Garmin Forerunner 265S Running Smartwatch, Colorful AMOLED Display, Training Metrics and Recovery Insights, Whitestone and Neo Tropic 42 mm

This is my first Garmin watch, and I’m very, very happy with it. I had a first generation Apple Watch many years ago and didn’t love it enough to repair or upgrade it when the crown malfunctioned. When I got a fitness tracker last year, it was a Fitbit which I really loved initially but eventually outgrew recently when I decided to focus a little bit more on running. I wanted better functionality for running, but I couldn’t foresee being able to adjust to the battery life of Apple Watch. I read many online reviews for Garmin watches, Fitbits, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra. For my needs, I settled on the Forerunner 265S and have loved it.Priorities for me: easy to use for running, reasonably accurate GPS and heart rate tracking, battery life adequate for sleep tracking, watch face size appropriate for smaller wristsPros:- love the user interface. Makes starting a run so easy. Touch screen is easy to use and the buttons are really functional. The display during a run is easy to read and intuitive. It used to drive me bananas when I glanced down at my wrist during a run to check my pace on my Fitbit Charge 6 and it would give me meaningless arrows of some vague significance or a symbols for my heart rate category, and all I wanted to see was actual run data at a glance.- love being able to choose or build workouts and have the watch give cues during the workout- love the metrics and data it gives (VO2 max, body battery, etc). Although I take them with a grain or salt, it’s fun and motivating to see- so easy to send my heart rate to my Peloton bike so I can see it on the screen. I set up one of the buttons on the watch to broadcast my heart rate, and it such a breeze now.- Battery life is great for my lifestyle. I usually throw it on a charger while I shower, but I know it can last days.- High quality materials. The watch feels substantial, and the silicone watch band is somehow better than other silicone watch bands I’ve worn.Cons:- Garmin doesn’t integrate well with Peloton, other than being able to send the heart rate over via ANT+. I knew this ahead of time and was ok with the limitation before buying the watch. My Peloton workouts don’t import into the Garmin Connect app. It seems like the options would be to add it manually as an activity or to use a 3rd party app. It’s not important enough to me since I’m focusing a bit more on outdoor running right now, but if my primary exercise regimen relied on the Peloton ecosystem on their workout machines, it would be probably a clunkier experience with Garmin.- Limited aesthetic options. I chose the Forerunner 265S for the functionality it offered (GPS, heart rate tracking) and the smaller watch face size, although I initially wanted a metallic casing. It was hard to justify the super high end Garmin models that have stainless or titanium casings for my needs, and the Venu and Vivoactive lines skewed more smartwatch than I was looking for in functionality, so I settled on the 265S, knowing it will always look like a sporty watch rather than have the versatility of looking a little bit more dressed up.- Doesn’t seem to have an option for the alarm to adjust to your sleep stage. I used to set my Fitbit alarm to wake me up during non-deep sleep, and I liked the idea of it. I don’t miss this feature though. I’m not sure how effective it was before anyway.Etc: for my needs, it does notifications and smartwatch functions just fine. I don’t need/want the watch to be a substitute for my phone (e.g., texting/calling). I don’t use the music function (wasn’t planning to) but could foresee the limitations in usability if I did since I mostly use Apple Music

Love the watch, perfect for everyday and for better track your runs. It was a big stepup from my previous Garmin Vivoactive watchThe battery life is great, it lasts around 15 days or even more if you need it by switching it to a low battery mode (in case you are traveling and forgot your charger).I've had it for 6 months already and it's still great :)

There is so much I could say about this incredible watch!I'm brand-new to the Garmin world; started on a TomTom many years ago, then to a Fitbit, bounced back and forth between Fitbit and Apple for a while, ... and then I bought this Garmin.I am IN LOVE.Just a few of the pros:Battery life - only have to charge this thing every two weeks or so, if that.LightweightA better, fine-tunable strapThe peace that comes from not having my wrist buzz with every phone notification (didn't realize how annoying that was, although I do have the option for notifications if I want, but I don't).All of the data that is available! I'm actually learning the mechanics behind why certain runs are different ... I'm taking control of my health!The Connect app is awesome, and it all still syncs between Apple Health and Strava.The freaking suggested runs each day! Omg! I can't even express how much this has helped my running.LiveTrack so my kids can find me if they need me.I highly recommend this watch. I like the music option but I haven't used it yet. There is a LOT of data - you aren't going to know what to do with it all at first, but join the Garmin site, the forum, and some Facebook groups. I have added the chest strap because I was never taught how to run, so I constantly ran too fast and trained too hard, but now I'm able to run a 10K WITH MY MOUTH CLOSED! and that's a big deal in the Florida summer heat. IYKYK.Happy running!

I originally had the Garmin Forerunner 245 in the past and I just couldn’t do it anymore because the screen just looked too dull for me. This new updated version of the forerunner is a game changer! They updated the metrics for the training status so that it’s better. The screen is updated instead of MIP it’s now AMOLED-giving it that beautiful look to it. My only complaint about the screen is that it doesn’t get bright enough outside or look as nice outside compared to my Apple Watch. I also still wish it could do all the smart things my Apple Watch can do but it’s ok the other stuff it has is worth it. I love that there is a smaller version of the 265 and a bigger one. I have the smaller one and it’s so light weight. The other thing I wish this watch would do is give me an accurate heart rate while running. For some reason whenever I run the watch moves or something because I would be out of breath and it would say I’m still in HR zone 3 when I know I’m probably in a zone 4! I had to buy a separate HR monitor because an accurate HR is important to me. There’s a raised part where it measures the heart rate and it’s a little uncomfortable compared to my Apple Watch where it sits flush to your skin. I do wish the bands were a little more soft but you can always buy a different one off market. I do like that everything is pretty much customizable. The sleep tracking aspect of it is pretty inaccurate as well I think this is a Garmin issue. It will almost always say I’m asleep when I’m actually awake in bed watching something. I compared my Apple Watch and my Apple Watch does 3 things better smart watch, sleep tracking, and heart rate. So, I can’t seem to get rid of my some watch totally. Therefore, I switch off between my Garmin and Apple. Garmin just has a wide range of fitness features and it’s a total game changer for me. Just wish they would improve on the few things I mentioned.

I love the looks and functionality of this watch. I get tons of compliments, love the battery life and metrics. Well worth the money when getting on sale.