The Forerunner 165 series is the budget training watch Garmin needed

Garmin truly needed a grooming ticker successful the $250 to $300 range. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The tradeoffs are good worthy the savings implicit the somewhat much precocious Forerunner 265.

If you’re grooming for a race, fewer multisport ticker brands bash it similar Garmin. But determination are 2 things I don’t similar astir ‘em. They’re pricey, and the level tin beryllium intimidating to newcomers. Have you seen its online store? For newbies, it’s pugnacious to parse which of Garmin’s dozens of watches gets you the basics without destroying your wallet. Not anymore. After spending the past fewer weeks with the $299.99 Forerunner 165 Music, I’m convinced this — oregon the $249.99 modular mentation — is the Garmin ticker that hits the saccharine spot.

Three 100 smackeroos whitethorn not look budget-friendly until you look astatine Garmin’s flagship watches. Those tin spell for a whopping $700 to good implicit $1,000. Even midrange watches, similar the fantabulous Forerunner 265 series, retail for $450. I loved the Forerunner 265 series. The lone happening I didn’t similar was the price. And that’s what makes this peculiar ticker truthful appealing. It’s a near clone of the smaller 265S but for $150 to $200 less. The lone things you’re truly missing are dual-frequency GPS and EKGs for atrial fibrillation detection.

Seriously. Side by side, it’s hard to archer my 165 Music and 265S apart. The buttons connected the 265S are a spot fancier. Thankfully, my units are antithetic colors. I don’t deliberation I’d beryllium capable to archer astatine a glimpse otherwise.

As for performance, successful 95 percent of my regular use, I didn’t announcement a difference. Even without dual-frequency GPS, you inactive get close outdoor enactment tracking. I tested the 165 Music simultaneously with my telephone and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 — some of which person dual-frequency GPS. The maps and region reported each corresponded wrong a 10th of a mile. I might’ve seen much of a quality if I ran in a challenging environment, similar Manhattan’s fiscal district. That said, I’ve done a lot of moving with multisport watches with and without dual-frequency GPS. While dual-frequency GPS is much accurate, it mostly benefits folks who bid successful GPS dormant zones. If that’s not you, you won’t apt notice.

Heart complaint information was besides connected par with my Ultra 2 and a Polar H10 thorax strap. Since I’m not idiosyncratic with a precocious hazard of AFib, I ne'er adjacent missed the EKG feature. (Even if I were, EKG-powered AFib features aren’t a diagnostic instrumentality and inactive necessitate you to spot a doctor.) Unless it runs successful your household oregon you cognize you’re astatine risk, EKGs conscionable aren’t a diagnostic everyone needs, particularly since precocious / debased bosom complaint notifications are inactive available.

For enactment profiles and wellness tracking metrics, you get the basics for a grooming watch. And Garmin’s explanation of basal is generous. Are you going to get snowboarding oregon boxing? No. More niche activities similar triathlon, golfing, upland biking, oregon squad sports necessitate a much costly Forerunner oregon Garmin. But if you mostly instrumentality to the gym, cycling, running, swimming, hiking, tennis (or pickleball!), and the occasional yoga oregon pilates session? You’re good. Sure, spending much volition get you much — but this volition get astir radical everything they need.

Aside from these fewer things, you’re getting everything that makes a Garmin a Garmin: agelong artillery life, durability, and a ton of training data. Even with a much power-hungry OLED display, the 165 Music lasted maine astir a week connected a azygous complaint with the always-on show enabled and person to 10 days with it off. The 165 Music survived my feline chomping connected it, and it’s much than susceptible of handling a dunk successful the pool. You tin inactive entree Garmin Coach, adaptive grooming plans, nap detection, slumber tracking, and features similar Body Battery and Morning Report. And, blessedly, the redesigned Garmin Connect app has decluttered a batch of that information, making it easier to glimpse at.

You inactive get each the basal metrics — and more.

Normally, I’d motorboat into a TED Talk astir wherefore Garmin’s cluttered merchandise lineup needs fewer watches. That said, the Forerunner 165 stands retired due to the fact that the price, diagnostic set, and merchandise plan are each truthful good aligned. Garmin’s been missing a bully grooming ticker successful the sub-$300 category, wherever astir of its options are similar the Venu Sq 2 oregon Vivomove Trend — they’re either geared toward casual users oregon radical looking for a much stylish vibe. This is simply a bona fide training watch, some successful presumption of plan and function.

The lone atrocious happening astir the 165 bid is it further muddies the already-crowded Forerunner lineup. Lord knows Garmin has a Forerunner 55, 255, 265, 745, 955, 965, and a fistful of others I’m missing. There’s adjacent different ticker lines, similar the Instinct, that are rather akin to the Forerunner. But amid each the clutter, the Forerunner 165 and 165 Music are my picks for an entry-level Garmin for training. It’s large for newbies to the level — arsenic good arsenic intermediate and precocious athletes who aren’t funny successful bells and whistles.