Verdict
With the Garmin Forerunner 965 it really is all about the screen because with that aside , it ’s offering the same features as the 955 . If you ’re do-or-die for a top - end Forerunner with a adorable colour show and that same not bad sport tracking and that still manages to deliver dependable battery , then you ’ll be very felicitous here . If you’re able to live without AMOLED , it ’s not an essential upgrade .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Garmin Forerunner 965 is the successor to the 955 , Garmin ’s top - end running play ticker that also has the multisports cut across skills that appeal to triathletes .
The headline upgrade is an AMOLED semblance screen , joining theGarmin Forerunner 265 , Epix and Venu series as Garmin decide to make its summercater watches feel more like smartwatches .
silver screen upgrade aside , Garmin is bolstering some track , cycling and out-of-door smart to make it a more ended watch that does , unsurprisingly , come in more expensive than the 955 .
Does the new concealment and added feature of speech make this one of thebest running watchesand an essential upgrade for 955 owners ? Here ’s our take .
Design and screen
It ’s fair to say the Forerunner 965 does n’t on the nose reinvent the wheel in terms of how it looks compare to the 955 . It ’s still undeniably sporty and does soak up alike space on your wrist even with that new AMOLED show .
It ’s a slightly larger 47 mm case as oppose to a 46 mm one , which gravel with a 22 mm removable Quick - Fit silicone polymer stria and does upgrade the bezel to a titanium one as opposed to the polymer eccentric we have on the 955 . That ’s been add without bringing pregnant extra weighting to the 965 . It ’s only 53 g up from 52 gram , so if you found the 955 perfectly realizable then you ’ll get hold the same with the 965 .
move on to the screen , the transflective video display is gone , replaced with a large , 1.4 - inch , 454 x 454 resolution AMOLED sieve that does support an always - on mode and include a nicely reactive climb to wake recognition . Garmin ’s transflective displays will always have the upper helping hand as far as deal shining out-of-door low-cal atmospheric condition and that does n’t really change here , but the 965 ’s display sure does n’t struggle in that scenario either . It ’s a screen that can go middling bright and you do have to back up to adjust the screen cleverness here as well .
The 955 had a touchscreen as well , but the inclusion of that AMOLED instrument panel does make its heir feel more like a smartwatch and it ’s pleasing to swipe and tap on it . It ’s responsive and does n’t have any horrible signs of screen lag .
Like most Garmins there are five forcible buttons dotted around that display and like the fellow AMOLED - packing 265 , Garmin has made the main workout button more distinguishable and less likely to miss , even with sweaty fingers .
Something you do n’t get on the 965 that you did get on the 955 is the PowerGlass lens , which adds solar power charge into the mixing . If you spend a lot of fourth dimension out of doors and go in gay climes , this might be a disappointment for you . If you do n’t then the reality is that it ’s not become to be a feature that you ’ll miss .
Garmin does n’t budge on waterproofing and storage here . It ’s the same 5ATM - tell on design ( up to 50 - metres depth ) and 32 GB of store with a portion of that memory uncommitted for things like apps , workouts and mapping datum .
Software and smartwatch features
From a smartwatch features full point of view , the 965 is incredibly interchangeable to the 955 , with the crucial difference being that you now have a nicer colour screen that does make those features feel a little more intuitive .
read and see notice at a glimpse , using the music controls and looking at the watch face – all of it just feels elevated by that covert . I tested it with aniPhone 14and a GooglePixel 6aand the experience across the two phone platforms was pretty coherent overall . I had no syncing or partner off issues at all during that prison term .
You do get most of what Garmin has to extend on the smartwatch front . It does have Garmin Pay , but it ’s by no means the slickest or well supported of the watch requital platforms out there . It does n’t include the vocalisation feature that you get on the Venu 2 Plus , which will permit you access your phone ’s smart assistant and make calls over Bluetooth , though I ca n’t say those are features that I really missed or felt I was missing out on .
If you want a mutant lookout that offers expert notification support , music feature film and does give you admittance to Garmin ’s Connect intelligence quotient store to bolster up it with data theater of operations , widgets , some apps and additional watch faces , then the 965 does plenteousness right here .
Fitness tracking
The 965 is aimed at runners first and foremost and along with land back everything that was on the 955 , it ’s also added the ability to cut through running play kinetics without need an extra sensor . That means you’re able to now see perceptivity such as stride distance , vertical ratio and vertical oscillation for those who need to delve deeper into metrics tie in to running kind and proficiency .
I used it alongside Garmin ’s own HRM - Pro center pace monitor strap , which can also birth similar metrics , and found they offer mostly identical datum . What it does deficiency however is some utilitarian actionable instructions to put that data to good usance , which is hopefully something that Garmin introduces over clock time .
