I ran the Wasatch 100 earlier this month. I used the Forerunner 965 and turned off the bluetooth to my phone, I set it to "GPS only", turned off "always on", set brightness to medium, turned on "gesture", set time out to 4 seconds, and I kept the HR on. I started to use navigation when it got dark, at about mile 50. I am not super fast and finished in 34 hours. My watch had 21% left when I finished and I did not charge it at any time during the race. I was pretty impressed.
My daughter said, "why should we give him a thumbs up he didn't even finish is ultra race". Children are cold... 😂 She is 8. Nice info on the 265. I'm still a fan of sunlight visible screens. Iv never looked down at my sunlight visible screen and thought "I wish this was a OLED screen". I think sunlight visible screens are the way a watch should be.
This is my favorite Sport Watches reviews channel out there, not only for the info details, presentation and statistics, but the work behind as content creator (video edition, script, mic, sound, lights...) 🎥
I have the forerunner 965 for almost 3 weeks now, first time after a full charge, followed by the regular set up + spotify + Garmin pay and so on I had the watch on GPS auto select mode, AOD screen off (AOD on during exercises) and brightness at the lowest level (works perfectly for me) and around 5 hours of different activities during that period, I had to recharge it after 10 days. After that I tried all the same, maybe 1 hour more of exercises and AOD on, I had to recharge it exactly after a week. All in all, perfect stats for me!
I did a test with the following configuration: - display = gesture - timeout = 4 seconds - gestures = 15-20 per hour - gps = auto - recording = every second - heart rate = wrist - external sensors = 2 - phone = not connected - pace pro = on for 1 hour - navigation = off The results are: - activity time = 2 hours - battery usage = 5% - conclusion = with this configuration you can get about 40h of activity. Not bad at all.
I ran the Tupper Lake Tinman race (Ironman 70.3 equivalent)June 24, and the Apple ultra recorded the race accurately and mapped it well. The battery held up just fine with energy to spare and I didn’t turn off features. I kept it simple and so did the watch
Another great video Dave. I’m no ultra runner 😂. I’ve had the 965 for a little over a month. I’ve used it for 5-10k runs, indoor spin bike and hiking - all with AOD off, auto gps. Overall very pleased with the watch. It would be nice to see Garmin include battery life consumption in the completed activity data.
I'm recovering from injury, s not massive, long trail runs, but with Music / Blue tooth and all bands I've had over 3 hours, and still more than 50% battery life remaining. Brightness set to lowest, and always on display. Never thought about Bluetooth, don't need it when running, so that's great to know, it will help with battery.
Some things to consider is that battery degrades overtime. Fresh out of the box is different from one to two years from now. I'd strongly take that into consideration for ultrarunners who don't plan on buying a new watch every one to two years.
I just switched from instinct 2x to 965 so good news about the battery life. But last weekend i did a 6+ hrs bike ride and only lost 5% battery 😮 nothing can touch that watch for battery life
Coming from an Apple Watch SE, anything over a day is a blessing for me. I use my 965 with almost everything on and just charge it once a week. It can easily last me two weeks but I like always on display. Also worth noting I average about 350minutes of activity per week. 50-70km runs per week
Man you say it so fast Forerunner 965 that I heard so many times Garmin 465 :D I was like - that cannot be true. And then it hit me why :) Great videos, I am really enjoying them - greetings from Berlin.
@ChaseTheSummit the Suunto Race S needs those same tests. I have a Vertical but I'm seriously considering the Race S for my small wrist. It could perhaps last a 100 miler with dual band and some tweaks
I switched to garmin watches recently. The battery performance is insane. I use a Forerunner 255 for in depth performance data. Mainly, I use the Instinct Solar, living in Hawaii, I can take advantage of the solar charging feature, sunlight for 365 days a year. I would buy this or the Forerunner 955 solar. But then, I don't use the navigation features over here, I know all of the routes in my head down here.
I've had a different experience with my Forerunner 965. First, whether the always-on display is enabled or not during a run didn't make much of a difference. I turned off Bluetooth and the always-on display, set display brightness to minimum, had navigation on as well as two external devices connected - a Stryd and a Polar optical HRM. My watch lost no less than 6% battery per hour. I haven't tried running without dual-band GPS and connected devices, but I suspect they draw a lot of power.
Thanks for a great video again. I really enjoy your reviews! Even though I'm not an ultra runner I think my next watch will be the FR965. I currently have GW5 pro and even though it's a good smart watch I want something more sport focused wrist device which the GW5 pro is really not. The metrics it provides are very simple, the navigation kind a sucks and the gps is pretty poor.
I have a 955 I keep it on battery saver most times dim low as well. Get estimated about 20 days with runs in between there almost daily. Love it so far
Hi, love your channel. I would be interested in seeing the battery results you saw with the ultra. I am in the process of making a big decision on whether to stick with Garmin or go with ultra.
