A wealth of information has been leaked about Garmin’s upcoming entry-level smartwatch, the Forerunner 165. Details include device specifications, hardware and various features.
Everything on the list was discovered on the official Garmin website by industry insider, Fitness Tracker Test, who then shared their findings on their website personal web page. Nearly every aspect of the wearable is in the leak, aside from what it looks like, as there are no images. But there are enough clues to paint a picture.
Display upgrade
The Forerunner 165 will reportedly come with a 1.2-inch AMOLED display (390 x 390 pixel resolution). This is significantly larger than Garmin’s current entry-level model, the Forerunner 55, which has a 1.04-inch screen. Despite the size difference between the screens, the Forerunner 165’s housing will not be much larger: 43 x 43 x 11.6 mm. Fitness Tracker Test even claims that the “increased weight is barely noticeable.”
There is a disadvantage. Using an AMOLED has resulted in significantly worse battery life.
Instead of the Forerunner 55’s two-week runtime, the Forerunner 165, at least according to the leak, will only last up to 11 days – in smartwatch mode. Certain features drain the battery even faster. With the GPS setting enabled, battery life is reduced to 19 hours. If the wearable’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is activated, it drops even further to 17 hours. And if you also play music in addition to GNSS, the runtime drops to just 6.5 hours. Again, none of these details are confirmed by Garmin.
Functions
Further down the list, Fitness Tracker Test says there will be two versions at launch: the standard model and the Forerunner 165 Music. The latter, as the name suggests, has storage space for your favorite songs that can be played on Bluetooth headphones. Keep in mind that the device doesn’t get much storage space: only 4 GB. The Forerunner 165 Music also supports Wi-Fi connectivity; something the regular model will miss.
The future smartwatch will also have interesting hardware options. It has the Elevate V4 PPG sensor for measuring heart rate variability, as well as a barometric altimeter. This allows the device to determine altitude and record atmospheric altitude during athletic activities. It can even track how many floors you’ve climbed.
As for the rest of the features, Fitness Tracker Test claims they’re all things we’ve seen before on other Garmin products. You have an internal compass, nap detection and SpO2 capabilities for measuring blood oxygen levels. It’s important to point out that these features may actually be stripped-down versions of what’s seen on more expensive models. According to the report, Garmin has done this in the past with the Forerunner 55. Whether this will happen “remains to be seen.”
Upcoming launch
No word on how much the Forerunner 165 will cost or when it will launch. Considering all this information has recently come to light, an official release could be just around the corner. Fitness Tracker Test speculates that the standard smartwatch will cost €280 (about $225), while the Music model will cost €330 (about $355).
As always, take this leak with a grain of salt. Things can always change at the last minute, including the name. Tracker Tests claims they’ve seen evidence that the wearable could actually be called the Forerunner 65, but with all the upgrades they’re leaning more towards Forerunner 165 as the official name. Until we know more, check out Ny Breaking’s guide to the best Garmin watch for 2024.