67% of 147 verified owners recommend the Garmin Forerunner 165, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
8 owners report specific problemsin troubleshooting threads (setup, firmware, or hardware faults). These are capped in the score above so a problem-report thread can't dominate it — read them under the Doesn't recommend filter below.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
“This video has made me realise the 165 is for me.”
“It's a big change from my VivoActive 3.😅”
“To remove a feature that was previously there as soon as you release the product, which contains the hardware for the feature is a really bad look.”
“Fulfill enough my needs as entry level runner, but would love to exchange Pilates with Badminton :(”
“ordered a 165 hahah wish I knew sooner!”
“You're paying through the nose for fancy colourful widgets here”
“the similarly priced 255 is still a much better watch”
“I like this thing's fitness focus.”
“i feel the like 'music' version of watches are a dodgy upsell”
“I'm not sure I love the 'Run' on the select button but this watch should be enough for a lot of people.”
“I love this thing. 😊”
“they should have added Music storage as default on 165 and added new HR sensor”
“the Garmin app and watchfaces are horrendous compared to Coros”
“12-day battery life is insane compared to my Apple watch Ultra that needs to be charged every 2 days.”
“I wish it had training readiness and it would nail it.”
“To answer the last comment, this watch is for me!”
“They should stop put " RUN " on start /stop button .”
“you shouldn't have to sell your garmin and get a new one if you find a new hobby which your 300 dollar watch doesn't track”
“Garmin intentionally makes these crippled watches to make you want their more expensive ones.”
“Have had it for a week and absolutely loving it so far!”
“As cool as the Amoled is, I really prefer the MiP.”
“Sounds like the perfect watch for people who are ready for triathlons, but starting the journey and can't justofy the spend on a hardcore watch.”
“This is a great option for people (like me) who find the 255 too big and don't like the 18mm strap on the 'S' models.”
“I don't want to support such product philosophy”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
“Can sleep with the 165 or the one up S. The only two things I know of I am missing out on is the lactate threshold estimate HR value over range. And no triathlon race function.”
“Unfortunately, it’s likely the tattoos. Do you have tattoos on your other wrist? If not, you could try wearing it on the other arm during sleep and activity to see if you get better tracking.”
“The Forerunners are lightweight as a feature. The 165 and 265 don't even have a metal bezel. Like the Coros Pace 1-3 running watches, they are extremely light, too.”
“I contacted garmin support, did a few actions on their request. None of them resolved my issues, they proposed to swap. I'm now waiting to get my replacement 165.”
“Turn the touchscreen off then. You've got options, not restrictions. At the same time, a keyboard appears in Garmin Connect so you could use that. Options...”
“I did read it but somehow that bit went in and straight out of my brain. I think OP needs to tap the letters faster. Just tried with my watch (a 955) and I did need to be quick with it to stop it going mmm”
“This was watch tracks swimming but fyi it doesn't have a dedicated triathlon mode for your race. You'll have to log each event separately during the race.”
“It does have a swimming mode, but it seems to be for pools. I would research that. Yes, it works on its own, and syncs with the phone app after training.”
“I am assuming the firmware installed but not the wifi blutooth ant module. Can you share these files from your 165 music? Can anyone share the files needed to force the watch to property install these modules?”
“The reason for plastic on the forerunners including the 900 series, is for improved GPS and lighter weight. It’s a sports watch, not a fashion watch.”
“https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-607F08F6-33FC-40BF-9727-84E54043D82D/EN-US/GUID-D83E3D72-AF28-4388-BECE-AA6E3CB7BE4B.html seems there is an option to control music on your phone from a non-music watch”
“Looks like it is not the music version. I think its nice to have music for running, without carrying a phone - would need the 165 Music for that.”
“That seems a lot of battery drain. Do you happen to use a third party watchface from ConnectIQ or have always on display or Pulse Ox enabled?”
“Switched from Apple in June last year: before getting 165, did a lot of research - realized main goal is running. Price helped the decision.”
“The cheapest entry with maps is the Pace Pro so that might be your choice. Garmin does not offer maps typically on their lower tier options, I know the 570 has bread crumb and the 970 offers full maps but that's a $750 watch.”
“The average pace is based on the moving time. Scroll down further and you'll find your actual pace based on the total elapsed time.”
“Thats a MIPS display and not AMOLED like these two. Important thing to consider. Some people find one or the other a dealbreaker.”
“Garmin Coach can be one of the three human coaches (Coaches Jeff Galloway, Amy Parkerson-Mitchell and Greg McMillan) with their preferred methods of coaching, or the adaptive coach which recommends you workouts based on your metrics.”
“Mas advisable ko to buy brand new garmin 165 non music for 7-8k. Yung ibang users na kilala ko with garmin 165 music ay di rin nagagamit yung music features ng garmin 165 dahil dala rin nila cellphone nila and mas malakas sa battery yung usage.”
“Sulit na yan kung music version make sure lang na walang maraming gasgas at walang damage yung lagayan ng strap.”
“I watched a YouTube video on "How to make the most of your Garmin" from one of the running reviewers from possibly Believe In The Run, or one of those sites.. She was a marathon runner and had a 165. If you are a runner, you don't need a 570 or 970..”
“Non-music version has garmin pay too po. I have one and used it na. Kaso gotyme lang talaga, di pwede seabank”
“I tried performing the master reset but it didn't help. The firmware remains at 27.09 and the issue persists,”
“Not sure if both watches can add cadence sensor for cycling. 165 perhaps but VA series? Anyone knows?”