The Garmin Forerunner 265 Watch Is a Pretty Good Buy During Amazon’s Big Spring Sale.
The best deal on a Garmin watch during Amazon’s current spring sale is probably the Forerunner 265 , which will set you back $344.95. It’s a great watch—I already mentioned that in my review . If you like this watch, go for it, but there are a few things to consider before you buy.
The price is low, but only slightly lower than usual.
First, it’s important to know that older watches aren’t always as good a deal as they seem. This watch is currently listed at $344.95, down from its original price of $449.99, and it’s labeled “Big Spring Sale”; this makes it seem like a great deal. But price history tells a different story: earlier this month, it was listed for $349.99 (just $5 more), and the highest price in the last few days was $368.99 (up $24). Looking at price data over the past year, the 265 and 265S have spent a month or more at $349.99 (or lower) at least twice—the first major instance was when the 570 launched in early summer, and the second was during the holiday shopping season.
Older watch models show fewer updates from Garmin.
Since the 265 has been replaced by the 570 , I need to talk about what that means for those buying the 265. The 265 is an older model, released in 2023. This isn’t a problem in itself—Garmin watches generally hold up well over time. Everything you loved about this watch in 2023 remains the same today. It’s still a great watch.
But since the launch of the 570 and 970, Garmin’s regular updates have brought new features to the 70 series but not to the 65 series. (Similarly, the Fenix 8 gets updates that the Fenix 7 doesn’t.) Garmin hasn’t previously phased out older models so quickly, but the new models seem to be sufficiently different from their predecessors that most of the new features only make sense on newer hardware.
The 265 model continues to receive stability and bug fix updates ( the latest one was just two months ago), so it’s still supported , but it just doesn’t get the best new features. For example, the new features for viewing battery status, sports performance, and recording lifestyle data are only available on newer watch models.
The Garmin Forerunner 265 remains a great buy.
Given all this, is the Garmin 265 still a good watch? Frankly, yes, but it no longer strikes the sweet spot between features and price. In 2026, if you want a watch with all the best Garmin features, you’re better off upgrading to the Forerunner 570 or 970 , or, if you’re looking for a watch for an active lifestyle, the Venu 4. In the budget segment, the Vivoactive 6 is a good choice from the new generation. However, neither of these models is currently significantly discounted, so if price is a factor, I’d also recommend considering Coros or Suunto .