Garmin introduced the Forerunner 955 in June 2022, which comes with advanced GPS tracking, excellent health and fitness tracking, making it appealing to athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
The Forerunner series just got a new upgrade named Forerunner 165 that costs half the price of the FR 955 and comes with excellent battery life, health tracking, and an AMOLED display.
Below, we’ll be comparing both of these smartwatches to decide if the Garmin Forerunner 955 is still a worthy option against the Garmin Forerunner 165. Let’s find out.
Key Takeaways
The Forerunner 955 comes with more storage, fitness features, advanced GPS tracking, and longer battery life, but the Forerunner 165 has better display quality and is more affordable. In the end, the best watch for you will depend on your budget and personal preference.
Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Forerunner 955: Comparison
| Device name | Garmin Forerunner 955 | Garmin Forerunner 165 |
|---|---|---|
| Device type | Smartwatch | Smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | June, 2022 | February, 2024 |
| Versions | Standard edition | Standard edition |
| Body | ||
| Dimension | 46.5 x 46.5 x 14.4 mm | 43 x 43 x 11.6 mm |
| Weight | 52 grams | 39 grams |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Case material | Fiber-Reinforced Polymer | Fiber-Reinforced Polymer |
| Strap material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Bezel material | Fiber-Reinforced Polymer | Fiber-Reinforced Polymer |
| Strap size | 20mm | 20mm |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX | Chemically Strengthened Glass |
| Water resistance | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Display | ||
| Display size | 1.3 inch | 1.2 inch |
| Display type | transflective memory-in-pixel | AMOLED |
| Display resolution | 260 x 260-pixel | 390 x 390-pixel |
| Pixel density | — | 460 PPI |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | Touchscreen | Touchscreen |
| Connectivity | ||
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No |
| GPS | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | No |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | — | — |
| Internal Storage | 32GB | 4GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| Cellular Connectivity | ||
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None |
| Band | — | — |
| Sensors | ||
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | No | No |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | No | No |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| ECG | No | No |
| Gyroscope | No | No |
| HRM | Yes | No |
| Pulse oximeter (SpO2) | Yes | Yes |
| Thermometer | Yes | Yes |
| Battery | ||
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | — | — |
| Battery life | 15 days | 11 days |
| Charging type | Plug Charger | Plug Charger |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | Yes | No |
Price
The Garmin Forerunner 955 costs double the price of the Garmin Forerunner 165. It is priced at $499, and it also has a solar version that uses solar charging (more on that later), which is priced at $599. Plus, you can also include the HRM Pro heart rate monitor, which costs $130 more, totaling $729.
The Garmin Forerunner 165, on the other hand, is priced at $249, and it has a music version (FR 165 music), which costs $50 more, or $299.
Design & Display
Both smartwatches boast a circular, sporty design with five buttons on the side. Both devices are housed in a fiber-reinforced polymer, but the Forerunner 955 offers more durable and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX compared to the chemically strengthened glass on the Forerunner 165. The straps are made of silicone, making them comfortable to wear for a prolonged period of time.
Measuring at 46.5 x 46.5 x 14.4 mm and weighing 52 grams, the FR 955 comes in Whitestone and Black, while at 43 x 43 x 11.6 mm and weighing 39 grams, the FR 165 comes in Whitestone, Black, Berry, and Turquoise colorways.
The Forerunner 955 features a bigger 1.3-inch transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display, while the Forerunner 165 features a 1.2-inch AMOLED display. However, the FR 165 offers a bigger screen resolution of 390 x 390 pixels compared to 260 x 260 pixels on the FR 955, which makes a huge difference when scrolling through UI and data.
Both have 5 ATM ratings for water resistance.
Health and Fitness Tracking
When it comes to health tracking, both smartwatches feature Garmin’s Elevate V4 sensor, providing faster and more accurate readings. Both offer basic health tracking, which you get on almost all Garmin’s devices, such as heart rate tracking, SpO2 (blood oxygen), respiration rate, stress, sleep, hydration, body battery, women’s health, and health snapshots.
They also added nap detection features, offering personalised insights and recommendations to help you get a deeper look at your sleep and overall well-being. Plus, both can track steps, calories burned, floor climbed, distance travelled, and intensity minutes.
