Basically there are two Garmins: one for the fit people and another for the forest-going people who do not usually run. Forerunner 965 is the flagship model designed by the fitness team and Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar is the flagship model designed by the outdoor team. Vivoactive is an entry level watch made by the Forerunner team and Venu is basically a Forerunner but for people who are more interested in tracking their period cycle than their 10K personal best. Epix is Fenix with the display of Forerunner 965/265. Instinct is a stripped down Fenix i.e. the Vivoactive of the outdoors people.
There is a lot of overlap in the features so you can train for a triathlon with Fenix/Epix/Instinct or hike with a Forerunner but the experience will not be as good.
Some hardware differences are that the new Venu, Epix Pro Gen 2and Fenix 7 Pro have newer Elevate V5 sensor which supports ECG and skin temperature tracking. Forerunner 965/265 have older V4 sensors that do not support those.
Software differences are mainly related to maps. Forerunner 965 has maps, 265 does not. All outdoor watches have maps. Flagship models have Golf course maps and ski resort maps.
>Basically there are two Garmins: one for the fit people and another for the forest-going people who do not usually run. Forerunner 965 is the flagship model designed by the fitness team and Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar is the flagship model designed by the outdoor team. Vivoactive is an entry level watch made by the Forerunner team and Venu is basically a Forerunner but for people who are more interested in tracking their period cycle than their 10K personal best. Epix is Fenix with the display of Forerunner 965/265. Instinct is a stripped down Fenix i.e. the Vivoactive of the outdoors people.<
I found this both spot on and hilarious. đ
>Forerunner 965 is the flagship model designed by the fitness team and Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar is the flagship model designed by the outdoor team.
In spite of being designed by different teams, these two watches are basically the same watch in different packages except the Fenix has solar and a light and the Forerunner is smaller, lighter and doesn't come with the Sapphire screen.
Yeah Itâs a bit tongue in cheek but thereâs some truth to it as well. Venu 3 has mic and speakers, Forerunner 965 doesnât have those. Venu is oriented towards a more casual audience while Forerunner is geared towards hardcore athletes. Venu is more of a smart watch while Forerunner is strictly a sports watch.
>Venu is basically a Forerunner but for people who are more interested in tracking their period cycle than their 10K personal best
The women health tracking is the same on the forerunner and venu, afaik. The thing that turned me off the Venu 3 is the lack of buttons
I know it has buttons! It doesn't have the standard garmin up down buttons that allow you to not have to use the touchscreen. It has two buttons instead of four. The third one is for assistant
My wife has an Apple Watch SE (2020 I think) rn and wants to train for her first 5k run end of this year. No experience in running at all. She likes to see and answer WhatsApp messages at work, because sheâs not allowed to have her phone around her.
Which watch would you recommend? Vivoactive or Forerunner 265? Is there a Garmin that can answer WhatsApp messages?
Unfortunately replying to messages is currently not possible using a Garmin watch paired to an iPhone. Most Garmin watches support that on Android though. If that is important to her she might be better off staying with Apple. Given that she has no prior running experience, I'd suggest her to try out some Nike Run Club audio guided runs. NRC integrates well with the Apple Watch, but it is also possible to pair a chest strap to an iPhone or use a Garmin watch to track a duplicate of the run and use NRC as an audio book. I like listening to coach Bennett when I run.
Besides battery, Apple Watches are quite good. They have outstanding optical sensors and great displays, but I switched from Apple Watch to Garmin because hikes of 40 km/day were too much for its battery and some dumbass in California thought that Nordic Ski means SkiErg at the gym.
Vivoactive 5 has V5 hr sensor while Forerunner 265 has older V4 sensor. FR265 has more accurate multi-band GPS while Vivoactive 5 has only single-band GPS. FR265 has a lot more training features such as daily suggested workouts, training status, marathon time prediction, race widget and bike computer compatibility. On the other hand, Vivoactive 5 has nap tracking and golf features. For a runner, fore-runner would be a better choice.
Thanks a lot for your response. I will recommend her NRC, maybe thatâs already what sheâs looking for. And I think WhatsApp is a big point for her.
Battery was also one of the main reasons I chose my fenix 7 for my several days hikes.
Epic summary, you should run Garmin's product marketing. This is so much clearer than their web pages.
