Garmin Forerunner 165 review: Should you buy it?

There’s a reason Garmin can claim to offer a “watch for every runner” — the company’s smartwatch stable is saturated with options. The latest addition, the Forerunner 165, joins the family with reliable sensors, detailed data collection, and impressive training tools. Most importantly, it brings a slew of updates that make it a great pick for runners looking to spend a little less. It drops in $200 under 2023’s Forerunner 265 and lands just $50 above the Forerunner 55 while offering a much better user experience.

To my delight, the watch continues Garmin’s glow-up/makeover trend with a colorful new 1.2-inch AMOLED display. This emphasizes the gap between the 165 and the 55, which still features an MIP display. The new model’s touchscreen is plenty viewable in broad daylight and pleasantly responsive, plus it’s attractive. If you prefer to rely on the device’s 5-button configuration, you can disable the touchscreen during activity or even altogether. Personally, I tend to rely on Garmin’s buttons out of habit, but I appreciate the option to tap and scroll.

The Forerunner 165’s glass display pairs with a plastic case that doesn’t scream high-end wristwear, but with vibrant watch face options, the experience doesn’t read as totally cheap either. Users can access various stock faces or download even more picks from Garmin IQ. All are customizable, though generally quite sporty. The case, meanwhile, comes in two neutral colorways for the base edition or four color choices for the Music edition.

I tested the Turquoise/Aqua option, and it’s certainly quite loud. I had a friend tell me once that only fast runners should wear bright sneakers, and that’s what this watch reminds me of (my deteriorating speed and resulting desire not to draw attention). Unlike the Forerunner 265, the 165 is only available in one size, which worked great for me, but I do prefer when Garmin offers multiple options. As always, Garmin’s straps are very adjustable and comfortable and, in this case, can be swapped out with any 20mm quick-release strap as well.

Beyond its display and build, the Forerunner 165 has a lot to offer. It clocks all the basics, including 24/7 heart rate, blood oxygen levels, activity with more than 25 built-in sport modes, overnight sleep and naps, stress, VO2 max, and HRV. Garmin collects these stats via a reliable sensor package and digests them for users on device as well as in the Garmin app. It also boasts Garmin favorites like Body Battery, Morning Report, and Health Snapshot. In other words, the watch leaves users with a lot of data to unpack.

The heart rate monitor on the Forerunner 165 is not Garmin’s latest generation Elevate optical sensor, which means it will not support ECG recordings. However, I found it highly accurate throughout this review period. The graph above shows just one of many workouts where the device kept pace with the Polar HR strap. I ran a series of jog/sprint intervals, and the watch easily matched the peaks and valleys recorded by my go-to chest strap. I also loved the breakdown of heart rate data on device following my workouts.

Additionally, the multi-GNSS sensor tracked near-perfect routes on all my runs and rides. The map above shows how the watch kept up with my Apple Watch Ultra 2, a device with multiband dual-frequency capabilities. In fact, on some of the route, the Forerunner 165 showed my exact location more accurately, while the Apple Watch placed me off the road in people’s years. Different watches will often show small discrepancies, but overall, the GPS tracking on the Forerunner 165 is quite good, as I’d expect from a running-focused sports watch.

The device also packs important training features for those pounding the pavement. First, users can tweak data pages within each sport mode to show priority information like running dynamics or running power. You can also set alerts for different goals, including everything from pace to heart rate, a tool I find helps me stay on track without the distraction of excessive glances at my watch. You can download structured workouts to the watch or use the suggested workouts feature. There are no maps on the device, but it does support breadcrumb-style navigation.

Likewise, the device doesn’t offer the whole gamut of training/recovery tools found in its more expensive siblings, but after your sweat session, it will calculate your Recovery Time and Training Effect. It also features over 25 sport modes, but users won’t find triathlon or multisport support. This feels like a significant oversight for a running watch, but it’s likely Garmin needs to maintain these cuts to justify the lower price point. The fact is this watch won’t be everything for everyone; that isn’t Garmin’s intention. However, it offers a fantastic price point for wading into the Garmin running world without busting the bank.

As is often the case with Garmin devices, most of this device’s biggest competition comes from the company itself.

• Garmin Forerunner 265 ($449.99 at Garmin): One tier above the 165 in the Forerunner lineup, the 265 has more sport modes, multi-band dual-frequency GPS, and additional training features. It also comes in two case sizes.
• Garmin Venu 3 ($449.99 at Amazon): Garmin’s top smartwatch, the Venu 3 still offers detailed fitness tracking but pairs this data with a well-rounded smartwatch experience. It also features Garmin’s latest generation heart rate sensor to provide FDA-approved ECG readings.
• Garmin Vivoactive 5 ($299.99 at Amazon): Priced slightly higher than the base model Forerunner 165, the Vivoactive 5 offers an attractive Venu 3 smartwatch alternative with many of the same capabilities and highlights. It does not, however, feature ECG support.
• Apple Watch Series 9 ($392.67 at Amazon): The best smartwatch for iPhone users, the Apple Watch Series 9 features a reliable GPS, accurate heart rate monitoring, and unmatched third-party app support.
• Fitbit Charge 6 ($159.95 at Amazon): Our top pick for a band-style fitness tracker, the Fitbit Charge 6 offers a much shallower tracking experience for those interested in basic data.
• Garmin Forerunner 965 ($599.99 at Garmin): At the opposite end of the spectrum sits Garmin’s top running-focused watch, the $600 Forerunner 965 features all the best training and recovery tools Garmin has to offer.