Okay, so I’ve been looking to upgrade my running watch, and I’ve been torn between the Garmin Forerunner 55 and the Forerunner 265. I mean, the 55 is solid and reliable, but the 265 has that fancy AMOLED screen and some extra features. It’s a tough call, so I decided to dig into the specs and really compare them side-by-side.
Digging into the Details
First, I grabbed both watches’ spec sheets from the Garmin website. Nothing beats going straight to the source, right? Then, I opened up a simple spreadsheet. Yeah, I’m a bit old-school like that. I created columns for all the key features: battery life, display type, size, weight, training metrics, you name it.
I started by inputting the basic stuff. The Forerunner 55 is smaller and lighter, which is nice. The 265 is bigger, obviously, because of that larger screen. Battery life was a big one for me.
- Forerunner 55: Pretty good battery life, especially in smartwatch mode.
- Forerunner 265: Battery life takes a hit because of the AMOLED, but it’s still decent.
Next, I moved on to the training features. Both have the usual stuff – pace, distance, heart rate. But the 265 throws in things like Training Readiness, Morning Report, and more detailed performance metrics. I admit, the 265 that is enticing.
Then there’s the display, the Amoled is very actractive.
- Forerunner 55: The classic transflective display. It’s easy to read in sunlight, and that save battery.
- Forerunner 265: That AMOLED screen. It’s gorgeous, colorful, and * it will cost more battery.
I spent a good couple of hours just going back and forth, comparing the numbers, and thinking about what really matters to me.
Making a Decision… (Almost)
After all that digging, I’m leaning towards the Forerunner 265. I just put my choice in the sheet I * extra training features and that beautiful screen are hard to resist. But the 55 is still a fantastic watch, and it’s significantly cheaper. It’s a tough decision, and honestly, I might even sleep on it before I finally pull the trigger.It’s a big choice!