Live Science Verdict
A serious Garmin watch without the scarey Leontyne Price , a Forerunner 165 could be the ripe choice of Garmin wearable for many folks .
Good GPS and hour accuracy for runners
Great - looking OLED screenland
The Garmin Forerunner 165 is a pleasure to wear.
One of Garmin ’s best - note value watches
Battery life history drops considerably when using the best modes
HR can be a niggling slow on the consumption for gym study
The Garmin Forerunner 165 features a raised bezel.
Why you’re able to trust unrecorded ScienceOur expert reader spend hour examination and comparing merchandise and service so you’re able to choose the best one for you . Find out more about how we test .
The Forerunner 165 is a vigil for those common people who like the idea of have one of thebest Garmin watchesbut flinch at the sight of some of their prices .
It manages to for the most part present what Garmin is about these days , for a quarter of the cost of the most expensive watch . The Forerunner 165 has an OLED filmdom , a relatively high - end array of features and good stat - trailing computer hardware .
It is lighter and more compact than many of the more premium Garmin watches.
Where ’s the catch ? Like other Forerunner picket , the Forerunner 165 ’s physique is functional rather than high - close . It lack many software program features both key and peripheral , including on - vigil maps . You have to pay more for music support , and some core feature are a generation behind .
Even with all that report for , though , the Forerunner 165 may well be a more compelling buy than rivals like the Coros Pace 3 or Apple Watch SE . It ’s a great all - rounder at $ 249.99 ( £ 249.99 ) , while the Music edition costs a fiddling more at $ 299.99 ( £ 289.99 ) .
Garmin Forerunner 165 review
Garmin Forerunner 165: Design
Screen : 1.2 - inch , 390 x 390 pel OLED
Connectivity : Bluetooth , Wi - Fi
Dimensions : 43 x 43 x 11.6 mm
The Garmin Forerunner 165 impressed us with its crisp, colorful display.
Sensors : GPS , HR , SpO2 , apparent motion
exercising weight : 39 guanine
Waterresistance : 5ATM
Button-led control makes it much easier to avoid accidentally stopping a tracked exercise session halfway through.
Batterylife : Up to 11 Day
Storage : 4 Gbit
Though the Garmin Forerunner series may seem a bit intimidating to Garmin tiro , it might actually be the ideal entry point .
Despite its limitations, the Garmin Forerunner 165 is a great choice for runners.
It has a relatively small screen , meaning the watch itself is n’t too Brobdingnagian . There ’s scarcely any metal here , as the casing is plastic , which help reduce the weight of the sentry to just 1.38 oz ( 39 g ) . The Garmin Forerunner 165 may not be as high - end as a Fenix 7 Pro orEnduro 2 , but it sure is more comfortable to wear 24/7 .
There are , however , some sacrifice on the ruggedness front as a result . The reinforced polymer case is n’t as heavily as stainless blade or titanium , and the Forerunner 165 ’s “ chemically strengthen ” glass screen protection is not the best around either .
The bezel is also raised just the smallest amount above the screen . A raised bezel is a classic protective tactic . That said , five months in , the watch still has no visible damage .
Garmin’s health tracking is world-class.
These plastic Garmin spotter are middling audacious , and like designs are used all the agency up to the Forerunner 965 . This watch ’s water supply resistance is modified , however , compared to that of the expert Garmins in the scope .
It ’s rated to 5ATM . While on composition this mean it can handle depth of up to 164 feet ( 50 meters ) , this is not a lookout for diving , or even swimming that far below the aerofoil . That ’s because those body of water resistance figure do n’t component in the extra pressure level of actually run through water .
That order , Garmin does n’t want you to reverence the pool — there are both swimming pool and outdoor swim tracking modes preinstalled .
The Garmin Forerunner 165 makes it easy to track your vital stats.
Garmin Forerunner 165: Screen and control
The Forerunner 165 has an OLED screen , like an Apple Watch . This tech has gradually spread across the Garmin range over the last four days because the tech has become better , less expensive to implement and less of a magnate drainage .
