Compare Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Garmin MARQ Gen 2

Music controls were criticized as unintuitive during runs.

Music controls were viewed as good or part of the premium smartwatch package, with limited deeper critique.

Value for money was one of the strongest areas, with reviewers repeatedly calling it a high-value or sweet-spot Garmin.

Value for money was the most common concern: reviewers loved the watch but often said Epix, Fenix, or Approach models provide much of the same for less.

Materials quality was mixed: plastic kept it light and affordable but felt less premium.

Materials quality was a core strength, especially grade 5 titanium, sapphire, carbon, and luxury-grade finishes.

Smartphone notifications were described as reliable and easier to read on the AMOLED display.

Notifications were useful for basic reading and alerts, but several reviewers criticized limited interaction or on-course interruptions.

Fit was strong for many wrists, with secure wear and little slipping, though the single case size remained a caveat.

Fit evidence was split between concerns over chunky sizing and praise for straps that can shape to the wrist.

Watch face quality was praised for full customization.

Watch faces were customizable, but one golfer review criticized Garmin’s default font as not premium enough.

Onboard music storage drew split views: handy or smooth for some, but tedious and poor value for others.

Onboard music storage and offline playlists were repeatedly praised as useful for phone-free workouts.

Recovery insights were useful but clearly limited versus higher Forerunners, with some reviewers calling out missing readiness/load tools or odd recovery estimates.

Recovery and readiness insights were repeatedly praised as useful for deciding when to train, though one reviewer noted bad sleep estimates could undermine them.

Comfort was consistently excellent, with reviewers praising the lightweight feel for all-day wear and sleep.

Comfort was mixed: several reviewers found it comfortable or light, while others found the size and weight noticeable or bulky.

Charging convenience was mixed: secure contacts helped, but the proprietary/short cable was a drawback.

Charging convenience was mostly improved by the magnetic cradle and fast top-ups, though the unique proprietary cable drew some concern.

Pairing reliability for headphones was described as generally solid.

Pairing and connectivity reliability received a strong single-review endorsement with no connectivity issues.

Wi-Fi/music setup drew criticism when troubleshooting made the watch appear connected even though playlist syncing failed.

Wi-Fi connectivity was only judged in one review, where map downloads over Wi-Fi were considered slow.

Sleep tracking was mostly viewed as useful and directionally accurate, though one reviewer reported a poor night that the watch missed.

Sleep timing was praised by one reviewer as spot-on, but another reported frequent time-asleep mistakes that could skew readiness metrics.

Workout variety covers most mainstream running, gym, cycling, swimming, and fitness needs, but reviewers consistently noted missing triathlon or backcountry profiles.

Workout variety was consistently described as broad or complete, with one caveat that yoga mode required impractical pose/set interaction.

Blood oxygen tracking was treated as a useful extra by reviewers who valued the reassurance, though broader accuracy was not deeply tested.

Blood oxygen tracking was treated as useful when measured carefully, but reviewers also warned that Pulse Ox can drain battery heavily.

Button controls were a major strength, especially for workouts, gloves, sweat, rain, and avoiding touchscreen reliance.

Button controls were repeatedly praised as intuitive, sturdy, tactile, polished, and useful alongside the touchscreen.

The interface was repeatedly described as simple, approachable, and easy to use.

The interface was seen as increasingly user-friendly and easy to use, although some Garmin complexity remained overwhelming for newcomers.

Size options were limited because the watch comes in only one size, though one reviewer liked the in-between fit.

Size options were a weakness because reviewers wanted smaller choices and noted the single 46mm case could be too much watch.

Stress tracking was mentioned as part of the watch's helpful health-glance system for knowing when to ease off.

Stress tracking appeared as part of a wider health-and-fitness suite that one reviewer said excelled in daily use.

Mapping and navigation were useful for breadcrumb routes and GPX/course following, but the lack of full maps was a repeated limitation.

Mapping and navigation were major strengths, with praise for TOPO maps, golf maps, turn-by-turn guidance, and route handling.

Outdoor visibility was excellent in direct sun and bright conditions.

Outdoor visibility was praised for direct sunlight, hikes, runs, and sunlight-readable use.

The operating experience was familiar and straightforward for Garmin users.

The operating system experience was powerful but dense, with one reviewer saying the menus and features take time to learn.

Display quality was a standout strength thanks to a crisp, vibrant AMOLED screen, though one reviewer still preferred MIP for always-visible use.

Display quality was one of the strongest consensus positives, especially the AMOLED screen and domed lens, though older MARQ reviews criticized the first-gen display.

The app ecosystem was useful through Connect IQ and Garmin features, but Garmin's broader platform could still feel intimidating.

The Garmin app ecosystem was useful for many tasks, but reviewers said it remains behind Apple and Google app stores.

Build quality was viewed as solid and well-made for a lightweight running watch.

Build quality was consistently premium, with reviewers highlighting robust construction, confidence, and high-end execution.