In terms of sports tracking, both smartwatches can track various sports modes, including swimming, running, walking, cycling, and biking, but the Forerunner 955 takes the win with a wide array of activity profiles (see the chart below).
| Category | Garmin Forerunner 165 | Garmin Forerunner 955 |
|---|---|---|
| Gym | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Climbing |
| Multisport | — | Swimming/Running, Triathlon |
| Wellness | Walking, Pilates, Yoga | Walking, Pilates, Yoga |
| Indoor Running | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Virtual Running | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Virtual Running |
| Outdoor Running | Running, Outdoor Track Running, Trail Running, Ultra Running | Running, Outdoor Track Running, Trail Running, Ultra Running |
| Outdoor Recreation | Hiking | Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Climbing, Golfing, Disc Golf |
| Cycling | Biking, Indoor Biking | Biking, Road Biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel Biking, Bike Commuting, Bike Touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking, Cyclocross |
| Swim | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming |
| Racket Sports | Tennis, Pickleball, Padel | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel, Platform Tennis, Racquetball |
| On The Water | — | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking |
| Motor Sports | — | Motorcycling, Overlanding, Motocrossing, ATVing, Snowmobiling |
| Snow & Winter | — | Skiing, Snowboarding, Backcountry Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Backcountry Skiing, Ice Skating, Snowshoeing |
| Team Sports | — | Basketball, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Football/Soccer, American Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball |
| Ring Sports | — | Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts |
| Others | — | Inline skating |
For athletes, both devices offer VO2 max, recovery time, HR zones, and HRV status, but with the Garmin Forerunner 955, you can do much more than that. It features load ratio, training load, training load focus, training effect, real-time stamina (shows how much stamina you have left in your tank), endurance score (helps you understand your overall endurance), and more.
Apart from this, the Forerunner 955 also features multi-band GPS, which, in difficult situations, uses many frequencies to offer more precise data. Plus, it also offers a virtual partner that lets you compete against yourself by matching your current running pace to your previous running pace. Plus, on-screen workout animations and on-screen workout muscle maps.
If you are training for 5k, 10k, or marathons, both have race predator and pace pro pacing strategies. The race predator estimates your race time depending on your training progress, while the PacePro assists you in keeping your targeted pace throughout your race course.
For ultra runners, both have up ahead (shows upcoming courses, aid stations, etc.), back-to-start (assists you in returning to the starting position), tracback, ultratrac mode (saves battery by turning off GPS periodically), elevation profile, preloaded road and trail maps, and much more.
Considering all this, the Garmin Forerunner 955 takes a win with extensive lists of features appealing to serious athletes who want to track all important fitness data.
Smartwatch Features
In terms of smartwatch features, both devices are identical. Both let you receive apps, emails, and text notifications, view images from notifications, calendars, weather forecasts, morning reports, battery savers, control smartphone music, find my phone, and find my watch. Both offer an on-device Connect IQ store to download watch faces, widgets, and apps.
Plus, the Garmin Forerunner 955 offers 32GB of internal storage to download and store music, maps, and data, in contrast, the Garmin Forerunner 165 has only 4GB of internal storage. To stream music or use third-party music streaming apps, you will need the Garmin Forerunner 165 music.
Battery Life
In smartwatch mode, the Garmin Forerunner 165 can last for up to 11 days, while in GPS mode, it can last for up to 19 hours. It also has battery-saving smartwatch mode, in which the smartwatch can last for up to 20 days.
The Garmin Forerunner 955, on the other hand, can last for up to 15 days in smartwatch mode. It also has a solar version that uses the sun to charge the smartwatch, which can increase the battery life to 20 days. In GPS mode, it can last for up to 42 hours and 49 hours with solar. With all-systems GNSS mode plus multi-band GPS enabled, you can still get up to 20 hours of battery life and 22 hours with solar.
Although the FR 955 is more expensive than the FR 165, its additional battery life and solar charging will help runners, hikers, and ultrarunners go longer without worrying about carrying a charger or battery life.
Verdict
It’s not fair to compare the Garmin Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 165 because of their pricing differences, which make a huge difference in terms of the functionalities you get. However, if you have the budget to go for the FR 955, which can give you longer battery life, advanced health and fitness tracking, and a bigger display, then it will be the way to go.
But if you don’t want to invest much money, you can go for the Garmin Forerunner 165, in which you get a bright and colourful AMOLED display, excellent health tracking, and battery life that can last for days.