Okay, so I’ve been using my Garmin Forerunner 255 for a while now, and I’ve been pretty happy with it. But then the 165 came out, and I got curious. Was it worth the upgrade? Or could the newer, cheaper model actually be better? I decided to find out.
The Face-Off: My Testing Process
First, I grabbed both watches. Charged ’em up. Made sure they were both on the latest software. You know, the basic prep stuff.
Then, I started wearing them both, one on each wrist. Yeah, I probably looked a little goofy, but hey, gotta get that data, right? I wore them for everything: runs (obviously), walks, even just bumming around the house. I wanted to see how they compared in real-life situations, not just on paper.
Tracking My Runs (and Everything Else)
- GPS Accuracy: I hit my usual running routes, some with clear skies, others with tree cover. Both watches did pretty well, honestly. I compared the maps afterwards, and the tracks were almost identical. Maybe a tiny bit more smoothing on the 255, but nothing major.
- Heart Rate: This is where things got interesting. Both have wrist-based heart rate, but the 255 seemed a bit more consistent, especially during interval training. I sometimes noticed some wonkiness in the values displayed by 165.
- Battery Life: Garmin claims some pretty impressive battery life for both. I found the 255 lasted way longer in smartwatch mode, like, days longer. But for GPS tracking, they were closer than I expected. Still, the 255 had the edge.
- Other Stuff: I also checked out things like sleep tracking, step counting, and all those other “wellness” features. They were pretty much neck-and-neck. Both gave me similar data, and both seemed reasonably accurate (compared to how I actually felt, anyway).
Making the Decision
After a couple of weeks of this double-watch life, I sat down and really thought about it. Which watch was actually better for me?
Here’s the thing: the 255 has more features. It’s got things like multi-band GPS, more detailed running metrics, and longer battery life. But… I didn’t need all that stuff. I’m not a pro athlete. I’m just a regular dude who likes to run.
The 165, on the other hand, felt lighter and more comfortable on my wrist. It tracked my runs just fine. And it was cheaper! For my needs, it was actually the better choice.
So, I ended up sticking with the 165,and my old 255 found a new owner. It’s a great watch, don’t get me wrong, but for my everyday use, the 165 is the winner.
If you need all the bells and whistles,go to *, you can save money and choose 165.