Although Garmin produces some of the greatest fitness trackers and smartwatches for runners and athletes, I don’t usually suggest the brand to anybody outside of that demographic. In my experience, its watches have historically been more costly, intricate, or antiquated than alternatives.
These are not the characteristics of the Garmin Forerunner 165. For $250, it’s a powerful smartwatch with many of the best features offered by the brand. After the firm offered me a trial, I used it for more than a month, and I’m now thinking about making it my go-to fitness tracker. That’s a lot coming from a tech reporter who tests out new wearables every month.
GO Ahead and SkipWhy should I trust NBC Select? How did I test the Garmin Forerunner 165? Our experience with the Garmin Forerunner 165? Who is the Garmin Forerunner 165 for?
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The best fitness tracker is the one you ll actually wear daily
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What is the Garmin Forerunner 165?
Garmin Forerunner 165
Garmin Forerunner 165
- Exceedingly comfortable
- Robust tracking/training tools
- Long battery life
- App learning curve
A fitness watch called the Garmin Forerunner 165 ($249.99) measures a wide range of parameters, such as heart rate, daily steps, calories burnt, floors climbed, detailed running statistics, sleep, stress, blood oxygen, and menstrual cycle. It syncs with your phone to display email, call, and text notifications, just like the majority of smartwatches. Numerous training options, such as Garmin Coach, Training Plans, and Daily Suggested Workouts (more on these below), are also integrated into the watch.
With its colorful touch screen and five buttons around the sides, this black and white watch may be controlled with either or all of them. It comes in a single size and can only be used with a Garmin account.
In comparison to the Forerunner 265 ($499) and Forerunner 965 ($599), it is priced as an entry-level model in Garmin’s Forerunner series.
43mm touchscreen; 39g weight; 11 days battery life; built-in GPS; sleep monitoring (including naps); heart-rate monitor; no EKG; water resistance; up to 50 meters; optimal compatibility with the Garmin app (iPhone or Android)
How I tried the Garmin Forerunner 165
Together with Lauren Swanson, editorial director of NBC Select, I tried the Garmin Forerunner 165 for more than a month. The company offered us two watches to evaluate.
I never took the Forerunner 165 off except when it required charging, which wasn’t very frequently. I mostly wore it for strength training, cycling, and running, but I wore it for all of my indoor and outdoor exercise activities. I contrasted the Forerunner 165’s outdoor walking and running statistics with that of the Fitbit Charge 6, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 throughout the first two weeks. (I switched the left wristband every week to compare outcomes, wearing the Forerunner 165 on my right and a competitor on my left.)
Swanson also tracked her outdoor runs with the Forerunner 165. She concentrated on the 165’s coaching features and stats because she runs marathons.
Our experience with the Garmin Forerunner 165
One of the greatest fitness trackers we’ve ever used is the Forerunner 165, especially for runners who want to enter a running competition or set a personal record. It has a great battery life, is incredibly comfy, and is a great value for the things it offers. The fact that none of it required a monthly fee surprised and pleased me. I go into further depth about my experience with the Forerunner 165 below.
What we like
Comfortable fit
Among the most comfortable wearables I’ve tried is the Forerunner 165. For around three weeks in a row, I wore it constantly, and it didn’t bother my skin, get on my clothes, or interfere with my sleep. Even if it seems a little athletic and inappropriate in some professional contexts (especially the white one), I never felt the need to take it off.
In my experience, the silicone band is softer, more flexible, and more bendable than the silicone bands on the Fitbit Charge 6 ($159) and Apple Watch SE ($249). In comparison to the spherical sensors on smartwatches like the Google Pixel Watch 3 ($349), which I occasionally find uncomfortable, the sensor on the back of the watch is likewise incredibly flat.
With a strong buckle and several of slots to alter the fit, it fits Swanson’s and my wrists nicely despite only coming in one size.
Useful, customizable metrics
This watch and the Garmin Connect app both fully display the detailed fitness information that Garmin is known for. The majority of health and fitness indicators, such as your recovery time, previous workouts, sleep score, and more, can be viewed on the watch itself (though I personally prefer to use the app).
By default, the watch shows your heart rate, pace, distance, and total time in bold, readable writing while you’re running. With its speedometer-like layout and rising redness for higher intensity zones, the heart rate indicator in particular is easy to read.
