / grey , and pink / navy .
It ’s functional and reminiscent of older Forerunner model , such as the Forerunner 235 orForerunner 945 . However , the real star of the show is the showing .
As mentioned up top , Garmin ’s storage - in - pel ( MIP ) screens of the past are speedily being replaced by vivacious AMOLED dialog box .
While not everyone will enjoy the brightness , I think the newer display tech is by all odds a vast upgrade . It deliver superior detail and clarity – even in direct sunlight – and does so without becoming a load on barrage life .
The ascent is n’t just about poppy new colours , either . The UI used on these former Forerunner models is really friendly ; punchier than older versions and more readable than even the flagshipEpix Pro ( Gen 2 ) .
It ’s not perfectly tailored to the 1.2 - inch projection screen , with the unmatched picket face looking out of stead , but it stay super responsive whether you navigate with touch or the Graeco-Roman five - button regalia .
The one caveat ? enduringness . The credit card case is more susceptible to scratch and notch than what you ’ll recover with the verybest Garmin watch , and it ’s something to keep in judgement if your adventures stretch beyond running .
Overall , though , the FR165 offers a familiar fit with a fresh , colourful upgrade . Purely from a design linear perspective , it ’s a solid alternative for budget - conscious runners .
Fitness Tracking
The 165 pack a solid clout when it add up to running features , aiming to please both value - seekers and avid runners .
For the most part , it follows Garmin ’s typical soma when walking this tightrope ; the feature film that are present are very good , but the asking price is just a shade lofty for the number of them on fling .
So , while you get key metric likeVO2 Max , race preparation tools , and day-after-day exercising prompting , some run - centre metric are also missing .
I can forgive something like education Status being omitted , as this is a middling bass analysis of your overall grooming load from every action ( not just running ) , but it ’s semi - disappointing to see Training Readiness stripped back to only include recuperation hours .
Then there are the latest insights – Endurance Score and Hill Score – which I would n’t expect to filter down to this price point for another generation or two .
astonishingly , the Forerunner 165 offer wrist - based Run Dynamics , typically reserved for top - tier Garmins . This coarse-grained look into matter like ground contact lens time and upright oscillation might confuse beginners , so the positioning here is odd , but the truth does at least heap up very well to a Garmin chest shoulder strap .
The ideal user here is the base runner who wants core insight and counseling , but anybody seem for advanced burden analysis or retrieval testimonial will be found wanting more .
As you would wait at this damage stage , Garmin has n’t include support for its Multi - Band / duple - frequency Global Positioning System tracking . You ’ll have to upgrade to at least the 265 for the more in advance and precise locating tracking , but , as I found during my testing , the standard version of Garmin ’s GPS still go for its own – particularly when avoiding built - up area like city or forests .
Over a couple of week of examination , I did discover that the vigil has a svelte trend to overreport distance when compared to a Multi - Band tracker like the Epix Pro ( Gen 2 ) . However , it ’s certainly not enough to get turn up about . One 16 - mile rill only see it show a 500 m difference of opinion , while it log 200 m more than the Epix Pro over a couple of shorter trial .
While everyone wants perfect GPS , this is about as good as it gets at this cost – and something I would have been pretty pleased with as a beginner smuggler .
The big event – and one I have n’t really come across in a full - blooded running ticker in a while – was a slow Global Positioning System lock - on . On almost every social function , the Forerunner 165 struggled to gain a joining ( in a very residential area ) for 4 - 5 second .
Heart rate monitoring follows a standardised theme to GPS tracking , with the Forerunner 165 sport the Elevate V4 optical heart rate sensor and not Garmin ’s all - new V5 detector .
Again , like with Multi - Band , it ’s not unexpected or undue – and the results again show this Old tech holding its own .
I test against the Garmin HRM - Pro Plus breast strap in all run – one of the gold - stock gadget when it derive to consumer - grade accuracy . Often I see watch struggle to match up to the dresser strap ’s max 60 minutes reading but last out comparatively close to the average HR figure , but the 165 come well in both respects in almost every run .
It only had one soft slip - up , in which the max HR reading was 10bpm higher than the HRM - Pro Plus and had a skew middling hour number , as a result . The relaxation of my runs encounter it underreport ( both mean 60 minutes and max HR ) by a duet of beats , which , for a machine at this price , is pretty serious give out .
