Garmin finally realizes that an Amoled touch screen is more suitable for sports smartwatches. On March 2, the manufacturer officially launched the Forerunner 965 and Forerunner 265 ranges. They are equipped with Amoled screens. This type of screen was previously reserved only for its high-end models.
Forerunner 265s has a 1.1-inch screen Forerunner 265 has a 1.3-inch screen Forerunner 965 analyzes your training and endurance data in real time Forerunner 965 has a Climb Pro for rock climbing and integrated mapping
Like last year’s Forerunner 255, the Forerunner 265 comes in two sizes. The small model, the Forerunner 265s is equipped with a 42mm case. And, the standard model, the Forerunner 265 has a 46 mm case. The Forerunner 965 has a 47mm case.
The Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 265s are now equipped with an Amoled touch screen
This is the first time that Garmin has equipped its mid-range smartwatches with AMOLED screens. The Forerunner 265s has a 1.1 inch screen. The Forerunner 265 has a 1.3 inch screen.
These new AMOLED touch screens offer you a brighter rendering and a sharper resolution compared to MIP type screens. The Amoled also has a more customizable Always-on Display.
Regarding the design, we notice that the changes are minimal between the new connected watches and the previous models. Despite the addition of an integrated touch function, you can still take advantage of the physical start/stop buttons. The keys have just been reshaped and enlarged. Garmin has left Gorilla Glass 3 protection and 5 ATM water resistance untouched.
The new Garmin Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 265s / © Garmin
Garmin has added two major fitness modes. It’s about training readiness and race dynamics. Not to mention the array of sensors to monitor health metrics like heart rate variability and VO2 max.
Regarding connectivity, functions such as multiband GPS, NFC and Wi-Fi are also retained. But the onboard storage for offline music on both devices has been doubled to 8GB.
The battery life of the Forerunner 265s is rated at 15 days in smartwatch mode and 24 hours in continuous GPS use. The Forerunner 265 displays 13 days and 20 hours respectively.
The data sheets of the Garmin Forerunner 965
The Forerunner 965 has a titanium bezel. It also receives a 1.4 inch AMOLED screen (454 x 454 pixels). The front is protected by a more resistant Corning Gorilla Glass DX glass. The water resistance rating is 5 ATM.
The new Garmin Forerunner 965 / © Garmin
The premium running watch, Forerunner 965, has additional performance metrics not available on the Forerunner 265. These include training load ratio, real-time endurance tracking and by Climb Pro. The watch also comes with an inbuilt mapping feature that supports a large number of tracks.
The Forerunner 965 battery lasts 23 days in smartwatch mode and 31 hours in GPS mode between charges. Charging the wearable is done through Garmin’s proprietary connector.
The Garmin Forerunner 265, equipped with two-tone silicone straps, is sold at a price of 499.99 euros. It is already available in France. The Forerunner 965 costs nearly 649.99 euros. It will hit the market in the coming weeks.
