At £249 for the standard version and £299 with music, it brings features typically reserved for much pricier models down to a more accessible price point.
What sets the Forerunner 165 apart from other budget GPS watches is its bright AMOLED display and comprehensive feature set that borrows heavily from Garmin’s premium models. After weeks of testing, I’ve found it offers impressive GPS accuracy, solid heart rate monitoring, and battery life that actually delivers on Garmin’s promises—up to 19 hours of GPS tracking and 11 days in smartwatch mode.
I’ve put this watch through its paces across various training conditions to see whether it truly bridges the gap between basic fitness trackers and serious running computers. From daily activity tracking to workout performance and how it stacks up against both cheaper alternatives and its more expensive siblings, I’ll share exactly what you can expect if you’re considering making the jump to this new budget-friendly option.
Key Features and Everyday Performance
The Forerunner 165 delivers impressive daily functionality with its bright AMOLED touchscreen, accurate activity tracking, and solid 11-day battery life. Its lightweight resin case makes it comfortable for all-day wear, whilst the combination of physical buttons and touchscreen offers flexible navigation options.
AMOLED Touchscreen Experience
The 1.2-inch AMOLED display is genuinely impressive for a budget GPS watch. At 390×390 pixels, it’s crisp and vibrant, making data easy to read during runs or whilst checking notifications.
I’ve found the display performs brilliantly in bright sunlight. Even during midday runs, I could clearly see my pace and heart rate data without squinting or adjusting the angle.
The touchscreen responsiveness is excellent. Swiping through widgets feels smooth, and tapping to select options works reliably. You can disable the touchscreen during workouts if you prefer using only the physical buttons.
Display modes include:
- Gesture mode (11-day battery life)
- Always-on mode (4-day battery life)
- Sleep mode with dimmed brightness
The five physical buttons provide complete navigation control. This means you can operate the entire watch without ever touching the screen, which is brilliant for winter runs with gloves.
I particularly appreciate the sleep mode functionality. The display dims properly at night and won’t blind you if you check the time during the night.
Activity Tracking and Accuracy
Daily activity tracking feels comprehensive without being overwhelming. The step count accuracy matches closely with other devices I’ve tested, typically within 50-100 steps per day.
The optical heart rate sensor uses Garmin’s Elevate V4 technology. Throughout my testing, I found it reliable for general fitness tracking and sleep monitoring. It continuously monitors heart rate, breathing rate, and blood oxygen levels.
Sleep tracking captures bedtime, wake time, and sleep stages automatically. The sleep scores correlate well with how rested I actually felt each morning. Nap detection works inconsistently but isn’t a major concern.
Key tracking features include:
- Steps and distance
- Floors climbed (barometric altimeter)
- Active minutes
- Stress monitoring
- Body Battery energy levels
Notifications work seamlessly when paired with your smartphone. I received texts, calls, and app alerts reliably throughout testing. The AMOLED screen makes reading messages much easier than older Garmin displays.
Find My Phone proved useful several times when I’d misplaced my mobile around the house.
Battery Life and Charging
Battery performance exceeds expectations for an AMOLED watch at this price point. In smartwatch mode with gesture activation, I consistently achieved 10-11 days between charges.
With always-on display enabled, battery life drops to around 4 days. This still beats many competitors and provides flexibility based on your preferences.
GPS battery life varies by usage:
- GPS-only mode: 19 hours
- All-systems GPS: 17 hours
- GPS with music: 6.5-7 hours
During testing, I tracked several long runs exceeding 2 hours without significant battery drain. The Music Edition handles Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music downloads, though this naturally impacts battery life during GPS activities.
Charging uses Garmin’s proprietary cable, which takes approximately 1 hour for a full charge. The charging contacts feel secure and haven’t collected debris during my testing period.
Comfort and Wearability
At just 39 grams, the Forerunner 165 feels remarkably light on the wrist. The resin case keeps weight down whilst maintaining durability for daily wear and running.
The 20mm silicone strap feels comfortable during long runs. It’s standard width, so you can easily swap it for third-party alternatives if desired. I’ve worn it during 10+ mile runs without experiencing rubbing or discomfort.
Case dimensions suit most wrist sizes well. Unlike the Forerunner 265 series, there’s only one size available, but it works for both smaller and larger wrists in my experience.
The button layout feels intuitive after a day or two of use. Each button has a distinct feel, making it easy to navigate even during intense workouts when you’re not looking at the display.
I’ve worn it whilst sleeping every night without issues. The lightweight design and smooth edges mean it doesn’t catch on bedsheets or feel intrusive during sleep tracking.
Training, Fitness Insights and Comparison
The Forerunner 165 delivers solid training features for budget-conscious runners, though it lacks some advanced metrics found on pricier models. Its heart rate monitoring performs well for most activities, whilst the training tools provide decent guidance for beginners and intermediate athletes.
Heart Rate Monitoring Capabilities
The Forerunner 165 uses Garmin’s Elevate V4 optical heart rate sensor, which I found reasonably accurate for most running activities. During my testing, it tracked my heart rate zones consistently during steady-state runs.
However, like most wrist-based monitors, it occasionally struggles with rapid changes in intensity. For interval training, I’d still recommend pairing it with a Polar H10 chest strap for better accuracy.
The watch provides 24/7 heart rate monitoring and calculates useful metrics like stress levels and resting heart rate trends. It also estimates your VO2 Max, giving you a basic fitness benchmark.
Unlike the Forerunner 265, this model doesn’t include Training Readiness or detailed Training Load metrics. These omissions mean you won’t get the comprehensive recovery insights available on Garmin’s pricier models.
Training Tools and Suggested Workouts
The Forerunner 165 includes Garmin Coach training plans for 5K, 10K, and half-marathon distances. These adaptive plans adjust based on your progress and provide structured suggested workouts twice weekly.
I found the workouts well-designed for beginners, with clear instructions and automatic lap prompts. The watch also provides a basic training effect score after each session, helping you understand workout intensity.
Race prediction features estimate your finishing times for common distances based on your current fitness level. However, you won’t find the advanced training load analysis or recovery metrics available on the Forerunner 255.
The watch lacks power meter support, unlike its more expensive siblings. This limits its appeal for serious cyclists or triathletes who rely on power data.
Sports, Third-Party Features and App Integration
The Forerunner 165 supports over 25 sport profiles—running, cycling, swimming, gym stuff, you name it. GPS recording was solid in my tests, even if it doesn’t have the fancy multiband GPS from the Forerunner 265. Honestly, for most folks, that’s not a dealbreaker.
Garmin Connect pulls all your data together and spits out detailed analysis and trends. The Garmin Connect app feels clean and straightforward when you’re checking workouts or mapping out your next training block.
Third-party widgets from the Connect IQ store let you tack on weather, training tools, or whatever custom data fields you’re into. It’s a quick way to tweak things to fit your routine.
Garmin Pay does the trick for contactless payments—pretty much what you’d expect if you’ve used the Garmin Vivoactive 5. If you grab the Music edition, there’s music storage for offline listening, which is handy if you’re the type who can’t run without tunes.
Stacked up against something like the Coros Pace 3, the Forerunner 165 nails smart features, though its GPS battery life isn’t quite as long. Guess you can’t have everything.