Coming soon, but in short the 965 beat it by many times over. The only time they were similar was with the 965 in the most aggressive setting and the Apple Watch Ultra in low power mode where they were close!
I bought an Ultra and as a daily wear the watch is really good. Battery still causes anxiety though compared to my Suunto's and Garmin's. Apple Pay is much better than Garmin Pay here in Australia (not a lot of support anywhere). There are so many upsides to a proper fitness watch compared to a smartwatch. Kinda regretting buying the Ultra, but I'll get a new Suunto Race next year anyway.@@ChaseTheSummit
I have a forerunner 245, and the battery life lasts for a much longer time than the newer amoled versions. Not surprising really, but I would prefer the nicer display and would happily give up some of that battery life for it!
Thx for the detailed review! Battery life is my biggest concern regarding the 965. Many 100 mile ultra trail races have a cut off time of over 40 hours (i.e. UTMB). Sounds like this watch can still handle it with the right settings?
Hi Chase the Summit. I really like your batterytests. They are really great. Something a had been searching for a long time until I saw your videos. I don’t unterstand why Garmin doesn’t show those numbers on their website. That would be a great marketing for them🤪🤔. Does it also show you more hrs of gps running time when you switch off the always on display for example 50hrs like in your case or is it always the same? Hope you can help me. Thx and greets from Austria 🇦🇹 Matthias🙂👍🏾
I think they avoid advertising specific battery situations because there are so many variables. They stick to a pretty standard set up for their spec sheet which makes sense! Yes, when you change settings the estimated battery remaining will adjust accordingly. This includes screen brightness, screen time out, always on display, GPS modes, etc... They will all be reflected in the estimated remaining time.
Great Video! Was thinking I'd love to see a king of the battery type video. Comparing the top dogs like Vertix 2, Enduro 2, Vertical in a real life setting
Hey! Could you please do a test on how long it may go if you were just using it to preserve as much battery as possible? Such as disabling AOD, disabling pulse ox, using SATIQ mode and so on. I would be really interested in that along with many other people I know. Garmin claims it can go up to 23 days but would love to know how a real life test goes.
👋 Hello Dave! ...I still like to watch your videos! 😎👍 Thank you very much for all the work! ...you like to test 🤓, I have this question: I use the Stryd (Wind), but now also the Garmin HRM-pro+ and a Forerunner 965. All three have power data… Where would the pros & cons be in most meaningful training with power data in Zones? 🤔Can I sell the Stryd? ...a video about it would be really cool 😁. With sporting greetings from the Eifel/Germany!
I didnt' change many settings, I use this as a smart watch everyday, and since my first run, the battery has been plumetting. Before that, i was loosing only 4-5% per day. I charged it yesterday evening, to 100% and woke up to 80%, and its 13h, and its already at 73%. I really don't know what happenned, but it worries me
Keen on this but a bit OCD about how robust it is. I have a 6 Pro and, not infrequently, bang or knock it on a door jamb or other. Obviously being steel, it's generally fine! Not sure about the 965! How would you rate it's day-to-day resilience for clumsy sods like me? 🤣
Garmin's 31 hr estimate is spot on for me with mine. I use gps only and max brightness. Ends up being about 3%/hr for activity. It looks like I can adjust some stuff in case I need to use it for a 100 miler, and really surprised nav doesn't hit batt life hard. Thanks for the video!
@@ChaseTheSummitok but you don’t know how long because Garmin says 34hrs with always on and I was interested how long it would last without. The other guy did 34hrs with 21% left who also wrote the comment so it should be more forsure
Not sure if you answered this here but what band are you using for the 965? I like the color...happy to use the link you provide to purchase the watch band
When running outdoor with "always on display" turned on, can u actually see the watch face while it's in the "dim" mode? I bike a lot and like to just look down at the watch and not have to turn my wrist to engage the gesture mode.
Any good marathon training app for Apple Watch Ultra ? Apple doesn't have any downloadable training schedules like Garmin offers for half or full marathon training schedule on to watch, seems using 3rd party apps be the only alternative. Thank you
I will soon buy my very first Garmin watch... actually my very first connected sport watch. I'm hesitating between the 965 and the epix 51mm. I know the epix is more expensive. Just wondering if both 965 and epix pro gen 2 have the same functions? The latter is much more premium if I'm not mistaken? Sorry if I ask silly questions... 😅
Returned my Garmin 965 and kept my 945. Elevation gain was way off on the 965 compared to Apple watch and 945. Having to turn wrist to read the screen was annoying. Strange but 945 screen is easier to read on the run. The buttons on the 965 are not as clicky as the 945. Had to look at the 965 screen when pressing the start/stop button to make sure the run started/stopped. Found myself charging battery every night on the 965 compared to several days on the 945.
