I’ve tested almost every Garmin watch and when people ask me which one they should get, I usually suggest the Garmin Forerunner 265. It’s a lightweight, attractive AMOLED watch that’s ideal for runners in particular, offering most of Garmin’s key tracking and training analysis features at a price that’s much lower than the likes of the Forerunner 965 or Fenix 8.
That price is even lower right now — the Garmin Forerunner 265 is just $349 at Amazon, a $100 saving and the lowest price I’ve ever seen the watch, which is the newest model in its line. It’s our top pick in our round-up of the best running watches, and also suits triathletes thanks to its multisport mode.
I’ve been wearing the Garmin Forerunner 265 for the last few weeks and even as a very keen runner in the middle of marathon training, it does everything I need. The GPS tracking is reliably accurate; the screen is bright and clear in all conditions, it’s easy to program workouts into the watch to follow; and the training analysis is useful without throwing too much information at you.
I had been wearing the Forerunner 965 and Garmin Fenix 8 before the 265 and while those watches have some useful extra features, notably offline maps and longer battery life, the Forerunner 265 has its own advantage in being a smaller, lighter watch. That’s especially true of the Forerunner 265S, which has a 42mm case and is included in the sale along with the standard 46mm Forerunner 265.
It’s a great all-rounder that will suit the majority of sportspeople very well. If you do want a high-end Garmin model with a metal case and longer battery life, I’d look at the Garmin Epix 2 in the sales - you can get the Epix 2 for $399 at Walmart. At the other end of the range you can get the Garmin Forerunner 165 for $199 at Amazon, which is the cheapest Garmin’s entry-level AMOLED running watch has ever been.