This is a 1.2 - inch screen that looks as sharp as the display of any Garmin . There are zero publication with visibleness outdoors on a bright day , and the punchiness and distinctness indoors are far good than that of Garmin ’s classic transflective silver screen .
Older Garmin scout displays feed off ambient ignitor and barely use any king . They still have their spot , but for the everyday casual runner , bicycler or gym - leaver , OLEDs may well be more appealing .
The Forerunner 165 merges this smartwatch - like concealment technical school with largely button - precede ascendance . Five buttons sit on the scout ’s sides . believe that seems kind of retro ? Not in a fitness watch . It makes it much easier to avoid circumstantially stopping or pausing a tracked exercise session halfway through . Almost nothing will make you fall out of honey with a watch faster than that .
This is actually one of the primal benefits of the Forerunner 165 over something like the Garmin Venu 2 . Flicking through your casual stats using the buttons is also far ready than using touch gesture . Touch control is an selection , though , as this is still a touch screen .
Garmin Forerunner 165: Fitness Features
The most important part of figuring out if this sentry is for you is bring forth your head around its restriction . For some folks , a Forerunner 165 will be just as useful as aForerunner 965or Fenix 7 Pro . For others , it will be a cut too far .
It does n’t have on - concealment maps , for example . You ca n’t use it to control a bike turbo trainer . Some of Garmin ’s best stats are totally missing — training shipment and performance stipulation are the most important . And while there are lots of bodily process modes bake in , there are no full triathlon modes here : you ’d have to log the ladder , swim and cycle share separately .
This is still the cheapest OLED Garmin spotter that feel like a serious tool for jock and fitness , though . Some of the stuff you get here might genuinely make a real divergence .
The Garmin Forerunner 165 is a great tool for outdoor runners.
For example , the Forerunner 165 provides suggested workouts for runners , inform through your bodily process point and how tired / quick the watch thinks you are . And while there are no full on - ticker mathematical function , you could plan routes on your phone and send them to the Forerunner 165 . It ’ll tell you when you make turns , when you ’re off of course — everything but ascertain the map itself . This is a marvelous feature .
And while , as note earlier , the Garmin Forerunner 165 does n’t have some of the athlete - favorite Garmin stats , there are still great ways to crack your progress .
The ticker will show you an estimation of your VO2 Max and provide betoken race times for everything from a 5 thousand run to a endurance contest . We always find these a mo optimistic ( as in all Garmin watches ) … unless maybe we ’re just not push as hard as Garmin thinks we can ! But they are consistently aggrandizing across the higher - end watches from Garmin , too .
Music playback drained our battery.
Garmin Forerunner 165: Health and smart features
The Forerunner 165 lacks Garmin ’s most recent headline - trouble feature , ECG heart rate readings . However , it makes a satisfying all - sidereal day trailing and health lookout man .
It can send alerts when it smell out outstandingly high - stress levels or strange heart rate solution . There ’s also Garmin ’s long - standing bloodline oxygenation reader , Pulse Ox . I ’ve seen less manifestly errant reading from it here than in earlier Garmins , but would still not advise place too much stock in any unmarried - reading results , peculiarly if they are exhibit as unnatural .
The Forerunner 165 will keep an oculus on your stress levels and , if you wear it overnight , track your sleep and bosom pace unevenness . Like most watches , this one will often miss moments when you wake up in the middle of the nighttime , but its Morning Report feature film is potentially a neat mode to start the 24-hour interval .
This watch offers excellent value for money.
This pop up when you first interact with the spotter each morning and offers a nap sum-up , weather account and other piece relevant to your Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . It ’s such a agile - fire bulletin , that you ’re unlikely to get unhealthily obsess with its stats , and its overall take on a night ’s eternal sleep seems mostly sound .
Despite being a low - oddment manikin , the Forerunner 165 also has access to Garmin ’s Connect IQ app store , which is home to a sensible selection of ( admittedly mostly quite simple ) apps . The vigil can also receive notifications and messages from your phone , source from whatever apps you green - light . These look good on the acuate OLED screen .
