Forerunner 965 is the latest Forerunner watch. It was unveiled in March 2023. Forerunner 745 has been around since 2021. We look at which of these two watches would make for a good choice for a serious and passionate runner.
Main differences between Forerunner 965 and Forerunner 745
- Forerunner 745 comes at a list price of $499.99 and Forerunner 965 has a list price of $599.99.
- Forerunner 965 has an AMOLED display while the Forerunner 745 continues to use the MIP screen (Memory-in-pixel screen).
- Forerunner 965 is broader and bigger than the Forerunner 745.
- Forerunner 965 assures a much better GPS performance as it uses multi-band GPS and SatIQ technology.
- Forerunner 965 has an exceptional extended battery life in comparison with the Forerunner 745.
- Forerunner 965 supports Golf and comes preloaded with 43000 golf course data from all over the world.
- Forerunner 965 has additional profiles for cycling, swimming, and outdoor recreation.
- Forerunner 965 also uses the DX-coated Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Forerunner 745 is on Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
We look at some of these differences in detail below.
Display
Forerunner 965 has the best combination of display type, display technology and display performance in the entire Forerunner series of running watches.
The two things that work well for a Forerunner 965 are the AMOLED display and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with DX coating.
The benefits of AMOLED display are much better display resolution and clarity. Over and above this, AMOLED display enabled support for Always-on-display or AOD feature.
- AMOLED display on Forerunner 965 assures a display resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. In comparison, the Forerunner 745 has a display resolution of 240 x 240 pixels.
- AOD or Always-on-display is supported on the Forerunner 965.
The second gain accrues from the use of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with DX coating. DX coating of Corning is a special anti-reflective coating. It helps in augmenting the readability of the display screen.
In terms of display specifications, the Forerunner 965 is much better than the Forerunner 745. If you wish to get a Forerunner with a bright display, Forerunner 965 is a good choice.
Additionally, we would like to mention that you will get the touchscreen feature on a Forerunner 965 smartwatch.
Physical specifications
Forerunner 965 is a broad watch. The hardware attributes of the watch suggest that the watch is bigger than the Forerunner 745 watch.
| Specifications | Forerunner 965 | Forerunner 745 |
|---|---|---|
| Watch dimensions | 47.2 x 47.2 x 13.2 (mm) | 43.8 x 43.8 x 13.3 mm |
| Display glass diameter | 1.4″ | 1.2″ |
| Recommended wrist circumference | 135-205 mm | 126-216 mm |
| Watch body | Fiber-enforced polymer | Fiber-enforced polymer |
| Bezel | Titanium | Fiber-enforced polymer |
| Weight | 53 g | 47 g |
| Device storage | 32 GB | 4 GB |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | No |
The physical specifications of the Forerunner 965 smartwatch establish it as a premium watch. The titanium bezel makes for a premium look for the watch.
Do take note of the large device storage of Forerunner 965. The incremental device storage can be used to store offline music files and topo maps from multiple geographic regions.
Battery
After the AMOLED display, the battery backup of the Forerunner 965 is a major improvement over the Forerunner 745.
- On the smartwatch mode, Forerunner 965 can last for up to 23 days and the Forerunner 745 can go up to 7 days.
- On the GPS mode, Forerunner 965 can last for up to 31 hours and the Forerunner 745 can go up to 16 hours
- On the GPS mode with music, Forerunner 965 can go up to 10.5 hours and the Forerunner 745 can go up to 6 hours.
Clearly, the battery of Forerunner 965 outlasts the battery of Forerunner 745.
GPS Performance
One of the biggest differences between the Forerunner 965 and 745 has to be the exceptional GPS performance of the Forerunner 965.
The improvement in GPS performance of Forerunner 965 has been achieved through the addition of:
- multi-frequency positioning sensor on the Forerunner 965.
- SatIQ technology for optimum GPS performance
The multi-frequency positioning sensor of Forerunner 965 allows the ability to use multi-band GPS and take GPS data from multiple satellites at the same time.
Multi-band GPS is not available on the Forerunner 745.
Activity profiles
The Forerunner 965 smartwatch has additional activity profiles.
- Forerunner 965 has incremental cycling profiles for Road Biking, Gravel Biking, Bike Commuting, Bike Touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Cyclocross.
- Forerunner 965 has additional outdoor recreation profiles for Snowshoeing, Mapping, Navigating, Tennis, Pickleball, Padel, Track Me, Project Waypoint, Disc Golf and Climbing.
- Ultra running mode is available for runners using the Forerunner 965 watch.
Besides these additional profiles, you may also want to reiterate that the Forerunner 965 has the spectator messaging feature for the safety of the watch wearer.
Price
Forerunner 965 has been launched at $599.99 and Forerunner 745 comes at a list price of $499.99.
Closing thoughts
There are three things that can drive you toward Forerunner 965.
- AMOLED display
- Much better battery life
- DX coated Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Assuming a three-year period of ownership of the Forerunner 965, the price difference of $100 between the Forerunner 965 and 745 can be amply justified by serious runners.
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