Real owners lean toward the Garmin Forerunner 165: 67% of 147 owners recommend it, vs 59% of 110 for the Fenix 8.
Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score
Most Fenix 8 owners are genuinely happy, praising its reliability (many report zero bugs or issues), strong battery life on the Solar/MIP models, a sharp AMOLED or sunlight-readable MIP screen, scratch-resistant build quality, and small surprise wins like the built-in flashlight. A vocal minority pushes back hard, though, centered mainly on price — repeated complaints that the cost, often north of $1,000, isn't justified by what's actually new. That group also cites launch-period software bugs and glitches, the lack of cellular/LTE, accuracy regressions in heart-rate and GPS versus older Fenix and Forerunner models, and a sense that the upgrade over the Fenix 7 is too incremental to bother with. In short: owners who bought in love the day-to-day experience, while skeptics are mostly staying on older watches over price and diminishing-returns concerns rather than any single hardware failure.
Owner sentiment on the Forerunner 165 is largely positive, centering on its battery life, comfortable lightweight build, and its 'budget Garmin' value proposition — many owners explicitly chose it over pricier 265/255 models and say it covers everything they need for running, hiking, and daily fitness tracking. A meaningful minority pushes back, though: a cluster of owners hit real bugs after the 27.09/27.10 firmware updates (GPS drift, stuck heart rate, steps not counting, freezes), and others are frustrated by missing features like power meter support, triathlon mode, and dual-band GPS that competitors and pricier Garmins include. Smaller but recurring complaints cover an easily-scratched gorilla-glass lens, a fiddly on-screen keyboard/menu system, and inconsistent real-world battery life for some users. Overall it's seen as a well-priced, capable entry point into Garmin's ecosystem, with the caveat that serious athletes or anyone wanting advanced multisport features may outgrow it.
“Its amazing especially because it is an extremely dangerous sport when being a type 1 diabetic”— @Tentoumushi69 on YouTube
“I came from Apple Watch to the Fenix 8 about 2 months ago, love it. Zero issues, zero bugs.”— @rb3tactical145 on YouTube
“Price is ridiculous and the features do not justify it.”— @bellosthomas on YouTube
“This video has made me realise the 165 is for me.”— @CGCGCG91 on YouTube
“ordered a 165 hahah wish I knew sooner!”— @Joseeppph on YouTube
“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.”— @Fernweh_8 on YouTube
Real owners lean toward the Garmin Forerunner 165: 67% of 147 owners recommend it, vs 59% of 110 for the Fenix 8.
Owners point the Fenix 8 at hikers, divers, and outdoor athletes who want rugged multisport tracking with solar/long battery options, and upgraders from older Fenix/Forerunner models wanting AMOLED or MIP display choice, buttons, and a bigger sunlight-readable screen.
Owners point the Garmin Forerunner 165 at beginner or casual runners who just want accurate basics without complexity, and buyers upgrading from a Forerunner 55 or basic Apple Watch on a budget.
The most-cited downside of the Fenix 8 is price is the single biggest complaint — many call the cost (often $1,000+) unjustified given how minor the upgrade feels. For the Garmin Forerunner 165, it's firmware updates (notably the 27.09/27.10 releases) introduced real bugs — GPS drifting off track, heart rate stuck or inaccurate, steps not counting, freezing during activities, and unusual battery drain.