Garmin Fenix 8 vs Forerunner 965

By Victor Hristov

Published: Sep 03, 2024, 1:00 PM

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Wearables Garmin

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Garmin Fenix 8 vs Garmin Forerunner 965 comparison

Wondering whether you should splurge and get the ultra-premium Garmin Fenix 8 or if you could save half your money and go with the very capable Garmin Forerunner 965 instead?

You're in the right place. We have the same dilemma ourselves, so in this comparison we go over all the differences and similarities between the two, so we can find out which one is the better buy.

We should say right away that the Fenix 8 price is set at $1,000 or more, while the Forerunner 965 costs $600, but is often discounted to $500 or less.

The similarities are that both of these are Garmin watches that support tons of workouts including running, cycling, swimming, triathlons and many more, and both of them also support maps, which most cheaper Garmin watches don't have.

Garmin Fenix 8 is available at Amazon

The recently released Garmin Fenix 8 is available on Amazon. The premium wearable has a 47mm case and an AMOLED display. Currently, you can buy it at its standard price on Amazon.

Buy at Amazon

Garmin Fenix 8: Get at Best Buy

Best Buy offers the latest high-end Fenix model from Garmin, the Fenix 8. This 51mm timepiece with a gorgeous AMOLED screen arrives at its standard price, but you can save with eligible smartwatch trade-ins.

$1199 ⁹⁹

Buy at BestBuy

Get the Garmin Forerunner 965 for 17% off at Best Buy

Do you want a premium smartwatch for triathlon or running? The Garmin Forerunner 965 might be a suitable choice for you. This wearable is currently available at its best price on Best Buy, offered for $100 off its MSRP. As far as we know, the model has never been discounted by such an amount before.

$100 off (17%)

$499 ⁹⁹

$599 ⁹⁹

Buy at BestBuy

Garmin Forerunner 965: $100 off at Amazon, too

While Best Buy's discount is undoubtedly attractive, Amazon has an equally cool offer on the Garmin Forerunner 965. Over here, the timepiece enjoys a $100 discount, but some color options are available in limited quantities.

$100 off (17%)

Buy at Amazon

However, the Fenix 8 is available in three sizes, a small 43mm one, a medium 47mm size, and an extra large 51mm version, while the Forerunner 965 only comes in one 47mm size that will not fit everyone as well. I personally have a smaller wrist, so the Forerunner 965 would be too big for me, so you have to keep that into account.

With those basic facts set, let's look at the Fenix 8 vs Forerunner 965 specs differences:

Fenix 8 47mm	Forerunner 965 47mm
Screen size 1.4-inch AMOLED (no solar) 1.3-inch MIP (solar)	Screen size 1.4-inch AMOLED
Dimensions 47 x 13.8mm (AMOLED) 47 x 15.2mm (solar)	Dimensions 47.2mm x 13.2mm
Weight 73g (52g only case) for AMOLED 80g (57g only case) for MIP/solar	Weight 53g only case
Sensor Elevate Gen 5	Sensor Elevate Gen 4
Battery Life 7 days (Always-on) 16 days (No always-on) 23 days (Battery saver) 30 hours (All Sat systems)	Battery Life 7 days (Always-on) 23 days (No always-on)
Solar Supported	Solar Not supported
Prices $1,000 for glass $1,100 for sapphire	Prices $600 (often on sale for $500 or less)

What are the differences once again?

The Fenix 8 is more premium with a metal plate, plus you can use it for diving

The first one is the design and build quality. Both the Fenix 8 and the Forerunner 965 have a metal bezel, but the body and bottom part of the Forerunner are plastic, while the Fenix has a fiber reinforced case with a metal rear cover, so it's more durable.

Interestingly, the weight is practically the same at around 52 grams.

The Forerunner is only available with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX, while the Fenix 8 is offered in a choice of Gorilla Glass or for $100 more – sapphire, which is what we recommend. Sapphire is much more resistant to scratches so you will keep your resale value better.

The screen size is the same at 1.4 inches on both and the resolution is also identical at 454 x 454 pixels.

Oh, and only the Fenix 8 has a built-in real flashlight, a really cool extra.

Workouts / Activity Profile Differences

Both watches support most of the same types of workouts, but there are a few exceptions related to water sports.

First, it's diving in general. In the dive exercise group you will find Scuba Diving (single gas), Apnea Diving, and the Depth App, and those are only available on the Fenix 8.

The Forerunner 965 also does NOT support Surfing, Kiteboarding, Windsurfing, Fishing, Boating, Sailing, Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Wakesurfing, Tubing, Snorkeling, Whitewater.

Those decisions seem to be also related to the water protection rating on these two devices. The Forerunner 965 is not dive certified and is only rated at 5ATM, while the Fenix 8 is and is rated at 10ATM and you can dive down to 40 meters with it (which is where most dives occur).

There are a few individual workouts also that Garmin keeps exclusive to the Fenix 8 such as Obstacle Running, but we imagine there is not a huge community of people engaged in these types of sports.

Garmin Stats and Metrics

When it comes to the major Garmin metrics that you want to have, most of them are available on both the Forerunner 965 and Fenix 8.

Both of them support the following cool features:

Body Battery – based on your sleep, you get an estimation for your energy level and then this number drains throughout the day based on your activity.
Training Readiness – a number specifically dedicated to your readiness to take on a workout.
Training Status – stats that show you how your body is reacting to your training and whether you might be in danger of overtraining or undertraining.

Heart Rate, HRV and other metrics

How accurate your readings are depends a lot on the quality of the heart rate sensor, and there is a difference between these two.

The Forerunner 965 uses the older Garmin Elevate Gen 4 sensor, while the Fenix 8 gets the newer Elevate V5, which is supposed to be more accurate in various activities.

Based on our anecdotal evidence with both sensors, we can see a slight increase in accuracy with the nwere Elevate Gen 5 sensor, but we would not discount the Forerunner 965 just because of its older sensor. It's still quite accurate and let's remind ourselves that no wrist-based sensor is quite as good as a chest strap for HR monitoring.

Which one should you buy?

We love the premium design of the Fenix 8, but honestly, it's hard to justify its $1,000 price for most people when you can get 95% of the functionality with the excellent Forerunner 965 at literally half the price.

The reason to consider the Fenix 8 is if you have a smaller wrist or the opposite, if you want an extreme, extra large watch with similarly extreme battery life.

There are a few activity types that are also exclusive to the Fenix 8, and the major one is clearly diving. So for the divers out there, the Fenix might actually seem like a better deal than the even pricier Garmin Descent watch / dive computer.

But for the runners, cyclists, swimmers, triathlon competitors and those engaged in less competitive sports, the Forerunner 965 seems like the much more sensible choice.

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.