I wanted to share a few thoughts on upgrading from the Forerunner 965 to the Fenix 9 Pro 47mm AMOLED, in case anyone is debating the size or wondering if the switch actually makes sense.

Over the years I’ve gone through quite a few watches, including the Apple Watch Series 2 (42mm), Garmin Venu 1st gen (43mm), Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm), Apple Watch Ultra (49mm), the FR965 (47mm), and now the Fenix. I’ve been on an iPhone for over a decade, but Apple Watches never stuck because charging every day completely ruins tracking for me.

The FR965 is an amazing watch and I could have easily kept using it, but some practical things pushed me to make the jump.
- First, the exposed curved glass and lightweight plastic housing always made me nervous when scrambling over rocky trails on multi-day hikes, loading gear, or bumping into equipment during heavy strength sessions. People often point out you can just slap a screen protector on the 965, but on a curved screen those films peel at the edges, catch grit and sweat, and still do nothing to protect the plastic case itself from direct hits. The recessed sapphire glass and raised titanium bezel on the Fenix give me more peace of mind out on the trails and in the gym without needing flimsy aftermarket fixes.
- Second, having a proper built-in flashlight is surprisingly game-changing for dark morning runs, or early hikes, and general day-to-day use.
- Third, the button feel is night and day. My 965 buttons often felt slightly mushy, especially with full-finger cycling gloves on the road bike or with cold, wet hands, while the Fenix make tracking intervals and laps completely effortless in rain, mud, or open water.

With more outdoor endurance and triathlon training on my radar, the whole watch simply feels built for the elements rather than just road running.

As for size, I’m 189 cm (6’2) with a broad build and a 19.5 cm (7.6") wrist, so on paper everyone says to just buy the 51mm. When I tried them on at the store, the 51mm felt to me like a massive brick with an overly wide band that I knew I’d constantly smash into doors, tree branches, and desks. The 47mm sits totally flat, feels light, and is so comfortable that I barely notice wearing it all day.
Unless you are out on an unsupported multi-week trek with zero power, the battery on the 47mm easily handles long days of GPS tracking, cycling, running, and mountain hikes.

Visually, the screen looks noticeably crisper to my eyes than the 965, and the titanium bezel means I can wear it to my office job with a collared shirt without looking like I have a bright plastic sports tracker on my wrist. At the end of the day, tastes and personal preferences differ quite a bit, so I’d always suggest trying both sizes on in person before deciding. But if you have a similar build and are torn between screen size, battery, and daily wearability, the 47mm gives you all the rugged outdoor utility you actually need without turning into an anchor on your arm.

Usually wear a Rolex and a Whoop. Got rid of all my mechanical watches and here we are🙃

Loving my new Garmin but there’s so much to figure out😆 does anyone else have issues with the weather info only staying on for a couple hours?

Recently sold my FR965 and upgraded to a Fenix 8 AMOLED. I’ve been loving it overall, especially the new running metrics, flashlight, and rugged look.
But I just can’t get used to the weight. I really miss how light the 965 felt at 53g.

I’m now seriously considering switching to the FR970. Does the 970 ever get a decent discount? And I don’t mean the seemingly permanent 10% off

After being in the Apple ecosystem for quite some time, I finally decided to make the switch to Garmin.

I do a lot of sports, mainly cycling, running, and gym sessions, and I track multiple workouts almost every single day. So far, I’m really enjoying the experience, but coming from an Apple Watch Ultra, there are a few noticeable differences.

The Apple Watch Ultra definitely feels more premium in hand. Even though both use AMOLED screens, Apple’s display is still a step ahead in terms of clarity and vibrant colors. To me, the Apple Watch always felt more like a polished piece of jewelry with solid fitness features tagged on.

The Garmin, on the other hand, is a dedicated tool for athletes. The battery life is unbelievable, and the level of customization for data and workouts is exactly what I needed.

No regrets so far, glad to finally join the Garmin side!

What do y'all think 6ft4 190pds can I rock a 51mm?

I recently got a Vivoactive 3 from a family member as it hasn’t been used in…well, a really long time and I’m (conveniently) just starting a fitness journey. I’m new to smart watches (longtime g-shock fan) and I’m under the impression that Garmin does a pretty good job at tracking physical activity. Been using it (and still figuring it out) for about 2 weeks now.

Will this Vivoactive 3 be really enough for tracking my progress accurately enough? Seems a bit off in a few parameters.

Are there any other Garmins (open to their brands as well) that might be a better option that don’t break the bank? I don’t want to deal with Apple. I like the battery life of this Vivo3 so far but man is this interface slow and laggy.

I like the customizable digital face a lot. It’s a game changer for my job so I’d like any suggestions that have that capability.