Other extras light in the outdoor , cycling and gym fashion with a new cardio physical exercise mode , a new NextFork navigation manner and power guide , power curve and % FTP workouts for bicyclist , which have already been add to other spotter in Garmin ’s collection .
Outside of those extra , you’re able to expect a similar performance to what we got on the 955 . The new , more precise multiband GPS mode observably improve tracking accuracy in typically problematical areas . nub rate performance contend well against a chest of drawers shoulder strap for steady exercising but had some more or less more sketchy moment on quicker workout with maximum heart rates , which I think is partly down to the case size as this is something I ’ve see on other bigger Garmin determine as well .
track for activities like swimming and indoor exercise , like indoor row , was square too , and the mapping musical accompaniment is elevated by that vividness screen , though it can be a touching boring to stretch other sections of the mapping as you nobble to them . The maps look great on that CRT screen and you could really pick out good point here . You ’re now get the best mapping funding on a athletics vigil , with the added fillip of a colour CRT screen .
Then you have all of those rich Garmin grooming and analysis feature film to plow to that are all the same ones from the 955 . There ’s Training Readiness and Morning theme modes to check that you ’re tackle the correct case of education each day , an improved interval training mode for runners , accession to Garmin Coach , a backwash predictor , daily suggested workouts and the power to chase down Garmin and Strava alive segment .
Whether you want to go heavy or light on perceptiveness , the 965 is just like the 955 in that it gives you that exemption . It ’s another lineament - packed sports watch with a strong run sharpness .
Battery life
Arguably one of the gravid talk points of the 965 is the battery life . AMOLED screens demand more battery than the transflective ones that Garmin has traditionally used on its watches , so there are going to be some forfeit made here .
Garmin has already added AMOLED exhibit to other ticker in its collection and while they ’ve not matched the shelling public presentation of its older article of clothing , they ’ve still fared passably well .
With the 965 you ’re seeing improvement in some scenario and not so much in others . In worldwide smartwatch mode you’re able to expect up to 23 - days of use , up from 15 to 20 - days on the 955 . The normal GPS battery life is a maximum of 31 - hour equate to the 955 ’s 42 hours , so that ’s a drop in performance . It fell again when using the top multiband GPS fashion , conk out from 20 - hours to 19 - hours .
If you choose to employ the filmdom in the optional always - on mode then Garmin claims you ’ll get up to 7 - day of battery life , which is more than you ’ll get from theApple Watch 8or theSamsung Galaxy Watch 5 .
I would say establish on my examination prison term that in grave manipulation , this is still a vigil that ’s honorable for a calendar week . That dense use would involve steady invoking the top multiband GPS mode , a mix of experience the concealment prepare to always - on and using the wage hike to wake feature , invite notification on a everyday cornerstone and take in the uninterrupted monitoring support enable for things like heart charge per unit .
For over an hour of running with the multiband GPS mode in use , and using the navigation and mapping reinforcement , the battery drop by 20 % so it ’s deserving mentioning that that improved truth does add up at a cost to the battery .
Daily drop - off outdoors of tracking time when the screen is n’t set to always - on is n’t huge either , so if you ’re uncoerced to forgo the top GPS tracking fashion and not have the cover fix to always - on then the sentinel can push through to a couple of weeks . Under heavier usage , it wo n’t . Garmin does also let in some power manager mode features here with a battery saver modal value to assist you get a little more lifetime out of it however .
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Should you buy it?
- If you want a Garmin with full mapping on a color blind for less , then the 965 is going to invoke .
Outside of the silver screen , the 965 does n’t offer a huge amount over the older 955 so it ’s not go to be a necessary ascent for a mint of masses .
Final Thoughts
Like theForerunner 265s , Garmin has tally a great colour screen to one of its good sports watches and it ’s been a joy to live with . If you employ it in the always - on screen modality then you ’ll have to give the recollective barrage liveliness that could be enjoyed on its predecessor . If you ’re well-chosen to last without a screen on 24/7 , then it ’ll get you through a unspoilt solid week of serious breeding and I intend that ’s going to be sound enough for most in substitution for a more smartwatch - style feeling sports watch .
If you ’re not that fuss about the AMOLED gore however , then theGarmin Forerunner 955can still get the job done , and at a cheaper rate .
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FAQs
The Garmin Forerunner 965 does have a built - in music player to store and sync over music from streaming services like Spotify and Deezer .
The Garmin Forerunner does n’t have an ECG sensor . Currently , the Garmin Venu 2 Plus is the only Garmin sentinel that offers an ECG detector .
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