Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs Forerunner 965: Five Key Aspects
By Naila Syifa
Updated October 2023
When it comes to choosing a smartwatch, there are many factors to consider, including design, features, battery life, and price. In this article, we'll compare the newly released Garmin Vivoactive 5 to another popular Garmin model, the Forerunner 965, to help you decide which one is right for you.
| Specs | Garmin Vivoactive 5 | Garmin Forerunner 965 |
|---|---|---|
| Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | |
| Price | $299.99 | $599.99 |
| Dimensions | 42.2 x 42.2 x 11.1 mm | 47.2 x 47.2 x 13.2 |
| Weight | 36 g | 53 g |
| Screen Resolution | 390 x 390 pixels | 454 x 454 pixels |
| Battery Life | 11 days | 23 days |
| Memory | 4 GB | 32 GB |
| GPS | Yes | Yes, Multi-Band with SatIQ |
| Built-in Speaker and Microphone | No | No |
| Built-in Maps | No | Yes |
| Body Battery | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced Sleep Monitoring | Yes, with Nap Detection | Yes |
| Meditation | Yes | No |
| Wheelchair Mode | Yes | No |
| Advanced Running | No | Yes |
| Multisport Activities | No | Yes |
Key Takeaways
Vivoactive 5 supports overall wellness with features like Meditation and Sleep Coach, while Forerunner 965 is more focused on physical performance, sports, and training. Vivoactive 5 is also more affordable, but Forerunner 965 has a longer battery life and a better display.
Garmin Vivoactive 5
Everything You Need
GPS smartwatch for daily fitness and health monitoring with all the essential features at a reasonable price.
Garmin Forerunner 965
Advanced Fitness Features
GPS smartwatch for athlete-level health monitoring and fitness tracking with built-in maps.
#1 Price
Garmin Vivoactive 5
Garmin Vivoactive 5 is not the most affordable Garmin model, but the price is still quite affordable at US$299.99. The Forerunner 965, on the other hand, is more on the expensive side, retailing at around US$599.99. However, this premium price is justified by the Forerunner 965's advanced features and capabilities.
After all, Garmin's Forerunner series is well-known for its more advanced running and training features designed for serious runners and athletes. However, if you're budget-conscious but still want the advanced Forerunner series feature, you may want to consider the Forerunner 265 which comes with a lower price tag but still has many of the same features as the Forerunner 965.
#2 Design & Display
Garmin Forerunner 965
Vivoactive 5 features a 1.2" touchscreen display with a resolution of 390 x 390 pixels, while the Forerunner 965 has a slightly larger 1.4" display with a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. Forerunner 965 is also physically larger and heavier with dimensions of 47.2 x 47.2 x 13.2 mm and a weight of 53 g, compared to the Vivoactive 5 which measures 42.2 x 42.2 x 11.1 mm and weighs 23 g.
Both Garmin smartwatches share a colorful AMOLED display which provides excellent visibility even in bright sunlight. They also share a common water rating of 5 ATM, allowing you to use them while swimming or showering without worrying about water damage.
One difference is that the Vivoactive 5 features a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 lens, while the Forerunner 965 has a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX lens. This DX version has an improved anti-reflectivity and is more scratch-resistant.
#3 Health & Fitness Features
Garmin Vivoactive 5
When it comes to health monitoring and fitness tracking features, the Vivoactive 5 and Forerunner 965 share many things in common, including wrist-based heart rate, Pulse Ox blood oxygen saturation, Body Battery energy monitoring, activity tracking, built-in sports app, advanced sleep monitoring, and more.
However, if you're a serious runner or athlete who wants more advanced running metrics and performance analysis, the Forerunner 965 is the better choice. It features Training Readiness, Daily Suggested Workouts, Multisport Activities, Running Dynamics, Race an Activity, Endurance Score, Race Predictor, ClimbPro, PacePro, and countless other advanced features designed to help you optimize your training and improve your performance.
The Forerunner 965 also supports a wider variant of sports profiles, including running, skiing, biking, swimming, tennis, hiking, soccer, ice hockey, baseball, and more, compared to the Vivoactive 5 which supports a more limited number of activities.
Garmin Forerunner 965
The Forerunner 965 also has more advanced features for golf, cycling, and swimming, which make it a better choice for athletes who specialize in these sports. It is even preloaded with 43,000 golf courses worldwide, so you can view course maps and track your shots and score right from your wrist.
However, the Vivoactive 5 also offers some distinct advantages unavailable on the Forerunner 965. It supports Meditation for stress relief and relaxation, supports workouts for wheelchair users, and has a more advanced sleep monitoring feature with not only sleep score and insights but also Sleep Coach and Nap Detection, so you can get a more comprehensive picture of your sleep quality and patterns.
#4 Smartwatch Features
Garmin Vivoactive 5
In terms of smart features, Garmin Vivoactive 5 and Forerunner 965 also share some similarities. They both offer smart notifications, music storage and controls, Garmin Pay, Morning Report, weather forecasts, calendar, Safety and Tracking features, and more. If you have an Android phone, you can even respond to texts or decline phone calls with a text message.
However, Forerunner 965 offers some additional benefits, including Stocks, multi-frequency positioning with SatIQ technology, Live Event Sharing (Android only), Group Livetrack, and Spectator Messaging. The last three features are especially useful if you want to share your location with friends and family during a race, or if you want to keep track of other runners or athletes during an event.
#5 Battery Life
Garmin Forerunner 965
Garmin Forerunner 965 has a battery life of up to 23 days in smartwatch mode and 31 hours in GPS mode. The Vivoactive 5, on the other hand, can last for up to 11 days in smartwatch mode and 21 hours in GPS mode.
Both models support battery-saver mode, which can extend the battery life even further by turning off less essential features and functions.
Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs Forerunner 965
Final Thoughts
Garmin Vivoactive 5
The bottom line is that both Garmin Vivoactive 5 and Forerunner 965 are excellent smartwatches with their own distinctive capabilities.
The Vivoactive 5 is a great choice for those with a moderately active lifestyle who want a more affordable smartwatch that can track their fitness and health metrics while also enjoying more lifestyle-oriented features like Meditation, Sleep Coach, and Nap Detection.
On the other hand, the Forerunner 965 is a better choice for serious runners and athletes who won't mind investing in a more expensive smartwatch that can provide more advanced running metrics, performance analysis, training features, and sport-specific features.
If you like to read more on Garmin smartwatches, check out our other relevant guides here:
Best Garmin Smartwatches in Singapore
Garmin Venu 3 vs Venu 2
Garmin Venu 3 vs Forerunner 265
Garmin Venu 3 vs Forerunner 965
Garmin Venu 3 vs Forerunner 955
Garmin Venu 3 vs Fenix 7
Garmin Venu 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
Garmin Venu 3 vs Apple Watch Series 8
Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs Vivoactive 4
Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs Venu 3
Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs Venu 2
Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs Venu Sq 2
Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs Forerunner 265
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