Wear Radar

Fitbit VersavsGarmin Forerunner 265

Fitbit Versa
Buy/Wait:bad

Overdue for a refresh — no successor announced yet. Prices should be at their lowest

Best for: Android or iPhone users who want a balanced smartwatch with solid Fitbit health tracking, multi-day battery, and a clean square watch design — without the premium price of a Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch.

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Garmin Forerunner 265
Buy/Wait:bad

Late in cycle — a new model is likely coming

Best for: Regular runners who race 5K to marathon distances and want accurate GPS, detailed training load management, and long battery life. Multi-band GPS makes it particularly valuable for city runners or trail runners where single-band GPS loses accuracy.

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Fitbit VersaGarmin Forerunner 265
TierSmartwatchSports GPS
PlatformiOS & AndroidiOS & Android
Battery6 days13 days
Always-on display
GPS
Cellular
Health sensorsspo2, hr, hrv, eda stresshr, spo2, hrv, stress, body battery, training readiness
ReleasedSep 25, 2022Mar 1, 2023
Cycle length730 days1188 days
Cycle advicebadbad
Deals advicegoodgood
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Why buy each?

Fitbit Versa

Works with Android and iPhone

Rare for a smartwatch with real GPS and health sensors to work fully on both platforms — Versa 4 does.

Google Maps and Google Wallet on wrist

Turn-by-turn navigation and NFC payments without needing your phone in hand.

6-day battery and Fitbit health coaching

Sleep stages, daily readiness score, Active Zone Minutes, and SpO2 — all on a 6-day charge.

Garmin Forerunner 265

Multi-band GPS accuracy

L1+L5 multi-band GPS reduces position drift in urban canyons and dense forest — a meaningful upgrade over single-band watches for competitive runners.

Training readiness score

Daily score combining HRV status, sleep, acute load, and recovery time — tells you whether to train hard, easy, or rest on any given day.

Race time predictor

Estimates your finish time for 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon based on your current fitness — useful for pacing race-day strategy.