Adding a new model to an survive range can be tricky , but that ’s just what Garmin is trying to do with the Forerunner 165 . Placed between the budget Forerunner 65 and midrangeForerunner 265 , the Forerunner 165 is a pretty priced smartwatch that concenter on providing everything a runner needs to keep moving .
There were many way Garmin could have slue up here — for example , by failing to add enough to differentiate the 165 from its immediate sib above and below it in price . gratefully , that ’s not the case . I took the Garmin Forerunner 165 for a twirl for a few week , and I ’m pleased to report that Garmin ’s latest running play watch is an excellent addition to its roll — and a must - buy if you require a fitness watch at a more reasonable Mary Leontyne Price .
Comfortable design, complex controls
There ’s no concealing that this is a gaudy smartwatch , but that ’s not a regretful thing . I ’d antecedently been using theGarmin Vivoactive 5 , a similarly price smartwatch aimed at mental health and general health rather than fittingness , and the differences between the two are striking .
Where the Vivoactive is sleek and smooth , the Forerunner is blockish and angulate , made from a fiber - reinforced polymer ( fancy plastic ) with flavorless edges . How you feel about this design will change depending on your tastes , but it strongly remind me of the Casio watches of old . There ’s a relatively squatty bezel around the display , but that just gave Garmin room to add label for the five ( yes , five ) buttons , which adds to the old - school fashion .
The shoulder strap is made from silicone and has plenty of holes for a precise burst . I ’ve worn a variety of physical fitness watches now , and I can blithely say the in - boxwood shoulder strap furnish with the Forerunner 165 is one of the most comfortable I ’ve used . I ’m several workweek in now , and there ’s no sign of the zodiac of skin innervation from prolonged habiliment . It sustain a piffling itchy after one workout , but a warm wash of the sentinel and wrist fixed that . If you do want to switch the included strap out , it ’s easy to do so , thanks to the industry - standard 20 mm fast - release fond regard .
The display is a 1.2 - column inch rotary OLED panel , and it ’s gorgeous . The colors are bright and vivid , and the Black person are dark . There ’s an always - on display if you want it , but the lift - to - viewing purpose has been honest enough that I did n’t need it . As a resultant , I could debar the hit on battery lifetime .
The Garmin Forerunner 165 has a touch screen , which works well and is reactive , but you’re able to also choose to use the five buttons circumvent the sieve . I ’ll be honest ; five buttons are too many , and I still chance myself bury which button is which , even after several week . The label help oneself , but it ’s far from utter in this regard .
I also detect the buttons a little too easy to push incidentally , so my watch often sit down on a position screen I had n’t consciously opened . Still , this is a relatively minor ailment , and I ’m certain more time will think of I eventually get used to the orotund number of buttons on offering .
HRV readingMark Jansen / Digital Trends
The Forerunner 165’s software and performance
The Forerunner 165 runs on Garmin ’s proprietary operating system of rules , and it ’s much improved here . I was n’t a huge fan of it in the Vivoactive 5 , but I ’ve incur it much more toothsome this prison term around . I much prefer the blueprint offered on the Forerunner series , and this is mate with a much faster and rattling functioning . Before this , I had n’t realized how boring the Vivoactive 5 could be and how much it had soured me on Garmin ’s software package . This time around , I ’m finding it much better to employ , and the swift functioning is a boastful part of that .
It ’s not break OS , so you wo n’t determine the wide range of supported apps you would on aGoogle Pixel Watch 2 , but it ’s not exclusively lacking in this regard . Apps are downloaded through the Garmin Connect IQ app store on your connected smartphone or through the ticker itself .
While there is n’t a short ton to pick from , you may download euphony apps from Spotify , Deezer , and Amazon Music , atmospheric condition apps like Accuweather , or map apps from Komoot . A mathematical function app is highly recommended if you ’re planning on doing a tidy sum of running routes , as there ’s no built - in map reenforcement . However , this is very much a workaround , so if you ’re planning on doing guided tramp or runs , consider buying a more expensive watch with this support , like aGarmin FenixorGarmin Forerunner 965 .
Recovery timeMark Jansen / Digital Trends
If you ’re sporting the Music var. of the Forerunner 165 , keep in nous that downloaded playlists can quickly take up most of the paltry 4 GB of onboard storage , leave little room for apps .
There are also some personal condom feature here , including emergency assistance , automatic incident sleuthing , and a real - time localisation - sharing puppet ( call LiveTrack ) . When set off , all of these apprize a act of selected contact , giving you some peace of mind while out running at night or in secluded areas .
