Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Garmin Forerunner 965: Similarities & Differences
By Naila Syifa
Updated August 2024
Looking for a reliable sports watch that can handle your active lifestyle? The Galaxy Watch Ultra and Garmin Forerunner 965 are two top-of-the-line options worth considering. How do they compare in terms of features and performance? Let's take a closer look at the similarities and differences between these two premium smartwatches!
Key Takeaways
Garmin Forerunner 965 is more sports-focused while Galaxy Watch Ultra provides a good balance between wellness tracking and everyday smartwatch functionality. Galaxy Watch Ultra also has better durability, but it is more expensive than the Forerunner 965.
Galaxy Watch Ultra
Premium Outdoor Smartwatch
✓ Multisport Workout
✓ ECG, BIA, Sleep Apnea
✓ On-Wrist Calling, Texting, and Music
✓ Galaxy AI
Garmin Forerunner 965
Premium Running & Adventure Watch
✓ Advanced Training Metrics
✓ Built-in TopoActive Map
✓ Multi-band GNSS with SatIQ
✓ LiveTrack & Live Event Sharing
#1 Price
Garmin Forerunner 965
Galaxy Watch Ultra retails at US$649, which is $50 more expensive than the Garmin Forerunner 965 at US$599. However, the price gap isn't so big, making price a relatively minor factor when choosing between the two.
To get the best out of your investment, it's important to focus on the specific features and capabilities that matter most to your fitness and lifestyle needs.
#2 Design & Display
Galaxy Watch Ultra
Both watches have a similar sporty look and vibe, as well as the same 47mm case size and titanium design that provides a bold, yet premium aesthetic. However, Galaxy Watch Ultra boasts a larger 1.5" Super AMOLED display protected by Sapphire Crystal, while the Forerunner 965 has a 1.4" AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX protection.
The display of the Galaxy Watch Ultra also comes in a higher 480 x 480 pixels resolution, while the Forerunner 265 has a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels.
When it comes to durability, the Galaxy Watch Ultra appears to have an edge. Not only that it have a higher 10 ATM water rating compared to the 5 ATM on Forerunner 965, but it also boasts IP68 water and dust resistance and has been tested to MIL-STD-810H military-grade durability standards, making it more rugged and suitable for demanding outdoor activities.
#3 Health Features
Garmin Forerunner 965
Both watches share basic health-tracking features like heart rate, blood oxygen, and sleep tracking with detailed sleep stages and analysis.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra adds more advanced health-tracking capabilities that can identify potential health issues, such as ECG for detecting signs of AFib, sleep apnea detection, a BIA sensor for body composition analysis, and skin temperature measurement. All of these features are not available on the Garmin Forerunner 965, making the Galaxy Watch Ultra a more comprehensive health and wellness monitoring device.
However, the Forerunner 965 does have an advantage with Garmin's widely known Body Battery Energy Monitoring feature, which takes various health metrics into account to provide an assessment of the user's energy levels throughout the day. This is similar to the new Galaxy AI-powered Energy Score feature on the Galaxy Watch Ultra, but the Energy Score only provides a single daily score while the Body Battery continuously tracks the user's energy levels throughout the day.
#4 Workout Features
Garmin Forerunner 965
As the name suggests, the Forerunner 965 is designed primarily for runners and endurance athletes, with advanced features like running dynamics, training load focus, real-time stamina, running power, and more.
A range of planning, training, and analysis features also makes the Forerunner 965 well-equipped for race preparation and performance tracking, such as Garmin Coach, Daily Suggested Workouts, PacePro Pacing Strategies, and Race Predictor.
During the race or event, features like LiveTrack, Group LiveTrack, Spectator Messaging, and Live Event Sharing allow your friends and family to keep track of your progress in real-time and send you motivational messages.
Beyond running and racing, the Forerunner 965 is also well-equipped for a wide variety of other sports and activities, such as cycling, swimming, skiing, triathlon, and more. For example, the watch features a dedicated ClimbPro ascent planner for hiking, Grit and Flow metrics for mountain biking, and on-wrist workout animations and workout muscle maps for certain activities like cardio, pilates, strength, or yoga.
Galaxy Watch Ultra
The extensive and advanced workout features of the Garmin Forerunner 965 may outshine the Galaxy Watch Ultra, but this doesn't make the Galaxy Watch Ultra a slouch when it comes to fitness and workout capabilities.
