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955 vs the 265 - My Experience as a 955 user.

S.M.R.
over 1 year ago

I am doing the thread as a way to compare the 955 to the 265 (I couldn't get a 965)

I am just a normal person who enjoys running (for over 40 years) , I am almost 60 , and I have had a Garmin since the 201.

I recently had a 630 then 745 and now a 955. I was interested to see how the 265/965 experience and especially screen compared.

I just received the 265 so I haven't much feedback as yet. I have put some images of the Firmware versions and details for info.

I have copied my activity setups using Android File Manager (I use iOS devices) for the 955 to the 265 and it worked ok, apart from the IQ data fields that aren't compatible as yet.

So far I would say I find the screen garish , but I need to sort the screen setup and colours of the base watch faces still. 

Not sure why its "Partially Compatible" with the Unified Device Setup though

Ok thats it for now.

UPDATE 1. (3 March 2023)

  • Two things I did notice:
  • 1. Pressing an icon on the touchscreen on the standard watch face does go to the widget.
  • 2. Sleep settings on watch allows for a schedule with different hours per day of the week.

UPDATE 2. (4 March 2023)

  • Did First short run (5k) with the 265 (sans HRM-PRO)
  • Heart rate recording seems ok. Tough to tell on one easy run, but no funny spikes at least
  • Stride length and cadence within acceptable range, again need more varied runs to get a better feel
  • Need to sort the screen settings better still
  • Not sure on battery usage, went form 74 - 70 during this run (approx 25 mins) but of course one doesn't have decimals so cant be sure. Hopefully some of the battery fields on CIQ will become compatible for this device soon!

UPDATE 3: (5 March 2023)

  • I had a 5k Race planned for today so decided to take the leap and use the 265.
  • Having used an HRM strap for many years, it is nice to not have to wear one for so many metrics now (except L/R% all the RD dynamics are now on the watch) - I need to take some time to analyse them vs the last time I did this course with my 955 (about a month ago and very similar time). For an OHR the HR didn't have odd spikes I sometimes get so that was interesting to me, although not sure why it is considering the OHR is the same as the 955.
  • I am not convinced about screen visibility though , taking a quick glance at the activity stats is challenging as by one has to move ones arm a fair bit to make the gesture activate and the level of the always on is quite low (and I don't think adjustable). I am almost 60 so bear that in mind.
  • I will add more a bit later

UPDATE 4: (5 Mar 2023)

  • First battery indications:
  • 100 17h30 4 Mar 2023
  • 96 05h30 5 Mar 2023
  • 93 08h13 5 Mar 2023
  • 82 10h57 5 Mar 2023 Incl about 9km Full Multi GPS
  • 77 16h35 5 Mar 2023
  • My settings : AOD on , Gesture at 2/3 : Activity AOD on, Gesture at 3/3
  • Honestly AOD may as well be off as its barely visible without gesture, IMO

UPDATE 5: (5 Mar 2023)

I did a compare of two races on the same route using Garmin Connect, one in Feb 23 (FR955 and HRM PRO Plus) and one in Mar 23 (265 OHR) and the screenshot is appended. I'd say that is pretty close! It was a about 5C warmer today hence the temp differences. Hope that is useful!

UPDATE 6: (6 March 2023)

Battery: 70% 07h45 6 Match 2023 , No activities today , just same settings as mentioned above. I think there was about a 1% bump up when I had to connect 265 to laptop to check something on the device drive yesterday evening. So thats around 0,75% per hour over the 38 hours with 1 hour of activity as noted above. Of course one tends to "play" more with the watch at the outset trying to sort settings etc.

UPDATE 7: (6 March 2023)

Did a 35 min run activity , Battery now at 57% (14h55 on 6 Mach 23). I must say the weight of the watch and how it sits is really nice and the feel of the unit is good.  It is definitely different to get used to the display in activity though. I tried to take a short video . I hope this link works    https://imgur.com/a/qFZd8oX

Without sounding silly i almost feel like I have a sore arm from turning it more to get a good look at the display as the gesture seems to be not quick enough and the AOD brightness doesn't change in activities (as far as I can establish), if AOD could be brighter for activities it would help a lot.  It is also nice to look at the data after the run as the graphs do look much nicer on AMOLED than MIP obviously.

