Garmin Forerunner 165

A side-view of the Garmin Venu 3 showing the speaker slots — As a Garmin expert, these are my three beginner picks that won't break the bank Don't get tempted into a $1,000 Garmin Fenix 8 or $800 Venu X1 until you try these affordable Garmin watches that justify the cost.

A collection of the best Garmin watches owned by the author: The Venu 3, Forerunner 965, 955, 265, and 255 Music, Instinct 2 Solar and 2X Solar, and Vivomove Trend. — Best Garmin watch 2025 These are the best Garmin watches across the Venu, Forerunner, Instinct, Fenix, and other Garmin lineups, for every type of athlete.

Garmin Vivoactive 5 stressful period — New to Garmin? The $100-off Vivoactive 5 is the perfect starting point Both the Garmin Vivoactive 5 and Forerunner 165 are $199 for Black Friday; first-time Garmin users, skip the pricey models and start here.

Latest about Garmin Forerunner 165

The Garmin Forerunner 165 and 965 side-by-side on a bench, showing identical heart rate data after a run activity.

The latest Garmin Forerunner beta update is built for power users and clumsy runners

By Michael L Hicks published 12 April 24

Bug fixes & features Beta update 19.09, the Garmin Forerunner 165's first, adds new widgets for Messenger and Jet Lag Adviser, along with a long-overdue bug fix.

Bug fixes & features

Close-up view of the Garmin Forerunner 165 during a run activity.

Garmin Forerunner 165 review: Barely a compromise

By Michael L Hicks published 5 April 24

Affordable high-end data Our Garmin Forerunner 165 review shows why it's the best budget running watch, with (almost) all of the core features and accuracy that serious runners need.

Affordable high-end data

Garmin Forerunner 165 and 965 sitting atop one another on a plant.

I'd swap my Garmin Forerunner 965 for this much cheaper smartwatch in a heartbeat — if it weren't for one thing

By Michael L Hicks published 17 March 24

Sunday Runday Garmin strategically withholds software from its cheaper watches. Only one missing Garmin Forerunner 165 tool is hard to lose.

Sunday Runday

The Garmin Forerunner 165, COROS PACE 3, Fitbit Charge 6, and Polar H10 sitting together on a table.

I tested the Garmin Forerunner 165 against the two best cheap fitness trackers

By Michael L Hicks published 15 March 24

Put to the test How the Forerunner 165 compared for steps, GPS, and heart rate against the Fitbit Charge 6 and COROS PACE 3.

Put to the test

Garmin's hero image on its press release for the Forerunner 165, showing a woman running while wearing the watch, plus three renders of the Forerunner 165 in the bottom-right corner showing a daily workout suggestion, the main watch face, and the data fields showing during a running activity.

How the new Garmin Forerunner 165 compares to the Forerunner 55 and 265

By Michael L Hicks last updated 20 February 24

Running watches We break down all the ways the Forerunner 165 beats the 55 in features — and how it falls short of the Forerunner 265.

Running watches

Post-run recovery and VO2 Max data on the Garmin Forerunner 265

Leaked Garmin Forerunner 165 has nearly everything thrifty runners would want

By Michael L Hicks published 7 February 24

AMOLED upgrade Garmin running watches are among the best, but they're not cheap. The Forerunner 165 should offer upgrades over 55 and 255; the only question is how much it'll cost.

AMOLED upgrade

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