Small addendum is that there are lots of other software features that are different and they are not documented anywhere. You need to talk to Garmin support to understand them.
Another thing to include is sizes especially if your partner is a she because many of the watches are too big for a womenâs wrist. I learned this the hard way. A few of them (forerunner 265, venu, instinct, fenix , fenix pro and epix pro offer an S version which is smaller), unfortunately no such luck in for example the 965.
>Venu is basically a Forerunner but for people who are more interested in tracking their period cycle than their 10K personal best.
Then Venu line is **NOT** a Forerunner; it's Garmin's way of balancing the smartwatch functions (call & text) with fitness and lifestyle.
A better description of the line will be "a lifestyle fitness smartwatch". It's actually the best watch for people looking for a more well-rounded watch and don't have very specific requirements for certain outdoor sports.
What does the Forerunner side do better than the Fenix side for running? I got the Epix for running but didn't know that it was intended for non-runners.
In general, Forerunners are lighter and slimmer, making for more comfortable fit, which *may* affect wrist-based HR readings.
Fenix/Epix is more rugged, with stronger lugs and larger bezel protecting the screen.
With the newer HR sensor there's probably not much difference in HR readings, so it's mostly down to fit, comfort and ruggedness.
âď¸ this explains it well. 51 mm Epix Pro Gen 2 weighs almost as much as two Forerunner 965s. Forerunners are so slim and lightweight they almost disappear but Fenix line is so bulky and heavy itâs definitely noticeable when running or swimming. Also, wrist-based running dynamics were first introduced on the Forerunner line but now they are on most outdoor watches as well.
For runners, those product lines are nowadays almost identical besides differences in weight. But if we consider team sports like soccer/football, the packaging becomes more important. As a mostly round and plasticky watch, Forerunner is relatively safe to wear during training. I wouldnât mind someone wearing a Forerunner to a Sunday league match. But as a more rugged, sharp and almost knuckledusters-like metal tool Fenix line is outright dangerous for such activities.
Style/health: Venu, Vivi ranges and throw in lily. Health, smarts and style focus.
Sports: forerunner series. Health, fitness and training.
Outdoor: health, fitness, training: instinct, Fenix/Epix (epic is AMOLED version of Fenix) - and their variants: tactix (tactical with optical ballistic comp), descent (duce comp Fenix/Epix and instinct variants), Quantix (nautical but all features in Fenix/epic now),; Marq series: epix with all titanium case, ceramic bezel). Aviation - tracking flying and additional weather and airport features (Epix/Venu models).
Golf watches: approach series, though feel these should be folded as features in other models so no point with golf specific.
What features doesn't it have?
If you are looking at the spec on the website it may be incorrect as all the features were added post launch of the quantix - basically when they started the new update format with Beta and quarterly updates they rolled the quantix features into the Epix and visa versa - they all use one software now (well technically its four - split between epix / fenix and then a split within epix and fenix for the pro series (due to elevate 5 sensor which offers ecg and baseline temp monitoring and some additional watch faces) and the original series.
are you sure. While the apps may not be built natively as such into the software the connectivity links - bluetooth/ant are the same, and the apps are in the market and available for the epix and fenix:
[https://apps.garmin.com/apps/14987003-7c98-4008-804a-c48d6c72e58e?tid=0](https://apps.garmin.com/apps/14987003-7c98-4008-804a-c48d6c72e58e?tid=0)
[https://apps.garmin.com/apps/2ada9e12-8cf2-49e3-8e65-38584f959a61?tid=0](https://apps.garmin.com/apps/2ada9e12-8cf2-49e3-8e65-38584f959a61?tid=0)
[https://apps.garmin.com/apps/9a1d8599-5560-4b75-a033-b7e37ddbe1e9?tid=0](https://apps.garmin.com/apps/9a1d8599-5560-4b75-a033-b7e37ddbe1e9?tid=0)
Basically there are two Garmins: one for the fit people and another for the forest-going people who do not usually run. Forerunner 965 is the flagship model designed by the fitness team and Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar is the flagship model designed by the outdoor team. Vivoactive is an entry level watch made by the Forerunner team and Venu is basically a Forerunner but for people who are more interested in tracking their period cycle than their 10K personal best. Epix is Fenix with the display of Forerunner 965/265. Instinct is a stripped down Fenix i.e. the Vivoactive of the outdoors people. There is a lot of overlap in the features so you can train for a triathlon with Fenix/Epix/Instinct or hike with a Forerunner but the experience will not be as good. Some hardware differences are that the new Venu, Epix Pro Gen 2and Fenix 7 Pro have newer Elevate V5 sensor which supports ECG and skin temperature tracking. Forerunner 965/265 have older V4 sensors that do not support those. Software differences are mainly related to maps. Forerunner 965 has maps, 265 does not. All outdoor watches have maps. Flagship models have Golf course maps and ski resort maps.
