The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music. All pictures: iRunFar/Reese Ruland
Being an avid path runner, I used to be a bit skeptical once I first placed on the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music ($300). I’ve at all times prioritized discovering the right watch, and this one is positioned at an entry-level worth level. Heaven forbid it won’t collect all the info that costlier watches do. And what if it’s not as correct? Having relied on the Garmin fēnix 7S for the previous two years and completely cherished it, I used to be curious to see if this new watch may match as much as the extent of efficiency I’d grown accustomed to. I need to say, nevertheless, it utterly surpassed my expectations in additional methods than one.
This watch isn’t aimed solely at rookies or these seeking to take heed to music throughout a run with out carrying a cellphone. Whereas it’s notable for having the reminiscence to carry as much as 500 songs, making it simple to curate a playlist for any run, it additionally has many different excellent options, together with a vivid display, sturdy battery life, and reliable GPS accuracy. It might be difficult to discover a higher watch on the $300 worth level. You may as well get this one within the non-music model for $250.
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Garmin Forerunner 165 Music Look
A face of the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music.
The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music is a sufficiently small watch that it may be worn in informal settings with out it being too misplaced. The watch itself is snug and has a light-weight design that doesn’t really feel cumbersome, even throughout longer runs. It’s considerably lighter and thinner than the Garmin fēnix 7S and different GPS watches accessible immediately, making it simple to put on all day lengthy. The 1.2-inch colourful AMOLED show is straightforward to navigate, combining touchscreen performance with bodily buttons for seamless operation. I recognize the customizable watch faces and information screens, permitting me to prioritize the metrics that almost all matter to me. There are a number of completely different colour choices for the band.
Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Monitoring and Coronary heart Price Monitoring
The again of the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music.
Whereas the title would possibly lead you to imagine in any other case, the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music is rather more than only a music participant — it’s a full GPS watch with optical coronary heart charge monitoring, health monitoring, and built-in teaching solutions. The multi-satellite-system-based GPS is top-notch for offering correct distance, tempo, and route mapping for each run. I used to be shocked at its accuracy when operating by means of slot canyons in Arizona. One way or the other, even with a really restricted view of the sky, the watch may monitor me with distinctive accuracy. In my thoughts, this dispels the assumption that you have to purchase an costly watch to get the perfect location-determining capabilities.
The built-in coronary heart charge monitor helps me monitor my exertion ranges and ensures I get probably the most out of each exercise. Admittedly, I’ve at all times been a bit leery about trusting wrist coronary heart charge readings since they are usually considerably much less correct than a chest strap or armband monitor. Components similar to the place on the wrist you put on the watch, outdoors temperature, sweat, and arm swing whereas operating can all have an effect on the measurement. I discovered this watch to be correct more often than not, but it surely did often give me a studying of 220 beats per minute, which, sadly, is an impossibility at this stage of my life. When you’re seeking to get probably the most correct coronary heart charge readings, you possibly can pair this watch with a coronary heart charge chest strap.
Garmin Forerunner 165 Music Battery Life
A detailed-up of the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music’s face.
One of many standout options of the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music is its battery life. Given the dimensions of the watch, the battery is phenomenal. With as much as 11 days of use in smartwatch mode and as much as 19 hours in GPS mode, you possibly can monitor your runs and day by day actions with out always worrying about recharging. The 19 hours of monitoring will get you thru all however the longest ultras. Garmin claims the watch can run for as much as six hours whereas taking part in music and utilizing the GPS monitoring.
Whereas I didn’t try and run for 19 hours directly, I did depart the watch off the charger for a number of days whereas utilizing it to trace my runs and take heed to music. The music does drain the battery fairly a bit, so should you’re planning a super-long run, it may be a good suggestion to forego the music.
Garmin Forerunner 165 Music Further Options
Before everything, let’s speak in regards to the music options of the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music. As I detest operating with a cellphone, being able to go away it at house and nonetheless get pleasure from my favourite tunes whereas operating is a game-changer. The watch can maintain as much as 500 songs, and the Bluetooth connectivity makes it simple to pair with wi-fi headphones. I’ll be aware that the preliminary setup of pairing the headphones was not intuitive and a bit convoluted. Nevertheless, as soon as paired, they had been simple to make use of every time.
Past music and GPS monitoring, the watch gives a plethora of coaching metrics and restoration insights that can assist you optimize your exercises. From day by day urged exercises and Garmin Coach plans to race adaptive coaching, this watch offers all of the instruments you have to take your operating to the subsequent stage. It additionally gives quite a lot of health monitoring options, together with coronary heart charge variability (HRV) measurement that can assist you perceive your restoration, sleep monitoring, vitality monitoring, and stress ranges. It will possibly additionally estimate your VO2 max and measure your blood oxygen saturation stage.
Moreover, it boasts connectivity options similar to Garmin Pay contactless funds, good notifications, and LiveTrack, permitting family and friends to comply with your real-time location throughout runs. Security options like incident detection and handbook stay location sharing can present peace of thoughts throughout solo exercises, as long as you’ve introduced alongside a paired cellphone and stay in cell service.
The Garmin Join app makes it simple and quick to connect with apps like Strava and TrainingPeaks. Nevertheless, one of many extra irritating elements of the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music isn’t essentially even in regards to the watch itself, however relatively the Garmin ecosystem and apps, which generally is a bit overwhelming should you haven’t used them earlier than. There are tons of choices, and navigating the various apps and drop-down menus will be annoying. Moreover, I couldn’t handle to show off the mile cut up announcement instances for a number of runs. For some motive, even once I disabled the function on the app and synced the watch, the settings simply wouldn’t replace.
Garmin Forerunner 165 Music General Impressions
The Run button on the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music.
General, the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music has turn out to be an appreciated a part of my operating routine. I usually select to put on this watch over my Garmin fēnix 7S, which is a little bit of a shock given my preliminary skepticism. The watch is unbelievably light-weight whereas having the entire options I need. Its mixture of music playback potential, superior GPS monitoring, sturdy battery life, and complete coaching options make it a standout selection for runners of all ranges. Whether or not you’re coaching for a marathon or get pleasure from hitting the pavement for a leisurely jog, this watch can improve your operating expertise.
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