Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch Review: The New Sweet Spot for Runners?

For years, my running routine was a tangled mess of compromises. I’d either stuff my bulky smartphone into a bouncing armband, fumbling with it to change a song or check my pace, or I’d run with a basic watch that offered little more than a stopwatch. The phone was a distraction, an extra weight I didn’t need. The basic watch left me guessing about my performance, my heart rate, and whether I was actually improving. I craved a single, streamlined device that could track my runs with precision, play my motivational playlists, and give me meaningful insights into my health, all without weighing me down or dying halfway through a long run. This search for the perfect, hassle-free running companion is what led me to take an in-depth look at the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch, a device that promises to be the answer to this all-too-common runner’s dilemma.

What to Consider Before Buying a Running GPS Smartwatch

A GPS Units, specifically a running smartwatch, is more than just a gadget; it’s a key solution for athletes who want to transform raw effort into measurable progress. It solves the core problem of “running blind” by providing real-time data on pace, distance, heart rate, and cadence. This empowers you to train smarter, not just harder. The main benefits are profound: structured training through guided workouts, injury prevention via monitoring of training load and recovery, and enhanced motivation through tracking achievements and listening to phone-free music. It consolidates the function of a GPS tracker, a heart rate monitor, a music player, and a daily activity tracker into one lightweight wrist-based device.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing the challenge of improving their running performance, whether they are a beginner training for their first 5k or a seasoned runner looking to shave minutes off their marathon time. They value data-driven feedback and convenience. On the other hand, this might not be the right tool for someone who only engages in casual walks or is primarily looking for a high-fashion smartwatch with extensive app integrations like an Apple Watch. For them, a simpler fitness tracker or a more lifestyle-oriented smartwatch might be a better fit. The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch specifically targets the dedicated runner who also appreciates all-day health monitoring and smart features.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Display Technology & Size: The screen is your primary interface during a run. Look for displays that are bright and easy to read in direct sunlight. The choice between a vibrant, high-resolution AMOLED screen (like the Forerunner 165’s) and a more power-efficient MIP (Memory-in-Pixel) display often comes down to personal preference for visual quality versus maximum battery life. The case size, like the 43mm on this model, also affects comfort and screen real estate.
• GPS Accuracy & Battery Performance: The heart of any GPS watch is its ability to track you accurately. Look for watches with reliable satellite acquisition to ensure your distance and pace metrics are trustworthy. Battery life is equally critical. Check the manufacturer’s claims for both smartwatch mode (daily use) and, more importantly, GPS mode (during activities). A watch that dies mid-marathon is of no use.
• Health & Training Metrics: Beyond basic tracking, what insights does the watch offer? Features like wrist-based heart rate, VO2 Max estimates, recovery time advisor, sleep tracking, and HRV (Heart Rate Variability) status provide a holistic view of your fitness and well-being. The quality and depth of these metrics often separate entry-level models from more advanced training tools.
• Ecosystem & Connectivity: The watch is only half the experience; the companion app is the other. A robust app like Garmin Connect should present your data clearly, offer deep analysis, and allow for easy customization. Also, consider smart features like music storage, contactless payments (Garmin Pay), and smart notifications, which add significant quality-of-life improvements.

Making the right choice ensures your new watch becomes an indispensable training partner rather than a forgotten gadget in a drawer.

While the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch is an excellent choice for many runners, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models for navigation and outdoor activities, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: Featherlight Design Meets a Stunning Display

Unboxing the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch, the first thing that struck me was its incredible lightness. At just 39 grams, it feels almost non-existent on the wrist, a stark contrast to some of the bulky, heavy GPS watches on the market. This is a crucial detail for a device you’ll wear 24/7, from morning runs to sleeping at night. As one user upgrading from the older Forerunner 55 noted, it maintains a similar weight profile but introduces a world of upgrades.

The biggest upgrade is immediately obvious upon powering it on: the brilliant AMOLED touchscreen. The colours are vibrant, the blacks are deep, and the text is crisp and legible, even under the harsh glare of the midday sun. This is a game-changer for at-a-glance readability during a run. While it features a responsive touchscreen, Garmin has wisely retained its classic five-button layout, which is essential for reliable operation with sweaty hands or in rainy conditions. The initial setup was straightforward, guiding me through pairing with the Garmin Connect app on my smartphone and connecting to Wi-Fi for music downloads. The overall build feels solid yet comfortable, with a soft silicone band that didn’t cause any irritation during my initial testing period. It’s a design that successfully balances sporty functionality with a clean aesthetic, making it a device you’ll be happy to wear all day.

