Ratings & Reviews for Garmin Forerunner 265S Running Smart Watch with Step Counter, Heart Rate Monitor and GPS Enabled

Just okay for price

I bought this at Christmas and had to get it replaced in less than 6 weeks due to battery draining in lass than 3 days. The replacement watch was a recertification. The replacement is better, but only slightly. I now get 5 days. Also, the screen keeps going black, or only stays on for a split second, on my runs. I have had many garmin watches over the past 30 years and the quality seems to have declined.

Well Designed.

Form follows function. Fits well. Screen designs are aesthetically pleasent and clear to read. The color and font type assigned to each function are very apropriate. Accessing information follows a logical pattern. Battery life between charges is ample.

Beautiful watch

I bought myself this watch for Christmas. Upgraded from a baseline forerunner. The features are great, the screen is great, love the armband, everything about it!

Great watch for the price!

This is my 3rd Garmin watch, and I’m so happy with it! I love the training readiness and suggested workouts. I know rest is important, but it’s cool to see how other things impact training. For me, this has everything I need at the right price! And it looks nice!

Me encanta!

Es excelente para coadyuvar en mis actividades de carrera y senderismo. Más de lo que esperaba, me encanta su diseño, larga duración de batería y funcionalidad.

Seems to Work

I bought this to replace my old 235. The battery on that one, didn’t like the cooler weather. This one works well, but has a few odd things I don’t like as well as the 235. I use it primarily as a watch, so it is important to always be on. I never could get it to work correctly in the mode where it illuminates when brought to a horizontal position. I need to see the seconds frequently. Not sure why those are hidden in “dim mode”. I really dislike that it’ll incessantly vibrate when receiving a c...

Altimeter crapped out after a year

entire thing died after 2 years. atrocious quality. not worth it and will be taking my $ elsewhere after 3 separate devices failed to survive more than 3 years.

Great watch

I got this watch for Christmas. This is my 3rd garmin and so far I love it the best. Has everything I wanted and so much more.

Love the look

I upgraded from the forerunner 935..This watch is smaller, stylish, and good for a woman with a small build. It has all of the features I need as a runner and triathlete. Love the way it lights up with nice colors.

I can’t figure out how to add strength workouts

Not enough guidance on how to use this watch. Cannot log my weights training as the list of exercises is confusing without knowing what they all are, I just lift weights, why is it so hard to enter that into the watch?

New to Garmin Watches

I bought this during the Black Friday sale because I was wanting to get rid of my Apple Watch so far a month into wearing my Forerunner 265s I am so glad I made the switch

Multitool of a watch.

Having experience previous Garmins. (Music 255, Instinct 1 and Instinct 2) I had this one as a gift. At first, I was surprised because I had no prior knowledge. It's small but compact in functionality. If you're multi sport but looking for something that looks with style or a blend to wear to the gym and office. This one is it. Holds well with sweat (Running, CrossFit, tested), touch screen can be turned off, the screen is amazing, and you can modify the faces and watch features. The wri...

Nice Upgradd

I bought the forerunner 265S after having a forerunner 245 for a few years and I’ve loved the change. I’ve had no issues with setting up any of the features and it has some more metrics that it tracks which I like.

Great watch

Would highly recommend for any athlete who wants a solid (but not too fancy) watch to track their activities. Great battery life and works well for mtb, skiing and swimming. Heart rate monitor works well during activity too. Only issue I’ve had is it doesn’t have a backcountry ski recording feature so I’ve had to record it under a run or hike and change it after.

Disappointed

I bought this about 3 weeks ago and have been extremely disappointed. The algorithm seems to live in an alternate universe. It tells me I’m deconditioned and to do 17 miles…. I’m not a marathoner! I had a forerunner 246 for many years and only retired it because it could no longer go in the pool without shorting out. The 265s is a vastly inferior product. I swim a lot so was looking forward to being able to track my swim workouts. Lap counting and interval timing are ok but using the drill funct...

Inconsistent tracking of swim laps

Bought this to track my swimming laps. Originally happy then after about 3 mos it started giving inconsistent results (ex. would show I swam 51 mins/ 2000 meters, then would synch to display 55 min/2350 meters). Sent it back, received replacement, spent hours with Help Support and followed their recommendations. Seemed to be accurate 1 out of every 3 swims. Finally took it off couple days ago & no intention to use it. It's easier to just watch the clock at the pool. A lot less stressful!!

Best gift ever

I have wanted a new watch for a long time. I had a 14 year old forerunner. This was a great decision. It's so intuitive and gives so much information. I love it.

Nice upgrade

I've had this watch in a box for 2 years and finally had to break down and start using it when my FR245Music battery just wasn't cutting it. It is a bit different but not so much that the learning curve was massive.

Replacement

Had to return my old Garmin due to a technical glitch. So far the replacement is working well and holding charge. I’m incredibly impressed with Garmin Support

love the watch

I updated my watch from the 245 to this and I love the new screen and extra features. Still love this watch works great and the battery lasts a while.