Garmin Forerunner 165 was released on 20 February 2023. Forerunner 245 has been around since April 2019.
We compare Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 245 below.
Main differences
- Garmin Forerunner 165 has an AMOLED display. Garmin Forerunner 245 uses a Memory-in-pixel (MIP) screen.
- Garmin Forerunner 245 has the 3rd-gen Corning Gorilla Glass. Forerunner 165 has a chemically strengthened glass.
- Garmin Forerunner 165 has a much better display resolution than Forerunner 245.
- Garmin Forerunner 165 has an ambient light sensor and Barometric Altimeter.
- Garmin Forerunner 165 supports NFC payments. Forerunner 245 lacks NFC payments.
- Garmin Forerunner 165 has a touchscreen feature.
- Garmin Forerunner 165 has a longer battery backup than the Forerunner 245 smartwatch.
We discuss these differences in detail below.
Display specifications
Garmin Forerunner 165 has a much better display than Forerunner 245. It uses an AMOLED display.
The AMOLED display allows Always-on-display mode in Garmin Forerunner 165. The AMOLED display also improves the display brightness of a Forerunner 165.
| Display specifications | Forerunner 165 | Forerunner 245 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 30 mm | 30 mm |
| Display resolution | 390 x 390 pixels | 240 x 240 pixels |
| Display lens | Chemically strengthened glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Display technology | AMOLED (optional always-on mode) | MIP (Memory-in-pixel) |
| Color display | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | No |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | No |
The important points to note are:
- Forerunner 165 has a touchscreen feature and an ambient light sensor.
- Forerunner 165 has a display resolution of 390 x 390 pixels.
- Garmin Forerunner 245 has 3rd-generation Corning Gorilla Glass. This is much better than the chemically strengthened glass in Forerunner 165.
Physical specifications
Garmin Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 245 have comparable sizes. We look at the physical specifications of both watches below.
| Physical specifications | Forerunner 165 | Forerunner 245 |
|---|---|---|
| Watch size | 43 x 43 x 11.6 mm | 42.3 x 42.3 x 12.2 mm |
| Thickness | 11.6 mm | 12.2 mm |
| Band size | 20 mm | 20 mm |
| Band material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Recommended wrist circumference | 126-203 mm | 127-204 mm |
| Weight | 39 g | 38.5 g |
| Bezel | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Water rating | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Storage | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Wireless connectivity | ANT+, Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth |
The important points to note are:
- Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 245 have a 5 ATM water rating. Both watches can sustain a depth pressure of 50 meters under the water surface.
- Garmin Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 245 lack Wi-Fi wireless connectivity.
Music
Garmin Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 245 lack full music features. However, you could control or play music from the paired smartphone with either smartwatch.
However, you cannot do the following music features on Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 245:
- Store music on the watch
- Play music from the watch storage
- Use apps like Spotify and Deezer for streaming music
NFC Payments
Garmin Forerunner 165 supports NFC or contactless payments. It has an NFC sensor in the watch to facilitate contactless payments through the Garmin Pay app.
Garmin Forerunner 245 lacks support for NFC or contactless payments.
Battery backup
Garmin Forerunner 165 has a longer battery backup than Forerunner 245. Both smartwatches use the Garmin proprietary charger.
We compare the backup of Garmin Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 245 below.
| Watch mode | Forerunner 165 backup | Forerunner 245 |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 11 days | Up to 7 days |
| GPS-Only GNSS mode | Up to 19 hours | Up to 24 hours |
| All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 17 hours | Up to 17 hours | – |
| Battery Saver Mode | Up to 20 days | – |
The important point to note is that the Garmin Forerunner 165 has a battery saver mode. The Battery Saver mode allows the Garmin Forerunner 165 to be used at extremely low power settings.
Costs
Garmin Forerunner 165 has a list price of $249.99. Garmin Forerunner 245 comes at a list price of $299.99.
Final verdict
We prefer the Garmin Forerunner 165 over the Forerunner 245 for the following reasons:
- The AMOLED display of Garmin Forerunner 165 is better
- Garmin Forerunner 165 is compatible with the Garmin Pay app for contactless or NFC payments
- The higher battery backup of Garmin Forerunner 165 is also a plus point for the watch.
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