Why We Like The Garmin Forerunner 265S Watch
The Garmin Forerunner 265S Watch is like our own personal coach guiding us to a new personal best. In addition to GPS, weather, and music, this sport watch gives us complete health snapshots, training analyses, and personalized plans to make sure we keep progressing toward our goal. Plus, everything is easy to read and scroll through on the AMOLED touchscreen face that uses less battery power to deliver a more colorful and crisp display.
Details
- Versatile, hardwearing sport watch for breaking through plateaus
- Corning Gorilla Glass 3 is strong and scratch-resistant
- AMOLED touchscreen display is vivid and clear
- Syncs wirelessly to the Garmin Connect application
- Battery lasts up to 24 hours in GPS-only GNSS mode
- Able to withstand submersions up to 50 meters
- Multi-activity tracking with reliable GNSS and Multi-Band systems
- Small size fits wrists 4.5 - 7in in circumference
- Item #GRMF068
- Housing Material
- fiber-reinforced polymer
- Strap Material
- silicone
- Face Material
- Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Movement
- digital, AMOLED Optional Always-On Mode, 360 x 360 pixels
- Pedometer
- yes
- Odometer
- yes
- Altimeter
- yes
- Barometer
- yes
- Heart Rate Monitor
- yes, wrist-based
- Technical Features
- Please see size chart for complete list of technical features.
- Wireless
- Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi
- Operating System
- Connect IQ, Garmin Connect
- Date Indicator
- yes
- Weekday Indicator
- yes
- Alarms
- alarm clock, goal achieved alerts
- Backlight
- yes
- Battery Type
- rechargeable lithium-ion
- Battery Life
- [smartwatch mode] 15 days, [GPS-only GNSS] 24hr, [SatIQ AutoSelect GNSS] 18hr, [all-systems GNSS + Multi-Band] 15hr, [GPS-only GNSS + music] 7.5hr, [SatIQ AutoSelect GNSS + music] 7hr, [All-Systems GNSS + Multi-Band + music] 6hr
- Low Battery Indicator
- yes
- Includes
- Forerunner 265S GPS watch, USB-C charging/data cable, documentation
- Claimed Weight
- 1.38oz
- Submersible
- 5ATM (up to 50m)
- Face Size
- [diameter] 28.1mm (1.1in)
- Manufacturer Warranty
- 1 year
- Activity
- running, cycling, swimming, skiing, snowboarding, nordic skiing, stand-up paddleboarding, rowing, training, yoga, ebiking, mountain biking, hiking, casual
Reviews
Q&A
What do you think about this product?
Overall Rating
4.5 based on 178 ratings
Review Summary
Here's what customers have to say
The product is a well-received fitness watch that offers a range of features, including heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and music playback. Users praise its performance, battery life, and user-friendly design. While a few minor issues were noted, the overall consensus is that it is an excellent choice for runners and athletes seeking a comprehensive and reliable fitness tracker.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews.
View
Selecting an option will reload the available reviews on the pageAugust 9, 2025
Easy to use and good features
Not sure why I took so long to get a Forerunner. Love everything about it. The features have helped me work on my running in new consistent ways the past couple of weeks! Also, I love that I can connect so easily to apps like Strava and runna.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
July 29, 2025
Amazing watch
Amazing watch with great battery life, amazing tracking from running to swimming
Originally reviewed on Garmin
July 29, 2025
Love my Garmin Forerunner
This is my second Garmin - so happy with the purchase! It is my daily coach for exercise and sleep - I see all my messages and notifications making it easy to deal with them quickly. My forerunner makes my life so much better!
Originally reviewed on Garmin
July 28, 2025
4Runner265S
Although I got off to a rough start, once I was able to get the watch set up in English and start collecting data, I’m learning more and more about my athletic, fitness and health everyday.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
July 16, 2025
Features
Love the garmin 745 and my new 265 but dissapointed the 265 doesnt have the interval creation option for open water swimming. This would make this watch perfect for me.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
May 9, 2025
Best all around watch
The Garmin Forerunner 265S is built to stand up to your everyday wear and tear. I use this in wet and sandy conditions constantly and have had no issues. The fit is perfect for smaller wrists. Only thing I’d want different is the ability to reply to texts or emails from the watch.

Originally reviewed on ExpertVoice.com
May 7, 2025
Love it for running and everyday!
Gives me great feedback when I’m running - accurate pace and heart rate. Battery lasts very long, only need to charge once a week and it charges very fast! Also is not too big on my wrist, looks great wearing it everyday

Originally reviewed on ExpertVoice.com
April 8, 2025
Glitching?
I have had various Garmin products for over 10 years including watches and other sensors. The last watch I had (955 Solar) just shut off one day. Couldn't charge it. Couldn't turn it on, nothing. Enter 265s. And just now it wouldn't sync, I had to restart it, and it wiped out all of my data for the day. This is a problem because I have the watch synced with apps for my medical insurance and without the data I am at risk of not being eligible for certain benefits. The data was there before I had to sync it again with my phone. I'm getting disenfranchised with Garmin. What was once a reliable platform has significantly failed me twice now.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
March 26, 2025
Great multi sport watch
I’ve had this watch for almost a year now and it has done everything I’ve wanted from it! Use it for running, swimming, biking, skiing and indoor gym activities and all the features seem to be great. The training feature has been good to have and is great at keeping me within a specific pace with audio and haptic feedback. Connects easily enough with earbuds and downloaded music. Only thing is the sleep monitoring could be a bit better and I have a few scratches on the screen. Smaller available size was great for my smaller wrist.

Originally reviewed on ExpertVoice.com
March 18, 2025
The Motivator
This watch fits great on my small wrist. It is easy to use, intuitive, and a great motivator on my fitness journey.

Originally reviewed on ExpertVoice.com
Do you have a question about this product?
This product can expose you to chemicals including Lead {{which}} known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.