Heart-rate accuracy was generally praised across runs, rides, and intervals, with only occasional optical-sensor lag or spikes.

Heart-rate evidence was mostly positive for steady workouts and general use, with caveats around wrist-based lag, cycling strain, and short intervals.

Software smoothness was praised as simple, fast, and accurate in use.

Software smoothness had limited evidence, but one reviewer noted Garmin software quality had improved substantially.

Touchscreen responsiveness was widely praised, including smooth swiping, reliable taps, and usability with gloves or wet screens.

Touchscreen responsiveness was generally strong, with reviewers praising responsiveness and flexible touch/button control.

Durability was reassuring, with reviewers reporting no concerns and even real-world abuse without damage.

Durability was praised through scratch resistance, rugged trail use, and solid construction.

Charging speed was praised in the reviews that discussed it, ranging from under two hours to very fast top-ups.

Charging speed was a major highlight, with several reviewers praising the roughly one-hour full charge.

Third-party app/widget support was available and sometimes useful for tailoring data, though one reviewer did not find it especially useful.

Third-party app support was mixed to weak: Connect IQ offered usable apps, but reviewers wanted richer interactive app support.

Smartwatch features were considered respectable for a training watch, especially notifications, Garmin Pay, music features, and basic phone-linked tools.

As a smartwatch, reviewers praised the broad feature set and daily usefulness, while noting it still lacks some conventional smartwatch functions.

Coaching and structured workouts were praised as approachable, flexible, and valuable for beginner and intermediate runners.

Coaching features ranged from Training Readiness and suggested workouts to golf caddie guidance, and reviewers generally found them helpful or impressive.

Reviewers described the Forerunner 165 as having reliable sensors and detailed data collection for general health and fitness tracking.

Reviewers saw broad health metrics as generally realistic when compared with daily reality, though detailed evidence appeared in only one review.

Reliability was praised in workout use, with one reviewer reporting no issues with stability.

Reliability received limited but strong praise from golfer reviews describing flawless performance and zero issues.

Safety features such as LiveTrack were valued for sharing location during activities.

Safety features had limited but positive evidence around accident detection and location messaging.

Water resistance was considered more than enough for rain, sweat, showering, and swimming use.

Water resistance was positively judged for swimming, rain, sweat, and 10 ATM confidence.

Customization was a strength, from watch faces and widgets to activity screens and data pages.

Customization was a strength, especially for activity screens, sport profiles, settings, and watch faces.

Wellness insights such as Morning Report and Body Battery were considered fun, useful, and sometimes addictive.

Wellness insights such as Body Battery, sleep coach, health snapshots, and relatable metrics were widely viewed as useful and personally meaningful.

Menu navigation was considered intuitive after a short adjustment period.

Menu navigation was praised in golf use, with reviewers saying mode switching and course menus were simple and fast.

Fitness tracking accuracy was praised for broad data quality and even strength-training rep counting in testing.

Fitness tracking accuracy was a major strength across running, golf, swimming, indoor training, and broader performance data.

Battery life was generally good for an AMOLED Garmin and daily training, but reviewers flagged limits for long adventures, always-on use, or heavy GPS/music.

Battery life was broadly praised as strong for AMOLED and smartwatch use, though always-on display, GPS, music, and Pulse Ox reduce it.

GPS accuracy was one of the strongest themes, with most reviewers finding reliable tracks even without dual-band GPS; a few dense-terrain issues remained.

GPS accuracy drew strong praise across road, trail, city, golf, and multiband tests, with only minor caveats in difficult urban conditions.

Band quality was mostly comfortable and flexible, but one reviewer warned the stock strap needs frequent washing to avoid irritation.

Band quality was mostly positive for nylon, leather, silicone, and integrated designs, but one Athlete reviewer disliked its stiff strap.

Garmin Connect was seen as powerful and useful, with cleaner or comprehensive analysis, though one reviewer found the redesign not much easier.

Companion app quality received limited direct evidence, with one golfer reviewer calling the app setup familiar and simple to understand.

Style and design were viewed as slim, low-profile, sleek, and suitable for daily wear, though still sporty.

Style and design were a standout strength, repeatedly described as premium, stunning, stylish, and more refined than typical Garmin sports watches.

Garmin Pay was viewed as a straightforward, effective contactless payment feature.

Contactless payments were appreciated for phone-free outings and setup ease, though bank support and PIN friction limited convenience.

Brightness was strongly praised in sunlight and adaptive lighting conditions.

Brightness was widely praised, with reviewers emphasizing vivid AMOLED contrast and easy viewing.

Activity auto-detection received limited but mixed-positive evidence: Free Train movement detection was pretty accurate, though some edits were still needed.

Bluetooth headphone pairing was reported to work without problems.

Call handling evidence was limited to absence: one reviewer found missing call features disappointing, while another did not miss them much.

Cross-platform compatibility was positively judged in one review as good for both iPhone and Android users.

Step counting was reported as close to other tested devices.