A new leak suggests that the upcoming Garmin Forerunner 265 may borrow some training tools from higher-end watches, making it more tempting to runners and triathletes considering an upgrade, plus an array of new color options.
Rumors about the next-gen watch have been circulating since September 2022, when the anonymous author of the5krunner secured photos that appeared to show an early version of the device. The most obvious difference between this watch and its predecessor, the Garmin Forerunner 255, was the replacement of the older watches memory-in-pixel (MiP) display with a new AMOLED screen, but now it looks like there will be more differences under the hood as well.
The new images and info were posted on golf supply shop 5 Under Golf, and quickly archived by the5krunner. It suggests that, unlike the 255, the Forerunner 265 will provide a daily Training Readiness score, which is a feature currently only found on pricier watches like the Forerunner 955.
As the name suggests, this is a tool that estimates how well prepared you are to tackle a workout that day. It's based on your sleep score, recovery time, acute training load, HRV status, sleep history, and stress history – all of which can be measured by the Forerunner 255's hardware, making it a logical addition.
According to 5 Under Golf's listing, the Forerunner 265 will also offer running dynamics from the wrist, including ground contact time, stride length, and running power, without the need for a separate Garmin Running Dynamics pod or HRM heart rate monitor. Again, this a feature plucked from watches like the Forerunner 955, and should make the 255 more tempting.
However, it's worth taking all of this with a hefty pinch of salt. As the5krunner notes, the golf store's listing cites a longer battery life for the smaller watch, which can't be correct.
Two-tone bands
The color options aren't what we would have expected either, and are more like the zingy shades of the Garmin Instinct 2. According to the dropdown menu on 5 Under, options include black and powder gray, whitestone and tidal blue, aqua and black, black and amp yellow, whitestone and neo tropic, and light pink and whitestone.
A tiny preview image that apparently shows three Forerunner 265 watches with two-tone bands, which are unlike any we've seen before.
That's a surprising array of options, and it's possible that the standard size 265 will come in some shades, while the smaller 265S will be available in others. Interestingly, none of the options match the photo from September, which showed a watch with an all-white band and case, but this may have been an early pre-production model.
We'll continue to keep an ear out for more news, and will bring you further details as soon as we have them.
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