UPDATE 8 : (7 March 2023)

Battery 39%  06h55 7 March 2023

Battery 25% 11h30 7 March 2023 (1h15 min activity on full multi-GPS)

Today I did a pyramid session that had been set up via Training Peaks. I decided to use the 265 (no HRM) instead of my trusty 955. The session went well and no issues regarding how the session played out on the watch. The screen displaying during rest period is slightly different to that on the 955. It was a bit overcast today.  The screen is ok , so long as the light is on, BUT I still notice having to change the way I move my arm to get the gesture to activate, as you can imagine this is slightly irritating when one is doing 400m repeats and wants to take a quick glance at the pace meter. As mentioned elsewhere in this post , there is apparently no way adjust the sensitivity of gesture movement currently. I did not get an LT update request. You will see a post of the session HR and Power zones split lower down in this forum. For sure looking at the graphs of the activity on the screen , in good light conditions is really nice.

FINAL UPDATE (7 March 2023)

Battery is at 19% now 15h43 on 7 March 2023 , so just on 3 days I guess , with 3 activities on Full GPS , so I guess in my use case and settings one would see approx 4 days. Of course one does fiddle more with a new watch. 

Ok all, those were my experiences with the 265. Going back to the great 955 now. 

In summary, its a great watch, seems well made, in the correct light conditions the screen is great. It needs some finessing, especially as regards the gesture sensitivity - in my view. Sits nicely on the wrist as well. It was also enjoyable not using an HRM and having what seems good OHR readings as well as some of the Running Dynamics. 

Just hoping that Garmin looks after us 255/955 customers and that the software issues remaining get addressed. We deserve that. Lets keep pushing.

I hope this has been helpful to you, it was certainly helpful to me, and thank you for your constructive inputs and feedback, it was enjoyable!

There now , no more FOMO... 

Take care and good luck in your sporting endeavours!

SMR

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to derek87

    The screen is very sharp for sure due to the resolution, (ok this one on the 265 is a tad smaller than the 965), but its very light condition dependant in my experience. Probably even more so than the AW6 I have on which I think the gesture is more sensitive.

    I also think the "fancy" colours with the widgets - although looking snazzy - detracts in some what from their visibility vs just having the black background behind them. Possibly the "shading" can be deactivated as a user option in later FW versions . My point doesn't come across very well in these pics.

    Don't get me wrong its very nice and sharp, but for me anyway the main reason most of us have these devices is not just to look at when sitting inside at our desks , in that case we would all have Apple or Samsung watches - but for usage in varying light conditions during many varied sporting activities.  I suppose its horses for courses and what we are used to to some extent.

    Even just sitting here now , although AOD is on , I can see nothing on the watch unless i gesture it , as the reflection makes it illegible , strangely enough a smaller typeface on my AW6 is just about legible, and the 955 I can see much better . Its very challenging to get exactly equal photos , but this gives some idea:

    So it is all about perspective, eye quality and use case.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to S.M.R.

    Did you put it as a primary instantly? I'm thinking there might be thing like you need to first sync it as non-primary for it to pull the data and then change to primary and the first sync wouldn't be any special on that case.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to jmto

    I don't think so , I think I left the 955 as Primary and changed it to the 265 later (but I stand to be corrected). Actually come to think about it , yes I did , you can see in the screenshot in the OP from GC Web that the 955 was primary.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to S.M.R.

    I'm surprised how much better the AW AOD display looks in these photos. I have an AW 7 (sapphire) and never really have an issue with reading the screen, either with AOD on or at full brightness. I don't use it as my primary running watch, but I'm not sure it's really an issue outside with day-to-day use.

    I wonder if it's attributable to the difference in glass between the 265 and the EPIX, because I don't recall hearing this being much of a problem with the EPIX. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to S.M.R.

    I cannot express how happy I am for my 955s MIP display. You're not even outside, and the 265 is a disco ball already, reflecting light left, right and centre 

  • 0 over 1 year ago
    S.M.R. said:
    Having used an HRM strap for many years, it is nice to not have to wear one for so many metrics now (except L/R% all the RD dynamics are now on the watch)

    Don't you get the GCT balance with just the watch ? Is the data accurate ? 

    With a strap, the sensor is symmetrically located in the middle of the chest. But when wearing a watch, there is no symmetry.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to DPSK

    No you don't get Ground Contact Balance (what I meant by L/R% as I couldn't remember the name) with just the watch, need a compatible accessory, I assume for exactly the reason you point out. Rest of data look accurate , based on one run :-)

    buy.garmin.com/.../compareResult.ep

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to S.M.R.

    OK Thanks.

    I thought there is GCT balance with just the watch.

    My friend who has a Samsung does show the GCT Balance though I don't know how accurate it is. So I thought 265 can do it too without a strap.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    OP please test the white display.

    Saw this burn-in issues on reddit.

    www.reddit.com/.../

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to DPSK

    He has had the watch for couple of days. I don't think there is so bad OLED that he would already have burn-in.