Overdue for a refresh — no successor announced yet. Prices should be at their lowest
Best for: Users who want Garmin's best health analytics and sports tracking on a stylish AMOLED watch that doesn't look like a hiking GPS. Works equally well for Android and iPhone. The best Garmin option for someone who prioritises everyday wellness over extreme outdoor sports.
Full details →Late in cycle — a new model is likely coming
Best for: Beginner and intermediate runners who want real GPS accuracy and Garmin's analytics depth without the price of the 265 or 965. Also ideal as a first serious GPS watch for anyone moving up from a fitness tracker.
Full details →| Garmin Venu | Garmin Forerunner 165 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | Smartwatch | Sports GPS |
| Platform | iOS & Android | iOS & Android |
| Battery | 14 days | 11 days |
| Always-on display | ✅ | ❌ |
| GPS | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cellular | ❌ | ❌ |
| Health sensors | hr, spo2, hrv, stress, body battery, nap detection | hr, spo2, hrv, stress, body battery |
| Released | Sep 7, 2023 | Mar 5, 2024 |
| Cycle length | 868 days | 1006 days |
| Cycle advice | bad | bad |
| Deals advice | good | good |
| Next model | — | — |
Garmin's signature energy monitoring tracks stress, sleep, and heart rate variability to give you a daily 0–100 energy score — more nuanced than raw step counts.
The Venu 3 automatically detects when you nap during the day and logs it accurately in your sleep data — a unique wellness feature among smartwatches.
Most AMOLED smartwatches last 1–2 days. Garmin's efficient software architecture stretches the Venu 3 to 14 days — a huge practical advantage.
The FR165 is the first Garmin entry-level running watch with an AMOLED display — dramatically more readable than the LCD it replaces.
Training load, recovery time, Body Battery, HRV status, VO2 max estimation — the same analytics found on watches costing twice as much.
11 days typical use and roughly 19 hours GPS — enough for most training blocks without mid-week charging.