The Garmin Forerunner 965 and Garmin Fenix 8 are both among the best sports watches available for runners, packing in all of Garmin’s top sports tracking, training analysis and navigation features. The Fenix 8 is a lot more expensive than the Forerunner 965, so is it worth the upgrade? Mike, Kieran and Nick pick between the two watches in this video.
Check out our full reviews of both watches:
Garmin Forerunner 965 review:
Garmin Fenix 8 review:
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00:00 – Intro
00:46 – Design & Key Stats
04:55 – The Run Test & Verdict
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Hello welcome to the Run testers my name Is Nick and in this video we're going to Be comparing the Garmin Phoenix 8 and The Garmin 4965 we're going to do this Video in two sections the first one I Will run through the key design Differences on paper between the two Watches you know what the key objective Differences are it's fair to say in Terms of the features they offer and Their designs and then in a run test and Verdict section Mike Kieran and I will All go through the differences that Really made the difference to us on the Run and compare some of our testing in Terms of accuracy and then say which Watch we would get so in this video We're not going to go into tooo much Detail on either watch we have full Reviews of both of them if you want to Check that out instead we're going to Focus on the differences between them That really would make a decision for us As runners in picking between them so Like I said if you do want a bit more Detail on either watch it's worth Checking out our full [Music] Reviews so first really big difference Between two watches in terms of specs or Stats is the price the Garmin 4 and 965 Is a much cheaper watch it cost £499.99 in the UK and it's $599 in the US whereas the
Is a range of watches so there's lots of Different prices at play but they start At almost double that price it's £949 in The UK and the ,99 in the US that's for The base steel models of the smaller Watches if you look at the titanium Models you're going to be paying over £1,000 for whichever Phoenix you choose So like I said there are a lot of models In the Phoenix range including your Choice of screens so there are AMOLED Watches in the range as well as memory And pixel watches in the range which Have solar panels running around the Outside so you get extended battery life On those in this video we're going to be Comparing mainly the Phoenix AMOLED Version cuz that is the one we've tested There are also three different sizes of Phoenix 8 there's a 43mm watch a 47 mm Watch which is the same size as the 4 965 and then a 51 mm watch a larger Model we've tested the 47 this is the 47 And the 51 mm watch between us but we Haven't tried out the smaller Phoenix 43 Mm and in this design section mostly I'll be talking about the 47 mm watch of The Phoenix because it's the most Comparable to the 965 so on the desire Front the 965 is a thinner and lighter Watch than the Phoenix a And that's partly because it's a mostly Plastic watch you do have a titanium Bezel on the 965 it's quite a thin one
You get a bigger bezel on the phoenix8 And you have a metal bezel and back on The watch choice of metal between steel And the more expensive titanium which is Lighter a little bit more durable and Then you also have a choice of screen on The Phoenix with glass screens on the Cheaper models and then a sapphire Crystal screen on the more expensive Ones you only get a glass screen on the 4 and a 965 and that is certainly a big Downgrade in terms of durability and the I've scratch this watch so is Mike so as Kieran I think where with the Phoenix we Haven't managed to put a dent in our Screens as yet and on the screen size With the 4965 you've got a 1.4 in AMOLED Screen which is the same size as the Phoenix 8 AMOLED 47 and 51 mm models the Smaller Fenix 8 43 mm has a 1.3 in Screen Fenix also has a higher Waterproof rating of 10 ATM compared to 5 ATM on the 4965 and the fenix8 is also A dive proof watch to depths of 40 mm Got leak proof buttons and a sensor Guard to protect the sensors in there so It's a little bit more durable on the Waterproofing front on all models of the Phoenix you get a built-in flashlight Which I'll turn on there hope it doesn't Blind you in any way you don't get that On the 4965 there is a torch mode you Can turn on which just uses the screen To try and light your way but that