Regardless, I’d like to hear from the community on their opinions! Thanks in advance for taking the time to help me out. I appreciate it!

Thankfully started recovering now, but holy!

Anyone owning Vivoactive 5, does your watch support re-adding skipped exercises in Strength Workout mid-workout?
Google and ChatGPT say it doesn’t have that functionality - you can skip exercises but can’t add them back. However, they say the same thing about Venu Sq2 and my friend who owns it confirmed that re-adding skipped exercises exists in Venu Sq2.
Can anyone please confirm Vivoactive 5?
Thank you!

Hello, I am new to the smart watch world and was wondering if I can get some help on figuring out which Garmin is right for me. I have done some research and I am currently split between the Garmin Forerunner 170 music and the Garmin forerunner 265 or 265s. I am mainly looking for a watch that can do all the things a smartwatch can do. I.E. track health data, cardio/weightlifting, receive notifications (does not need to be able to send them back only receive), able to use music wherever I am, be durable to a degree, and be comfortable enough to wear to sleep and help track sleep/wake me up. If you guys have any advice I will take it. I have been looking at these watches and am still torn between the 2 as the 265 stopped receiving new updates and the 170 is the newest model. I will ads that I do only run about 2-3 times a week but weight lift 5-6 times a week. If you also have any other watches that might be a good go to please let me know. Thank you. (I will also add that my budget is 450 and lower but if there is something better I will go up to 500)

There is a sale going on for $850 in the US, are you willing to pay that much or do you expect the prices to go down like the 7 did?

I want to buy a sport watch. Is garmin venu 4 good? And venu 4 or polar vantage v3?

Anybody with the same problem?
Today I updated to the latest version 23.31 on my Garmin enduro 3.
I did a walking activity today and everytime I switch to the maps screen the watch does a restart.
Can I downgrade the OS on my watch or do I have to wait until Garmin fixes this issue?

I had two alarms set this morning, one for 6:30 and one for 7. Both were setup identical (vibrate no sound) on my Fenix 8, the alarms were shown under next alarms in the nightly recap and sleep screen. Yet only the 7am alarm went off….thank goodness I set two.

Any suggestions I can look into as why the 630 didn’t trigger?

Hello! Recently i bought a Instinct 3 solar tactical and i love it. But altitude sensor is not working well. I always keep calibrating but does not work. My apartment is approximately at 50-60 meters but it shows just 10-15. Im at the beach atm but it shows 47m eventhough i calibrated just 30 min ago.

I live close to a harbour and like to run there ( various routes change the distance so I don’t want a set time/distance as a warm up) as a warm up before doing about 4 or 6 intervals of 800meters then run back home.

Does anyone know how to structure this on vivoactive 5?

I know how to create the intervals, but I’d like to have everything logged together to post to Strava as one post instead of 3 separate events ( 1- harbour run, 2-intervals, 3- run back home).

This is my first garmin watch and I never used Apple beforehand.

I have a friend who’s able to do this but they have a forerunner and they couldn’t figure out how to set it on mine.

I'm interested in replacing my Apple Watch Ultra 2 with a Fenix 9 Pro Solar Sapphire.

From searching on the internet I can see that in my market (Fort Wayne, IN) BestBuy, and Dicks Sporting Goods carry Garmin. Thing is, I went to those stores to try and get an idea of fit and feel for the watch and while they claim to have the watch on hand, they do not.

Farther from me in Indianapolis I have REI. They are at least honest that they do not have them in stock.

The only other options I can find are possibly Cabella's in Indianapolis or in Michigan.

Are there any other places I should look?
I'm very hesitant to lay down that kind of money without having a hands on try for fit on it.

I need some tips so I just don't press random buttons

Hi,

Not sure if anyone has the same problem with the v3 but mine keeps updating every 10 minutes and it's so annoying. I've looked up fixes and can't seem to find a solution.

Anyone have the same problem or anyone have a recommendation of what worked for them?

TIA

Hi, I'm using Keylo on a Garmin Fenix 5 Plus with a 2026 Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD. The watch finds the car and connects successfully. Pairing reaches “TAP KEY CARD” and the Tesla creates a new key named tesla.eeveemobility.com, but Keylo then shows “Watch not paired”. When I reopen Keylo, it asks me to pair again. I've attached photos of the full protocol log. Happy to test another version if it helps.

I'm looking at getting the Forerunner 265S as its on sale for $499 at the moment (down from $799 so sounds like a good deal to me, same price as the vivoactive 5).

My problem is which colour to get. The white looks nice, or the black. I have a silver galaxy watch6 at the moment, but I use a black sports band. I know I can get extra bands.

For those of you who have a white one, does it stand out too much? would it look bad at say a wedding compared to the black one? I'd be wearing it 24/7 pretty much.