It's officially the season of epic smartwatch deals as we approach Black Friday, and if GPS (or just running in general) is your priority, you're in luck. Best Buy is offering $100 off the Garmin Forerunner 965 GPS smartwatch, which is one of the few Garmin watches bearing dual-band GPS. It's also one of the more expensive smartwatches from the company, so getting it while it's on sale is highly recommended.
One of the best runner's watches on the market, the Forerunner 965 has a beautiful AMOLED touch display that's upgraded from other Garmin models, and it also has hyper-accurate readings for both GPS and heart rate monitoring. It's a little on the heavy side, but it offers some of the best running metrics and fitness tools on the market. As for battery life, Garmin says you can expect 19 hours in dual-frequency GPS mode, or an additional extra 10 days in smartwatch mode. A ton of Garmin deals are currently available ahead of Black Friday, but this deal on the Forerunner 965 is easily one of the best.
✅Recommended if: you're looking for a watch that offers dual-band GPS for optimal accuracy; battery life is a major priority for you when buying a smartwatch; you want something with long lasting battery life.
❌Skip this deal if: you're looking for a smartwatch wtih AFib detection; you prefer a lightweight watch; you'd rather go with a Garmin watch with a solar upgrade for a similar MSRP.
The Garmin Forerunner 965 is a solid mid-range watch offering dual-band GPS with 12 hours of dual-frequency tracking and automatic route-correction using Apple Maps data. As such, it offers hyper-accurate GPS detection, landing it a notch above Garmin's multiple lower-end watches.
There are some similarities between the Garmin Forerunner 965 and 265, but the inclusion of dual-band GPS and the full-color topographical maps are perhaps the most significant differences—as well as a larger build and a higher price tag.
This smartwatch is particularly great for iPhone users, but it's also one of the best fitness smartwatches there is, especially for runners. For those into hiking, backpacking, or other longer excursions, Garmin offers up to nearly 11 days with the Forerunner 965 in smartwatch mode, or up to 19 hours in dual-frequency GPS mode.
As for downsides, the largest omission is probably the lack of AFib detection, and the fact that it's larger and thicker than some would prefer. Along with that, those who want a watch with a solar upgrade might want to consider the Forerunner 955 Solar instead, though it comes at the same MSRP as the 965 without features like dual-band GPS and super-accurate heart rate monitoring.
