Garmin Forerunner 965

I had no idea the battery life on most smart watches is so bad that "24 hours of screen on battery life" is something to brag about. [...] My Garmin Forerunner 945 (a running focused smart watch), more than two years old at this point, gets nearly two weeks of battery life on a single charge, and it's got an always-on screen as well. --- Quick edit: Even the latest Forerunner 965, which has an AMOLED touch screen, gets 7 days of battery life in display-always-on mode, and 3 weeks in default mode (display turns off)^1 [1]:

why would you need brighter screen? My 965 has brightness set to the lowest setting since I bought it in 2023 and I never needed to increase that. Also brighter screen uses more battery

Been using my 965 for the past 3 yrs. looking at 970 recently just for running motivation😂 i know, it’s insane

I got a 965 about 18 months ago, stopped wearing it within a few weeks. [...] I never found the controls intuitive - that's frustrating whenever I use it. [...] But it looks nice and the battery lasts a long time.

I’ve had my FR965 for about 3.5 years and love it. I’ll be waiting til whatever comes after the FR970 to buy my next watch.

I bought my 965 in the beginning of 2025, I use it constantly and I love it. Battery is descent, gps accuracy is great, it gives me all the data I need, it feels light on the wrist.

[...] I bought the Forerunner 965 a little bit more than a year ago. [...] And the battery life is enormous!

If you're in the UK, it's worth getting one through the BlueLight Card, I saved a bunch last year!!! Just before the 970 was released, stock levels and pricing tweaks hinted at a healthy discount!

[...] I even bought it (519,- Euro) some months ago for indead; price, weight, amoled 1,4inch, garmin pay, full maps, 47mm, enz. [...]

Def worth getting the 965 someone once told me to not buy fenix 8 until my V02 is in superior lol then I deserve to buy one lol but the 965 is amazing I have had it for almost a year and this is leaving the Apple Watch world. It does everything I need it do it to do. Paired with a chest heart rate monitor the gains with my progress has been amazing.

[...] It´s my daily watch for everything and although I don´t like Garmin´s business decisions in the past 1-2 years, that watch is superb!

[...] For the money it can't be beat!

Body Battery: I use it. 60+ years old, I’ve gotta watch energy output or risk ‘crashing’ when sleep isn’t good. Garmin’s sleep (and especially nap) tracking has come a long way since my previous running watch (Garmin 945 purchased 2019).

[...] (I'm an huge android fan!) In the last 10 plus years, I'm only on my 2nd garmin watch. I forgot the first model, but my 630 still lasts WEEKS without needing to be charged! I bought it refurbished. [...] An HR wrist based watch with storage for music/audiobooks so I don't have to run with my phone, sounds great! [...]

I was thinking about the 970 but it was to expensive, so I bought the 965 6 months ago and it is very cool, the only weak point is the current pace during interval training. [...]

[...] Still using it regularly and the battery comfortably lasts a week with about about five hours of running during that time. I tend to charge it when I'm having a shower or bath. It rarely gets fully charged and has never been fully discharged. [...] Most annoying bug was when the cadence measurement was broken between approximately August to November 2022.

[...] It's a great watch, still relevant today, but a big negative for Garmin is that they don't add new software features to their older watches. [...] If the 965 had the same software features as the 970, I'd last another year with it and then buy a 980, but alas...

[...] Rugged, very long battery lives, small form factors, and for many years at the forefront of what was thought possible. Progress slowed down somewhat, but I still get a lot of joy out of them (currently a Forerunner 965). [...]

I have the Forerunner 965 with the screen always on. Still manage about a week with several hours of gps tracking.

