Garmin Forerunner 965 vs Fenix 7: Consider 6 Aspects!
By Naila Syifa
Updated April 2024
Garmin Forerunner 965 is typically branded as a running-focused smartwatch while the Fenix 7 is more typically seen as a versatile adventure watch for outdoor enthusiasts and multisport athletes. However, both watches are actually similar in many ways, making them suitable for a wide range of activities like running, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, golfing, and more.
When it comes to choosing between the Garmin Forerunner 965 and the Fenix 7, there are several key aspects to consider. In this comparison, we'll take a closer look at six crucial factors to help you determine which watch is the best fit for your needs.
Key Takeaways
While Forerunner 965 has built-in road and trail maps, the Fenix 7 offers ski resort maps. Both watches are versatile for many types of sports, but Fenix 7 offers particularly advanced features for golf, skiing, and water sports. However, the Forerunner 965 boasts a more premium design and display compared to the Fenix 7.
Garmin Forerunner 965
Premium Running & Adventure Watch
✓ Advanced Training, Health, Fitness
✓ Multi-band GNSS with SatIQ
✓ Built-in TopoActive Maps & NextFork Navigation
✓ AMOLED Touchscreen
Garmin Fenix 7 – Standard Edition
Premium Fitness and Outdoor Watch
✓ Advanced Training, Health, Fitness
✓ Multi-band GNSS
✓ Optional TopoActive Maps & NextFork Navigation
✓ Up to 57 hours in GPS Mode
#1 Price
Garmin Fenix 7
Garmin Forerunner 965 is a premium model among the Forerunner series, retailing at an expensive price of $599.99.
Garmin Fenix 7 Series is a top-tier outdoor adventure GPS watch lineup, with prices ranging from $649.99 to $999.99 depending on the variant. The standard variant of Garmin Fenix 7, which will be discussed in this comparison, is the most affordable option in the series at $649.99.
#2 Design & Display
Garmin Forerunner 965
Garmin Forerunner 965 and Fenix 7 have similar physical sizes of 47 mm in diameter, but the Forerunner 965 is more lightweight at 53 g compared to Fenix 7 's 79 g weight. This difference is due to the titanium bezel material used in the Fenix 7, which is stronger and lighter, while the Forerunner 965 has a stainless steel bezel.
Garmin Forerunner 965 also stands out with its AMOLED display, which is not only scratch-resistant but also offers superior color, contrast, and brightness than the transflective MIP display found on the Fenix 7. It also comes in a bigger display size of 1.4" and a higher display resolution of 454 x 454 pixels, resulting in a sharper and more vibrant viewing experience compared to the Fenix 7's 1.3" display with a resolution of 260 x 260 pixels.
Considering those elements, the Forerunner 965 has a more premium design and display than Fenix 7.
#3 Maps & Navigation Features
Garmin Fenix 7
Both the Forerunner 965 and Fenix 7 support multi-band GNSS, which uses multiple satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo) for improved positioning and accuracy in challenging environments. However, the Forerunner 965 also features SatIQ technology that is missing on the Fenix 7, which intelligently selects the best GPS mode for optimal accuracy and battery life based on your environment.
Both watches also offer a range of navigation features, such as NextFork Navigation and Up Ahead, which respectively provide turn-by-turn directions and show upcoming points of interest along your route, perfect navigation features for hiking, running, walking, or biking.
The Fenix 7 offers a Reference Point that the Forerunner 965 lacks, which is a tool for navigating above the water to a specified waypoint, such as tracking a distance and direction to a dive site. This gives the Fenix 7 an advantage in terms of on-water navigation for swimmers and divers.
Garmin Forerunner 965
Both watches also support on-watch mapping, but there is a key difference in this aspect. The Forerunner 965 stands out with its preloaded TopoActive Maps, a topographic map that provides detailed terrain data, making it easier to navigate and explore new routes when you walk, run, hike, or bike in unfamiliar areas.