Built-in flashlight is something that is A design upgrade on the Phoenix compared To the 965 the phoenix8 also has a Built-in mic and speaker so you can do Things like take voice notes and issue Voice commands to the watch again that's Not on the 965 and probably a bigger Upgrade is the fact that the Phoenix 8 Has garmin's latest Elevate Gen 5 heart Rate sensor which is only a little bit More accurate than the for and a 965 Heart rate sensor in my opinion but also Allows you to do things like take ECGs a Feature that isn't on the 965 so there Is quite a few differences in terms of The hardware between the watches but the Software is very similar they've both Got all of the kind of latest features You can get on Garmin watches the 4965 Has experienced you know several Software updates since it was launched There is a new user interface on the Phoenix 8 though which does give it a Slightly different feel when you're Navigating watch compared to the 965 Actually I'd say the phoenix8 user Interface is a little closer to the 965 Than the one on the Phoenix 7 I think Garmin kind of brought them a bit closer Together in terms of how they feel Navigating the watch comes to battery Life the numbers you'll get from the Phoenix8 will differ massively depending On whether you go for a memory and pixel
Solar watch or the AMOLED watch or if You go for the larger model so I'm going To compare mostly the 47 mm watch cuz Like I say it's the same size as the 4 And a 965 so the most comparable comes To always on watch mode you are going to Get the same 7 days listed by Garmin but Actually the 4 965 is listed as lasting Longer if you use the race to wake mode At 23 3 days versus 16 days on the Phoenix8 47 mm but then the phoenix8 is Listed as lasting longer in the various GPS modes on the watches I've compared All systems on here which is 30 hours of Always on compared to 24 hours of always On with the 4 and the 965 so you are Going to get a little bit more activity Time from the phoenix8 but this battery Life is a key feature for you it's Certainly worth remembering that there Is the larger Phoenix 8 51 mm model Which pretty much doubles the battery Life of these two watches I'm holding [Music] Here so in terms of my running time with These two watch is I've been long-term Users of both now the 965 is a watch That generally I go back to after I've Tested most watches just because gives Me everything that I need design wise Features Wise performance- Wise what it Gives me in terms of battery life I've Also kind of been using the Phoenix 8X Kind of longer term as well the last few
Months as well and these are two watches That I feel comfortable and confident That they're going to give me everything That I need and probably more than I Need in uh a running watch now from a Design point of view I like both I think You know if you like something that's Kind of Big Brush a little bit more Showy the Phoenix 8 is going to give you That it's going to give you better level Of protection that screen and I have Scratched the 40965 in longer term Testing so that would be something to Keep in mind here but the actual screens Themselves generally from a kind of AMOLED point of view responsive point of View they're all very good and very good Sizing as well software that they're Running on is slightly different there's A newer version on the Phoenix 8 X which To be honest I don't absolutely love Everything on the newer version I've Been very happy going back to the older Version on the 4 965 everything runs Very nicely very smoothly and you know I Can kind of get to where know things and Know very easily as well from Performance point of view I think from GPS I think maybe you are getting a Little bit better performance on The Phoenix 8X but I've been very happy with The formance on the 965 and I wouldn't Feel like it's really letting me down Too much maybe pacing can be when you
Compare the two maybe slightly more off On the 965 but generally I've raced and Run with these two watches and I've been Happy with what they've delivered in Terms of GPS performance heart rate I Don't think there's a huge amount in it There there's a new Earth Sense Technology in the Phoenix 8X and I Personally these are it's a big watch I Don't always get fantastic heart rate Data from it at higher intensity I be Pairing heart rate monor trash TR to Both and I think Optical sensors if You're just relying on those I think n65 Does a little bit better for me Generally just being a smaller watch Everything else kind of Smartwatch Functionality all very similar maybe Getting a little bit more storage on the Phoenix ax those voice features which I'll be honest I haven't used much since Though you know I've had this watch to Test so if you care about you know being Able to make calls and kind of recording Voice notes those are kind of things That you care about then you're going to Get on the Phoenix ax you're not going To and the Phoenix X Series you're not Going to get on 965 but in general I Haven't really miss using those features Going back to the older but watch Battery life I think you are going to Get more undeniably from the Phoenix 8 Series I've got the Phoenix 8X and in