Galaxy Watch Ultra can track over 100 sports and activities, including triathlon and multisport, and can even provide AI-based recommendations or insights. With the Galaxy AI, the watch also enables users to race against past results (for running and cycling) to improve their performance over time.
#5 Maps & Navigational Features
Galaxy Watch Ultra
Galaxy Watch Ultra relies on Google Maps for mapping, while the Garmin Forerunner 965 offers a built-in TopoActive map, an advanced routable road and trail map with turn-by-turn navigation and POIs optimized for outdoor activities like hiking, running, and cycling.
The Forerunner 965 even comes pre-loaded with dedicated cycling courses and 43,000 golf courses worldwide, making it very well-equipped for outdoor navigation and exploration.
While both watches support dual-frequency/multi-band GPS for accurate positioning, the Forerunner 965 has an edge with SatIQ technology, which determines the optimal GPS mode to save battery life while maintaining accuracy. On the other hand, the GPS on the Galaxy Watch Ultra is always dual-frequency without any configurability, potentially wasting battery life in some situations where single-frequency GPS would suffice.
#6 Smartwatch Features
Galaxy Watch Ultra
Both smartwatches allow users to control music playback and store music locally, eliminating the need to carry a phone. However, the key difference is that the Galaxy Watch Ultra has a built-in speaker, enabling direct music playback from the watch's speaker. In contrast, the Forerunner 965 lacks a built-in speaker, requiring users to pair it with a separate Bluetooth headphone to listen to music.
Other than a built-in speaker, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is also equipped with a built-in microphone, allowing for on-wrist voice calls and voice assistant functionality. Garmin Forerunner 965 lacks those features, but both watches allow users to receive and respond to notifications and text messages from the watch.
The difference lies in whether a paired phone is needed nearby. Galaxy Watch Ultra supports LTE connectivity, so phone-free calling and messaging are possible. The Forerunner 965 does not have LTE connectivity, requiring a paired smartphone to receive and send messages.
The messaging feature is also more advanced in the Galaxy Watch Ultra, thanks to the Galaxy AI. The AI-powered Suggested Replies can provide contextual responses to incoming messages, making communication from the wrist more convenient. Meanwhile, quick replies on the Forerunner 965 are pre-set and not contextual.
Galaxy Watch Ultra, powered by WearOS, also has another advantage in its compatibility with a wider range of third-party apps and services compared to the Forerunner 965's more limited Connect IQ ecosystem. For instance, the Galaxy Watch Ultra supports Google services like Google Wallet, Google Calendar, and YouTube Music, among others.
Three other features that the Galaxy Watch Ultra supports but the Garmin Forerunner 965 does not are a camera controller when paired with a compatible smartphone, a built-in flashlight, and an 86dB siren.
#7 Battery Life
Garmin Forerunner 965
Powered by a 590mAh battery, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is rated for up to 60 hours on typical usage with the always-on display, 48 hours in exercise power saving mode, and 100 hours in power saving mode.
Meanwhile, Garmin Forerunner 965 claims a battery life of up to 7 days with the always-on display, 23 days in smartwatch mode, and up to 31 hours in GPS mode.
Actual runtime may vary depending on usage patterns and settings, but the Garmin Forerunner 965 appears to be longer-lasting compared to the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Garmin Forerunner 965
Final Thoughts
Galaxy Watch Ultra
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is a versatile outdoor watch, featuring durable design, advanced health-tracking and workout features, reliable GPS, and a comprehensive suite of smartwatch capabilities. It is a compelling option for those seeking a premium, multifunctional wearable that can handle a wide range of activities and lifestyle needs.
The Garmin Forerunner 965 has a more targeted focus on endurance sports and outdoor activities, with its extensive training, racing, and navigation features tailored specifically for runners, cyclists, and adventurers. However, it lacks some of the broader smartwatch capabilities found in the Galaxy Watch Ultra, making it a more specialized choice for serious athletes and outdoor enthusiasts.
If you like to read more on smartwatches, check out our other relevant guides here:
Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Garmin Fenix 7
Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Garmin Epix 2
Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Garmin Forerunner 265
Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Garmin Venu 3
Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Pixel Watch 2
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