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Multisport tracker receives larger, sharper OLED touchscreen, though with significant impact on price and battery life.
Garmin introduces the Forerunner 965 as their premium running and triathlon watch, featuring a vibrant OLED screen for the first time, albeit with a substantial price tag. Priced at £600 ($600/A$999), it surpasses the LCD-equipped Forerunner 955 by £120. This new model joins Garmin’s OLED sports watch lineup, alongside the £430 Forerunner 265 and the high-end £710 Epix.
With the exception of the display, the 965 closely resembles the 955 in terms of functionality, which is a positive aspect. It maintains the winning combination of a touchscreen and buttons within its lightweight 52g design, providing a comfortable fit and water resistance up to 50 meters.
In terms of features, it boasts the same extensive set of sport and health tracking tools, capturing nearly every metric during and after runs. The dual-band GPS is exceptionally precise, and the watch includes preloaded road, trail, and topographic maps. Additionally, it offers offline music options from Spotify, Amazon, and Deezer.
The 965 is slightly wider and thicker than its predecessor, allowing for the inclusion of the larger OLED 1.4-inch screen, which serves as its standout feature.
The OLED screen of the Forerunner 965 offers excellent visibility under various lighting conditions, automatically adapting its brightness to match the surroundings. This significant enhancement greatly improves the overall experience of wearing the watch on a daily basis. The watch faces exhibit enhanced detail and visual appeal, while the text for notifications, widgets, and other data is now easier to read. Moreover, the improved clarity and size of the display allow for the inclusion of more metrics during activities, while ensuring they remain easily comprehensible with a quick glance, even in bright sunlight.
Technical Specifications:
Display: 1.4-inch AMOLED screen
Case dimensions: 47mm (width)
Case thickness: 13.2mm
Band size: Standard 22mm
Weight: 52g
Storage capacity: 32GB
Water resistance: 50 meters (5ATM)
Sensors: GNSS (Multiband GPS, Glonass, Galileo), compass, thermometer, heart rate monitor, pulse Oximeter
Connectivity: Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi
The battery life of the Forerunner 965 extends beyond 10 days.
While the screen upgrade enhances the display quality, it does have an impact on the battery life of the Forerunner 965. With the screen constantly on, including overnight sleep tracking, the 965 lasts approximately 10.5 days when worn 24 hours a day. This battery life significantly surpasses that of other OLED competitors and even outperforms the Forerunner 265 by three days. However, it falls short by about five days compared to the battery life of the 955.
The introduction of the screen upgrade in the Forerunner 965 brings improved display quality but does affect its battery life. When the screen is continuously on, including during overnight sleep tracking, the 965 provides an impressive battery life of around 10.5 days when worn continuously. This battery performance exceeds that of other OLED competitors and even surpasses the Forerunner 265 by three days. However, compared to the battery life of the 955, the 965 falls short by approximately five days.
Pros: The Forerunner 965 boasts a slim and lightweight design, equipped with tactile buttons, a spacious and vibrant OLED touchscreen, advanced multiband GPS functionality with comprehensive maps, extensive multisport statistics, excellent health tracking capabilities, high customizability, an impressive 10-day battery life, offline music support, and essential smartwatch features.
Cons: However, it comes at a high price point, lacks a voice assistant, has a shorter battery life compared to LCD counterparts, limited compatibility with UK banks for Garmin Pay, and offers fewer smartwatch features and voice control compared to watches from Apple, Google, and Samsung.