General the battery drop off for GPS Dayto day is a lot less than the 965 if You're using them always in displays as Well you know you're not it's probably Not the best match to kind of match the Phoenix 8X to the 965 probably the Phoenix 8 kind of 47 version to the 965 Would be a fairer comparison but you Know in my testing the drop off is a lot Less severe on the um Phoenix X compared To 965 but I'm generally happy with the Drop off that I'm seeing the 965 even if It is going to be more dramatic compared To the Phoenix 8X but as I said these Are two watches I feel I can rely on to Track my runs rely on to give me a good Uh kind of Smartwatch experience good Day-to-day experience when I'm not Tracking my runs the analysis has been Very similar in terms of kind of delving Into things like training readiness um You know things like resting heart rate Things that I would kind of look to to Kind of give me a guidance on what I Should be doing with my training or Whether I should ease off or maybe you Know decide to kind of you know take a Rest day so those kind of things are Kind of been very level for me it's just I think a few things in terms of design Terms of a little bit of a difference in Performance not a huge amount uh and Also getting some extra kind of Smartwatch functionality which hasn't
Been a huge kind of you know difference For me in my testing okay so my take Whether you should go for the Phoenix 8 X or the Phoenix 8 series compared to The for and 965 now the way I look at it is if you Like the idea of a kind of comfortable Compact kind of multisports watch Running watch that has a good am display Enough battery life for probably a Week's worth of training mapping good Kind of uh multiband dual band GPS Support and all the kind of training Analysis those kind of core good ones That we really like on garmin's watches Here in a kind of more affordable Package I'd be going for the 4965 and it Is the watch that I think General I do Kind of move back to just because it Just helps a little bit more if you like The idea of a ging watch that is Definitely going to be more durable Particular from a screen point of view It's going to give you something that's A little bit more rugged feeling it's Going to give you more battery life I Think going to give you more in terms of Smartwatch functionality if you care About those voice kind of centric Features and the latest software that Garmin offers which means from an update Point of view is more likely to see more Software updates You know kind of you know long-term
Future whereas the 965 maybe isn't going To get you so much more of those Features even though it's quite feature Packed anyway that would be the reason To go for the Phoenix 8 x and the Phoenix 8 series in general me Personally I would be going for the Fr965 it's enough watch for me it's Enough in the kind of design and Screen Point of view slightly disappointing the Screen has got scratched but I think for Much pure running performance tracking Analysis mapping navigation it gives me All that I kind of want for less money That would be the watch that I'd be Going for so in testing I've been using Both of these watches on and off for Lots of months now it's only really Occurred to me just now though that the Watch that's really stayed on my wrist Or the one that's generally on my wrist Out of these two is the Phoenix 851 mil AMOLED I used to be in Duro 3 all the Way but the Phoenix 8 since I tested it Has kind of stuck so there's a little Bit of an insight there into how much I Like it one of the biggest differences Here is obviously the design the 4 and a 965 is more compact it's considerably Lighter I personally don't mind a bigger Rugged watch though how else is anyone Going to know that I run Trails I Actually prefer the more premium looks Of the Phoenix 8 the 4 and a 965 isn't a
Bad looker but I think it's lacking a Bit of the Finesse of the Phoenix you The case is a bit more plastic obviously Keeps the weight down so that's a Sacrifice that you're making with the Phoenix for that big Hench build you're Going to add a little bit of weight on The wrist you also get a chunkier strap On the Phoenix those are quick release Too so if you like swapping out your Straps that's much easier to do than You're going to be able to do on the 965 Now in testing as well one big thing the 965 screen scratched quite quickly for Me the gorilla glass didn't prove as Resilient as the Phoenix tougher Sapphire crystal the phoenix8 has been In Far tougher terrain and that still Looks good the 965 has a scratch on it Final note here on design I won't be the Only one to mention it so I'll keep it Brief but the flashlight on the Phoenix Is dead handy it's kind of a big selling Point more than than I thought I'd ever Want to admit it I was recently getting Changed for the trans gr Canary Marathon At 5:00 a.m. in a hotel room that I was Sharing with my wife and my son and this Flashlight on here was a godsend where I Was able to have my breakfast and get my Kit on by watch light now when it comes To those other bits and pieces like Heart rate accuracy and GPS accuracy I Found the optical heart rate did what
