Garmin Forerunner 955 vs. Forerunner 965: What are the key differences?
Find out whether it's worth upgrading your running watch
Despite releasing the Forerunner 955 series in 2022, Garmin delivered the next-gen upgrade in the form of the Forerunner 965 just a year later.
It represents a rapid turnaround from the company, and, if you’re searching for the differences between the two running watch models, you’re in the right place.
Whether you’re a Forerunner 955 user looking to see what features Forerunner 965 brings or you own neither and are trying to decide between them, we’ve touched all the key points of comparison below.
Journey on and you’ll discover exactly what Garmin has changed, as well as our recommendations for those upgrading, and, ultimately, which is the better watch.
As we’ve explored when comparing Forerunner 255 and Forerunner 265, the display is the key change to be aware of between these two watches.
While FR955 (and the ‘Solar’ edition) features Garmin’s color transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display, the newer FR965 instead packs the same AMOLED display tech present in Garmin Epix (Gen 2), Garmin Marq (Gen 2), and the Garmin Venu 2 Plus.
It means that the overall display quality has been given a huge upgrade, with FR955’s 260 x 260 resolution bumped up to 454 x 454 pixels. It means everything just looks crisper and sharper on the new model—and, though MIP screens can be backlit, FR965’s AMOLED screen is much brighter as standard.
This change in the display also means FR965 runs the more modern and breezy UI, which also features a neat always-on mode. Both generations, too, have touch-enabled screens.
We’ll get into the finer points below, but know that this is the biggest difference between the pair—and it is significant. Following our testing, we would now find it incredibly hard to strap on an MIP Garmin instead of an AMOLED variation.
But it’s not just about the more vibrant display and sharper resolution, with the UI on FR965 also being just that bit more responsive and modern.
We’ve now used both of these watches for a very good chunk of time, and the tracking experience feels much fresher on the newer model, despite both offering all the same features.
However, durability is also a thing. In just a few weeks with FR965, it’s picked up more screen and bezel scratches than we experienced in nine months of wearing FR955. This could just be bad luck, of course, but we’d be more inclined to buy a screen protector for the newer model than the older one.
- Garmin Epix (Gen 2)
- Garmin Fenix 7 Series
- Garmin Forerunner 255
- Garmin Forerunner 265
- Garmin Forerunner 745
- Garmin Forerunner 945
- Garmin Forerunner 955
- Garmin Venu 2 and Venu 2 Plus
- Garmin Vivoactive 4
The training and smart features on offer here are pretty much identical.
That means the whole garden shed of Garmin metrics that landed on 2022’s FR955—ones like Training Readiness, HRV Status, Morning Report, Race Calendar, and offline mapping—are all on the FR965, as you would expect.
The small crop of ones debuting through FR965, like Garmin’s wrist-based Running Dynamics, has now also arrived on the FR955 through a software update.
While they’re technically the same on paper, though, as we say, it’s also true that these features are presented much, much better on an AMOLED display—and through that new UI mentioned above.
Things like mapping or golf were two things we particularly found much friendlier on FR965 than its predecessor, though it is true that tracking runs and the like are essentially identical.
Unlike with other Forerunner models, only one case size exists for both FR955 and FR965.
And while they may look extremely similar, there are a couple of subtle differences in the actual size and weight.
FR955 measures 1.83 × 1.83 × 0.57 in (46.5 x 46.5 x 14.4 mm), while FR965 actually manages to reduce the thickness and also grow the overall case slightly—it comes in at 1.86 × 1.86 × 0.52 in (47.2 x 47.2 x 13.2 mm).
The change in the display has also seen the screen size alter, bumping from 1.3 inches in FR955 to 1.4 inches in FR965.
This doesn’t sound like a big change, obviously, but, with FR955’s solar display ring also being taken off FR965, coupled with that improvement in quality, we found that the latter felt much bigger during side-by-side comparisons.
And for all those slight changes, the weight has actually been kept the same —1.87 oz (53 g) in each model.
You may also notice some slight differences in the design of the case.
For FR965, the ‘Start-Stop’ button has been replaced by a bigger pusher with the Garmin logo on, and the bezel is instead made from titanium, as shown above. In FR955’s design, you’ll notice a polymer bezel.
Battery life
With the advancements Garmin has made in the screen department between generations, you might expect these two devices to have completely contrasting battery life estimates.
However, after conducting some testing—both in our review and in a direct comparison—the drop-off isn’t actually as bad as we initially suspected.
If you own the standard version of FR955, Garmin estimates you should receive around 15 days of battery in smartwatch mode, with this shortening to 42 hours in GPS tracking.
In real-world use, using the watch to track outdoor exercise for around an hour a day (sometimes with Spotify streaming), we’ve always found FR955’s battery life to actually be a little closer to 8–12 days.
We should also note that these estimates are slightly bumped up for the Solar version, but, at least based on our own use, we don’t really think this feature makes as much of a difference unless you spend a considerable amount of time outside in sunny conditions.
FR965 is a bit more dependent on the setting configuration, and, if you really strip them back, you can technically get a bit more life out of it than the predecessor. We’re not quite sure we could manage Garmin’s 23-day ‘Smartwatch Mode’ estimation, but our use could probably see it last between 17 and 20 days.
Given this includes little tracked exercise and keeping the always-on display mode off, though, we’d say that more typical performance sees FR965 last around 6–8 days.
That is down from FR955’s 8–12 days, which we mentioned above, but, considering the display differences, we think the trade-off is more than worth it.
Price comparison and latest deals
To the surprise of nobody, newer FR965 is more expensive than the FR955. While FR965 remains Garmin's premium running watch, the older FR955 can now be found at substantial discounts through third-party retailers.
At the time of writing, FR955 is available for around $419.95, while the FR965 is sold for $499.99 through Garmin.
That means you're typically looking at a price difference of roughly $80 between the two models. We don't think this is too bad, particularly when you consider that FR965 adds an AMOLED display and a more premium titanium bezel.
| Garmin Forerunner 955 | Garmin Forerunner 965 | |
| Starting price | $419.95 | $499.99 |
| Website | View price | View price |
Should you upgrade?
Given that the display upgrade is the main one here—and also not one we think affects battery life too much—this is the key point to focus on if you’re considering upgrading.
We personally believe the AMOLED display and more vibrant UI offer a much nicer overall experience, though we do appreciate that this style isn’t for everyone; we know plenty of runners, cyclists, and swimmers who don’t enjoy the smartwatch-like feel of these displays.
Like everything else, this one comes down to personal preference—and whether you want to take the hit on your new-ish FR955.
Verdict: Which is best?
Following our tests, we believe FR965 is definitely the better of these two watches.
It offers the same training features in a more premium design with much better display tech—all for just a small bump in price. With the relatively minimal battery life drop-off, as well, it becomes very hard to recommend FR955 over it.
However, the upgrades present in FR965 won’t please everybody—and it could represent a perfect opportunity to reduce the outlay for some potential buyers.
After all, you do get all the same features at your disposal.