@@ChaseTheSummit Thanks! I ask because of the Rob's channel, although I sometimes experience different accuracy than he does. For example my Vanu 2 is closer to the Huawei watches that the reviews suggest.
@@user-ij8no5zw6u- The tricky part with opitcal sensors is that results vary greatly from person to person. While Rob does a great job testing stuff at a scientific/objective level he's still only a sample of 1 (as am I). All we can do is share our personal experiences unless we rally up a group of people to do a study on... That would be a cool video but I haven't gotten there yet! That said, the 965 has been pretty solid for me from an optical sensor level. Is the new sensor better? Yes, but not by a massive margin. Hope that helps!
@@ChaseTheSummit Thanks for the info! I try a lot of watches and honestly I don't like Garmins that much, but for a third time I'm switching back to Garmin :) I think they updated the firmware of an alder models in a good way, Venu 2 is now good at sleep tracking and very close to Fitbit witch used to lead the ways. About HR accuracy I just don't know what to believe anymore, used to thing Garmin is not good enough, but now comparing to other supposedly better watches.... Do you think Apple Watch performs better for you that 965 or Venu 2?
hi, i am altitude climber. i am really confused between Forerunner 965 vs Amazfit T rex Ultra. All i am looking for Smart features like answering calls and text And most important Altitude meter with Oxygen level. do you mind helping me which one is the best? many thanks.
How is the timeout behaving with the Amoled display? so when I set it to max which is 15 seconds and I turn my wrist that the screen goes on it will stay for 15s at the brightness setting which I define or will it dim earlier?
I DNF'ed the Eiger 101k - it was crazy hot - but here are the battery results: I was on the course for 12 hours. I turned off wifi and bluetooth and set GPS mode as GPS only. I started with 99% and finished with 69%. So it easily could have handled a 24hr race with those settings.
I'm planning to buy this watch for me. I'm not a runner, but I want the watch to use the watch during my workouts in the gym. I also want to use it to monitor my heart rate zones during my workouts as well. Do you think this would be a better fit for me?
Nope, since this is AMOLED that would destroy the battery life. Not only that it would be obnoxiously bright when in darker environments. On transflective display it doesn’t matter.
@@ChaseTheSummit Thank you very much You mean it can’t set for white black ground any more. Because they don’t allow us to do or we can do but it will drain the power of battery Please let me know for this operation
Does anyone have the problem on 965 like me. After the third charge, my 965 battery life drains quicklyy 😢😢 1 day without any activities, the battery from 19 days drop to 16 days even if i have fully charged the day before
2 questions 1st. What is the battery consumption with music and gps? I have a fenix 6 and i get over 15 hrs with music and gps. 2nd. What is the gps accuracy? My fenix 6 with every second recording is trash on trails and running in the city around tall buildings.
You'll get about 11 hours of Music + GPS only use with the 965. In terms of GPS accuracy the 965 (along with most modern garmins) have been updated significantly with a multi-band / all systems GNSS chipset that is superior to the older GPS chip used in the Fenix 6.
Thanks for the most interesting review. I have had a Forerunner 965 for a few days now. After 2 days the battery dropped by 20%, without performing any activity. Is this normal? Does anyone have any tips to turn off/on certain settings to make my battery last longer? Thanks!
@@ChaseTheSummit Thanks for the quick reply. The 'always on' is only on during activities. During general use it is not on. Or is 20% less battery for two days without activity normal anyway?
Want a watch that will last an Ultra and some? Buy the New Suunto Vertical any of the 2 models will easilly last an ultra marathon with some battery life left
Sure, you could do that. Or a Garmin Fenix 7X or Epix 51mm. They've all got great battery life. But I was curious to know if a smaller/lighter option with an OLED display could pull it off as well for those that don't need the crazy long battery life on a daily basis and want a smaller form factor with a nicer display.
@@ChaseTheSummit Awesome Video...as Always very well laid out and informative,got your facts and stats correct and no BS and i apreciate that about your content keep up the Great work!!
@Barry.Dreams mainly weight, Amoled screen is a big reason and my Oxygen level sensor isn’t working, I use it for running, the 6x has been great, but I would have gone for the 945 at the time if I had known more about the watches before, having said that, they didn’t align as much as they do now software wise until the 955/Fenix 7. I came from Coros for the Garmin ecosystem really
@Barry.Dreams I went from a polar vantage V2 to a COROS Apex pro, both fantastic watches, especially the Apex, but I just like the Garmin ecosystem and compatibility with 3rd parties like Stryd for example. I was tempted with T-Rex, but once again the ecosystem thing, for me, it will be the 965 even if I can get a Fenix 7 for less