The Garmin Connect app has a wealth of information (and initially confusing; more on that later). All of my primary metrics—distances, heart rate, pace, time, cadence, etc.—are precisely tracked by it, and they are shown in both list and chart format. Almost all data points have a help button next to them. Pressing this button provides you with a thorough explanation of the word (vertical oscillation, for example) and how it affects your run. This tool was really beneficial to me, particularly for indicators unique to Garmin, such Training Effect.
Almost everything is customizable: You may alter the color of the exercise icons on the watch, personalize the home screen of the mobile app, and design your own watch layouts for each fitness activity. All of these settings are enjoyable to me as a techie, but I can understand how they would be too much for others.
Robust training features
Training aspects like recuperation time, suggested programs, and Training Effect were all really enjoyable to use.
But according to Swanson, the training aid that we enjoyed the most was Garmin Coach, which appears to be particularly beneficial for those who have never used a personal trainer or finished a race. You choose your weekly running days, a race day, a virtual coach, and a running objective (5K, 10K, or half-marathon). A calendar of recommended workouts, including easy runs, long runs, tempo runs, and more, will be generated by Garmin based on your goal following an initial benchmark run. Swanson frequently had to change her weekly run schedule or miss days because the plan automatically updated her calendar at every stage.
You can follow the watch’s real-time workout recommendations. Depending on the run, it buzzes to alert you if you are running too fast or too slow, displays a countdown during a warm-up, and more. I tend to speed up during recovery runs, so having real-time feedback is really helpful.
Excellent battery life
On average, Swanson and I were able to run our batteries for 10 to 11 days before needing to recharge. That is significantly longer than any wearable made by Fitbit, Samsung, Google, or Apple. I got roughly five days on a single charge when I had the always-on display turned on.
Additionally, charging is not too painful. A brief, proprietary charging wire from Garmin is included with the package. It plugs into the back of the watch and stays locked in I never accidentally unplugged it, like some, more finicky charging pucks and pins.
Something magical happens when you wear a smartwatch that can go over a week without needing a charge: you forget about it. I remembered the Forerunner 165 when I needed it, and forgot about it when I didn t. Smartwatches that I need to charge every day, by comparison, feel like a chore.
Drawbacks to keep in mind
Learning curve
The Garmin Connect and ConnectIQ apps aren t the most intuitive to use. Both took me a few hours of use to fully understand, and I still occasionally find new settings and options, even after a month of use. Each screen has a ton of data and options to choose from, with sub-menus on sub-menus the more you tap. This is useful once you understand everything on offer, but is the opposite of something like the Fitbit app, which is more holistic and beginner-friendly.
There were also a few key features that seemed missing at first, but were there all along, just less intuitive than I would like. Two major ones were:
-
Full marathon training plans
: They re available by logging in to theGarmin Connect
website
, not the mobile app.
-
Notification customization
: You can easily find this within the Garmin Connect app on Android, but not iPhone. Follow Garmin s
iOS video tutorial here
for iPhone customization options.
Runners get the most features
I am a runner and a cyclist, and it s clear that the training features are a little more fully-realized for runners. (It s called the Forerunner, after all.) The Garmin Coach, mentioned earlier, does not have virtual coaches for cycling (only running). Similarly, cycling training plans do not suggest nearby events to sign up for, you have to input your event manually. The brand alsorequires additional equipmentlike a power meter or heart-rate monitor for accurate cycling data and training suggestions.
Who is the Garmin Forerunner 165 for?
The Forerunner 165 watch is ideal for people who exercise regularly and want to hit a new running goal or sign up for their very first race. It has robust health and fitness stats, plus useful training tools that are a great fit for anyone who wants a little guidance, but not an actual running coach. Even without its training features, it s a fantastic fitness tracker, with superior comfort and battery life compared to other options I ve tried.
Why trust NBC Select?
Harry Rabinowitzis a reporter at NBC Select who covers technology and fitness including guides tofitness trackers,running shoesandworkout headphones.
Lauren Swanson is the editorial director of NBC Select and an avid runner with many 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon finishes.
Rabinowitz and Swanson tried the Garmin Forerunner 165 for over a month after the brand sent them each a model to try out. Rabinowitz tracked his exercise, sleep and everyday metrics, and compared them to other wearables at a similar price point.
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