Garmin has launched three running watches with colourful AMOLED screens. The line-up is headlined by the Forerunner 965 that costs a whopping Rs 67,490. The Forerunner 265 and 265S are mid-range watches priced at Rs 50,490.
The 265S has a smaller 1.1-inch display centred around a 42mm dial and uses 18mm silicone bands. The 265 comes with a 1.3-inch screen around a 46mm dial and uses 22mm bands. Rest of the hardware is same.
The AMOLED panel is the biggest draw. It's colourful and modern to look at. Interactions are more fluid. Animations are more life-like. It also allows Garmin to add always-on to these watches and make them touchscreen.
Battery life with always-on is fantastic. Depending on usage, you can average anywhere between 5-7 days with multiple hours of multiband GPS workouts. Garmin itself quotes a 5-day estimate. Without always-on, the 265S is rated for 15 days of use.
The Forerunner 265S punches above its weight when it comes to feature set, especially for runners.
Every metric that a runner can think of, from vertical oscillation, cadence, stride length, ground contact time and running power, are covered in explicit detail.
The Forerunner 265S can pair with both Android and iPhones. You can receive notifications, set timers, and even store offline music from Spotify and Amazon Music on it.
The feature set is exhaustive but the app(s) and menu could be confusing especially if you're coming from an Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch or Fitbit.
The Forerunner 265S proves it is possible to have a top-shelf always-on AMOLED display and fantastic battery life to go with it, in one package.