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 173 ratings
Review Summary
Here's what customers have to say
The reviewed fitness watch offers accurate GPS tracking, detailed health and fitness metrics, long battery life, and a user-friendly interface. Many users find the smaller size and lighter weight comfortable for all-day wear. The watch is praised for its diverse sports tracking, morning report, and mapping features. While a few reviewers had minor issues, the overall consensus is that the watch is an excellent choice for beginner and intermediate athletes seeking a comprehensive fitness tracking solution.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews.
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Selecting an option will reload the available reviews on the pageMay 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
March 18, 2025
I was looking for a running specific watch and decided upon this one because of the technology and price point. After switching to it from an Apple product it was night and day. I absolutely love the daily training feature and I’ve now ran two half-marathons with it and I’m currently training for a full. I would recommend this to any runner who is looking for detailed data on their running and how they can get better.

Originally reviewed on ExpertVoice.com
March 17, 2025
Even better!
I use this watch every day to track my runs and other health metrics like my step count and sleep. I liked the updated display much better! I appreciate the longer battery life and the updated buttons but still found it a little cumbersome to clean some of the nooks and crannies of the watch. A more experience runner will probably appreciate the more technical aspects of the watch but it is very user friendly too.

Originally reviewed on ExpertVoice.com
February 4, 2025
New to garmin from apple
The package came with very little “how to” and coming from apple was a big change. I have been learning slowly how to use it better for my needs. But the battery lasts a many days! I don’t always ware it in the shower so I do charge it some at that time. Charged up VERY QUICKLY. I have used it for yoga, meditation, running in and out doors, sleep tracking. And I love it. I can’t read text messages with it and I believe it’s because I have an iPhone. But I didn’t want it to keep up with texts I wanted to see what I needed to work on to be stronger and healthier. Still have a lot to learn. And I will test out the swim in the Summer. Band is comfortable easy to clean. I work nights and I like that I can set my sleep hrs accordingly to that. The touch screen is very pleasing and you can customize it as well. The safety to let people know you are safe is nice as all. And it has a live track, although I have not used that. I had to learn the hard way the two settings for treadmill cause it will not track your miles if you just hit run. Just a learning curve nothing I would say is a negative for me. Used for about a month now Hope this helps

Originally reviewed on ExpertVoice.com
February 1, 2025
Great Watch
I love this watch, amazing for tracking any type of running / walking activity. And overall progress.

Originally reviewed on ExpertVoice.com
January 19, 2025
Garmin 265s
I was looking to replace a Garmin Forerunner 35 with a more advanced option. My main priorities in a new watch were the availability to upload basic maps and listen to music directly from the device. I love my Garmin265s. It provides detailed analysis of activities in a small package and has a bunch of other fun features to add to the daily menu. It helps me to be more consistent and I love using the heart rate data (even though I know chest and arm monitors are more accurate). It's great for what I need it for! The option to create custom breadcrumb GPS maps or plan a workout on my phone and then send it to the device is fantastic. My only cons are that the glass got a decent scratch in it, so I put a plastic protector over the watch face, and the battery life lasts about a week - less if you're running maps and music of course. Love this Lil watch!
Originally reviewed on Garmin
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