Just bought it a few days ago and absolutely loving it so far. Switched from an Apple Watch and couldn’t be more happy about my decision

Just got it online heavily discounted, pretty easy to beat the forerunner 45 I'm still using XD

I have a few question, I'm the newbie who wanna try to use Garmin and i think twice which one i should buy between forerunner 165 & forerunner 965 ----- So here my question - I 'm primary workout like weight lifting and sometimes walk or running - i'm considering about the map show on the watch, totally fine if i have it (optional) as i know a price 965 is really high - i had tried wear 965 & 165 and i felt 965 really comfortable than 165 because my wrist kind a bit big so that why i wear 965 really comfortable but 165 felt not bad its a bit fit but is fine

Only reason I would upgrade from my 965 is the tougher glass and ECG I'll wait a few years till there's a significant reason to upgrade

Still wearing my 965 daily Got it specifically because I needed maps

[...] I’m upgrading from a Forerunner 255 so for me it will be a big improvement. Thank you!

Yes you are absolutely right about durability of Garmin watches. [...]

I still use my 965 & it looks brand new. A cheap screen protector made the display like it just came out of the box. I am looking forward to many more years of service from the GOAT 965.

I bought a 965 a couple of months ago. It was $800AUD on sale. It had all the features I wanted, and compared to the $1,400AUD price tag for a 970 I wasn't missing out on anything.

Got the 965 April of 2026 only because my ultra 2 is in a connex in the ocean on its way here lol

my 945 refuse to retire after so many years since launch 😆 so im just here to see what’s up

I currently have 965, biggest advantage of this particular model is that battery charge on this lasts forever, Gramin must have packed a good chunk of battery in this model when they released first OLED display

[...] The other day was thinking of selling it to have a fenix 8...when I checked the used prices, they are crazy low... [...]

I bought a Fenix 7 pro in January for 400€ and it was the best decision i could've done. The 965 was the one I aimed at originally but it was more expensive so I got the Fenix

Beautiful watch. I just wish they had a MIP solar version. Badly need to upgrade from my FR745 and there's nothing affordable in the Garmin ecosystem with MIP, solar & the FR form factor.

Im still using the original instinct so anything is a upgrade for me 😅

Bass Pro shop had the Fenix 7X Pro sapphire solar for 499. Jumped on the deal and it’s gotten me back into loving Garmin from my apple watch ultra 3

Still have my Fenix 6 sapphire. Pricing is insane now with new watches. Garmin lost their mind

Still rocking my 955 Solar. There's no features in anything newer that is making me feel like upgrading. Have done 4 x 100 Milers and it's gotten through them all

I have a 965 and have no plans to change it as it does everything I need it to.

Yes - I have the 965 and there is nothing since that has been a compelling reason to upgrade. I would get a screenless band in addition in a heartbeat if they offered one but I’ve lost hope on that.

[...] The Fenix 7 and Epix pros are at a really good price right now and they got most of the stuff that the newer watches have.

Still use my 965, all the new (high end) watches are too expensive.

The flashlight and the sapphire screen on the 970 was worth the extra $ for me. I use the flashlight several times a day

This video is so hopeful, I waited almost two months until Black Friday which is today Nov 27,2025 and I could decide if i wanted the 965, 265, or 165 and i have decide to get the 965 since its 449 instead of the 599 for the sale

[...] I have transferred several playlists to my watch. At the beginning of a run, I just chose the playlist I want to listen to, or it will by default continue the last playlist you listened to, and then I control the music from the build in functions on my headphones. [...] I would never bring my phone for a run. [...]

I use the body battery all the time. I find it pretty accurate.

Dude i've literally never had to charge my 965 every 3-5 and I use it daily for running. Mine usually last for 13-16 days.

As a soldier I love the body battery, its always hilarious when it reads zero and I've got 6 hours left on shift.

I regularly use and look at the stats that Garmin provides. Those are the biggest reason I use it more than my Apple Watch Ultra. As well, you don't need to down load apps and pay for damn subscriptions to get the data that the device can provide.

[...] It was reassuring to have topographic maps, a bright screen, excellent GPS (multiband), and, above all, a battery that wouldn't leave me stranded during the hike. [...]