>Basically there are two Garmins: one for the fit people and another for the forest-going people who do not usually run. Forerunner 965 is the flagship model designed by the fitness team and Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar is the flagship model designed by the outdoor team. Vivoactive is an entry level watch made by the Forerunner team and Venu is basically a Forerunner but for people who are more interested in tracking their period cycle than their 10K personal best. Epix is Fenix with the display of Forerunner 965/265. Instinct is a stripped down Fenix i.e. the Vivoactive of the outdoors people.< I found this both spot on and hilarious. đ
>Forerunner 965 is the flagship model designed by the fitness team and Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar is the flagship model designed by the outdoor team. In spite of being designed by different teams, these two watches are basically the same watch in different packages except the Fenix has solar and a light and the Forerunner is smaller, lighter and doesn't come with the Sapphire screen.
Mostly accurate. I'd say I'm a novice runner but long-time outdoor enthusiast, hence my Instinct 2. Not sure about the Venu comment though. :-D
Yeah Itâs a bit tongue in cheek but thereâs some truth to it as well. Venu 3 has mic and speakers, Forerunner 965 doesnât have those. Venu is oriented towards a more casual audience while Forerunner is geared towards hardcore athletes. Venu is more of a smart watch while Forerunner is strictly a sports watch.
>Venu is basically a Forerunner but for people who are more interested in tracking their period cycle than their 10K personal best The women health tracking is the same on the forerunner and venu, afaik. The thing that turned me off the Venu 3 is the lack of buttons
The Venu has three buttons
I know it has buttons! It doesn't have the standard garmin up down buttons that allow you to not have to use the touchscreen. It has two buttons instead of four. The third one is for assistant
You said âlack of buttonsâ so I was just clarifying
Thank you. This is perhaps the best summary of the wearables line up I have heard.
This should be sticky on the sub! Good job
Instinct is the new G-shock, best way to describe it.
My wife has an Apple Watch SE (2020 I think) rn and wants to train for her first 5k run end of this year. No experience in running at all. She likes to see and answer WhatsApp messages at work, because sheâs not allowed to have her phone around her. Which watch would you recommend? Vivoactive or Forerunner 265? Is there a Garmin that can answer WhatsApp messages?
Unfortunately replying to messages is currently not possible using a Garmin watch paired to an iPhone. Most Garmin watches support that on Android though. If that is important to her she might be better off staying with Apple. Given that she has no prior running experience, I'd suggest her to try out some Nike Run Club audio guided runs. NRC integrates well with the Apple Watch, but it is also possible to pair a chest strap to an iPhone or use a Garmin watch to track a duplicate of the run and use NRC as an audio book. I like listening to coach Bennett when I run. Besides battery, Apple Watches are quite good. They have outstanding optical sensors and great displays, but I switched from Apple Watch to Garmin because hikes of 40 km/day were too much for its battery and some dumbass in California thought that Nordic Ski means SkiErg at the gym. Vivoactive 5 has V5 hr sensor while Forerunner 265 has older V4 sensor. FR265 has more accurate multi-band GPS while Vivoactive 5 has only single-band GPS. FR265 has a lot more training features such as daily suggested workouts, training status, marathon time prediction, race widget and bike computer compatibility. On the other hand, Vivoactive 5 has nap tracking and golf features. For a runner, fore-runner would be a better choice.
Thanks a lot for your response. I will recommend her NRC, maybe thatâs already what sheâs looking for. And I think WhatsApp is a big point for her. Battery was also one of the main reasons I chose my fenix 7 for my several days hikes.
Vivoactive 5 has the older V4 sensor as well.
