Garmin launches new flagship running watches with bright screens in Forerunner 265 and 965

New release adds AMOLED display and comes just months after previous update

Andrew Griffin
Thursday 02 March 2023 07:52 EST
Comments
(Garmin)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Garmin has launched a new flagship running smartwatch, the Forerunner 965 and 265.

The new release adds a new AMOLED display to both watches, and is the first time that technology has appeared in one of Garmin’s running watches. It says that the display will be easier to see in the dark.

It comes just months after the release of the earlier Forerunner 955 and and 255, in June last year. It adds few new features beyond the addition of that new display.

Garmin has been adding the AMOLED technology to a range of watches in its line-up, including the Epix, which was released at the beginning of 2022. That was essentially a version of Garmin’s popular Fenix line-up but with the addition of that new display.

AMOLED displays are more bright in the dark and crisper than the transflective LCD screen that can be found in other Garmin watches, including the Forerunners that went before. But they can sacrifice some legibility in bright light, as well as reducing the battery life of the watch.

Garmin says that the watches should still last for a long time. The largest and top of the line Forerunner 965 will last for 23 days in smartwatch mode, and 31 hours when used for GPS.

That is in comparison the 955’s 15 days in smartwatch mode, and 42 hours in GPS mode. Unlike the Forerunner 955 and 255, which added solar technology to allow the watches to charge from the sun, there is no such option for the new devices.

The Forerunner 965 will be released in late March, and will cost £600. The 265 is available now, for £430.

Both of the watches offer features for tracking exercise such as runs, as well as monitoring health the rest of the time. But the Forerunner 965 adds additional features, such as built-in mapping, more metrics and additional space for saving songs on the watch.

“For 20 years, the Forerunner lineup has helped athletes of all levels reach their goals, and we are thrilled to continue to bring revolutionary advancements to our newest GPS running smartwatches with the addition of bright AMOLED displays,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales, in a statement.

“With Garmin’s premium training metrics, recovery insights, impressive battery life and more, athletes can run – and rest – easy knowing they have the tools to perform their best.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in