Overdue for a refresh — no successor announced yet. Prices should be at their lowest
Best for: Android or iPhone users who want a balanced smartwatch with solid Fitbit health tracking, multi-day battery, and a clean square watch design — without the premium price of a Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch.
Full details →Late in cycle — a new model is likely coming
Best for: Beginner and intermediate runners who want real GPS accuracy and Garmin's analytics depth without the price of the 265 or 965. Also ideal as a first serious GPS watch for anyone moving up from a fitness tracker.
Full details →| Fitbit Versa | Garmin Forerunner 165 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | Smartwatch | Sports GPS |
| Platform | iOS & Android | iOS & Android |
| Battery | 6 days | 11 days |
| Always-on display | ❌ | ❌ |
| GPS | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cellular | ❌ | ❌ |
| Health sensors | spo2, hr, hrv, eda stress | hr, spo2, hrv, stress, body battery |
| Released | Sep 25, 2022 | Mar 5, 2024 |
| Cycle length | 730 days | 1006 days |
| Cycle advice | bad | bad |
| Deals advice | good | good |
| Next model | — | — |
Rare for a smartwatch with real GPS and health sensors to work fully on both platforms — Versa 4 does.
Turn-by-turn navigation and NFC payments without needing your phone in hand.
Sleep stages, daily readiness score, Active Zone Minutes, and SpO2 — all on a 6-day charge.
The FR165 is the first Garmin entry-level running watch with an AMOLED display — dramatically more readable than the LCD it replaces.
Training load, recovery time, Body Battery, HRV status, VO2 max estimation — the same analytics found on watches costing twice as much.
11 days typical use and roughly 19 hours GPS — enough for most training blocks without mid-week charging.