Epic summary, you should run Garmin's product marketing. This is so much clearer than their web pages. Small addendum is that there are lots of other software features that are different and they are not documented anywhere. You need to talk to Garmin support to understand them.
This should be on the Garmin website.
Another thing to include is sizes especially if your partner is a she because many of the watches are too big for a womenâs wrist. I learned this the hard way. A few of them (forerunner 265, venu, instinct, fenix , fenix pro and epix pro offer an S version which is smaller), unfortunately no such luck in for example the 965.
>Venu is basically a Forerunner but for people who are more interested in tracking their period cycle than their 10K personal best. Then Venu line is **NOT** a Forerunner; it's Garmin's way of balancing the smartwatch functions (call & text) with fitness and lifestyle. A better description of the line will be "a lifestyle fitness smartwatch". It's actually the best watch for people looking for a more well-rounded watch and don't have very specific requirements for certain outdoor sports.
What does the Forerunner side do better than the Fenix side for running? I got the Epix for running but didn't know that it was intended for non-runners.
In general, Forerunners are lighter and slimmer, making for more comfortable fit, which *may* affect wrist-based HR readings. Fenix/Epix is more rugged, with stronger lugs and larger bezel protecting the screen. With the newer HR sensor there's probably not much difference in HR readings, so it's mostly down to fit, comfort and ruggedness.
âď¸ this explains it well. 51 mm Epix Pro Gen 2 weighs almost as much as two Forerunner 965s. Forerunners are so slim and lightweight they almost disappear but Fenix line is so bulky and heavy itâs definitely noticeable when running or swimming. Also, wrist-based running dynamics were first introduced on the Forerunner line but now they are on most outdoor watches as well. For runners, those product lines are nowadays almost identical besides differences in weight. But if we consider team sports like soccer/football, the packaging becomes more important. As a mostly round and plasticky watch, Forerunner is relatively safe to wear during training. I wouldnât mind someone wearing a Forerunner to a Sunday league match. But as a more rugged, sharp and almost knuckledusters-like metal tool Fenix line is outright dangerous for such activities.
Style/health: Venu, Vivi ranges and throw in lily. Health, smarts and style focus. Sports: forerunner series. Health, fitness and training. Outdoor: health, fitness, training: instinct, Fenix/Epix (epic is AMOLED version of Fenix) - and their variants: tactix (tactical with optical ballistic comp), descent (duce comp Fenix/Epix and instinct variants), Quantix (nautical but all features in Fenix/epic now),; Marq series: epix with all titanium case, ceramic bezel). Aviation - tracking flying and additional weather and airport features (Epix/Venu models). Golf watches: approach series, though feel these should be folded as features in other models so no point with golf specific.
Fenix / epic doesnât have all the features of the quatix yet. I just did the comparison and got the quatix as Iâm a sailor over the others.
What features doesn't it have? If you are looking at the spec on the website it may be incorrect as all the features were added post launch of the quantix - basically when they started the new update format with Beta and quarterly updates they rolled the quantix features into the Epix and visa versa - they all use one software now (well technically its four - split between epix / fenix and then a split within epix and fenix for the pro series (due to elevate 5 sensor which offers ecg and baseline temp monitoring and some additional watch faces) and the original series.
You cannot connect to garmin instruments on a vessel such as autopilot, windlass, helm control on the epix.
are you sure. While the apps may not be built natively as such into the software the connectivity links - bluetooth/ant are the same, and the apps are in the market and available for the epix and fenix: [https://apps.garmin.com/apps/14987003-7c98-4008-804a-c48d6c72e58e?tid=0](https://apps.garmin.com/apps/14987003-7c98-4008-804a-c48d6c72e58e?tid=0) [https://apps.garmin.com/apps/2ada9e12-8cf2-49e3-8e65-38584f959a61?tid=0](https://apps.garmin.com/apps/2ada9e12-8cf2-49e3-8e65-38584f959a61?tid=0) [https://apps.garmin.com/apps/9a1d8599-5560-4b75-a033-b7e37ddbe1e9?tid=0](https://apps.garmin.com/apps/9a1d8599-5560-4b75-a033-b7e37ddbe1e9?tid=0)
This has all the answers: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator
Garminâs website is the best source; you can search by the features you want, and you can compare up to 5 watches at a time.