First Impressions
Looking for a smartwatches? The Garmin Forerunner 165 comes in at $199.00 and has earned 4.7 stars across 3,431 Amazon reviews. That's enough data to take its #6 ranking (out of 44) seriously. It's in the top quartile of the category, which is where most buyers should be looking.
Build Quality
Construction at $199.00 should reflect the price premium with metal accents, better fit-and-finish, and tighter tolerances.
If there's one phrase that comes up across reviews of the Garmin Forerunner 165, it's "11-day battery".
The Numbers
- Brand: Garmin
- Price: $199.00 (well above the $114.00 category average)
- Amazon rating: 4.7 of 5.0
- Reviews: 3,431
- Category rank: #6 of 44 in smartwatches
- Cheaper in category: 35 products
- Higher-rated in category: 3 products
- More-reviewed in category: 10 products
From the Reviews
3,431 reviews and a 4.7-star average is a strong signal. At this scale, manufactured reviews would have to be unrealistically pervasive to move the score this much, which means the satisfaction is real for the typical buyer.
Common positives:
- Colorful AMOLED display
- 11-day battery
- Running dynamics
Common complaints:
- No LTE option
- Basic smart features
For context, the average rating across all 44 smartwatches options we track is 4.4 stars, so this product is meaningfully above average.
Compared to Alternatives
At $199.00, the Garmin Forerunner 165 sits well above the $114.00 category average. 35 options are cheaper and 8 are more expensive.
The category leader is the Fitbit Versa 4 ($149.95, 4.2★, 18,935 reviews). It's $49.05 more expensive than the top pick despite ranking lower, which is a hard combination to justify unless a specific feature swings the decision.
Higher-rated options in this category:
- Qonbink Fitness Smartwatch - $19.99, 5.0★ (100 reviews) · Better on both axes
- Apple Watch Series 11 - $299.00, 4.8★ (3,779 reviews) · Roughly comparable
- Apple Watch SE 3 - $239.00, 4.8★ (2,541 reviews) · Roughly comparable
If rating alone is your filter, the highest-rated option in this category is the Qonbink Fitness Smartwatch at 5.0★. If pure price is the filter, the cheapest is the Motast Smartwatch 2025 at $15.99.
Should You Buy It?
Only if you specifically want what makes it expensive. The rating is excellent but the price premium is meaningful. There are cheaper highly-rated options in this category - make sure the extra money is buying a feature you'll actually use.
Best fit for:
- Quality-first buyers who prioritize a track record of satisfaction over saving a few dollars
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Colorful AMOLED display
- 11-day battery
- Running dynamics
Cons:
- No LTE option
- Basic smart features
Bottom Line
8.1/10
Functional, mid-pack option. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing pushing it above the better-ranked alternatives either.