Compare Forerunner 265 vs Forerunner 745

Forerunner 265 is the latest Forerunner watch. It was unveiled in March 2023. Forerunner 745 was released for the first time in 2021.

We review Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 745 watches. This comparison becomes peculiar because both watches are almost priced equally.

Smartwatch features covered in this post

Main differences between Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 745

The main differences between the Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 745 are shared below for your ready reference.

The biggest difference is the availability of an AMOLED display on the Forerunner 265. Forerunner 745 uses MIP (memory-in-pixel) screen.
Forerunner 265 has a much better battery life than the Forerunner 745.
Forerunner 265 has double device storage in comparison with the Forerunner 745.
Forerunner 265 uses the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and Forerunner 745 is on the Corning Gorilla Glass DX.
Forerunner 265 supports multi-band GPS. Forerunner 745 does not have the sensor to support multi-band GPS.
Forerunner 265 is slimmer and broader than the Forerunner 745. The exact specifications are shared in the section for ‘Physical specifications’ below.
Forerunner 265 also gets an Ambient light sensor and full compatibility with the SatIQ technology for GPS.

Display type and technology

Forerunner 265 comes with AMOLED display. There is a substantial difference in the display clarity and resolution of the Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 745 smartwatch.

AMOLED display helps us achieve the following on a Forerunner 265:

Forerunner 265 has a much better display resolution due to AMOLED display. It has a display resolution of 416 x 416 pixels.
Forerunner 745 uses MIP screen and offers a display resolution of 240 x 240 pixels.
Always-on-mode is also available on the Forerunner 265, made possible by the introduction of the AMOLED display.

It may be pertinent to mention that the AOD or Always-on-display uses a lot of battery. Therefore, using AOD at all times will drain the battery very fast.

The display lens of Forerunner 265 is a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and the display lens of Forerunner 745 is Corning Gorilla Glass with DX coating.

Touchscreen feature is available on the Forerunner 265.

Physical specifications of Forerunner 265 and 745

This one is an interesting comparison. Forerunner 265 is slimmer than Forerunner 745. But, at the same time, the Forerunner 265 is broader than the Forerunner 745.

Forerunner 265 has dimensions of 46.1 x 46.1 x 12.9 mm wherein 12.9 mm is the thickness.
Forerunner 745 has dimensions of 43.8 x 43.8 x 13.3 mm wherein 13.3 mm is the thickness.
The display screen diameter of Forerunner 265 is 1.3″ and the display screen diameter of Forerunner 745 is 1.2″.

Additionally, Forerunner 265 has a device storage of 8 GB and Forerunner 745 has a device storage of 4 GB.

Battery backup of Forerunner 265 and 745

The Forerunner 265 range of running watches have a much improved battery backup than the Forerunner 745.

On the smartwatch mode, Forerunner 265 can last for up to 13 days; Forerunner 745 can go up to 7 days.
On the GPS mode, Forerunner 265 can last for up to 20 hours and Forerunner 745 can last for up to 6 hours.

The improved battery backup of the Forerunner 265 is a significant addition. Given the fact that the Forerunner 265 uses an AMOLED display, the improved battery life is one of the biggest pluses.

Activity tracking on Forerunner 265 and 745

Forerunner 265 and 745 have extensive activity tracking modules. The Forerunner 265 has a more granular level of detailed data presentation than the Forerunner 745.

The two running watches differ in the following respects:

Forerunner 265 supports an additional running profile of ultra running. Both watches support Running, Outdoor Track Running, Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Trail Running, and Virtual Running.
Forerunner 745 supports additional recreation profiles of XC Skate Skiing, and Kayaking. Both watches support profiles for Hiking, Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, and Rowing.
Forerunner 265 supports eBiking, eMountain Biking cycling profiles. This is in addition to the Biking, Indoor Biking, and Mountain Biking profiles supported by both watches.
Forerunner 745 has an additional swimrun profile. Both watches support pool swimming and open water swimming profiles.

Pricing

Forerunner 265 comes at a price of $449.99 and Forerunner 745 is marketed at a list price of $499.99. The price difference is negligible, and on most days you could get some discount on the Forerunner 745.

Closing thoughts

For the cost involved, I would recommend getting a Forerunner 265 over the Forerunner 745. And, there are three reasons for the suggestion.

AMOLED display on the Forerunner 265 improves the user experience to a great extent.
Multi-band GPS on the Forerunner 265 improves the accuracy and reliability of the GPS data.
Battery life of Forerunner 265 is longer than the battery life of Forerunner 745.

These three factors are sufficient to justify buying a Forerunner 265 instead of the Forerunner 745.

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