Amazfit Cheetah Pro and Garmin Forerunner 265 are the popular smartwatches from the renowned brand in the smartwatch industry. They feature various advanced features for sports lovers and casual users.
Are you confused about which one to choose? Then worry not; below, we’ll be comparing both of these watches to help you make an informed decision.
Key Takeaways
Garmin Forerunner 265 and Amazfit Cheetah Pro offer various amazing features but cater to different users. Priced at $449, the Forerunner 265 features a 1.3” (416 x 416 pixels) AMOLED display and focuses more on advanced GPS and sports tracking. In comparison, the Cheetah Pro is priced at $299 and emphasises more on build quality and elegant design.
Amazfit Cheetah Pro vs Garmin Forerunner 265: Comparison
| Device name | Amazfit Cheetah Pro | Garmin Forerunner 265 |
|---|---|---|
| Device type | Smartwatch | Smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | June, 2023 | March, 2023 |
| Versions | Standard edition | Standard edition |
| Body | ||
| Dimension | 47 x 47 x 11.8 mm | 46.1 x 46.1 x 12.9 mm |
| Weight | 42 grams | 47 grams |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Case material | Titanium Alloy | Fiber-Reinforced Polymer |
| Strap material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Bezel material | Fiber-Reinforced Polymer | Fiber-Reinforced Polymer |
| Strap size | 22 mm | 22 mm |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass | Corning Gorilla Glass |
| Water resistance | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Display | ||
| Display size | 1.45 inch | 1.3 inch |
| Display type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Display resolution | 480 x 480 pixels | 416 x 416 pixels |
| Pixel density | 331 PPI | 282 PPI |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | ||
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | No |
| GPS | Yes | Multi-Band GPS |
| NFC | No | Garmin Pay |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | — | — |
| Internal Storage | 2.3 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| Cellular Connectivity | ||
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None |
| Band | — | — |
| Sensors | ||
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient light | No | No |
| Barometer | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| ECG | No | No |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| HRM | No | No |
| Pulse oximeter (SpO2) | Yes | Yes |
| Thermometer | Yes | Yes |
| Battery | ||
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | — | — |
| Battery life | 14 days | 14 days |
| Charging type | Plug Charger | Plug Charger |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
How much do they cost?
The Garmin Forerunner costs $150 more than the Cheetah Pro, but the higher price range means more advanced GPS tracking capabilities along with multiple sports profiles to keep you engaged and fit while not feeling on the wrist.
The Amazfit Cheetah Pro costs $299 and falls into the lowest price bracket while offering a bigger display size, multiple sports profiles, and excellent battery life that can last for days before needing a recharge.
Design
Now let’s dive deeper into the design aspect so you’ll get a wider view of what you can expect from these smartwatches.
The Cheetah Pro comes in a rounded design with a digital crown for exploring its UI and functionalities, plus a button for back action. It has a nylon band and weighs only 43 grams so you can wear it for longer without feeling it on your wrist.
The Forerunner 265 also comes with a rounded design but with five buttons setup, with two on the right and three on the left. It has a silicone band and weighs 47 grams so you can enjoy your sports while having a fully functional smartwatch on your wrist for detailed tracking.
In terms of display, the Cheetah Pro sports a 1.45” 480 x 480 pixels AMOLED display housed in a titanium alloy bezel and fiber-reinforced polymer body with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and anti-fingerprint coating on top.
In contrast, the Forerunner 265 sports a 1.3″ (416 x 416 pixels) AMOLED display housed in a fiber-reinforced polymer body and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top, providing durability and scratch resistance to survive extreme beatings.
Both have a water rating of 5 ATM, so you can wear them while swimming and showering.
Health and Sleep Tracking
The Garmin Forerunner 265 excels in health tracking by offering advanced sleep monitoring in deep, light, REM stages while offering a sleep coach feature for personalised recommendations on your sleeping needs based on your activity and previous nights sleep, plus nap detection to help you get a deeper insight into your overall sleep metrics. The device is also capable of monitoring heart rate, SpO2 (blood oxygen), body battery, stress, hydration, and women’s health. It also features a health snapshot, which tracks important key metrics in two-minute intervals.
The Amazfit Cheetah Pro, on the other hand, features a BioTracker PPG biometric sensor that is capable of tracking the heart rate, blood oxygen, and stress levels of users. The smartwatch creates sleep schedules, monitors sleep quality, sleep stages (including deep, light, and REM), sleep breathing quality, and daytime naps to get a deeper understanding of your overall sleep schedule and metrics.
Activity Tracking
The Garmin Forerunner 265 comes equipped with a wide range of activity profiles, including running, swimming, hiking, boxing, basketball, and much more, for sports enthusiasts and adventure seekers. It also includes multi-band GPS, which uses multiple satellite frequencies to provide more accurate GPS readings without needing your smartphone nearby. Plus, it also has various recovery features such as recovery time, HRV status, VO2 max, training load, load ratio, and more. It further includes features like back to start, trackback, ultratrac mode, up ahead for ultrarunners and hikers, and niche specific features for swimmers, runners, and cyclists to help you stay at the top of your game.
The Amazfit Cheetah Pro also comes equipped with over 150 sports modes, including running, swimming, climbing, wrestling, and automatic detection of eight sports modes, which include treadmill, outdoor running, elliptical, indoor walking, rowing machines, walking, outdoor cycling, and pool swimming. Plus, it can also detect 25 strength training exercises and track your sets, reps, and rest time. It also includes dual-band GPS that provides faster and more accurate readings, plus a Zepp coach that provides a week-to-week training schedule based on your activity. If you are a runner, then you can utilise features such as personalised running plans, VO2 max, and real-time performance scores during outdoor running.
Smartwatch Features
The Garmin Forerunner 265 is not great for fancy smartwatch features but gets the basics done, like Connect IQ Store, text, call, and email notifications, calendar, weather forecasts, battery saver, smartphone music control, find my phone, and find my watch. It also features a morning report, which can show you important data right after you wake up, and you can also customise the data in your morning report according to your preference.
In comparison, the Amazfit Cheetah Pro offers a Bluetooth calling feature and a rich ecosystem of over 100 apps, such as calculators, hydration advice, GoPro, and much more. It also comes with a built-in offline and online assistant, Alexa. Plus, app, SMS, and text notifications; Bluetooth phone music control, to-do lists; event reminders; sedentary reminders; and so much more.
Battery Life
In terms of battery life, both can last close to 2 weeks under typical usage with basic health tracking and GPS usage. But in GPS mode, the Forerunner 265 can last up to 20 hours and drop to 14 hours when using all-system GNSS mode and multi-band GPS.
In comparison, the Cheetah Pro can last up to 7 days under heavy usage. In battery-saving watch mode, it can last up to 24 days, and 45 days in clock mode, which is nothing but a feature that converts your smartwatch into a simple watch. But don’t worry, you can convert it back to a smartwatch with just a click.
Verdict
Which should you choose between the Garmin Forerunner 265 and the Amazfit Cheetah Pro? It depends on your personal preference, budget, and needs.
The Cheetah Pro is designed specially for runners and offers various features, including advanced GPS tracking. It also includes a bigger display size, longer battery life than last days, and various minitasks. So if your preference falls into the above category, go for the Amazfit Cheetah Pro.
But if you don’t mind paying extra bucks and you are not a runner but an adventure seeker who loves playing multiple sports, then the Garmin Forerunner 265 is the way to go.
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