Customer Reviews for Garmin Forerunner 265S Smartwatch, GPS, 42mm, Black/Amp Yellow Silicone Band (010-02810-03)
219 reviews
Most helpful positive review
Posted Jan 25, 2026
Beautiful watch
I bought myself this watch for Christmas. Upgraded from a baseline forerunner. The features are great, the screen is great, love the armband, everything about it!
VS
Most helpful critical review
Posted Jan 17, 2026
Altimeter crapped out after a year
entire thing died after 2 years. atrocious quality. not worth it and will be taking my $ elsewhere after 3 separate devices failed to survive more than 3 years.
Macky
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 25, 2026
Beautiful watch
I bought myself this watch for Christmas. Upgraded from a baseline forerunner. The features are great, the screen is great, love the armband, everything about it!
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K8Lin
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 24, 2026
Great watch for the price!
This is my 3rd Garmin watch, and I’m so happy with it! I love the training readiness and suggested workouts. I know rest is important, but it’s cool to see how other things impact training. For me, this has everything I need at the right price! And it looks nice!
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Tcastaneda
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 20, 2026
Me encanta!
Es excelente para coadyuvar en mis actividades de carrera y senderismo. Más de lo que esperaba, me encanta su diseño, larga duración de batería y funcionalidad.
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Cachase1
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 19, 2026
Seems to Work
I bought this to replace my old 235. The battery on that one, didn’t like the cooler weather. This one works well, but has a few odd things I don’t like as well as the 235. I use it primarily as a watch, so it is important to always be on. I never could get it to work correctly in the mode where it illuminates when brought to a horizontal position. I need to see the sec...
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suckit garmin
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 17, 2026
Altimeter crapped out after a year
entire thing died after 2 years. atrocious quality. not worth it and will be taking my $ elsewhere after 3 separate devices failed to survive more than 3 years.
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Lobs73
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 16, 2026
Great watch
I got this watch for Christmas. This is my 3rd garmin and so far I love it the best. Has everything I wanted and so much more.
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MICHEA
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 9, 2026
Love the look
I upgraded from the forerunner 935..This watch is smaller, stylish, and good for a woman with a small build. It has all of the features I need as a runner and triathlete.
Love the way it lights up with nice colors.
Love the way it lights up with nice colors.
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verity
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Garmin
Posted Jan 8, 2026
I can’t figure out how to add strength workouts
Not enough guidance on how to use this watch. Cannot log my weights training as the list of exercises is confusing without knowing what they all are, I just lift weights, why is it so hard to enter that into the watch?
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Kpop94
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 8, 2026
New to Garmin Watches
I bought this during the Black Friday sale because I was wanting to get rid of my Apple Watch so far a month into wearing my Forerunner 265s I am so glad I made the switch
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FCV9026
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Dec 29, 2025
Multitool of a watch.
Having experience previous Garmins. (Music 255, Instinct 1 and Instinct 2)
I had this one as a gift. At first, I was surprised because I had no prior knowledge. It's small but compact in functionality. If you're multi sport but looking for something that looks with style or a blend to wear to the gym and office. This one is it.
Holds well with sweat (Running, Cr...
I had this one as a gift. At first, I was surprised because I had no prior knowledge. It's small but compact in functionality. If you're multi sport but looking for something that looks with style or a blend to wear to the gym and office. This one is it.
Holds well with sweat (Running, Cr...
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sam413
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Dec 28, 2025
Nice Upgradd
I bought the forerunner 265S after having a forerunner 245 for a few years and I’ve loved the change. I’ve had no issues with setting up any of the features and it has some more metrics that it tracks which I like.
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Allie P
Reviewed at:
ExpertVoice.com
Posted Dec 21, 2025
Great watch
Would highly recommend for any athlete who wants a solid (but not too fancy) watch to track their activities. Great battery life and works well for mtb, skiing and swimming. Heart rate monitor works well during activity too. Only issue I’ve had is it doesn’t have a backcountry ski recording feature so I’ve had to record it under a run or hike and change it after.
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Former loyal garmin user
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Dec 13, 2025
Disappointed
I bought this about 3 weeks ago and have been extremely disappointed. The algorithm seems to live in an alternate universe. It tells me I’m deconditioned and to do 17 miles…. I’m not a marathoner! I had a forerunner 246 for many years and only retired it because it could no longer go in the pool without shorting out. The 265s is a vastly inferior product. I swim a lot s...
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Jan A
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Garmin
Posted Dec 2, 2025
Inconsistent tracking of swim laps
Bought this to track my swimming laps. Originally happy then after about 3 mos it started giving inconsistent results (ex. would show I swam 51 mins/ 2000 meters, then would synch to display 55 min/2350 meters). Sent it back, received replacement, spent hours with Help Support and followed their recommendations. Seemed to be accurate 1 out of every 3 swims. Finally took...
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raines
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Nov 25, 2025
Best gift ever
I have wanted a new watch for a long time. I had a 14 year old forerunner. This was a great decision. It's so intuitive and gives so much information. I love it.
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pwrwalkr
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Nov 18, 2025
Nice upgrade
I've had this watch in a box for 2 years and finally had to break down and start using it when my FR245Music battery just wasn't cutting it. It is a bit different but not so much that the learning curve was massive.
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Swimrun24
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Nov 6, 2025
Replacement
Had to return my old Garmin due to a technical glitch. So far the replacement is working well and holding charge. I’m incredibly impressed with Garmin Support
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Janzen Q
Reviewed at:
ExpertVoice.com
Posted Oct 26, 2025
love the watch
I updated my watch from the 245 to this and I love the new screen and extra features. Still love this watch works great and the battery lasts a while.
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Fonsi
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Oct 20, 2025
Love it
My girlfriend bought it for me because she has the same one and I love it
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Chloe P
Reviewed at:
ExpertVoice.com
Posted Oct 12, 2025
Solid 245 upgrade
Absolutely loving this watch! I bought it around a year ago as a replacement to my 245. While I primarily use it for hiking and cycling, it’s on my wrist pretty much 24/7. Love the smaller face compared to the standard size. I’d recommend to anyone from walkers to marathoners. Great beginner interface with tons of data on sleep, menstrual cycles, and overall health!
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