One of Garmin's Popular Fitness Smartwatches Is $150 Off on Amazon, Its Lowest-Ever Price
Men’s Journal aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.
What We Love About This Deal
For many, January means getting back into a routine and redeveloping good fitness habits. The best way to do this is with sheer willpower. It's also the most difficult way. What many have found, though, is that using a good smartwatch or fitness tracker makes staying on target a little more fun. If you want a healthy combination of fitness functions, practical everyday features, and a strong GPS, this Garmin that's on sale is more than worth a look.
The Garmin Forerunner 265 Running Smartwatch is now on sale for only $300, a 33% discount off of its normal price and the lowest price it's seen in its history on Amazon. It’s earned nearly 2,000 five-star ratings for its tracking capabilities and incredible battery life, and just in the last month, over 1,000 of them have been purchased.
Garmin Forerunner 265 Running Smartwatch, $300 (was $450) at Amazon
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
Very long battery life | Not as scratch-resistant as other models |
Quick-release mechanism makes swapping straps simple and allows the watch to lie flat | |
Touchscreen enabled | |
Features for beyond a gym |
What Shoppers Should Know
- Sizes: 42mm, 46mm
- Memory: 8GB
- Battery Life: Up to 15 days
- Practical Features: Garmin contactless payments, music, safety tracking, smart notifications
- Special Features: Morning report, custom training plans, suggested workouts, and more
- Trackable Activities: Running, marathons, cycling, swimming, and more
- Best For: Runners, athletes, hikers
The Forerunner 265(S) has an AMOLED touchscreen display, multi-band GPS tracking, and Bluetooth connectivity that makes it possible to listen to music sans smartphone. It also handles push notifications and contactless payments like any other smartwatch, but this thing is truly built for fitness.
In concert with the Garmin Connect app, it does things like suggest workouts, rate your workout readiness (based on sleep quality, vitals, and past workouts), estimate recovery time, and create custom plans for specific fitness goals.
It comes in two sizes, the 265 (46 mm face) and 265S (42 mm face). Along with the smaller size, the 265S boasts an official battery life of 15 days, compared to the 265’s 13. The right one for you is a matter of personal preference more than anything else. If you’re interested in a smartwatch primarily for its wellness potential, this is a great one to get.
Related: REI's 'Multi-Use' Moisture-Wicking Base Layer Shirts Are Now on Sale for $20
What Shoppers Are Saying
One customer who upgraded from a previous Forerunner found a ton to love in the newer model. “I find that with all the extra data it tracks, I use it more and I'm more in sync with my body and my training,” particularly thanks to the morning report on sleep quality and custom ratings of training readiness, body battery, and stress. They added that the battery “lasts as long, if not longer, than my old watch.”
Another came to this watch after experimenting with other brands, and they have “zero regrets” because it “has everything I was looking for in a smart watch—sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, recovery and performance statistics, and so much more.”
Whether you’re a Garmin loyalist or are new to the world of fitness smartwatches, the Garmin Forerunner 265 is a great watch to wear daily. It tracks a ton of data and then translates it to scores, plans, and insights that can actually make a difference to someone’s fitness journey. It’s worth paying full price for, but it's a no-brainer now that it's down to $300. Grab one before they sell out.