I was particularly encourage by how it get along on different types of ladder . Optical HR sensors will always lag behind bureau straps when it comes to latency , but the Forerunner 165 managed to perform comparably with the HRM - Pro Plus over a workout that include nine separation just as well as a unfluctuating long run .
Features
With high - remnant Forerunners lacking biz - changing health , sleep , and smart features , I certainly was n’t bear this flash example to break new flat coat in these expanse . It does n’t , and , for something designed to be a gross running watch , that ’s perfectly acceptable .
However , euphony support is a mo of a tender position . It ’s one of the few impertinent feature offer alongside basic notification and Garmin Pay ( whose limitation persist outside the US ) – and Garmin is ask those who desire it to pay a premium by picking up the Music edition
It ’s a wage hike that takes the price from $ 249.99/£249.99 ( already higher than rival offerings ) to £ 289.99/$299.99 . It ’s nothing new – Garmin has walled off euphony support before – but it just find a short needless in this example .
Beyond the music issuance , there ’s a decent raiment of other features . HRV Status accurately aid recovery and is still something I opt the intro of toOuraandWhoop , while Body Battery come back with improvements .
Pulse Ox monitors SpO2 , but that ’s the extent of forward-looking health tools . Again , utterly satisfactory for a budget running watch .
Sleep trailing remains hit - and - fille compared to the rest of the industriousness , however , even with the long - wait gain of Napoleon tracking making an coming into court here . Sleep Scores are the best example of this mixed showing . Some score are well-nigh identical to the Epix Pro on our diametrical carpus , while others are 10 points ( or more ) out .
feature article like sleep score or sleep stage analysis are notoriously inaccurate across wearable , with rest labs offering the only reliable insights , so I do n’t penalize the Forerunner 165 too harshly here .
It excels at tag the basics , after all : clip numb / heat - up times , even accounting for our distinctive alert drowse .
Battery Life
Remember the old concern everyone used to have about AMOLED presentation drain battery living ? Garmin has silenced those doubts over the last 12 - 18 months with its lookout , and the Forerunner 165 continues that trend .
While MIP projection screen might be more efficient , their visual limitation are really exonerated when compared to AMOLED ’s vivacious clarity , with the kicker remaining that Garmin ’s presentation tech still result in around three - quarters of the same bombardment life as these MIP sib .
Naturally , battery lifetime always look on usage , but I put the 165 through our usual test for run picket : soap brightness , on - need Pulse Ox , and always - on display .
Garmin suggest users can get up to 11 days in smartwatch modality , and , while I did n’t test that specifically , my setting saw it last around 7 days , suggest it easily reaches the troupe ’s claim . execution during GPS tracking is equally impressive . Two - hour runs saw only 10 - 12 % battery drain , while shorter outings dropped just 5 % per hr .
I did test the non - music version , however . With offline Spotify playing via Bluetooth earpiece and a chest shoulder strap connected , I would expect that barrage drain to roughly double . And the medicine edition does n’t have any special battery capacity – it ’s the same watch as the standard model except for that one feature .
Overall , though , the Forerunner 165 is another prima display of Garmin ’s AMOLED efficiency . While heavy user pushing the limitation might postulate more , multi - day barrage fire living is guaranteed here .
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Should you buy it?
For the price , it has lots of great runnel - focalise features and very accurate nitty-gritty trailing .
flavour runner may savor more insights and a more abiding blueprint .
Final Thoughts
The Forerunner 165 fills a big disruption in Garmin ’s running watch collection , giving user at the budget final stage of the spectrum a good - looking , reliable , and relatively feature article - packed option .
Adding euphony support means it can get pricey , but it ’s still an excellent scout for most beginner and intermediate runner to view . If you ’re after something with a few more features , see our ranking of thebest Garmin watches .
Trusted Score
How we test
We exhaustively prove every smartwatch we reexamine . We utilise industriousness - standard examination to compare features properly and we use the watch as our master machine over the review period . We ’ll always tell you what we find and we never , ever , swallow money to refresh a intersection .
FAQs
There is a specific Music version that costs a bit more and has music playback features . Sadly the base model lack this .
