Rita says: Wait
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Garmin Forerunner 265
by Garmin
$449.99
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Rita's Full Review
For serious runners and endurance athletes, the Garmin Forerunner 265 is the 2026 benchmark fitness watch, holding the top running watch recommendation at Runner's World, DC Rainmaker, and Wareable. Its Training Readiness score — derived from HRV, sleep quality, recovery time, and training load — provides genuinely actionable guidance on when to push and when to rest, a feature no Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch replicates with comparable nuance. Daily Suggested Workouts automatically generate training plans based on your fitness data and goals. The AMOLED display is the sharpest Garmin has ever shipped and significantly more readable than prior MIP displays. GPS accuracy using multi-band GNSS is exceptional, with under 1% distance errors in most testing. Battery life reaches 15 days in smartwatch mode and 20 hours in GPS mode — sufficient for ultra-marathon events on a single charge. The trade-off is that Garmin's smartwatch features (app ecosystem, notifications) remain far behind Apple Watch.
What Rita liked
- Most comprehensive training analytics of any wearable — Training Readiness, HRV Status, and Daily Suggested Workouts
- Multi-band GNSS GPS delivers sub-1% distance accuracy — best GPS of any wrist-worn device
- Up to 15-day battery life in smartwatch mode — ideal for multi-day events and travel
- Best running watch recommendation per Runner's World, DC Rainmaker, and Wareable
What could be better
- Smartwatch features (apps, notifications, payments) lag significantly behind Apple Watch
- AMOLED display reduces battery vs. prior MIP screen (predecessor had 26 days smartwatch battery)
- Expensive at $449 for users who don't heavily utilize the advanced training features
Key Specifications
| 1.3-inch AMOLED display (416 x 416 px); Gorilla Glass | |
| Multi-band GPS (L1/L5) with SatIQ; GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS | |
| HRV monitoring, SpO2, wrist-based heart rate; Training Readiness Score | |
| Up to 15 days battery (smartwatch), 20 hours GPS mode, 7 hours multi-band GPS | |
| IP68; 5ATM; 46g; Garmin Pay; music storage (up to 2,000 songs) |