Garmin Forerunnner 965 Review: AMOLED Steals the Show

Last year I ditched my Apple Watch after strapping the Garmin Forerunner 955 to my wrist, enjoying the many fitness features that Garmin’s watch offers. Since then, I’ve tried a few other Garmin Watches, like the Enduro 2, but the 955 always ended up back on my wrist — until the Apple Watch Ultra came around. There’s a lot to like about both watch ecosystems, but one of the things that ended up bugging me about the Forerunner 955 was the display and how hard it could be at times to see in direct sunlight.

Earlier this month, Garmin announced the Forerunner 965, which builds on the features I loved in the 955 and brings a new AMOLED display along with it. That display is brighter and substantially more legible, and it makes Garmin’s new watch faces pop. It’s especially helpful for quick glances during my workouts. 

Even though that display is a welcome improvement over last year’s model, tradeoffs in the watch’s battery life and the removal of the solar charging feature are worth noting for fans of previous Garmin watches. You’ll want to keep those differences in mind, but for…