The Garmin Fenix 7 is the latest watch you can get in the Fenix series, known for their high performance GPS smartwatches with rugged designs and advanced health monitoring.
Meanwhile, in the Forerunner series, the latest releases are FR165 and FR265. The Garmin Forerunner 965 is also the latest release introduced in March 2023, providing longer battery life, rugged design, and advanced GPS tracking.
But deciding between these top-of-the line smartwatches is a hectic task, so we gathered all the necessary information for you below to help you find your ideal Garmin watch.
Key Takeaways
Garmin Fenix 7 sports a stainless steel design with a 10 ATM water rating and advanced health monitoring such as skin temperature and jet lag advisor. Meanwhile, the Garmin Forerunner 965 sports a stronger titanium build with longer battery life and multi-band GPS for accurate GPS tracking. Whichever watch you choose, you can’t go wrong with these models.
Comparison
| Device name | Garmin Forerunner 965 | Garmin Fenix 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Device type | Smartwatch | Smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | March, 2023 | January, 2022 |
| Versions | Standard edition | Standard edition |
| Body | ||
| Dimension | 47.2 x 47.2 x 13.2 mm | 47 x 47 x 14.5 mm |
| Weight | 53 grams | 79 grams |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Case material | Fiber-Reinforced Polymer | Fiber-Reinforced Polymer |
| Strap material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Bezel material | Titanium | Stainless Steel |
| Strap size | 22 mm | 22 mm |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX | Corning Gorilla Glass |
| Water resistance | 5 ATM | 10 ATM |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Display | ||
| Display size | 1.4 inch | 1.3 inch |
| Display type | AMOLED | Transflective Memory-In-Pixel (MIP) |
| Display resolution | 454 x 454 pixels | 260 x 260 pixels |
| Pixel density | 459 PPI | 200 PPI |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | ||
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No |
| GPS | Multi-Band GPS | Yes |
| NFC | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | — | — |
| Internal Storage | 32 GB | 16 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 | Yes | 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 | 23 days | 18 days |
| Charging type | Plug Charger | Plug Charger |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
Price
The Fenix 7 is more expensive than the FR 965 and is priced at $649 for the standard and $799 for the sapphire solar edition. It only comes in Silver with Graphite band.
The Forerunner 965, on the other hand, is priced at $599 and comes with Black and Whitestone casing with Black/Powder Gray, Whitestone/Powder Gray, and Amp Yellow/Black Silicone bands. You can also add the HRM Pro Plus heart rate monitor for an additional $100, totaling $699.
Design and Display
Starting with the design, the Fenix 7 boasts a stainless steel build with fiber-reinforced polymer body and Corning Gorilla Glass on top, making it suitable for fitness enthusiasts and adventure seekers.
Meanwhile, the FR 965 boasts a titanium build with fiber-reinforced polymer body and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX, suitable for extreme sports enthusiasts such as hiking, biking, running, and more.
Measuring 47 x 47 x 14.5 mm and weighing 79 grams, the Fenix 7 comes with Silicone, Leather, Fabric, and Metal bands to personalise your smartwatch experience, while the Forerunner 965 measures 47.2 x 47.2 x 13.2 mm, weighs 53 grams, and comes with a silicone band as standard. The straps are 22 mm in length.
If we talk about display, the Fenix 7 sports a 1.3”, 283 PPI, 260 x 260 pixels transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display, whereas the FR 965 sports a bigger 1.4”, 459 PPI, 454 x 454 pixels AMOLED display, providing an easier viewing experience and more metrics at a glance.
The FR 965 comes with a water rating of 5 ATM and can withstand being submerged underwater for up to 50 metres, whereas the Fenix 7 has 10 ATM water resistance, surviving for up to 100 metres.
Health and Activity Tracking
In terms of health monitoring, both devices offer advanced health monitoring such as heart rate, SpO2 (blood oxygen), respiration rate, stress tracking, body battery energy monitoring, hydration, women’s health, and health snapshots.
Both smartwatches can track sleep in multiple stages (including deep, light, and REM) and have a nap detection feature that tracks both planned and unplanned naps and logs them into your sleep metrics for a deeper understanding of your sleep.
Garmin also added a sleep coach, a feature that calculates how much sleep you need based on your activity, stress, and previous sleep patterns to help you identify how much sleep you need to stay at the top of your game.
