Review Feb 15, 2025

Our verdict on Garmin Forerunner 265

Nearly three years after its launch, the Garmin Forerunner 265 remains the running watch that proved AMOLED and marathon battery life can coexist – and at today's street …

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Overview

The Garmin Forerunner 265 combines a vibrant 1.3-inch AMOLED display with up to 13 days of smartwatch battery life, multi-band GPS, Training Readiness, wrist-based running dynamics, and offline music storage in a 47-gram package.

Key Features

  • 1.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen (416x416)
  • Multi-band (dual-frequency) GNSS with SatIQ
  • Up to 13 days smartwatch / 20 hours GPS battery
  • Training Readiness and HRV Status
  • Wrist-based running dynamics
  • 8GB music storage (Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer)
  • Garmin Pay NFC
  • 5 ATM water resistance

Description

Released in March 2023, the Garmin Forerunner 265 was the first mid-range Garmin running watch to feature an AMOLED display, proving that vibrant screens and marathon battery life could coexist. It remains one of the most recommended running watches on the market, offering deep training intelligence through Garmin Connect, exceptional GPS accuracy, and a beautiful display that makes data a pleasure to read.

Specifications

Battery

Smartwatch Mode Up to 13 days
GPS Mode (GPS only) Up to 20 hours
GPS Mode (All Systems + Multi-Band) Up to 14 hours
GPS with Music Up to 6-7 hours

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.0
ANT+ Yes
Wi-Fi Yes
NFC Garmin Pay

Display

Display Size 1.3 inches
Display Resolution 416 x 416 pixels
Display Type AMOLED
Glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3

Physical

Weight 47 g
Case Size 46.1 x 46.1 x 12.9 mm
Case Material Fiber-reinforced polymer
Water Resistance 5 ATM

Sensors

Heart Rate Elevate V4 optical
SpO2 Yes
Barometric Altimeter Yes
Compass Yes
Gyroscope Yes
Accelerometer Yes
Thermometer Yes

Software

Platform Garmin OS
App Garmin Connect
Music Storage 8 GB