When the Garmin FR 955 Solar came out last year, we didn’t imagine that anything was missing. But evidently Garmin disagreed and slapped an AMOLED display on it. The result? A super high-end multisport watch with a formfactor perfect for runners at a still reasonable price (within the Garmin brand, anyway) that features a vibrant, eye-catching display.

What's more ... they added (for the first time to a Forerunner) a light, titanium bezel that really steps up with a pop of style (and durability) to frame this running watch's new vivid display.

Normally, put a gorgeous AMOLED display on a running watch and you’re going to lose a little battery life. But not so much with the Forerunner 965!

Forerunner 965 Battery Life:

• Smartwatch Mode: Up to 23 days
• GPS Mode: Up to 31 hours

Compare it to the previous Forerunner 955 series:

Forerunner 955/955 Solar Battery Life:

• Smartwatch Mode: Up to 15 days/20 days with solar
• GPS Mode: Up to 42 hours/49 hours with solar

And here’s a comparison with the new FR 265 series:

Forerunner 265 Battery Life:

• Smartwatch Mode: Up to 13 days
• GPS Mode: Up to 20 hours

Forerunner 265S Battery Life:

• Smartwatch Mode: Up to 15 days
• GPS Mode: Up to 24 hours

Full-blown color topo maps make all of Garmin’s high-end watches exceptional in the sport GPS watch segment. And now you can experience these built-in maps on a Forerunner 965 with an AMOLED display!

The Garmin Forerunner 965 triathlon watch has built-in multi-frequency or multi-band positioning (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS).

Multi-band systems use multiple frequency bands and allow for more consistent tracklogs and improved positioning when using the device in challenging environments. This means the receiver tracks more than one radio signal from each satellite on different frequencies, which can reduce errors caused by environmental interference.

The advantages of this technology include:

• More consistent tracklogs and improved positioning when using the device in challenging environments (e.g., around tall buildings in urban canyons as well as tree cover).
• Can achieve accuracy within about +/- 2 meters or 6 feet under ideal conditions versus the +/- 3 meters or 10 feet accuracy of other models.
• Detect (and reject) reflected satellite signals better than a single frequency receiver which improves accuracy.
• Better equipped to account for and correct errors that can be introduced by atmospheric effects (e.g., ionosphere errors).

The new Forerunner 965 lineup offers one size. (If you want a similar running watch with a smaller size, check out the new Garmin Forerunner 265S running watch with AMOLED touchscreen display.) The FR 795 has a 47 mm case, is 13.2 mm thick and weighs 53 g. That gives you a 1.4” display.

As for color options with the FR 965, three are three different options, which are:

• Carbon Gray DLC Titanium Bezel with Black Case and Black/Powder Gray Silicone Band
• Titanium Bezel with Whitestone Case and Whitestone/Powder Gray Silicone Band
• Carbon Gray DLC Titanium Bezel with Black Case and Amp Yellow/Black Silicone Band

With the arrival of the Garmin Forerunner 955 in 2022, this Forerunner became one of the best multisport watches you can get on your wrist. VO2 Max for Run and Trail Run, heat altitude acclimation, Realtime Stamina, Virtual Partner, Running Dynamics—and SO MUCH MORE!

Training readiness score is based on sleep quality, recovery, training load and HRV status to determine if you’re primed to go hard and reap the rewards.

Plan race strategy with personalized daily suggested workouts based on the race and course that you input into the Garmin Connect™ app and then view the race widget on your watch; daily suggested workouts adapt after every run to match performance and recovery.

Switch between sports with a button press by using built-in profiles for triathlons, duathlons, brick workouts and swimruns — or customize your own multisport profiles.

Using indicators such as HRV status, recent exercise history and performance, get insight into overall effort with training status — and know whether you’re training productively, peaking or strained (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)

As soon as you wake up, get your morning report with an overview of sleep, recovery and training outlook alongside HRV status, training readiness and weather.

Get wrist-based running dynamics, including cadence, stride length, ground contact time and more, plus wrist-based running power, which gives you a continuous measurement of how much power you’re applying to the road.

Garmin is known for their Elevate optical heart rate sensor technology and its accuracy and reliability. Our go-to sport watch reviewer, Dave at Chase the Summit, finds it to be one of the best out there—and this ultra runner has put many Garmin watches to the test!

Leave your cash and cards at home; Garmin Pay™ contactless payments let you pay for purchases on the go (with a supported country and payment network).

Never miss a call or text from your paired Android™ or Apple® smartphone with smart notifications.

Safety and tracking features, including incident detection (during select outdoor activities) and Assistance, send a message with your live location to emergency contacts when paired with your compatible smartphone; requires setup and your smartphone to be in an area with network coverage where data connectivity is available.

Listen on the go with downloaded songs and playlists from Spotify, Amazon Music or Deezer (subscription may be required) and connect with your wireless headphones for phone-free listening.

See your health and fitness information, connect and compete with friends, sign up for challenges to earn badges and more — all in the free, zero-subscription Garmin Connect™ app.

Case Size/Weight:

• 47 x 47 x 13.2 mm / 53 g

Display Size/Type:

• 1.4” AMOLED Touchscreen display

Forerunner 965 Battery Life:

• Smartwatch Mode: Up to 23 days
• GPS Mode: Up to 31 hours

GPS: Built-in multi-frequency positioning (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS)

Maps & Navigation: Preloaded topo maps, preloaded road and trail maps, real-time bread crumb trail, point to point navigation, back to start, TracBack®, up ahead

Saftety features: Livetrack, Group Livetrack, Spectator Messaging, Live Event Sharing, Incident Detection during select activities, Incident Detection alert on phone for wearables, Assistance

Water Resistant: Yes

Available Colors:

• Carbon Gray DLC Titanium Bezel with Black Case and Black/Powder Gray Silicone Band
• Titanium Bezel with Whitestone Case and Whitestone/Powder Gray Silicone Band
• Carbon Gray DLC Titanium Bezel with Black Case and Amp Yellow/Black Silicone Band

Garmin Forerunner 965 Price: $599.99

You’re a serious runner or triathlete who wants it all on your wrist.

An eye-catching display that outshines the competition.

Options for how you use it.

Training tools, health-monitoring, and sports apps—that all work together and integrate your workout and rest history to help you better understand your body and wellbeing, so that you can train or workout optimally.

Technology you can trust to be accurate and reliable.

Smart enough so you can leave your phone in your pocket and your wallet behind and still listen to your tunes, receive notifications, and get help if you need it, wherever you are roaming …

If you want all of this, then the Forerunner 965 is the obvious choice!