The Garmin Fenix 7 comes with two additional features — skin temperature monitoring and a jet lag advisor. The skin temperature tracking helps to identify sleep stages, blood pressure estimation, fever detection, and more, while the Jet Lag Advisor helps you to feel better with personalised recommendations, turning on grayscale mode, dimming the watch screen, and more.
In terms of activity tracking, both devices can track over 100 sports modes, including triathlon, running, swimming, snowboarding, boxing, skating, basketball, and much more. See the chart below to learn more about that.
| Category | Garmin Forerunner 965 | Garmin Fenix 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Gym | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing, Jump Roping | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing, Jump Roping |
| Multisport | Swimming/Running, Triathlon | 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, Obstacle Racing |
| Outdoor Recreation | Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Climbing, Golfing, Disc Golf | Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Climbing, Hunting, Horseback Riding, Golfing, Disc Golf, Archery |
| Cycling | Biking, Road Biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel Biking, Bike Commuting, Bike Touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking, Cyclocross | Biking, Road Biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel Biking, Bike Commuting, Bike Touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking, Cyclocross, BMX |
| Swim | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming |
| Racket Sports | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel, Platform Tennis, Racquetball | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel, Platform Tennis, Racquetball |
| On The Water | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking |
| Motor Sports | Motorcycling, Overlanding, Motocrossing, ATVing, Snowmobiling | Motorcycling, Overlanding, Motocrossing, ATVing, Snowmobiling |
| Snow & Winter | Skiing, Snowboarding, Backcountry Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, XC Skate Skiing, Backcountry Skiing, Ice Skating, Snowshoeing | Skiing, Snowboarding, Backcountry Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, XC Skate 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 | Basketball, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Football/Soccer, American Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball |
| Ring Sports | Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts | Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts |
| Others | Inline Skating | Jumpmaster, Tactical, Inline Skating |
These smartwatches also offer basic features such as floor climbed, calories burned, move alerts, step counter, distance travelled, auto step goal, intensity minutes, and more. They also have on-screen workout animations, muscle maps, and automatic rep counting.
If we talk about features for athletes and recovery, both the Fenix 7 and Forerunner 965 offer various advanced features such as VO2 max, recovery time, HR zones, real-time stamina, endurance score, load ratio, training load focus, virtual running partner, and so much more.
If you are a runner, golfer, swimmer, or cyclist, you get various features to help you get the most out of your smartwatch by tracking multiple metrics and staying at the top of your game.
Smartwatch Features
Garmin devices are not designed for smartwatch features, so you can’t expect any features available on other smartwatches like the Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch.
But you do get email, calls, and text notifications; access the Connect IQ store (to download widgets, apps, and watch faces); view images from notifications; get a morning report; use the calendar; get weather forecasts; find my phone; find my watch; use smartphone music control; and more.
Both devices also offer GPS tracking, but the Forerunner 965 features multi-band GPS, which provides more accurate and faster readings by utilising multiple GPS frequencies. So if you want a smartwatch with accurate GPS tracking, the FR 965 will be the way to go.
Additionally, you also get Garmin Pay to pay contactlessly and music storage to stream, download, and listen to music while on the go.
Battery Life
The Fenix 7 can last for up to 18 days in between charges and drops to 57 hours with GPS enabled. Meanwhile, the Forerunner 965 can last for up to 23 days and drops to 31 hours with basic GPS and 19 hours with multi-band GPS. See the chart below for more data on this.
| Device name | Garmin Forerunner 965 | Garmin Fenix 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch Mode | Up to 23 days | Up to 18 days |
| Battery Saver Smartwatch Mode | — | Up to 57 days |
| GPS-Only | Up to 31 hours | Up to 57 hours |
| All-Systems GNSS mode | Up to 8.5 hours | — |
| SatIQ GNSS mode | Up to 22 hours | — |
| All-Systems GNSS mode + Multi-Band | Up to 19 hours | — |
| GPS-Only GNSS mode with music | Up to 10.5 hours | — |
| Max Battery GPS | — | Up to 136 hours |
| Expedition GPS | — | Up to 40 days |
| All-Systems GNSS mode plus Multi-Band | Up to 19 hours | — |
Verdict
Both devices showed great strengths with a bigger display, advanced health tracking, longer battery life, and rugged build, but which one should you choose?
Choose the Garmin Fenix 7 if…
You want more advanced health monitoring, advanced health and recovery features, and multiple sports modes.
Choose the Garmin Forerunner 965 if…
You want a bigger display, longer battery life, and accurate GPS tracking while saving $150 on your smartwatch.
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