Garmin unveils new Forerunner 265 and 965 series running watches

On March 2, Garmin unveiled two new Forerunner series, the 265 and the 965. The Forerunner 265 and 965 series watches have AMOLED displays for a lighter, brighter, full-colour experience that is easy to read in any conditions, including bright sunlight. Garmin continues to produce top-of-the line running watches with responsive touchscreens that complement the traditional five-button design, allowing for fast access to health features, smart notifications and more, to help athletes prepare for their next big race.

AMOLED display

There have been many developments in display technology over the last decade. AMOLED is one of the newest breakthroughs, and Garmin was the first major GPS wearables brand to hop on board when it introduced the Garmin Epix last year. Now the Forerunner series will follow in the footsteps of the Epix watch with the new 265 and 965 models. 

With the addition of bright AMOLED displays in combination with premium training metrics and recovery insights, runners can view their performance statistics knowing they have the tools to perform their best without sacrificing battery life; the Forerunner 265 gets up to 15 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, while Forerunner 965 offers up to 23 days.

In-depth training insights

Forerunner 265 and 965 both feature all the up-to-date software updates from Garmin Connect, including sleep tracking, HRV status, training readiness, performance donation, and the new PacePro function that helps you with your pacing on a given course with a goal time, based on conditions like grade—the race predictor function, and the track running feature that snaps to a running track for accurate lap/distance counting.

Both watches will have multiband GPS, giving the athlete real-time tracking from satellites containing multiple frequencies for more accurate pace and results. The morning report feature analyzes your sleep, recovery and training readiness returns along with Garmin’s race widget, which was introduced last year.

The watch continues to support push notifications, Garmin Pay, and offline playlists from Spotify, Deezer or Amazon Music. The main difference is the 965 gets real-time stamina tracking, built-in maps, ClimbPro, and a new mid-term training load feature showing users how much they’ve taken on in the short term to help prevent injury.

The Forerunner 265 series starts at $620 and measures 46 mm. Like the Forerunner 255 model, the 265 will also come in a smaller “S” size of 42 mm. At $820, the Forerunner 965 is a step up, with a 47 mm case and a titanium bezel with additional battery life, ClimbPro and mid-term training load feature.

Both series are to be released on March 15.