Garmin Forerunner series refreshed with new smartwatches in four finishes

Garmin has now released the Forerunner 165, in line with pre-release leaks. While only a few colour options surfaced earlier this month, Garmin has decided to offer its new smartwatch in two variants and six SKUs. For context, the Forerunner 165 series has arrived roughly six weeks after the company introduced the Lily 2, details of which we have provided separately.

As for the Forerunner 165, it simultaneously serves as a Forerunner 55 successor and a cheaper alternative to the Forerunner 265 (curr. $449.99 on Amazon). In short, the Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 165 Music offer the following highlights; please see Garmin's comparison tool for more hardware comparisons :

• Up to 11 days of battery life
• 1.2-inch AMOLED display (390 x 390 pixels)
• 4 GB storage
• Garmin Pay
• Sleep score and insights
• Pulse Ox blood oxygen sensor

Additionally, all Forerunner 165 models measure 43 x 43 x 11.6 mm, making them 1 mm larger diagonally than the Forerunner 55 and 3.1 mm narrower than the Forerunner 265. Given that the Forerunner 165 has a more power-hungry display than the Forerunner 55 and a smaller housing than the Forerunner 265, it should come as no surprise to learn the Forerunner 165 has worse battery life than the Forerunner 55 or Forerunner 265. 

The Forerunner 165 series starts at $249.99 without 'Music' connectivity in Black/Slate Grey and Mist Gray/Whitestone finishes. Alternatively, Garmin sells the Forerunner 165 Music for $299.99, with Berry/Lilac and Turquoise/Aqua offered alongside Black/Slate Grey and Mist Gray/Whitestone. Please see Garmin's website for more further product information.