Optical heart rate does on both of these Watches in my countless tests I think Both were often quite a close match for The chest TR I used I often used a polar H10 or I used the Garin HRM Pro Plus a Lot they were better on the easy steady Intensity run sometimes struggling Though with the sharp changes in effort During intervals bigger watches can move More and experience more row greed That's one thing to watch out for and I Find you do have to tighten the phoenix8 Quite sort of a lot during the run to Prevent that but I don't think there's a Huge difference here between the Performance of the two not enough to Sway the decision in favor of one watch Similar story on GPS performance solid On both two in all my runs they came Well within a 10% margin of error for Each of them and again I don't think I Would buy one over the other based on That GPS performance either one area Where I might do though is battery life The phoenix8 simply lasts longer a 90-minute run with both watches set to The same Max accuracy mode with the same Screen settings all the settings set to The same the Phoenix 8 burn 5% 4 and a 965 burned 10% on another 2 and a half Hour run the Phoenix 8 burned 7% the 965 Burned 11% now this doesn't scale Perfectly but if you're using those Numbers as a rough estimate you looking
At the Phoenix 8 going for somewhere Around 40 hours the 965 for around 20 Hours in that Max accuracy mode so if You're thinking about Ultras both of These watches should have enough in Max Accuracy GPS that's a big thumbs up they Should have enough I should say to last 100 kilm for most Ultra Runners that's a Really big tick in the Box the big Difference though is going to be come When you're looking at how often you Charge to watch if you're a lazy charger Like me the Phoenix 8 gives you that Kind of you can almost forget it for a Month the 965 you're just going to Charge it more frequently basically not A huge amount of difference there but I Really like that verdict then you've got Two cracking watches here that are good On accuracy generally welld designed Highly capable comprehensive in the Tracking Department the Phoenix 8 is the More capable watch overall it's more Comprehensive it's more fully featured But the decision here for me will boil Down to a few key things budget if You're on a tighter budget the 4 and a 965 offers a really similar Suite of Features not too dissimilar experience For everything from running tracking to Maps and music it's not quite a spec Andc capable the UI is different there's No voice tools no flashlight but for the Main stay of run tracking I think it's
Pretty competitive against the Phoenix Then there's the size do you want a Bigger more rugged watch or do you want Something that's lighter and more Compact the 4 965 isn't the smallest Watch but it is a bit easier on the Wrist to wear 24/7 so if Comfort is King Get the 9 65 in that one probably Nicks It on durability I think the Phoenix is Built to take more knocks if you're Likely to be regularly hitting rocks the Extra protection of the Phoenix AMOLED Screen I think is worth paying for that Screen scratch quite quickly on the 9965 Then it comes a battery life the 965 Goes long but the Phoenix goes longer I Love not having to charge my watch and I Sometimes go very long or multi-day and So the Phoenix would get my vote on Staying power now but if I have to Cho Use one watch I prefer the Phoenix 8 I Like the design the battery life appeals But unless you really value those Upgrades on the phoenix8 a lot I think The sensible money says go for the four And a 965 terms of General kind of running it Does most of what I need whether I'm on The road or the trails a fraction of the Price of the Phoenix and I think for Most Runners the same is likely to be True so unless you really really really Really value all the upgrades if just Run generally I think the 4 and a 965
