Garmin Forerunner 965 is a newer Forerunner smartwatch. It was released in March 2023. Enduro 2 was released in August 2022.
Both watches are clean options for runners and athletes.
Let us look at the important differences between Garmin Forerunner 965 and Enduro 2 smartwatches below.
Main differences
The main differences between Garmin Forerunner 965 and Enduro 2 are shared below:
- Enduro 2 is a Solar smartwatch. It uses a Power Sapphire display lens to convert solar energy into a battery charge. Forerunner 965 is a regular smartwatch.
- Enduro 2 uses a Power Sapphire display lens and Forerunner 965 uses a 3rd generation Corning Gorilla Glass.
- Forerunner 965 uses AMOLED display technology and Enduro 2 uses the MIP or Memory-in-pixel display screen.
- Enduro 2 has a higher water rating of 10 ATM or 100 meters below the water surface level. Forerunner 965 uses an ATM 5 water rating or 50 meters below the water surface level..
- Forerunner 965 has a silicone strap, and Enduro 2 has a nylon strap.
- Enduro 2 is broader and heavier than the Forerunner 965.
- Enduro 2 also has an LED Flashlight.
- Enduro 2 is almost double the cost of a Forerunner 965. Forerunner 965 comes at a list price of $599.99 and Enduro 2 has a list price of $1099.99.
We look at these differences in detail below.
Display specifications
Forerunner 965 has an AMOLED display and Enduro 2 uses an MIP (Memory-in-pixel) screen. Forerunner 965 has a higher display resolution and the screen is much more bright than the Enduro 2 display lens.
Due to AMOLED display, Forerunner 965 also supports AOD or Always-on-mode mode.
A side-by-side comparison of the various display features of Forerunner 965 and Enduro 2 is shared below.
| Display Feature | Forerunner 965 | Enduro 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Display lens | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Power Sapphire |
| Display type | AMOLED | MIP (Memory-in-pixel) |
| Display resolution | 454 x 454 pixels | 280 x 280 pixels |
| Display shapre | Round | Round |
| Display size | 1.4″ or 36 mm | Display shape |
| Color display | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| LED Flashlight | No | Yes |
| Ambient Light Sensor | Yes | No |
Forerunner 965 has better display technology than Enduro 2. It also has an ambient light sensor.
An ambient light sensor will alter the backlight on the smartwatch after taking into account the surrounding ambient light.
Having said that, it may be pertinent to mention that the Enduro 2 is a solar watch. This could, potentially, explain the MIP screen of the Enduro 2.
The display of Forerunner 965 is brighter and livelier than the display of Enduro 2 smartwatch.
Physical specifications
Enduro 2 is considerably broader than the Forerunner 965. It is a bigger watch than the Forerunner 965.
Apart from the obvious size difference, Enduro 2 has a water rating of 10 ATM or 10 Atmospheres. This means that an Enduro 2 can withstand pressure at a depth of 100 meters below the water’s surface level.
In comparison, Forerunner 965 has a water rating of 5 ATM or 5 Atmospheres. It implies that a Forerunner 965 can handle pressure at a depth of up to 50 meters below the water surface level.
A side-by-side comparison of Garmin Forerunner 965 and Enduro 2 is shared below.
| Physical specifications | Garmin Forerunner 965 | Garmin Enduro 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Watch size | 47.2 x 47.2 x 13.2 mm | 51 x 51 x 15.6 mm |
| Thickness | 13.2 mm | 15.6 mm |
| Band material | Silicone | Nylon |
| Band size | 22 mm | 26 mm |
| Watch weight | 53 g | 64 g |
| Water rating | 5 ATM | 10 ATM |
| Device storage | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| NFC or Contactless payments | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Charger | Garmin Wire Charger | Garmin Wire Charger |
| Solar charging | No | Yes |
| Watch body | Fiber-enforced polymer | Fiber-reinforced polymer with titanium rear cover |
| Watch Bezel | Titanium | Titanium |
Forerunner 965 and Enduro 2 have a very decent store of 32 GB each. Enduro 2 supports solar charging. Enduro 2 also has a better water resistance than the Forerunner 965.
Battery
Garmin Enduro 2 has a longer battery backup than the Forerunner 965. With solar charging, you can practically never run out of battery charge.
We compare the battery backup of Garmin Enduro 2 and Forerunner 965 in different smartwatch modes below.
| Watch modes | Forerunner 965 Backup | Enduro 2 Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 23 days | Up to 34 days / 46 days with solar |
| GPS mode without music | Up to 31 hours | Up to 110 hours / 150 hours with solar |
| GPS-Only GNSS mode with music: | Up to 10.5 hours | Up to 20 hours |
| All-Systems GNSS mode + Multi-Band | Up to 19 hours | – |
| All-Systems GNSS mode + Multi-Band with music | Up to 8.5 hours | – |
| SatIQ (AutoSelect) GNSS mode | Up to 22 hours | – |
| SatIQ (AutoSelect) GNSS mode with music | Up to 9.5 hours | – |
| All Satellite Systems | – | Up to 78 hours / 96 hours with solar |
| All Satellite Systems and Multi-band | – | Up to 68 hours / 81 hours with solar |
| Max Battery GPS | – | Up to 264 hours / 714 with solar |
| Expedition GPS | – | Up to 77 days / 172 days with solar |
| Battery Saver Watch Mode | – | Up to 111 days / 550 days with solar |
Solar charging
Garmin Enduro 2 supports solar charging. It uses Power Sapphire glass to convert solar energy to battery charge.
The Power Sapphire glass is sapphire glass coated with Photo-voltaic cells. The Photo-voltaic cells help in tapping sunlight to produce battery charge.
For solar charging to be effective, you need to expose the smartwatch to bright sunlight of 50000 lumens or more for at least 3 hours a day.
Practically speaking, solar watches are suitable for people who spend considerable time under sunlight every day.
Training and activity profiles
Garmin Enduro 2 has multiple additional training and activity profiles. We look at the additional profiles of Enduro 2 below.
| Activity profiles | Additional profiles in Garmin Enduro 2 in comparison with Garmin Forerunner 965 |
|---|---|
| Outdoor recreation profiles | Bouldering, Climbing, Mountain Biking, Surfing, Hunting, Kiteboarding, Windsurfing, Fishing, Horseback Riding, Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Wakesurfing, Tubing, Sailing Expedition, Jumpmaster, Obstacle Course Racing, Tactical |
| Cycling | Triathlon |
Miscellaneous feature differences
There are a few miscellaneous feature differences between Garmin Forerunner 965 and Enduro 2, We mention these differences in brief below.
- Garmin Forerunner 965 has a spectator messaging feature. It allows LiveEvent followers to send text or audio messages to you. Spectator messaging uses the network connectivity of the paired smartphone to communicate with you. It should be treated as an emergency contact feature when you are in a remote area. Garmin Enduro 2 does not support the spectator messaging feature.
- Garmin Enduro 2 has a new indicator or feature of ‘Jet lag adivser’. Garmin Forerunner 965 does not have this feature.
- Garmin Forerunner 965 can send relaxation reminders to you. Enduro 2 lacks this feature.
Costs
Garmin Enduro 2 costs $1099.99 while the Forerunner 965 has a list price of $599.99.
Final verdict
Garmin Enduro 2 is a solar watch. So, if you need a solar watch, Enduro 2 presents itself as a credible alternative. For triathletes, Enduro 2 is a suitable smartwatch. It has an in-built profile for triathlon.
Garmin Forerunner 965 is apt for runners. It has all the features that come in handy for athletes. Apart from that, the AMOLED display in Garmin Forerunner 965 is a positive development and a nice feature.
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