The Fenix 7 requires you to purchase the TopoActive Maps for $59.99 per continent, but instead, it offers preloaded SkiView Maps, which provide detailed ski resort maps for over 2,000 ski resorts worldwide. If you don't need the ski maps, the Forerunner 965 is the more cost-effective choice for versatile mapping.
The good news is for golf enthusiasts, as both watches come with preloaded Golf Course maps for over 42,000 courses worldwide.
#4 Health & Fitness Features
Garmin Fenix 7
With both watches, you can monitor in real-time some important health metrics like heart rate, blood oxygen level, stress, sleep, respiration, hydration, Body Battery, and more. The Fenix 7 can also measure skin temperature changes and offer a Jet Lag Adviser for travelers crossing multiple time zones.
Both smartwatches also offer a wide range of built-in sports apps to track and measure your performance across many different activities. Also called Activity Profiles, these include running, cycling, swimming, golfing, hiking, skiing, and many more.
However, it is important to note that the Fenix 7 does offer many more Activity Profiles than the Forerunner 965, especially when it comes to water sports. For example, Fenix 7 supports Surfing, Water Skiing, Fishing, Boating, Sailing, and Snorkeling, all of which are not supported in the Forerunner 965.
Garmin Forerunner 965
Both watches also offer training-specific features like Garmin Coach, Daily Suggested Workouts, PacePro, ClimbPro, Real-Time Stamina, Training Readiness, Training Status, Animatd Workouts, and more to help you optimize your performance and prevent overexertion.
Sports-specific features are also available for some types of sports. For example, MTB Grit & Flow can help mountain bikers track the difficulty and flow of their ride, while Garmin Autoshot can automatically detect and record your golf shots for post-round analysis. However, for some sports like golf and water sports, the Fenix 7 does indeed have much to offer for serious athletes.
#5 Smartwatch Features
Garmin Fenix 7
The Garmin Forerunner 965 and Fenix 7 offer a similar set of smartwatch features. Both devices enable you to receive notifications, use GarminPay for contactless payments, control your smartphone and watch's music playback, access the calendar and weather forecast, and customize the watch face with various apps and widgets.
The Forerunner 965 also offers Red Shift Mode, a feature that the Fenix 7 lacks. It reduces the amount of blue light emitted from the display for better viewing comfort in low-light environments.
#6 Battery Life
Garmin Forerunner 965
Both watches have a great battery life for extended adventures without needing to recharge frequently. In smartwatch mode, the Forerunner 965 can last for up to 23 days while the Fenix 7 can last for up to 18 days.
However, in GPS mode, which will be used more frequently for tracking your outdoor activities, the Fenix 7 offers a longer battery life of up to 57 hours compared to the Forerunner 965's 31 hours.
The Fenix 7 also has an advantage with its Power Manager feature, which allows you to see how various settings and sensors affect your battery life, so you can make battery-extending changes on the fly.
Garmin Forerunner 965 vs Fenix 7
Final Thoughts
Garmin Fenix 7
Despite the name, the Garmin Forerunner 965 is more than just a running watch. It is equipped with a range of features that make it suitable for various outdoor activities and adventures, rivaling the versatile Fenix 7 in many aspects. The Forerunner 965 even offers some advantages that the Fenix 7 lacks, such as the high-resolution AMOLED display, preloaded TopoActive maps, SatIQ technology, and Red Shift Mode.
Garmin Fenix 7 is as versatile and advanced as the Forerunner 965 when it comes to supporting a wide range of outdoor activities and sports. However, it does offer some unique advantages for specific sports and activities, particularly water sports, skiing, and golfing, making it a more specialized choice for serious athletes in those fields. It also has a longer-lasting battery life with an additional Power Manager feature for optimizing battery usage.
If you like to read more on Garmin smartwatches, check out our other relevant guides here:
Best Garmin Watches
Garmin Fenix 7 vs 7 Pro
Garmin Fenix 7 vs Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar
Garmin Epix 2 vs Fenix 7
Garmin Fenix 6 vs 7
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