Deep Dive: Putting the Forerunner 165 Through Its Paces

A spec sheet can only tell you so much. To truly understand a running watch, you have to log miles with it. I spent weeks testing the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch across various conditions—sunny morning jogs, rainy trail runs, and intense treadmill sessions—to see if its real-world performance lives up to its promise.

The AMOLED Display and User Interface: A Visual Leap Forward

The 1.2-inch AMOLED display is, without a doubt, the star of the show. It elevates the Forerunner 165 from a purely functional tool to a premium-feeling smartwatch. During my runs, I never had to squint or shield the screen to see my stats; a quick glance was all it took. The vibrancy makes data fields pop and charts for heart rate zones easy to interpret mid-stride. This sentiment was shared by numerous users, with one simply stating, “Love the Amoled display, functions are useful and rich.” We found the touch-responsiveness to be smooth and intuitive for navigating through widgets like the weather or my calendar. However, Garmin’s genius lies in the hybrid control system. When my fingers were slick with sweat, the physical buttons were my go-to for starting, stopping, and lapping runs without any fumbling. The “Up,” “Down,” and “Back” buttons make navigating menus second nature after a few uses. Customization is also a strong point. Through the Garmin Connect IQ store, I could download different watch faces, and as one user happily discovered, you can even use your own photos to create a truly personal look. This combination of a beautiful display and practical, reliable controls makes the user experience a significant upgrade over older, non-touch, MIP-display models.

Performance on the Pavement: GPS Accuracy and Advanced Running Metrics

A running watch is worthless if its core tracking is unreliable. I’m pleased to report that the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch delivers exceptional accuracy. In open areas, the GPS connected within seconds, and my recorded tracks on the map afterwards were impressively precise, sticking to the correct side of the road without the jagged, building-bouncing lines I’ve seen from lesser devices. The pace and distance readings were consistent with known routes and my expectations. This aligns with feedback from long-time Garmin users, one of whom came from a classic Forerunner 235 and was “pleasantly surprised by the advancement of Garmin and the excellent leap in quality,” calling it “very precise even without a heart rate strap.”

But it’s the depth of running data that truly empowers you. After each run, the watch provides a Training Effect label, telling me if my workout was primarily improving my aerobic or anaerobic fitness. The Recovery Time advisor gave me a tangible number of hours to wait before my next hard effort, helping me avoid overtraining. Features like daily suggested workouts, tailored to my fitness level and recovery status, took the guesswork out of my training plan. For those training for a specific event, Garmin Coach and race-adaptive training plans offer structured guidance right on your wrist. It’s these advanced insights that make it a powerful tool for both new and seasoned runners looking to improve.

Beyond the Run: Phone-Free Music and Holistic Health Tracking

The “Music” in the product name is a key selling point, and it completely changes the running experience. The ability to leave my phone at home is liberating. Syncing my Spotify playlists over Wi-Fi was a simple process, and once downloaded, pairing my wireless headphones was seamless. As one enthusiastic user put it, “the music version for me is great because I avoid going out for a run with my cell phone.” Having your favorite tracks on your wrist, with easy controls to skip or pause, is a feature that, once you’ve tried it, you won’t want to live without. The convenience is unmatched.

Beyond music, the watch excels as a 24/7 health companion. The Morning Report is a brilliant feature that greets you upon waking with a summary of your sleep quality, HRV status, recovery readiness, and even the day’s weather. It sets the tone for your day and helps you decide if it’s a day for a hard training session or active recovery. We found the sleep tracking to be surprisingly detailed and accurate, breaking down sleep stages and providing a sleep score. This was a standout feature for a user who converted from Fitbit, praising the “great app with sleep insights, HRV monitoring, resting heart rate monitoring and sleep quality.” The combination of music, Garmin Pay for a post-run coffee, and deep health insights makes the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch a well-rounded device that adds value long after your run is over.

Battery Life: Real-World Stamina vs. On-Paper Claims

Garmin claims “up to 11 days” in smartwatch mode and “up to 19 hours” in GPS mode. As with any tech device, your mileage will vary based on usage. In my testing, I found these claims to be achievable under specific conditions. With the screen set to gesture-based activation (not always-on), about 4-5 hours of GPS tracking per week, and no music playback, I could comfortably get 9-10 days on a single charge. This is fantastic and aligns with what users who were primarily impressed by battery life experienced.

