Garmin - Forerunner 265S
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
5
0
"that function works great, that is the main reason I have one too"
"will sort those gps issues"
"Yep it's great overall. accurate GPS ... I don't think there are significant functional differences."
7
3
"My AW was dying on me on 2.5 hrs workouts plus music, once I hit into serious running it became obvious it couldn’t handle it. ... Did a 10k turkey trot and went straight into our woods cabin for 4 days forgetting my charger in the city. Went hiking twice while there, was fine and still had 20% when I got home! ... 5+ days of battery life."
"The biggest reason I chose Garmin over AW was the battery life. Went to Mexico for 7 days on a full charge never had to think about plugging it in."
"Dude I did over 5 hours of GPS training in the last 7 days with 2 hours of music played and still have 20% battery on my forerunner 265 music"
4
1
"Getting a running watch was a huge game changer for me. Having more data like HR, cadence, stride, etc is very nice for tracking progress."
"find the training load useful"
"the Garmin algorithm is very good at estimating, for example, calories, number of steps, recovery, etc. and so on..."
6
1
"just upgraded to the 265S for the AMOLED screen. ... Wasn't a fan of the MIPS of the 255."
"I thought I might not like the AMOLED after using a MIPS watch for years but it I find the AMOLED is great once you get used to the brief wake-up delay."
"Was my first Amoled and it worked so very well."
3
0
"the 265S is significantly smaller and lighter than the 165 ... fit is quite different for me"
"these are usually quite slim ... as I don't like heavy and bulky watches"
"I know it’s made of a plastic that’s very strong and durable"
Disliked most:
7
1
"even the 265S (which is what I ended up with) still feels pretty chunky on my wrist."
1
3
"moved to a 47mm Fenix 7 Pro because I wanted full mapping since I started trail running"
"You’d be trading off some of the advanced mapping/navigation tools, though."
"If you don’t want maps 255 or 265."
0
4
"missing the... phone connectivity."
"if you have to take your phone anyway, there's a much better device on you for making calls. ... apple watches can have sim cards and place calls *without* having your cellphone on you. that's a real use case -- go for a run, leave the bulky phone at home."
"none of them have a speaker / microphone"
arvj 1.0I opted for the 265s just because i prefer the smaller size. It works well with runna.
265 series can download from spotify and has a solid heart rate sensor.
Blindusek 1.0Garmin 265s or if you could get a Epix Pro 42mm for a decent price would have everything you could wish for, including the latest HR Sensor v.5 If you don't want AMOLED screen then the Fenix 7 Pro 42mm would also be perfect. Also consider the Epix pro and Fenix Pro have a flashlight. Sound useless, but comes in handy from nightly toilet visits, camping or just as a strobe while running (can set it up so it auto turns on and blinks when running after sunset)
bluemostboth 1.0I reeeally wanted something like the Vivoactive when I was last watch shopping - mainly because of the appearance + size, even the 265S (which is what I ended up with) still feels pretty chunky on my wrist. However, the Vivoactive doesn’t support custom structured workouts, which is a must for me. Hoping they add that feature to their more casual lines going forward!
complexityflows 1.0I have the 265s in pink and i love it
Crafftyyy24 1.0Got a 265s last year and love it so far. Great budget option.
CuddlePuddle818 1.0This is the one I have myself and I love it!
doorsx11x 1.0I have a Garmin 955 solar my daughter has the 265s but my wife is much less into running than we are and she has the Fitbit versa four or three I forget which one whatever the latest one is, you could probably get by with the Fitbit and pro tip you can pick up new ones all the time on Facebook marketplace for like $60 versa four we got for $60 you can find Fitbit charge 6 for $60 all over the place at least where I'm located. The one I bought for my wife was brand new in the box $60
Econoloca 1.0I mean I wouldn’t get the 965 because it is too big for my wrist, unfortunately garmin forgets some of us, mostly women also love to run….but tbh I don’t see any advantage of this over my 265s, less battery life, same music, etc, and I am fine not taking calls during my runs thank you…especially since I have an iPhone, I had an Apple Watch already and never used the microphone there anyways.
I switched from an AW to a gr265s two years ago. Would never go back! Aw’s battery sucked (couldn’t handle my long runs) and sure it is a cellphone in my wrist but I don’t want a bad cellphone on my wrist. Half of the shit didn’t even work well because I use mostly WhatsApp and google voice. I did like getting my notifications, having Spotify and Apple Watch though so that is why I went garmin and not coros. The only thing I miss is having audible but even Spotify works better in garmin. I would however say that if you don’t care for the smart phone functionality I would probably go coros over garmin. Garmin for me is the perfect balance: 5+ days of battery life, the main smart watch functionalities and an amazing sports watch! Have never used garmin+ and don’t plan to ever.
Go for the 165 you can get it around that same price (check out the optometry discount) and that way you at least get decent music capabilities. But if you can get the 265-265s!
f36a 1.0Let me confuse you a bit more😅 I got Garmin 265s, the waiting period for Pace 4 back then was 4 weeks, and ai couldn’t wait that ling after paying. Yes 265s is about $50 more than Pace 4, but I enjoy the watch. It has option for garmin pay (had use for it only once, when my phone died, but feels good to have an option) And the music support is good Yeah, in my opinion 265 > Pace 4 > 165
flipintheair 1.0265S is super small. My wife is petite and she loves the size