Okay, here’s my take on comparing the Forerunner 265 and the Garmin Venu 3s, written in the style of a personal blog post:
So, I’ve been on a bit of a fitness watch kick lately. I wanted something to really track my workouts, but also look decent enough for everyday wear. I narrowed it down to two Garmin watches: the Forerunner 265 and the Venu 3s. It was a tough choice, so I dug in and did some serious comparing.
My Initial Research
First, I just looked at them. Seriously. I watched a bunch of videos and checked out pictures online. The Venu 3s is definitely the sleeker of the two. It’s smaller, and that AMOLED display is gorgeous. The Forerunner 265, on the other hand, looks more… well, like a sports watch. It’s got a bigger, brighter screen too, but it’s not quite as fancy as the Venu’s.
Diving into the Specs
Then I got into the nitty-gritty details. I made a little chart (because who doesn’t love a good chart?) to compare them side-by-side.
- Display: Both have AMOLED, which is awesome. But the Forerunner 265’s is bigger (1.3 inches vs. 1.2 inches on the Venu 3s).
- Battery Life: This was a big one for me. The Forerunner 265 claims up to 13 days in smartwatch mode, while the Venu 3s is around 10 days. In GPS mode, the Forerunner also lasts longer.
- Sports Apps: Both have a ton of built-in sports apps, like running, swimming, cycling, and even golf. They seemed pretty similar on this front.
- Size:Size is also very important to me, because I do not like big watch.
- Advanced Features: This is where things got interesting. The Forerunner 265 has some cool training readiness features and more detailed running metrics. The Venu 3s, though, has things like a built-in speaker and microphone for calls and voice assistant stuff.
Putting Them to the Test (Sort Of)
I didn’t actually buy both watches (my wallet wouldn’t be happy!). But I did spend a lot of time reading reviews and watching videos of people using them. I wanted to see how they performed in real-world situations.
I noticed that people who were serious about running and training tended to lean towards the Forerunner 265. They praised its accuracy and the depth of its training data. Folks who were more focused on overall wellness and everyday smart features seemed to prefer the Venu 3s.
My Conclusion
After all my research and virtual “testing,” I had to make a decision. And honestly, it comes down to what YOU need. If you’re a hardcore runner or triathlete, the Forerunner 265 is probably the better choice. If you want a stylish watch with solid fitness tracking and some cool smart features, the Venu 3s is a great option.
Eventually, I decided that Venu 3s is more fit to me.
It was a fun little project, comparing these two watches! Hopefully, my notes help someone else out there who’s trying to decide between them.