Both the Garmin Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 255 offer various health and fitness tracking options at budget prices. Both use lightweight material, along with an excellent battery life that can last for several days.
Below, we’ll delve into the comparison of both of these smartwatches in terms of pricing, design, display, health and fitness tracking, smartwatch features, and battery life to help you find your ideal smartwatch.
Quick Overview
These devices share many similarities along with a few differences, such as both devices have a fiber-reinforced polymer bezel and case, which makes them lighter but less durable than metal bodies.
The Forerunner 255 comes in two sizes — 41mm and 46mm, while the Forerunner 165 comes in 43mm. Surprisingly, Garmin separates music support from both devices and charges an extra $50 for it.
The Forerunner 165 is the cheapest Garmin smartwatch that comes with an OLED display, while the Forerunner 255 boasts a memory-in-pixel (MIP) display.
Garmin Forerunner 165 vs 255: Comparison
| Device name | Garmin Forerunner 255 | Garmin Forerunner 165 |
|---|---|---|
| Device type | Smartwatch | Smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | June, 2022 | February, 2024 |
| Versions | Standard edition | Standard edition |
| Body | ||
| Dimension | 45.6 x 45.6 x 12.9 mm | 43 x 43 x 11.6 mm |
| Weight | 49 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 | 22 mm | 20 mm |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | 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 | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Display resolution | 260 x 260-pixel | 390 x 390-pixel |
| Pixel density | 283 | 460 PPI |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | — | — |
| Connectivity | ||
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No |
| GPS | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | No |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | — | — |
| Internal Storage | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| 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 | 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 | 11 days |
| Charging type | Plug Charger | Plug Charger |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
Design and Display
The Garmin Forerunner 165 boasts a lighter and slimmer aesthetic appealing to both men and women. The 1.2-inch, 460 PPI, 390 x 390-pixel AMOLED display is housed in a fiber-reinforced polymer bezel with chemically strengthened glass on top.
Measuring 43 x 43 x 11.6 mm and weighing 39 grams, the Forerunner 165 comes in Turquoise, Black, Must Gray, Berry along with a quick-fit silicone band as standard. The straps are 20mm in length.
The Garmin Forerunner 255, on the other hand, also boasts a slimmer aesthetic suitable for both men and women. The 1.3 inch, 283 PPI, 260 x 260 pixels AMOLED display is housed in a fiber-reinforced polymer bezel with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the front.
At 45.6 x 45.6 x 12.9 mm and weighing 49 grams, the Forerunner 255 comes in Tidal Blue, Slate Gray, Light Pink, Powder Gray, Whitestone, and Black colorways with quick-fit silicone band. The straps are 22mm in length.
Both devices come with Garmin’s typical five-button setup, with two on the right and three on the left. Plus, both have ratings of 5 ATM for water resistance.
Health Tracking
When it comes to health and fitness tracking, both smartwatches offer identical features. Both can track basic, abnormal, and resting heart rate, SpO2 (blood oxygen), respiration rate (24×7), stress, hydration, and women’s health.
They also offer a health snapshot, which tracks vital key metrics in a two-minute interval, and a body battery, which provides you with a tangible number representing your overall energy reserves.
They also offer excellent sleep tracking capabilities and track sleep in multiple stages, including light, deep, and REM. Plus, they can also detect nuances in your sleep and sync them into the app, providing deeper insights into your health. These devices also support nap detection and provide personalised recommendations and insights to get the most out of it. They also offer a sleep score using data from multiple nights ranging from 0 to 100.
Fitness Tracking
In terms of fitness tracking, the Forerunner 255 takes the lead, with more sports modes appealing to adventure seekers. Take a look at the chart below:
| Category | Garmin Forerunner 165 | Garmin Forerunner 255 |
|---|---|---|
| Gym | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing |
| Multisport | — | 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 |
| Cycling | Biking, Indoor Biking | Biking, Road Biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel Biking, Bike Commuting, Bike Touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking |
| 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 |
| Motor Sports | — | — |
| Snow & Winter | — | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing |
| 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 |
They can perform basic tasks such as step counting, floor climbing, distance travelled, calories burned, and more. Plus, both have a few safety features like incident detection and alerts, assistance, live tracking, and live event sharing (Android only).
Apart from these, both offer Garmin’s basic features, such as VO2 max tracking, training plans, recovery time, HRV status, and much more. However, with the Garmin Forerunner 255, you get some additional features like training load, load ratio, on-screen workouts, animations, muscle maps, and above all, multi-band GPS, which uses multiple frequencies compared to normal GPS in the Forerunner 165.
Additionally, both offer features for ultra runners, including back-to-start, tracback, ultratrac mode, elevation profile, point-to-point navigation, and so much more.
Smartwatch Features
There’s not much to see in this section as both devices are designed for athletes, but they can show you basic text, messages, and email notifications, weather, a morning report, a calendar, a battery saver, and more.
Additionally, both are compatible with a variety of iOS and Android devices and offer Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity. For Wi-Fi connectivity, you will need a music edition of both of these smartwatches, which also gives you the ability to download third-party apps like Deezer and Spotify and lets you stream music from your own digital files or download ones. Plus, you can also connect your wireless headphones and headsets to listen to music while on the go or during workouts without needing your phone nearby.
Battery Life
When it comes to battery life, both can last for several days on a single charge. The FR 165 lasts for around 11 days, while the FR 255 lasts for around 14 days in smartwatch mode. With GPS enabled, you get 19 hours in FR 165 and 30 hours in FR 255. Check the chart below for full details.
| Device name | Garmin Forerunner 165 | Garmin Forerunner 255 |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch Mode | Up to 11 days | Up to 14 days |
| Battery Saver Smartwatch Mode | Up to 20 days | — |
| GPS-Only GNSS mode | Up to 19 hours | Up to 30 hours |
| All-Systems GNSS mode | Up to 17 hours | Up to 25 hours |
| All-Systems GNSS mode plus Multi-Band | — | Up to 16 hours |
Which should you choose?
Which should you choose between the Garmin Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 255? It comes down to your personal preference, as both smartwatches are quite identical.
For shoppers looking for a basic fitness smartwatch with a bright and colourful AMOLED display and excellent battery life that can last for days, they can go for the Forerunner 165.
But if you want a fitness beast with advanced GPS tracking, more sports profiles, and excellent battery life, you might find the Forerunner 255 more appealing to you.