The Garmin Forerunner 965 and 265 may arrive much, much sooner than expected. Usually Garmin leaves its watches at least two years before shipping an updated version, but that could change soon, frustrating fans who thought they were buying the latest tech last year.
The Garmin Forerunner 945 and 245 arrived in 2019, while the updated Garmin Forerunner 955 and 255 did not arrive until 2022, three years later. Technology had advanced to the point where updates were deemed necessary as new watches had better recovery rates, improved fitness tracking, and more advanced GPS tools. As a result, both watches have earned their place on our list of the best Garmin watches.
However, plenty of rumors suggested that the 965 and 265 watches would arrive this year, in a big break with tradition. If true, Garmin may be scheduling an annual launch of the Forerunners just like Apple does with its own watches.
The rumors started when the5Krunner (opens in a new tab) posted a photo of the Garmin Forerunner 265 prototype, which the site said was from an anonymous but credible source. The biggest feature here was the new AMOLED screen that replaced the older pixel memory display common on today’s Garmin watches.
Some early listing on golf website (opens in a new tab)published and quickly removed by our sister site Advnture (opens in a new tab), hinted at more details on the 965 and 465 models, including price, color scheme, and the fact that the 265 will have a training readiness indicator, an updated version of Garmin’s Body Battery, introduced with the Forerunner 955, and later introduced to the Garmin Fenix range . This was followed by other leaks from retailers, such as the following, suggesting the watches are ready to go.
RunningDirect is the third online retailer to announce the upcoming Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 965, and the first to confirm projected prices of €499.99 and €649.99. #garmin #forerunner #running #sports #wearables pic.twitter.com/ kDvGbhEOqVJanuary 26, 2023
Analysis: Copying Apple for the Wrong Reasons
In our last few Apple Watch 7 and Apple Watch 8 reviews, we praised the watches but complained that the updates are very iterative. Very little hardware or technology has changed over the last few generations of the Apple Watch, and often only a few key features are introduced each year.
Every time an updated version comes out and it doesn’t differ significantly, the motivation to buy a new watch decreases. If it’s basically the same technology, why not buy an older, cheaper model?
If Garmin wants to update its Forerunner line less than a year after the last one, will it fall into the same trap? People who bought the Garmin Forerunner 255 while on vacation will be understandably annoyed if the 265 debuts in April, complete with a better screen and updated features. However, the 955 already benefits from Training Readiness scores, so it will need to debut something extra like the long-rumored skin temperature sensor along with an updated butter-smooth AMOLED screen to justify the new model’s existence.
Will Garmin move to annual releases of other watches than the Forerunner? If the rumors turn out to be true and this launch brings in big bucks, Garmin might consider changing its strategy to regular, iterative updates rather than reviewing its watches every few years. I prefer the current model because each new watch seems so much more innovative, but there is no denying that shiny new models attract everyone’s attention.
However, this works for Apple as there are only a handful of watches on offer: the 8, SE 2 and Ultra. Garmin has a huge catalog of watches for every occasion, from the ultra-premium Garmin Enduro 2 to the low-cost Vivoactive series and everything in between. Since there is already a smorgasbord of watches, do we really need new ones every year? NO. But the money speaks.