Smart features are also included , such as the ability to mail replies to messages . you’re able to only send predetermined content , though , which is a downgrade from the typewriting offer on the Vivoactive 5 . However , considering how bad that typing feature of speech was , it ’s not a big exit here . The smart features were the feature I used the least on the Forerunner 165 and I mostly used them just to keep abreast of messages as they came in . However , Garmin has increased the amount of text on display in notifications , which do record them at a glancemucheasier .
Body BatteryMark Jansen / Digital Trends
Running with the Garmin Forerunner 165
The substantial substance of any Garmin twist is its fitness capabilities , and while the Forerunner 165 has had some cutbacks to impinge on a lower price , everything you involve is here — crap this a solid , if limited , fitness smartwatch .
We ’ll originate with how it performs during various exercises . scarper is the focus , so it makes gumption that it excels here . correctly out of the box , the Forerunner 165 will start throwing grooming recommendations at you , with its selection based on your history , your underlie stats , and how well - rest you are .
Had a hard Nox ? It ’ll go easy on you . Coming out of a farseeing point of rest ? Then it ’ll shoot for the horizon and really advertise you . When you ’re running , all the common favorite are here : pace , heart rate , and time . But there are also some unexpected additions , like wrist joint - base run power , which calculates how hard you ’re campaign on any given airfoil or incline . This is a vital tool for pacing in race , and keeping an eye on your running game power can help make trusted you make it to the final stage and do n’t wind up up out of natural gas partway through .
Mark Jansen / Digital Trends
The tools are n’t perfect , and they wildly overestimated my power at the start . The watch can calculate your VO2 max ( how much oxygen your blood carry ) , and it judged mine far too gamy , proudly proclaiming I could run a 5 K race in 21 hour . Thankfully , it updated after a few practice runs and has easy become more accurate — i.e. , much slower . Happily , the run recommendation tend to center on around a target centre charge per unit , so it ’s not go to unexpectedly push you too hard , even if the stats end up as misjudged as they were for me .
Other workout modes and wellness features
There ’s support for a good deal of other exercises here , admit swim , cycling , pickleball , and speciality training , among others . The presets on the watch can unfold to conform to just about any activity , though there ’s a notable want of a stretching activity . Yoga and Pilates are n’t really the same , and having the power to chase after stretches would have been courteous .
durability physical exertion are a special focus for me at the moment , and the Forerunner 165 works well enough here . set out a Strength workout , and it ’ll count reps as you go while also monitoring your warmheartedness rate . you could press the Back key to swop between set and relaxation period , and it ’ll also give you a opportunity to correct the repp count and prepare a weight during these intervals . There ’s no mode to specify what usage you ’re doing during a strength - grooming session , though , which mean experience to forever change and even out the weighting I was using as I move between different weights , machines , and even sets .
leave to its own devices , the Forerunner 165 is good enough . While you ca n’t specify your strong point workouts , it will endeavor to guess the special exercise you ’re doing . It ’s rarely right , though , misidentifying suffer shoulder presses as mentum - ups on more than one juncture . But the usage it guesses are usually close enough that it will at least jazz which brawniness groups you ’re using most . Avid weightlifters may sense lease down by this , though . you’re able to edit these phonograph record in the Garmin Connect app if you want to , but if you want to accurately cut through your speciality workouts , you ’re better off make a specific design of example in Garmin Connect ’s Workouts subroutine and following that .
Mark Jansen / Digital Trends
I also took the Forerunner 165 for a short swim , and it go for up well . It counts lengths unspoilt than the Vivoactive 5 , and the button control make it much leisurely to utilise when you ’re in the pool ; water and a touchscreen are rarely good champion .
There are personal wellness feature film here , too , but they ’re not at the forefront like they are with the Vivoactive 5 . Stress tracking is there , and the tracking functions are just as serious as on other Garmin lookout , but outside of a casual reminder that you could do breath study to melt off stress , there ’s little to keep genial wellness at the forefront . The exception to this is the sleep trailing , as the daily Morning Report contains a detailed verbal description of your overnight sleep . There ’s also automatic nap trailing if you ’re a napper .
As you might anticipate , some features are miss , which will be a letdown to some hoi polloi . There ’s no triathlon or multi - discipline support , so it wo n’t mechanically throw between physical exertion like more forward-looking models can . There ’s also no build - in map support , making its ability as a hiking or trail run watch a moment circumscribed . However , these are all feature most fooling fitness exploiter can live without , and most of the major fitness base are covered well enough for the price .
