Garmin has recently introduced the Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 165 Music, which also happens to be its most affordable fitness smartwatch line-up yet. Regardless, both models still come with the brand’s signature satellite tracking capabilities, as well as an array of onboard health and fitness monitoring features.
Both versions of the Forerunner 165 feature the smallest AMOLED touchscreen in the line-up, coming in at 1.2-inches and features a resolution of 390 x 390 pixels, always on capability and reinforced glass protection. Surrounding it is a fiber-reinforced polymer case with three buttons on the left, and two more on the right. As with most smartwatches, found on the back is a sensor that can detect heart rate and pulse ox blood oxygen saturation, among others.
Additionally, the two Forerunner 165 variants are rated 5ATM in terms of water resistance, and come with matching 20mm silicone straps. As for colourways, both variants offered in Black/Slate Gray and Mist Gray/Whitestone, while the Music version also comes in Turquoise/Aqua and Berry/Lilac options.
Forerunner 165 users can enjoy the various functions provided by Garmin such as heart rate, blood oxygen and sleep monitoring, Body Battery, wrist-based running power and dynamics calculations, as well as over 25 workout profiles and many more. Meanwhile, exclusive to the Music model is the ability to store songs from streaming platforms such as Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music.
As mentioned earlier, both models support multi-satellite positioning (GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO). Of course, being smartwatches, you can also expect the two to feature typical functions such as displaying notifications for text, emails, calls, and so on.
In terms of battery life, Garmin claims that both Forerunner 165 watches are capable of lasting up to 11 days on Smartwatch Mode, 20 days in Battery Saver, up to 19 hours in GPS-Only, up to 17 hours in All-Systems GNSS, up to 7 hours in GPS-Only with music, and up to 6.5 hours in All-Systems mode with music. As with other models under the brand’s smartwatch line-up, the two also come with a proprietary plug for charging.
For the US market, the new Forerunner 165 is priced at US$249.99 (~RM1,197), while the Music variant is priced at US$299.99 (~RM1,437). Garmin has yet to confirm the availability of both smartwatches for the Malaysian market.
