If I got a dollar every time someone asked me which Garmin watch to buy, I’d probably still need to work for Tom’s Guide, but I’d be a lot richer. My recommendation, and one of my favorite Garmins ever, is the Garmin Forerunner 265, and it it’s $100 off right now.
The fantastic little watch just dropped to $349 from $449 on Amazon in both the 42mm and the 46mm versions. The watch has been replaced by the newly released Garmin Forerunner 570 as the brand’s mid-tier Forerunner, but don’t let this put you off — it’s still a fantastic running watch to have on your wrist, whatever you’re training for.
In Garmin Forerunner 265 review, I said it was the best Garmin running watch for most people, and I stand by my decision, even with newer, snazzier watches on the market two years later. The Forerunner 265 is extremely light and comfortable, with a stunning AMOLED screen, and it has a lot of the advanced training features usually reserved for Garmin’s more premium watches.
At the time I wrote, “The Forerunner 265 feels like a more premium running watch and it’s all thanks to its beautiful screen. I’ve loved having this watch on my wrist — it’s slim, it’s lightweight, and when next to my Garmin Fenix 7, it looks so much brighter, whether I’m in the gym, or out in direct sunlight.”
Next to my Apple Watch, the Forerunner 265 is lighter and more comfortable. I wear the 42mm version, which has a 15-day battery life in smartwatch mode, and a 24-hour battery life in GPS mode. The larger 46mm 265 has 13 days in smartwatch mode, and 20 hours in GPS mode.
Normally, it’s the larger of the two watches that has the longer battery life, but it seems with the bigger and brighter screen, the larger 265 will need charging ever so slightly sooner.
If you’re training for your first race or just hoping to get faster and stronger, this watch has plenty of features to help you train better and recover faster. It’s a fantastic gadget to have on your wrist, and at $349, it’s a fantastic price right now.
