Garmin Forerunner 965 Review

The Garmin Forerunner 965 is built with running in mind. Its lightweight, slim design feels featherweight on the wrist. The Forerunner is built for everything from the city to the trail, and its battery life should last for days to weeks, depending on your configuration. Ultra athletes should consider if they plan to go over 24 hours of GPS recording time. This is a group where this watch may not be sufficient.

Performance Comparison

Accuracy

Accuracy scores were found for each watch by testing the GPS chipset and heart rate sensor accuracy. For the GPS test, we wore each watch on a track that was known to be 2.8 miles, then compared the watch readings to that distance. For the heart rate test, we wore a watch on each wrist and ran 0.5 miles, comparing the watches' readings to the Polar H10 chest strap, known for its scientific accuracy. These results were used to find an overall accuracy score. All GPS tests were conducted on the same day to allow for similar weather conditions, and the watches were worn with the same snugness to maintain a controlled fit for heart rate measurements. We then synchronized the data by matching timestamps to ensure a fair comparison between the chest-worn heart rate monitor and the GPS watch.

The Garmin Forerunner 965 was one of our highest-performing accuracy models. Measuring +/- 0.05 miles during our GPS testing, this provided one of the most accurate tracks. The heart rate accuracy was also impressive, with only a difference of +/-0.76 BPM. This new watch from Garmin has all of the latest sensors, so we aren't surprised it's one of the best in our lineup.

Activity Use

The Forerunner 965 is built for performance, and if you're a runner, we'd highly recommend this model. While not as rugged as other models in this price range, it's one of the lightest and slimmest in our lineup. This watch contains all you need for a great workout or adventure.

The 47mm case looks great for many different data fields, and the AMOLED display is easy to read in a variety of lighting conditions. For runners looking to run over 24 hours, we'd opt for a different model because you will be on the verge of the battery's GPS ability. This is a major downside of the AMOLED display, as the previous MIP version had over 40 hours of battery life. This is something to take into consideration if you often run ultra distances.

The 965 has all of the latest navigation features from Garmin and supports turn-by-turn and detailed maps. These look great on the AMOLED display, and the smaller text is easier to read than on the MIP models. This is the main benefit of the bright and dense pixel count. While we don't love using the watch for complex navigation, it's great for navigating turns on less familiar trails. For big-picture navigation, we still prefer our phone.

The dedicated buttons and touchscreen make it easy to utilize many features of the watch while on the move. We like operating our data pages with the buttons, but if you prefer swipes, that option is available to you. Garmin also includes many different metrics for various sports and the many sport modes that are offered. For the full list, we'd recommend checking out the manufacturer's product page.

Everyday Use

At the premium end of our spectrum, you can expect this GPS watch to tackle all of your daily health-tracking needs. Garmin provides an exceptional number of health metrics and features, which is great if you like digging into charts and data. For us, we are most committed to analyzing our sleep, HR, and stress/performance levels.

Garmin does an excellent job of tracking sleep and providing an easy-to-digest score at the end of each morning with the wake-up widget. This also includes helpful statistics like weather, stress, and body battery. We've found this accurately represents our sleep and how we feel waking up. Daily stats are also easily accessible within the widget screen for items like steps, calories, floors climbed, recovery, and more.

All of these metrics and the ability to customize the watch are done through the phone companion app Garmin Connect. This app was redesigned in May of 2024 and now looks even better while providing easy access to your latest workouts, health stats, and training plans.

By pairing your phone to the Forerunner 965, you can push your notifications to the watch, answer phone calls, or see messages while in an activity. There are also handy features like find my phone or find my watch, which helps quickly locate nearby lost items.

We often talk about Garmin as a whole because the ecosystem overlaps with many of the devices we test. Their use of glances (widgets) has been adopted by most of the competition, and Garmin's toolbar is a great way to easily access many different settings. By holding down the light button, you can see a wide range of quick access settings.

Extra Features

With Connect IQ, you have the ability to add third-party custom apps to many watches in the Garmin lineup, including the Forerunner 965. This only adds to the feature-rich experience that comes with a Garmin. Personally, we didn't find many of these apps to fill in any gaps that are missing, but there are options for you to tailor your experience.

The most premium watches in our test group are starting to be released with dedicated flashlights or red modes. Unfortunately, with this upgrade, the Forerunner 965 didn't receive a flashlight, which is a bit of a bummer at this price point. Still, it probably would have increased the weight and thickness, potentially reducing the appeal of this ultralight model.

Today's smartwatch GPSs have hundreds of features, and there is no way we can discuss every point without making this article painfully long. Our goal is to share an overview of each watch and dial in deeper to specific standout features or those that are missing when compared to the competition. We'd recommend checking out the manufacturer's website for the full feature list.

Wearability

We really like the physical design of the Forerunner 965, and it even looks better now with the metal bezel. The model looks more elegant and premium without changes to its weight or feel on the wrist. The metal buttons have a good feel and provide sureness when running or doing higher-level activities.

The removable tooless straps are great, provide good comfort, and are made of high-quality materials. The dual colorway adds a nice touch of style. This slim model works well with a variety of clothes; mainly, we had no issues with gloves or jackets because of the thin profile. The ability to turn off the touchscreen is nice to reduce accidental touches. This is a must-have for winter sports, where your gloves and coat will often interact with the watch.

Unfortunately, we are very bummed by the loss of the MIP display, with Garmin opting for the AMOLED instead. It simply looks worse, in our opinion, and the optional always-on display takes a big hit to battery life. The performance of this display doesn't seem to match their standard MIP, but, interestingly, it's more frequently implemented. Sure, the colors pop and the definition of the lettering is a bit better, but the overall experience with AMOLED feels a bit more in your face; we prefer the more subdued MIP.

Battery Life

We achieved 29 hours of GPS-only recording with the display set to the lowest level. For normal daily use, we achieved 20 days. For the always-on display mode set to the lowest level, we achieved roughly six days; we found the lowest brightness level to be more than bright enough to provide the normal watch look without being distracting. This battery life should be great for most users; for the ultra athletes, we'd recommend sticking with an MIP display, which offers better battery performance.

Should You Buy the Garmin Forerunner 965?

If you're an athlete looking to perform in events under 25 hours, we recommend the Forerunner 965. The introduction of the AMOLED display reduced the battery life by quite a bit, even more so if you plan on using the always-on display. The 965 is a sleek, slim package that offers everything you need, but expect to tend to the battery more than other options at this price point. If you're coming from an older model or a smartwatch, you will probably be more than impressed with the battery life.

What Other GPS Watches Should You Consider?

For roughly 50 hours of battery life with an AMOLED display, check out the Suunto Race. For runners looking for multi-day battery life, you will want a non-AMOLED display. We'd recommend upgrading to the Fenix 7 Pro Solar. For a less pricey option with great battery life, you should also consider the Coros Apex Pro 2.