There’s a trend that has been emerging over the last few years: getting fit, moving more, eating better, and most importantly, learning more about our overall physical health. Over the past decade, we’ve realized that maintaining a healthy weight can prevent many diseases and make us more active. Learning about our sleep, heart rate, and physical performance is essential to reduce sedentariness. The Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch helps keep track of our goals and push our limits. I’ve tested this brand-new edition for you.
Video review of the Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch
In this video, I show you the various watch faces and discuss my workout trials.
Click here to watch my video (in French only).
Unboxing the Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch
The Garmin Forerunner 265 comes in a tiny box that contains everything you need to tackle your new challenge.
Box contents
• Forerunner 265 watch
• Power and data cable
• Documentation
Specifications of the Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch with heart rate monitor
The Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch uses Bluetooth technology to connect to your smartphone. It syncs your data in real-time, and you can receive notifications, calls, and text messages directly on the colour AMOLED touchscreen. Additionally, it monitors your heart rate, sleep patterns, women’s health, body temperature and sweat, calorie intake, and step count using ANT+ technology.
The new ANT+ technology on this model is groundbreaking. It’s a protected standard interface for radio communications on the 2.4 GHz ISM band. This data transfer technique was developed by the Canadian company Dynastream in 2004. Its purpose is to offer a high-capacity, fast, and secure 20 kbps (kilobits per second) data transfer between the watch and the mobile app. The transfer range is optimized for sports activities such as running, cycling, mountain hiking, and golf, to name a few.
In total, 12 sensors track acceleration, elevation, and distance, ensuring an incredibly high level of precision to perfectly gauge your strides, speed, and distances covered. There are over 30 built-in activity profiles in the watch, like swimming, cycling, running, triathlon, rowing, golf, etc. Additionally, an indicator assesses if your workout is effective, optimal, or too intense. GNSS and multi-band SatIQ technologies provide enhanced accuracy, so you always know precisely where you are.
The Garmin Connect app, available for download on your smartphone, displays all your health and fitness information, helping you achieve your fitness goals. A health-focused program offers guided breathing and meditation exercises. For added security, this watch has fall detection and personal safety alerts, giving you peace of mind during hikes or climbing. You can set up emergency incident detection and assistance through your phone to send live location data to your contacts. It’s perfect for mountaineers and forest hiking enthusiasts.
It’s worth noting that the watch has 8 GB of built-in storage, allowing you to download songs—including playlists from Spotify, Amazon Music, or Deezer. You can also make purchases using Garmin Pay. Available colours: black/grey, white/blue, and turquoise.
Dimensions:
• Width: 4.61 cm
• Depth: 1.29 cm
• Height: 4.61 cm
• Weight: 47 g
Testing the Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch
As soon as I unboxed it, I fully charged the watch before syncing it with the Garmin Connect app. It took about an hour since the watch came pre-charged. Full charging takes around two hours with the included power cable. You can expect a battery life of approximately 13 days in smartwatch mode or 20 hours in GPS mode. With daily use, including GPS for running and golf, the battery lasted about six days for me. This is quite realistic and comparable to other Garmin products.
I then connected the Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch to my smartphone. It’s worth noting that you need to download the Garmin Connect app and create an account before syncing your watch. Having tested various Garmin products before, I already had the app and an account on my smartphone. The setup steps displayed on the smartphone are straightforward. You select the Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch, configure it, and wait for it to connect to your phone. That’s it. You might have to update the software of the watch, which takes only a few minutes.
Right on the mobile app, you can access all the graphs and detailed stats about your health, physical, and mental condition. I found the app very well-designed and full of helpful tips. You can also view summaries of your health and fitness stats directly on the watch.
My opinion on the Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch
The Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch is a premium product, suitable for athletes and also for those looking for a safety and overall health monitoring device. Many Garmin products have added fall detection sensors and advanced GPS tracking for hikers. The emergency and positioning functions are, in my view, what truly sets this product apart. Skiers, mountaineers, and mountain hikers can safely enjoy their activities and alert their family or contacts in case of emergency. Moreover, this watch is reinforced with a dust-proof and shockproof casing, ideal for hiking and outdoor enthusiasts.
The 8 GB music storage is a big plus; in fact, it’s a feature I always check before buying a smartwatch. I love that you can leave your home with just the watch and headphones and listen to music directly from it. It’s also very convenient not to bring your wallet during outdoor activities but to be able to pay using Garmin Pay and contactless payment.
Push your limits safely with the Garmin Forerunner 265 GPS watch
