Which watch is right for you, what you do, and your future goals and plans?
Let's take a look at three models at three different price points: the Forerunner 55, the Forerunner 265, and the Forerunner 956, and break down the specs a bit.
55 - 265 - 965, the larger the number, the better features you get with each upgrade. Garmin typically has a nice numbering system!
What features do all of them share?
Wrist-based optical heart rate sensor
Access to the free Garmin Connect App
GPS tracking and pace information
Free training plans and suggested daily workouts
Various sports apps (running, biking, walking, etc)
Recovery Advisor, which uses the heart rate sensor for data
Daily Steps
Body Battery, Stress, and Respiratory tracking
Smart notifications, music controls, and safety/tracking (incident detection) when paired with a bluetooth enabled device
The Garmin Forerunner 55 comes with all this, but if you want more, what do you get with the 265?
All the features of the 55 plus…
AMOLED screen (basically fancy vibrant colors on-screen)
Up to 20 hours of battery life in GPS mode
More precise GPS options (does use more battery life)
Touchscreen
Heart Rate Variation Status (HRV), helps you get an idea how your body is reacting to stress over time (must wear device overnight for accurate readings)
Sleep coach and tracking
Garmin Courses (as found or created on the garmin connect app or website), navigate using GPS during activities
Wrist based running dynamics, such as stride length, L/R balance, etc
Pulse O2 sensor (awake and sleeping)
Triathlon and multisport profiles
Garmin Pay
LiveTrack for what it says, live tracking
That’s a lot more! The big hitter points are sleep tracking, O2 sensor, HRV status, better screen, and wrist based run dynamics. So what about the hefty 965? Surely there couldn’t be more??
All the features of the 265 plus…
Up to 31 hours of battery life in GPS mode
Color maps
Race adaptive plans; garmin will adapt to your training for your goal race
Round trip routes with suggested paths
Hill Score and Endurance Score that is performance based
ClimbPro, real time upcoming/current climbs (useful for cyclists as well!)
Up Ahead, a heads up on aid stations and upcoming features
Real time Stamina, prevent burnout using this feature
So what’s the TL;DR? There is a large price gap between the 55 and the 265, but less so between the 265 and the 965. It really depends on what you think is valuable to you. If this is your first watch, getting a 265 might be overwhelming with all the features; but if you are a data nerd, the 265 might be the perfect start to a beautiful relationship! If you’re in the market for an upgrade from a previous forerunner you got years ago, or are switching from another brand, the 965 might not be a bad idea. You get a lot with the 265 to start with compared to the 55 data-wise, so it depends if you’d like more data points when arguing forking over extra bucks for a 965.
How much battery life do you want? Do you care about tracking sleep and how it affects your training? Do you plan to ever do a triathlon? Don’t want to carry your wallet for purchases? The way you train and your lifestyle also can be taken into account.
You can’t go wrong! Garmin Connect has a ton of neat features available to you as a garmin user. So make sure you become acquainted with it, you can even customize the landing screen to show you what you’d like to see. It keeps a rolling history of your activities, a friends feed, badges to earn, and much more. If you have further questions, stop by the store and ask!
Written by Steph Dannenberg, RunAbout Staffer
Comments