955 vs 965

I think it is only because the battery on the 965 is bigger than on the 955.

Could be.

From the review, translated from dutch

the 955 drops between 4.2 and 6.0% batterylife and the 965 between 3.3 and 4.8%. for an hour of gps usage. Both in multiband gps mode.

It’s unlikely that the battery is that much bigger to compensate for the amoledscreen and still have longer batterylife than the 955.

Elbo said:

So it's probably due to software optimalisations.

Or the fact that the screen is off if you don't look at it. Having the screen like in just clock showing HH:MM has a noticeable less power usage than eg. map screen even with 955.

jmto said:

Or the fact that the screen is off if you don't look at it.

Not in this case. As I stated, this was in a gps activity recording, with always on display and gps in most accurate settings. 

The screen is dimmed in sport mode when you don't look at it, not off. 

But even the reviewer admitted he was guessing, since there is no way to really know it.

(fun fact, ask garmin which bluetooth version they use in their new watches. They cant tell. Really they cant. I asked dutch support, but since they only employ the worst morons, I also asked US support, and they couldn't tell either.)

Elbo said:

The screen is dimmed in sport mode when you don't look at it, not off. 

I have the Epix after having several Garmin MIPS watches over the years including the FR935, 945, Fenix 6 Sapphire and Fenix 6 Pro Solar.  Assuming that the 965 works the same, you can select whether the screen is "always on" during activities or not.  When the "always on" is enabled, the screen is dimmer while your arm is not turned up towards you to read it.

To address some of your comments and concerns, at night, when cloudy, or when trail running in the forest, the AMOLED display is absolutely perfect and much nicer when running than the MIPS display.  Even if the gesture to brighten the screen doesn't work (for me it works correct about 75% of the time) it is very easy to read in those conditions.

When the sun is bright outside, the screen is easy to read when it is in the bright mode but if the gesture doesn't work right then it is very difficult to see (practically black when wearing sunglasses) and I have to do the arm movement a second time to make it work right.  During running, this is not a big problem for me because it is only a problem 1/4 of the time and I try not to look at my watch too often anyway.  For cycling, I use an Edge 1030 Plus so it is not a problem for me, but I would not recommend the AMOLED for a cyclist.  The biggest time I have a challenge is if I am kayaking on a bright sunny day.  It is not so easy to keep rowing while trying to make the watch trigger so I can read it, especially because I am often trying to use the map and not looking at large numbers.

For me personally, since I wear my Epix all the time as a watch and for my activities, I stay with the AMOLED Epix instead of the MIPS Fenix.  This is my experience, for what it's worth.

Personally I will get a 955. The 965 is a 955 with a higher price tag and an AMOLED screen which for a sportwatch is inferior to a MIP screen in my opinion. It is the same reason why I will never get an Epix but a Fenix if I had such an amount of money to spend on a sportswatch

I was searching on the web and I found this comparison between 965 and 955, maybe it will help you: Garmin | Compare

In my opinion, Garmin's goal was to reach out to buyers who want a 955 hourly lesson but with AMOLED! The AMOLED display is more expensive ...  If you want to get people from competitors, you have to do this! I think your only serious competitor, Apple, will probably appear with a new hour and that can be a reason

I absolutely agree. They should develop better MIP displays with better resolution and vivid colors. But I'm satisfied with F7 as it is. If they put 1.4" MIP to the F7, it will be great bonus. I don't want AMOLED, I just want functional tool.