The Forerunner 165 is not a smartwatch , despite the app store and support for the basics . But it can still do the things many prize the most in a smartwatch .
Garmin Forerunner 165: Performance
make out back just a piffling on sensing element hardware is one direction Garmin go on the Forerunner 165 price down .
It has the company ’s Elevate v3 heart rate computer hardware , as used in the Fenix 7 but not the Fenix 7 Pro . The departure ? Garmin ’s a la mode design uses an additional bank of LEDs that fire during track physical exercise to improve kernel rate truth .
The Forerunner 165 also lacks one of the voguish ( in geeky circles ) fitness tracker feature : dual - band GPS . This make economic consumption of another frequency band to improve position - tracking reliability in trickier spaces , like wood or cities pack with high - rise buildings .
While the Forerunner 165 ’s GPS bumble a couple of time under thicker canopies ( specially rain - sop ones ) during our trial , you do generally get a high-pitched - end experience here . That ’s typified by effective signal keeping , fast lock - on and extremely accurate locating trailing — something you could see for yourself with each exercise , thanks to the route maps air over to the Garmin Connect app .
Heart rate trailing accuracy is full too . There ’s none of the classic early seance overshoot of less capable article of clothing . It does n’t bit by bit lose its way during recollective runnel and the Forerunner 165 holds up fairly well during interval sessions .
It ’s only in the gym that the watch can show a little lacking at time . When sets might only amount to 45 seconds , the spotter can lag to the extent that its substance rate readings seem useless . And on occasion , it will show flat - out incorrect results if you end up grapple part of the employment equipment — this could have as much to do with the resulting muscle / tendon contraction in your wrist confusing the detector as the lack of movement .
It ’s also important to have the right stamina prospect of the Forerunner 165 . Garmin rates it for up to 11 24-hour interval of enjoyment . However , we were capable to run out it within four day . This is thanks to the “ always on ” musical mode .
As standard , the watch display will only light up when you flick your wrist to your face or press out the touchscreen / a release . you could also set it to exhibit the time all day , and stay lit during practice . That ’s the always - on mode . In this mode , the Forerunner 165 is at its good , but it has a Brobdingnagian effect on battery life . Music playback is a real stamp battery - killer too , reduce battery life to a subject of time of day .
Should you buy the Garmin Forerunner 165?
The Forerunner 165 is an first-class fitness watch that avoids perhaps the most off - putting aspect of Garmin trackers : their frequently sky - gamey prices . But it still has sophisticated features , it still has an OLED screenland , and it can still do more than most people need .
Do n’t assume you need more than what ’s on offer here . Exceptions will include triathletes who require the keen trailing , those who want to be able to reconstruct routes on - picket or see full mapping , and wheeler keen on using the spotter for structured turbo trainer physical exercise . Some may also find its battery life sentence restrictive , at least if you prefer to utilise the good and most power - hungry modes .
For everyone else , though , the Garmin Forerunner 165 comes highly commend .
If the Garmin Forerunner 165 isn’t for you
TheCoros Pace 3is one of the keenest rivals to the Forerunner 165 if budget is the manoeuver gene . It ’s an impressive watch , too : its barrage lasts longer , and you may send route to it for on - sentry pilotage . It ’s compelling , but the Forerunner 165 has a much slicker interface , good execution of route provision and a killer whale workout / training system .
desire to stick with Garmin ? TheForerunner 265is the next step up . It adds multi - band GPS , has better assault and battery life , supports turbo trainer command and has music support as criterion , as well as the more advance statistics that the Forerunner 165 lacks . It ’s a well watch — whether it ’s worth an additional $ 200 or so is up to your bank balance .
How we tested
We used the Forerunner 165 for more than five months , mostly tracking even outpouring and gym academic term .
It has been worn for upwards of 1,600 mil ( 1,000 kilometers ) of GPS - tracked track and hiking , and used in multiple modes to get the best idea of its real - world battery life . This has been a long , Clarence Day - in / day - out human relationship .
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