Garmin Forerunner® 965 Running Smartwatch, Colorful AMOLED Display, Training Metrics and Recovery Insights, Black and Powder Gray, 010-02809-00

TLDR Review: Garmin Forerunner 965

Item: Garmin Forerunner 965
Rating: 7.83
Author: ShopSavvy

Published: September 24th, 2024

Score

The Garmin Forerunner 965 receives a high score due to its outstanding AMOLED display, extensive fitness tracking features, and solid battery performance, making it an excellent choice for serious athletes. However, concerns regarding heart rate tracking accuracy and a premium price point deter some users, revealing discrepancies in customer experiences. Overall, it's a robust fitness smartwatchly designed for dedicated runners, but it may not fully meet expectations for those seeking superior heart rate monitoring and ruggedness.

8.86/10

Expert

6.79/10

Consumer

Pros

•The watch is from a reliable brand, Garmin, and has been used by the reviewer for over a decade with all previous models still functioning.
•This newest model offers all the desired features for a running watch.
•It helps improve running performance through pacing during activities.
•The watch is easy to use.
•The Garmin Connect app is highly rated.
•The battery life is very long.
•It is an improvement over other smart watches.
•The reviewer finds the screen to be very nice.
•Utilizes heart rate monitoring to stay in zone 2 during runs.
•Includes step count feature to encourage movement.

Cons

•Not suitable for use outside of Europe.
•Maps do not allow for North America download.
•Limited functionality for nouropean users.
•During the 3rd week, the watch would turn off randomly while running or at the gym, even with 45% battery life.
•Inaccurate run dynamics and run power readings (50 watts too high).
•Sensor calculations are incorrect, not just incompatibility with Stryd.
•Hit or miss for collecting sleep data.
•Disappointing performance for run metrics, particularly for those who train using power.
•Run power feature becomes useless due to inaccuracies.

Bottom Line

If you're a Garmin devotee and run your heart out, this watch offers some sweet features and a sleek interface. Just be warned, if you don’t live in Europe or train using power metrics, proceed with caution. You might want to consider a different model or brand that better suits your geographical and training needs.

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