Garmin knows how to pull up their watches. A benchmark for many triathletes for years, the American manufacturer’s 900 series enters a new phase in its development. Having caught up with the Fenix range in terms of features, it now borrows what it has best from the Epix family: an Amoled screen and titanium bezel. The Forerunner 965 is more complete than ever and has everything on paper to become an icon. Unless the switch to OLED has harmful consequences for its autonomy. To find out, we tested the Garmin Forerunner 965 long, wide, and over three months of varied physical activity.
Theme: Hello Fenix!
Aesthetically, this new Forerunner orients itself strongly on the side of the Fenix series. The addition of a titanium part (a first in this range) has a lot to do with that, but it’s not the only aesthetic element that sets it apart from its “big sister”, the 955. Garmin has also refined its case by 1mm, resulting in a slightly more ‘discreet’ watch, although that adjective doesn’t sit all that badly with the American Tocante.
Like a touch of Fenix
The 965 also comes with a new strap that is durable and comfortable to the touch. This is attached to the case with a diameter of 47 mm using a classic watchmaking system. Garmin didn’t want to include a “quick-fix” attachment on this model, and for good reason, some starts in triathlons, especially in the water, can be quite muscular. It’s about choosing the most secure mounting solution.
Forerunner 965 on the left, Epix 2 on the right.
But what gives this Forerunner 965 its identity is of course its beautiful AMOLED screen, which ends in fairly thin bezels, which is the main difference with the Epix 2.
The screen: the immense contribution of OLED
The strong point of this new Forerunner is therefore this 1.4-inch AMOLED screen (454 x 454) that replaces the traditional translective MIP display. It’s slightly larger (1.4 inches vs. 1.3 inches) than that of the Epix 2, which launched last year, but the watch’s increased thickness and controlled edges give the impression of a significantly larger display.
In use, the 965’s screen is very comfortable, easy to read even in direct sunlight and particularly responsive. As with the Epix 2, which introduced AMOLED to Garmin, the difference is obvious to anyone used to using a translective screen. And indeed we had the same feeling as when we switched from the Fénix to the Epix 2. Feeling like we’ve stepped back in time, as we were used to the fact that true sports watches couldn’t claim to have an OLED screen like any self-respecting connected watch. While the difference in experience is apparent at first glance, it is most clearly seen when the cards are presented. In fact, it’s nice to have a nicer screen to display your race info, but the ability to navigate a map with more precision is more useful.
Forerunner 965, Epix 2 and Epix Pro.
Garmin also allows you to choose not only the information displayed on the screen (choice of watch face, customization of the menus, etc.), but also the display duration and the way the watch is activated. In fact, it’s possible to choose between the screen always on (always on) or reacting to motion. This last option isn’t mastered as well as Apple, for example, so sometimes you have to touch your screen to wake it up. This choice has a significant impact on the power reserve, in addition to the look it gives your watch on your wrist. We will come back to this in the watch battery section. Finally, the AMOLED screen excels in offering a tactile alternative to button navigation. Essential in everyday life, more difficult to understand when in full activity, it can be fully configured or even disabled according to the user’s tastes.
This particularly pleasant sense of dimensional change in a modern screen means that once you’ve tried AMOLED, it’s almost impossible to go back to a classic screen. Whatever, you’ll tell us, the Forerunner 965 does everything, or almost everything. This makes it a real competitor to the Fénix 7 and especially the Epix 2, which features the same Amoled screen but at the same time is more accessible than these two.
Lots of new features
This is undoubtedly the way the latest Forerunner’s positioning should be analyzed. It is a more than credible alternative to the manufacturer’s highest quality watches. And if there were restrictions in certain functions in the past, this is almost never the case anymore.
The difference with the Epix/Fénix duo is the access to certain types of activities, notably water sports (kitesurfing, windsurfing and others), reserved for the two premium outdoor watches. The rest are material differences (sturdiness, weight, type of glass) or in terms of autonomy. Ultimately, Garmin has narrowed the performance gap between its 900 series and its Fénix significantly, making the 965 a sports watch not far behind the Epix 2. This extremely comprehensive approach to sport is reflected in the very long list of types of activity recorded by the watch, but also in the nature of the measurements and the way the Forerunner can interpret them.
In fact, on this 965 we find all the software features of the Epix 2 and in particular the agglomerated data that is the origin of Garmin’s advanced readings. Thus, the typical triathlete watch has endurance and body battery functions. Firstly, we won’t be repeating our analysis of one of Garmin’s most ambitious features in years here, instead we invite you to dive back into our review of the Epix 2, where Stamina was thoroughly tested. As for the body battery, again it is Garmin’s algorithm that helps the user analyze multiple data such as sleep, heart rate, training load or rest periods to define an overall fitness score that changes throughout the day.
The clock data will be highlighted.
The 965 also displays HRV (heart rate fluctuation). As with endurance, this augmented data requires the watch to be worn continuously (including at night) for several weeks, but Garmin’s interpretation of these measurements is interesting, especially for a user who doesn’t know how to “listen” to their body. Finally, the latest Forerunner has the same very complete mapping as the Epix 2, which is the best on the market.
Is the Garmin Forerunner 965 a good sports watch?