Does everything that most Runners will Need the phoenix8 undoubtedly the better Watch though so the 4 and a 965 and the Phoenix8 are both excellent watches that I've tested for a long time Independently and then worn them at the Same time for a decent stretch as well I've tested the Phoenix 8 51 mm and 47 Mm model and I've worn the 965 on and Off for over a year now and the AMOLED Versions of the Phoenix or epic or the Forign a 965 have been my go-to watch For the past few years always been Really impressed by them and that's Certainly the case with these latest Models they're both excellent watches And I enjoyed wearing both of them at The same time recently which I did for The ceville marathon where I was wearing Them both for the final few days of Training and then the race itself comes To the design differences like the 4 and A 965 is notably Slimmer and lighter on The wrist the screen seems almost bigger On it because of the way it has a Smaller bezel than the Phoenix 8 does And it definitely feels like a really Enjoyable and comfortable watch to wear 247 the phoenix8 can be a bit big in the 51 mm I'd say but in the 47 mm watch It's still just about light enough Especially with this titanium version it Is very comfortable to wear for sure but It is a bit lighter than 965 but you
Have got a downgrade in materials now The metal bezel and back I think they Look nice it's not that important to me But the screen you get on the 965 is Prone to scratching I we've all Scratched ours at some point it's just Got a very small one on mine but I've Never put a dent in the Phoenix so that Sapphire crystal screen is definitely a Design upgrade in terms of durability Though I do think potentially having That sapphire crystal screen makes this Display not pop quite as much as the Glass one does on the 4965 at times but They both still have amazing displays Very bright AMOLED screens that are Clear to read in all conditions so yeah I'd say when it comes to the design the 965 is notably smaller and lighter but The Phoenix he does give you a bit more Security in terms of that durability Throughout my testing the GPS accuracy Between these watches has been a wash Whether I've been using the all systems On multiband or Sati Q modes on them They nearly always produce nonon Identical tracks and have been equally Good for pacing as they were at the S Marathon where I use both watches to Pace at times and they were always Pretty much spot on and produced you a Very similar track throughout the entire Race heart rate accuracy is usually Pretty close but I would say that the
Phoenix8 has been a little bit more Reliable for me in testing like I'm Someone who tends to use a chest strap Uh most of the time when I'm training Hard just because I find it a bit more Reliable than any watch's Optical heart Rate accuracy but phoenix8 has been so Good I'm pretty happy to go without a Strap quite a lot of the time when using It 4965 is mostly very good actually in The Cil Marathon they were both pretty Much identical and produced very good Heart rate traces from what I can tell You know they look exactly like I'd Expect them to in a marathon any way but When I have tested both of them against A strap the 4 and 965 is the one that Throws up errors a little bit more often It just reads a little bit high and easy Runs that kind of thing still a pretty Good heart rate sensor but it is a Better one on the Phoenix I would say And it is something I noticed when Testing them side by side so other than That like those design and the slight Accuracy differences there's not a lot Between them and that is why I do think The 4965 is probably the better buy here Because it is so much cheaper it's also An older watch that's in sales a little Bit more often so you can get it for Under half the price of the Phoenix 8 And you are getting an incredible Running watch that has a really nice
Display has battery life that it's Comparable to the Phoenix if we're not Looking at that 51 mm model in a very Lightweight design that the screen is a Concern you could get a screen protector Or just be a bit more careful than I Have like I had say I've only got one Small scratch in it after using it for Like I say better part of a year and a Half two years that kind of thing so I Wouldn't necessarily worry about it too Much but you certainly get a more Durable watch in the Phoenix and a lot Of people prefer the look of it as well With that metal bezin back for General Use but actually in terms of performance They're very close to each other I Really think they're both excellent Watches and to get the 4965 for so much Less makes it hard to justify upgr Upgrading to the Phoenix someone else is Going to buy these watches for you and They've got a limited budget I say at The moment the Phoenix 8 is the one I Prefer wearing it's the go-to watch I've Been using day in day out ahead of the 965 and where will say with the Phoenix Out you get a little bit more future Proofing potentially in terms of getting More access to software updates down the Line as it's a newer watch but 965 Certainly amazing watch and if you're Going to be saving hundreds of pounds or Dollars I would get it ahead of the
Phoenix [Music] A that's our comparison of the phoenix8 And the 4965 let us know know you think In the comments below please like And Subscribe ring the little bell and we'll See you next time
