Garmin, a leading player in the wearable market, has recently announced (and released) its latest smartwatch series, the Forerunner 165, which aims to challenge the dominance of the Apple Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch with its powerful performance and reasonable cost.
The Forerunner 165 series is a successor to the Forerunner 55, which was launched in 2021 as a budget-friendly option for fitness enthusiasts. The new series, however, borrows many design and functionality elements from the premium Forerunner 265, which was released in 2023 as a flagship device for professional runners and athletes.
The Forerunner 165 series comes in two variants: the standard one, which costs $249.99, and the Music one, which costs $299.99 and allows users to store and play up to 500 songs on their wrist. Both variants feature a 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of 390 x 390 pixels, which supports always-on mode and offers vibrant colors and sharp details.
One of the main selling points of the Forerunner 165 series is its long-lasting battery life, which can last up to 11 days in smartwatch mode and up to 7 hours in GPS mode with music. This is a remarkable achievement compared to the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, which can only last up to 18 hours and 36 hours, respectively, in smartwatch mode and up to 5 hours and 6 hours, respectively, in GPS mode with music.
The Forerunner 165 series also boasts a standalone GPS feature, which enables users to track their location, distance, speed, and pace without relying on their smartphone. However, unlike the Forerunner 265, which uses multi-band technology to provide more accurate and reliable positioning, the Forerunner 165 series uses a single-band GPS, which may not be as precise or consistent.
Nonetheless, the Forerunner 165 series still offers a comprehensive and advanced set of features for health and fitness monitoring, such as wrist-based heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, stress level, women’s health, body battery, and sleep quality with nap detection. Moreover, the Forerunner 165 series provides users with various tools to enhance their running performance and experience, such as race-adaptive training plans, wrist-based running power and dynamics, and training effect functionality.
These features are designed to help users customize their workouts, measure their progress, and optimize their results, whether they are beginners or experts. Garmin fans will be familiar with these features, as they are also available on the Forerunner 265 and other high-end models. However, for those who are new to Garmin’s Forerunner product line, they will be pleasantly surprised by the sophistication and utility of these features, especially given the affordable price point of the Forerunner 165 series.
The Forerunner 165 series is compatible with both Android and iOS devices and can be paired with the Garmin Connect app, which allows users to access more data, insights, and features, such as social media sharing, challenges, leaderboards, and rewards. The Forerunner 165 series also supports smart notifications, such as calls, texts, emails, and app alerts, as well as Garmin Pay, which enables users to make contactless payments with their watch.
The Forerunner 165 series is available in various colors and sizes and can be customized with different bands and watch faces. The Forerunner 165 series is a great choice for anyone looking for a smartwatch that combines functionality, style, and affordability and that can compete with the best in the market.