Garmin’s new-and-improved Connect app
Garmin Connect is the fellow traveler app that tie your smartwatch to your phone , and it ’s been throughsome big design changessince the last time we saw it .
The newly redesign My daylight front Thomas Nelson Page has an vehemence on glanceability , with full-grown tile for your modish exercise and significant stats . It ’s to the full customizable as well , so you’re able to swap out any roofing tile you do n’t desire for those you do . It ’s a large advance over the previous version of Connect , which leaned toward being overpowering . That complexness is still there , but it ’s hidden behind the More menu at the bottom - right of the app .
out of doors of the main My Day Thomas Nelson Page , there ’s also a department for Challenges , where you sign up up for running , cycling , swimming , and even walk challenges with the rest of the community and pull in badge for each you complete . Then there ’s the Calendar section , with elaborated dislocation of your physical exertion , measure counts , and other stats on a per - day base . lastly , there ’s the News Feed , where you and your friends ’ exercising can be find .
Connectivity with other apps is in force , and you’re able to link your Garmin Connect account to Strava , MyFitnessPal , and ( weirdly ) Microsoft Office 365 . wellness indemnity apps may also be linked to your Connect app if they have a function to award point for activity .
Battery life for days, and days, and days
I ’ve descend to expect drawn-out battery life from fitness smartwatches , and the Forerunner 165 is no exception to this pattern . It does n’t match Garmin ’s claim of up to 11 days of barrage life , but I manage a solid week between billing , draw from Monday to Monday and recharging in the morning when it reach around 15 % .
Granted , this was with minimal exercise tracking , after only having done a half an time of day of swimming that week . The 2d week of more intense gym work and trailing meant it lasted a day less , strike 10 % on Sunday evening . In both of these caseful , the battery could have gone a slight longer on the stay capacity , but it ’s still far from Garmin ’s claims , even if a hebdomad is more than satisfactory .
Recharging was fast enough , as it charge back up to full in about an hour . If needed , you could easily pop this on the battery charger for 10 arcminute in the break of the day to get enough succus for the day , but it does involve a proprietary charger from Garmin .
Garmin Forerunner 165 price and availability
The Garmin Forerunner 165 is uncommitted in two unlike simulation : The Forerunner 165 and the Forerunner 165 Music . The two are identical , except for the ability to keep open and take on euphony through Spotify on the Forerunner 165 Music , plus the different color on offer . The standard Forerunner 165 is available in black / slate gray and mist gray / whitestone , while the Forerunner 165 Music come in a wider miscellanea , including aquamarine / aqua and berry / lilac , as well as the other two colouring material .
Both are currently available and can be found in a number of retailers . The Forerunner 165 costs $ 250 , and the Forerunner 165 Music be $ 300 .
Should you buy the Garmin Forerunner 165?
I was n’t expect to have too much to say about the Garmin Forerunner 165 , having just come off review the likewise price Vivoactive 5 . But hoo - boy , was I ill-timed . The Forerunner 165 ( and , by extension , the 165 Music ) is a phenomenal fitness watch for the monetary value .
“ For the price ” is the of import part there , of course . The stamp battery life did n’t come close to the “ up to 11 Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ” Garmin claim , and the lack of thick weightlifting features or triathlon support will disappoint the more hard-core members of those particular crowds .
The Garmin Forerunner 165 is a great little seaworthiness vigil .
However , the Garmin Forerunner 165 is n’t imply to be a fittingness watch for everyone — it ’s for runner , and it ’s here that it stand out with a wide range of a function of features and analytics that plunk deep into your performance . It ’s ripe enough in other arena that it ’ll get by for more passing exercisers like me , but it wo n’t fulfil the enthusiasts . It ’s also not an all - vocalizing , all - dancing smartwatch , and if you ’re looking for a smartwatch with potent fitness abilities , check out theApple Watch Series 9orSamsung Galaxy Watch 6 .
Instead , it ’s idealistic for a new , casual , or intermediate blue runner who care to dabble in other sportswoman . I have n’t rue a single Clarence Shepard Day Jr. I ’ve used it , and will probably continue using it after this review . The Garmin Forerunner 165 is a great lilliputian fitness vigil and well worth the investment funds if you require a more reasonably priced seaworthiness - focused smartwatch .