The Garmin Forerunner 965 is not only complete, but also very effective. The manufacturer has equipped them with the best sensors they have in stock and it shows in the test results. When it comes to heart rate analysis, the triathlon watch is only beaten by the Epix Pro or by using a dedicated accessory like a heart rate strap. For the rest, it offers the same limitations as what we saw in our tests of the Fénix 6 Solar and the Epix, namely an accurate measurement but which struggles to transmit sudden fluctuations in heart rate. In other words, the watch is suitable for all types of training, with the exception of interval training. But that means for the most demanding runners. Ordinary mortals will have no problem with a largely flat sensor.
The screen in wandering mode.
On the other hand, the balance in terms of the precision of the GPS is perfect. The watch’s dual-frequency GNSS chip works wonders without unduly sacrificing battery life. As always, Garmin gives the user the choice of how to locate it. For our part, we were convinced by the contributions of the Multi-GNSS mode, which we believe offers the best compromise between data accuracy and autonomy. Another option: opt for the SatIQ mode, which switches to the most efficient GPS depending on the situation, but the gain seems significant to us with less controlled autonomy.
Analysis of a running trip on Garmin.
Since Garmin is undoubtedly the manufacturer best at collecting and interpreting geographic and physical data, with the Forerunner 965 they have succeeded in offering an ultra-complete watch that both meets the high demands of athletes and allows simplified reading of data for athletes who are not particularly enthusiastic about statistics or particularly up to date with sports physics. Thanks to this subtle mix, the Forerunner 965 is undoubtedly one of the best sports watches of the moment.
Is the Garmin Forerunner 965 a good connected watch?
Unsurprisingly, our take on connectivity will be the same as previous high-end Garmin watches, as the brand has changed their watches relatively little on this point. What is that specifically?
Although Garmin has slightly improved the user interface and navigation through the various menus is fluid and pleasant, in our opinion the American manufacturer lacks a certain know-how in terms of user interface to make its watches credible alternatives to connected reference watches. Admittedly, Garmin has an impressive array of features on its watch, from basic features like showing notifications to more advanced options like Garmin Pay, which unlocks contactless payments. The watch also has 32GB of storage (more than the base Epix 2), partly used to store the cartography, but mostly used to listen to music via Bluetooth. On the other hand, there is no need to look for Spotify, Deezer or Apple Music integration, we are hitting one of the limitations of the 965 and therefore also Garmin watches.
Not only does the Forerunner lack certain features that make the salt of connected reference watches, but it also suffers when it comes to navigation. While the interface has improved, it remains unclear to anyone who doesn’t have a master’s degree in Garmin products. Again, the American manufacturer pays for not bothering to overhaul its layer of software and combine additional features with new products.
Interface and application: two rare vulnerabilities
The result is even more stunning when you leave the watch to try out the application or the Garmin Connect website. Since both are real gasworks, they would benefit from simplification and better layout. This software maze is all the more unfortunate as the possibilities are immense for any experienced user. From monitoring health stats over the past year to creating detailed workout plans and suggesting mapped routes, Garmin has no shortage of tools to accompany its watch wearers no matter what their favorite sport is.
The application interface is still brown.
But like the rest of the Garmin lineup, the 965 has plenty of features you’ll need to find while digging with your bare hands, alongside the classic options. Therefore, the connectivity can be considered sufficient, but it remains inferior to the Apple Watch and other Galaxy Watches.
Autonomy: Garmin remains the benchmark
Garmin has been the absolute reference in terms of autonomy for sports watches for several years. The launch of the Epix 2 last year confirmed that the transition to the AMOLED screen has been more controlled in terms of consumption and that a beautiful screen doesn’t necessarily mean a sacrifice in performance in terms of battery. It should also be noted that the American is one of the rare manufacturers to give accurate or even slightly underestimated range values, and that happens quite rarely, which is quite remarkable. The manufacturer’s estimates are also correct for this Forerunner 965. However, it must be explained immediately what can cause the autonomy of a sports watch to fluctuate.
The watch still uses a proprietary charging connector.
Two factors play a big part in the battery: the screen and the GPS. The advantage of the 965 compared to other products is that it can respond to these two aspects in order to extend autonomy as much as possible. Therefore, the differences are very large depending on whether you choose the “Screen off” or “Always on” mode. The same applies to the type of GPS requested and the number of operating hours of the GPS chip. However, even with the screen active and four to five one-hour activities per week, we managed to achieve an autonomy of more than a week, which is remarkable compared to traditional connected mounts that need to be recharged every 48 hours at best.
With less use of the screen and/or GPS, the autonomy can increase to several weeks, but in general the manufacturer indicates a battery life of 31 hours in GPS recording mode. Unless you’re embarking on a particularly demanding ultra trail, you can use the watch’s maximum capacities for a variety of activities and for a relatively long period of time before returning to the charging box. This also makes the 965 a credible alternative to the Epix 2.
Finally, the only thing missing from the watch is the battery manager, which, on the Epix or the Fénix 7, allows an autonomy profile to be applied depending on the sport practiced. Note that if the watch is set correctly, it uses less resources during the longest sports activities. That lack is hard to explain unless you’re consciously trying to create inequalities to justify a margin.
The performance of the Forerunner 965 in terms of autonomy is simply excellent, in line with Garmin standards in this area. The battery is sufficient to accompany the wearer in all activities, even long ones, and only needs to be charged occasionally. Garmin is always clearly in the picture on this point.