GARMIN FORERUNNER 165

The Garmin Forerunner 165 is a comfortable and lightweight GPS smartwatch sporting a bright AMOLED touchscreen, plenty of physical controls, solid battery life, accurate health sensors and advanced training and recovery tools borrowed from higher-end Garmin wearables.

In addition to fitness and health features, the Forerunner 165 also offers a smattering of smart ones, including tap-to-pay, mirrored smartphone notifications, music control and Garmin’s handy LiveTrack safety feature.

The Forerunner 165 shares a lot with the Garmin Vivoactive 5, including the same 1.2-inch display, battery life and case size. It also resembles its big bro, the Forerunner 265, which comes in two variants: the 265S with a 1.1-inch screen and the standard Forerunner 265 with a 1.3-inch display; the Garmin 165’s screen notably splits the difference.

The Forerunner series is geared more toward hardcore fitness folks than the Vivoactive line, with an emphasis on tools to help train for goals, including races and milestones. And the Forerunner 165 is no exception. On the other hand, the Vivoactive line is more for casual health-conscious users, with a greater focus on general fitness and well-being.

On the wrist, the Forerunner 165 feels light but well-built. You get 50 meters of water resistance, which is more than enough to survive time spent on an ultra-sweaty wrist, in rainstorms or submerged in wet stuff during shallow swims.

No deep dives, though.

It’s a pleasure to see Garmin use standard 20mm spring bars for attaching the band. The included strap is a soft, lightweight silicone affair that closes with a plastic pin and buckle system.

Don’t like that include band? Feel free to swap in any other 20mm strap of your choosing. The included spring bars even have quick releases, so you don’t need a tool to make the change.