Garmin - Forerunner 965
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 10, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
23
0
"Fenix & epix felt really chunky in comparison to the forerunner, especially running with them."
"It’s far lighter and that makes a huge difference for me, particularly as I sleep with it."
"I can't tell the forerunner is on my wrist. ... It took me a while to get used to the heft of the fenix. It it noticeable while running or any activity in which your hands swing."
48
3
"battery is great even with AOD. ... Battery life was definitely a driving factor for me to switch to the 965 as my primary device. I got tired of babysitting charging my Ultra2 and could rarely use it for sleeping since the battery was always dead. With the 965, I can have everything turned on (AOD, POx, etc) and just charge if while I'm in the shower when needed. Or I can turn off AOD and it lasts a couple weeks for trips."
"The battery life is fantastic ... waking up with 40% battery and knowing it'll be plenty enough for my 2 hours walk in the afternoon and it will still be enough to end up the day, track my sleep and work all the next day, it was a game changer. You basically never have to worry about the battery. 8 hours long hike in the Alps? It got you covered, no worries."
"Oh, and the battery lasts days even when exercising a lot (weeks without excercise)."
71
0
"it has MORE workout tracking than an Apple watch has. ... This is the watch that could track my Paddle Boarding, Indoor Bouldering (it also said what V-stage I was bouldering!) Golf, Snowboard, Kayak and many more! ... Meaning your EVERY ACTIVITY is tracked so you will not loose your days and FUN. You don't have to stick yourself to ONLY RUNNING or GYM."
"Even doing y3p with navigation running all the time it only used about 60% battery and that was nearly 12 hours."
"from what you described there is nothing the 965 can’t do."
12
1
"magnificent AMOLED screen ... bright, sharp and clear the AMOLED displays are in full sun. they are even better. I know- hard to believe. ... gorgeous screen ... the higher resolution and brightness of the AMOLED is very helpful"
"I just went from the 255 from the 965 for this same reason"
"Display is 1000 times better."
28
0
"970 is a great leap forward, especially maps wise. ... Maps on 255 are so basic and if you get into trail running with gpx files you will feel the need for the upgrade."
"The 965 has much better mapping when you don't have a phone on you ... I got the 965 for the extra mapping features."
"love the map features of my 965 ... It gets me back to the hotel every time. ... I don't run with a phone because I absolutely hate the distraction."
Disliked most:
2
2
"But it’s soo expensive sigh"
"their current pricing is just inexcusable. ... it’s honestly a joke."
1
7
"the Garmin is far worse from a smartwatch perspective ... my AWU2’s cellular connectivity is above and beyond the thing I care most about on long, remote runs."
"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."
"I missed it's smart capabilities"
2
10
"I used to find that wrist HR sucked for rowing"
"Optical HR sensor on the Forerunner is poo compared to a chest strap or arm based optical strap."
"Apple Watch is much better in terms of hr accuracy"
1
5
"I hate 265/965 curved screen which can get scratched easily and only worked with plastic screen protectors."
"the curved screen get scratched easily ... because of its curve , only plastic screen protector can be used ... because of plastic material, the screen protector also get scratched easily"
"Previously after 2 years I had 2 absolutely tiny scratches on the screen but only if you looked closely in the right light."
0
5
"when I’d swim in pools it would so often double count my lengths…"
"If you dive in as soon as you get the tick, it's crap."
"a forerunner is not great for swimming, cycling, heavy trail running etc."
Very small wrists here... I had a venu for years and I loved it. However, I wanted a better battery and more data for running. I went with the forerunner 965 and have no regrets. I was worried it would be too large. It's not. I say go for the forerunner in white. It's the most feminine.
r/Garmin • What garmin watch has the best blend of style and battery life for a woman? ->Those are both great but I picked the 4 965
r/GarminWatches • Why should I choose Fenix 8 over Forerunner 970? ->Bro you can get a "used" (often actually still new in box) 955 on marketplace for like $300. The only complaint I have about mine is the barometer/elevation data is jacked up, but that doesn't seems to randomly occur with different garmin devices and isn't isolated to this one. The 965 is basically the 955 with OLED, which isn't a real upgrade to me. The 970 is marginally more advanced. But don't spend $500 on it, that would be crazy for a watch 2 generations behind.
r/Garmin • Is it worth getting the Forerunner 955 still? ->Forerunner 55 for the absolute basics. Forerunner 165 is the cheapest with a AMOLED screen. Forerunner 255, 265, 955 and 965 are just discontinued. In my opinion 955 is the most value for money as it includes mapping. 965 is the same watch as the 955, but with an AMOLED screen. If you don’t need mapping, then go for the 265. It is the same as the 965, but without maps. So if you can find a 955 that would be your best bet in my opinion. Forerunner 570 and 970 introduce unnecessary features, such as microphone & speaker, sapphire glass, shiny metal bezels all of which add nothing to running but do increase the price.
r/Garmin • What's the best Garmin for running these days? ->I have a 965 and I charge it for like an hour a week whether it needs it or not.
r/triathlon • Which running watch to buy? ->Venu 2 plus and I currently use a FR965
r/Garmin • How Have I only just discovered this? (convert from Apple Watch) ->I wear my Forunner 965 24/7 when on a training program. When not, only at night to track my sleep. I then can rotate my “real” watches.
r/OmegaWatches • Fitness trackers and wearables. ->I thought my forerunner 965 looked really sleek and snazzy until I read this post and discovered that it was so clunky I looked like a spy kid...
r/triathlon • Fitness trackers that aren’t ugly? ->I don't think there is anything that will do this indoors. I use my Garmin Forerunner 965 and it tracks distance and speed outdoors. Inside, I just get heartrate.
r/hockeyplayers • Slim Fitbit or similar watch recommendation for tracking on ice activity? ->This is what i get from my 965. I do go back and edit most of the exercises, the watch does recognise a bench press or a row but I like to personally be more accurate with the exercise. The biggest problem for me is that garmin does not allow me to create my own strength exercise. https://preview.redd.it/q3vxs47uxyye1.png?width=768&format=png&auto=webp&s=b1aeb0c6e227e33199bdefed168847dbd2acdba2
r/Garmin • Which watch for gym ->Since you’re a runner using Runna and want better battery life, the sweet spot is probably the Forerunner 265 if you want something light, run-focused and comes with AMOLED brightness which your Galaxy probably has. If you want more of a “smartwatch vibe” with a mic for calls then maybe the Venu 2 Plus is the only Garmin that adds voice assistant and call handling but its training metrics aren’t quite as deep as the Forerunner 955/965 series ones If I were you I’d also consider the Forerunner 955 or 965 for serious running and battery though, it’s pretty much the best watch you can get as a runner IMO or you could try [9 Best Smartwatches Worth Investing in 2025 for Running and Hiking](https://alaskanarrows.com/best-smartwatches-in-2025-for-hiking-and-running/) for others as well Cheers
r/GarminWatches • Best Garmin watch for a runner who also wants some smart watch features? ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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