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Forerunner 265 or Instinct 2/2x?

1527850
over 1 year ago

I was planning to buy my first watch, as I am starting to run daily,  just a 43 year old beginner, nothing serious ofc, but those experiences with the unreliability of the forerunner 265 are concerning. What is more concerning is that in all the reviews I've read, everyone is raving about the accuracy of it's heart rate sensor. It is concerning because it is an expensive watch, and it seems that there are no reviews that one can really trust. Keeping all this in mind, would it be better to just go  for the Instinct 2 or Instinct 2x? Will they offer a more accurate HR reading? The Instinct 2 is also quite cheaper than the 2x or the 265...

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  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 6125703

    From what I've seen, the only thing missing from the 255, that the I2 has, is training readiness. Is there something else that I am missing, feature wise? Ok, battery life is a given, but apart from that?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 6125703

    Well, the most significant advantage of Instinct 2 (and especially I2X) is the battery life - in smartwatch mode 14 days at FR255 vs 40 days at I2X (even more with some solar charging), and then also the shock resistance and water resistance of 10 bars vs 5 bars at FR255, is worth of mentioning.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 1527850
    1527850 said:
    but apart from that?

    See all the details of both models side by side: Garmin | Product Compare

    Besides the battery life of 40 days vs 14 days, the water resistance, there is also the flashlight, which is quite useful on I2X

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 1527850

    Sorry, you're probably right on that. I think I may be dragging up a memory from when I shopped a year ago, but FR255 has gained some of these metrics in subsequent firmware updates...

    I am a walker and hiker and don't really pay close attention to all the running and multisport features. My only gripe is that the FR255 lacks some of the outdoors activities like snowshoeing which seems like a totally unnecessary difference.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 6125703

    yes, apart of battery/screen - differences are mostly on activities (apps) end - instincts have more 'outdoorsy' ones while forerunner is more, well, for runners indeed (race features, calendars, tailored training in race day etc. quite interesting stuff actually, just discovering them these days). also, instincts have power manager feature - incl customizable power modes. forerunner, nothing like that. no hotkeys neither, no ABC button which sucks. 

    otherwise quite similar platforms feature wise.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 9820003

    One other thing to be aware of... similar to lacking hotkeys, the FR255 won't let you leave an activity running and go back to the watchface or glances menu.  What that means is that you need to pre-configure data screens for anything you want to see during an activity, and you can't see your CIQ watchface during an activity.

    From what I understand, some of the higher end models can put the activity in the background.  Does the I2, or is it limited like the FR255?

    For ABC, what I did was rearrange the glance list, so pushing DOWN from the watchface immediately shows me the ABC glance. Mine always seems to show a compass heading so I'd have to press RUN to get to a compass with embedded altimeter, and DOWN again to see an altimeter screen with a graph.  But I also tend to put elevation on my watchface.

    Of course, because of the limitation above, during an actual hike activity, I'd have to have compass and altimeter screens configured as data screens.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 6125703
    • Guys, one thing that is important, does the non music 255 support voice prompts in activities? If it doesn't, how is it informing the  user about changes in intervals etc? 
  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 1527850

    It can vibrate and beep to show alerts. Or when linked with a phone, it can issue audio prompts through the phone's audio.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 6125703

    Oh well, I just ordered the 255 music, found a nice deal in Amazon.de, so why not. I am not listening to music when  running, but it is a feature that could potentially be used sometimes.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 1527850

    One more question if I am allowed. Would a polar Verify Sense offer enough accuracy compared to an H10 or Hrm pro? I am mainly asking because it seems way more comfortable to wear!