However, it’s crucial to understand the impact of the main features. The beautiful AMOLED display and the music player are the biggest battery drains. One user noted that when “training daily and listening to music from the watch,” the battery lasted about 3 to 4 days. This was consistent with my heavy-use testing. When I used GPS and played music simultaneously for a two-hour run, it consumed a significant chunk of the battery. So, is the battery a weakness? Not at all. It’s a trade-off. You get a stunning display and phone-free music, and in return, you charge it more often than a basic MIP-display model. For most users, charging once or twice a week is a very reasonable price to pay for the feature set on offer, and it still vastly outperforms mainstream smartwatches from Apple or Samsung.

What Other Users Are Saying

Looking at a wide range of feedback, the sentiment around the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch is overwhelmingly positive. Many users see it as hitting a perfect sweet spot of features, performance, and price. One reviewer called it a “great value for the price,” highlighting the “precise GPS” and “huge amount of performance & health metrics.” Another described it as “perfect for new and seasoned runners,” confirming its wide appeal.

The most commonly praised features are the vibrant AMOLED screen, the lightweight comfort, and for the music version, the freedom of phone-free runs. A user coming from an Apple Watch specifically chose it for its focus on “health and fitness while offering basic smartwatch features,” and loved that the “battery life is fantastic!”

On the critical side, the most common point of feedback relates to the learning curve and battery expectations. One self-described “not a spring chicken” user admitted to being “frustrated with set up” initially, needing to watch videos to figure it out, but ultimately came to love the watch’s tracking and “oh my” battery life compared to their previous device. Another user pointed out that the “battery is draining pretty fast if you wear it all day,” a valid observation for those who enable all features like an always-on display and use GPS and music frequently.

How Does the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music Compare to the Alternatives?

While the Forerunner 165 is a fantastic device, it exists in a competitive market. It’s important to understand where it fits and what other options might better suit different needs.

1. Polar Ignite 2 GPS Fitness Watch

The Polar Ignite 2 is a strong competitor that focuses heavily on overall wellness, recovery, and guided workouts. Its main strengths are Polar’s excellent sleep tracking analytics (Nightly Recharge) and the FitSpark feature, which suggests daily workouts based on your recovery status. However, it lacks onboard music storage and contactless payments. Someone who prioritizes recovery data and guided fitness routines over smartwatch features might prefer the Polar Ignite 2, but runners who want the convenience of phone-free music will find the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch to be the superior choice.

2. Garmin epix PRO Gen 2 51mm Smartwatch AMOLED Touchscreen

The Garmin epix PRO Gen 2 is in a different league entirely. It’s a premium, high-end multisport watch with a larger, brilliant AMOLED display, advanced mapping, a built-in LED flashlight, and materials like titanium and sapphire glass. It boasts an even longer battery life and provides more advanced metrics for sports like triathlon, skiing, and mountaineering. This watch is for the serious adventure athlete or data fanatic with a much larger budget. For the dedicated runner who doesn’t need advanced topographical maps or a flashlight, the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch offers the most essential features, including a beautiful AMOLED screen, for a fraction of the price, making it a much better value proposition.

3. Garmin Approach S12 GPS Golf Watch

The Garmin Approach S12 is a highly specialized device and not a direct competitor for running. As its name suggests, it is built exclusively for golfers. It comes preloaded with over 42,000 golf courses, provides distances to the front, middle, and back of the green, and tracks your score. It has a sunlight-readable MIP display optimized for long battery life on the course. While it uses GPS, it lacks the advanced running dynamics, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and smart features of the Forerunner series. This is the perfect watch for a dedicated golfer, but for anyone whose primary activity is running, the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch is the only logical choice between the two.

Final Verdict: The Runner’s New Champion?

After extensive testing and analysis, we can confidently say that the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music GPS Smartwatch is a phenomenal piece of kit that hits the bullseye for a massive segment of the running community. It masterfully blends essential, accurate performance tracking with premium features that were, until recently, reserved for much more expensive models. The stunning AMOLED display, the liberating onboard music storage, and the deep well of Garmin’s health and training insights create a package that is both powerful and a joy to use.

While the battery life requires more frequent charging than its MIP-screened predecessors, the trade-off for such a vibrant display and robust feature set is more than worth it. It may not have the advanced mapping of the epix series or the niche focus of an Approach golf watch, but it isn’t trying to. It knows its audience: the runner who wants to train smarter, leave their phone behind, and gain a holistic understanding of their health without breaking the bank. If you’re a new runner looking for your first serious watch or a veteran upgrading from an older device, this is arguably the best all-around value in running tech today. We wholeheartedly recommend it. To see the full feature list and check the latest price and color options, you can find it here.