Garmin Forerunner 265 vs Forerunner 255

Forerunner 265 is the successor variant of the Forerunner 255. Both smartwatches are geared up for runners. Given a choice between these two running watches, which one would you prefer? We evaluate both Forerunner watches to help you simplify your buying decision.

As we write this, Forerunner 255 is cheaper than Forerunner 265 by $100. What are the incremental benefits of investing in a Forerunner 265 than a Forerunner 255? We review the incremental features and sensors of Forerunner 265 below.

Display

The biggest differentiator between the Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 255 is the advent of the AMOLED display on the Forerunner 265. Forerunner 255 continues to use the MIP or Memory-in-pixel screen.

There are a couple of advantages of using an AMOLED display.

  • The display resolution for Forerunner 264 is 416 x 416 pixels. The Forerunner 255 has a display resolution of 260 x 260 pixels. The resolution of Forerunner 265 is a generation ahead of the display of Forerunner 255.
  • Always-on-display or AOD is available in Forerunner 265. Forerunner 255 lacks the AOD feature.

If you are keen on a vastly improved display resolution and clarity, the Forerunner 265 is the preferred variant over the Forerunner 255.

Forerunner 265 smartwatch

Additional features of Forerunner 265

There are a few small incremental features that have become part of the Forerunenr 265 running watches. We list these features below:

  • Forerunner 265 has touchscreen functionality. Forerunner 255 does not have touchscreen functionality.
  • Forerunner 265 has a device storage or memory of 8 GB and Forerunner 255 has a device storage of 4 GB. So, the device storage has doubled from Forerunner 255 to Forerunner 265.
  • Wi-Fi wireless connectivity is also available on the Forerunner 265. This is in addition to the ANT+ and Bluetooth wireless connectivity on the Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 255.
  • Additionally, you can store music files locally on the Forerunner 265 running watch. Forerunner 255 does not have offline music storage functionality.
  • Forerunner 265 can also be used to control music on the paired smartphone. This feature is also missing on the Forerunner 255 running watches.
  • Ambient light sensor has been added to the Forerunner 265. ALS was missing on the Forerunner 255 running watch.
  • Spectator messaging safety feature has been added to the Forerunner 265. It allows you to communicate with the Forerunner 265 wearer.

Physical specifications

There are no major differences in the physical specifications of the Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 255. The marginal points of difference between Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 255 physical specifications are given below.

  • Forerunner 265 has a display size of 32.5 mm diameter and Forerunner 255 has a display size of 33 mm diameter.
  • Forerunner 265 has a watch size of 46.1 mm and a thickness of 12.9 mm. Forerunner 255 has a watch size of 45.5 mm and a thickness of 12.9 mm.
  • Forerunner 265 weighs 47 g and Forerunner 255 weighs 49 g.

Both watches continue to use the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for the display.

Battery

There is a marginal difference in the battery backup offered by Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 255.

  • On the smartwatch mode, Forerunner 265 can last up to 13 days and Forerunner 255 can last up to 14 days.
  • On the GPS mode, Forerunner 265 can last up to 20 hours and Forerunner 255 can go up to 30 hours.

The battery backup offered by a Forerunner 265 is slightly lower than the Forerunner 255. The degraded backup time can be attributed to the AMOLED display. AMOLED displays consume more battery than MIP or memory-in-pixel screens.

Rear sensors of Forerunner 265 running watches

Features Table

Apart from the differences stated above, most core features of the Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 255 are identical. We shared some of these features below.

FeaturesForerunner 265Forerunner 255
iOS compatibilityYesYes
Android compatibilityYesYes
Display glassCorning Gorilla Glass 3Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Display techAMOLEDMIP
Display resolution416 X 416 pixels260 x 260 pixels
TouchscreenYesNo
Color displayYesYes
Water rating5 ATM5 ATM
Device storage8 GB4 GB
Heart sensorGarmin ElevateGarmin Elevate
Heart rate monitoringYesYes
Daily resting heart rateYesYes
Abnormal heart rate alertsYesYes
SpO2 monitoringYesYes
AccelerometerYesYes
GyroscopeYesYes
Barometric altimeterYesYes
Body batteryYesYes
Sleep monitoringYesYes
Sleep scoreYesYes
Music storageYesNo
Control smartphone musicYesNo
GPSGPS, GLONASS, GalileoGPS, GLONASS, Galileo
Multi-frequency positioning sensorYesYes
CompassYesYes
Ambient light sensorYesNo
Women’s healthYesYes
Women’s HealthYesHealth Dashboard
NFCGarmin PayGarmin Pay
Incident detectionYesYes
Spectator messagingYesNo

Closing thoughts

A Forerunner 265 costs $449.99 and the Forerunner 255 costs $349.99. For an additional $100, you are getting an AMOLED display, touchscreen functionality, and double device storage. These are the primary features that can vastly improve user experience.

Most features associated with running, swimming, cycling, and outdoor recreation profiles remain unchanged between the Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 255 smartwatches.

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Helen Kurt - Contributor on TECHEPAGES.COM. Reach me on email.

Helen Kurt is a geeky nerd who loves to cover the wearables space. She has over 5 years of experience in the smartwatch domain. You can reach her on email at [email protected].