The Garmin Forerunner 965 and Garmin Epix Pro are two of the top sports watches available, with both packing in all of Garmin’s best features and sporting bright AMOLED displays. The Epix Pro is a lot more expensive than the 965 though, which is mostly down to design differences. In this video Jane, Mike and Nick talk through the pros and cons of each watch and say which they’d pick.
Check out our multi-tester reviews of both watches:
Garmin Epix Pro Review:
Garmin Forerunner 965 Review:
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:17 – Design & Key Specs
04:03 – The Run Test
21:08 – Verdict
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Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Review:
Garmin Epix Pro vs Epix 2:
Garmin Epix 2 Review After 8 Months:
Garmin Fenix 7 vs Epix 2:
Hello and welcome to run testers my Name's Vic and in this video we're going To be comparing the Garmin epics Pro to The Garmin Foreigner 965 [Music] So before the 965 and the epics Pro are The two top AMOLED watches in garmin's Rage also including the Garmin epics 2 I Suppose a big difference between them is Price and design if it's Pros are Thicker chunkier heavier watch with that Big metal bezel on the front of it there And it comes in three sizes a 42 Millimeter watch a 47 millimeter watch And this is the 51 millimeter watch the Three sizes have different size screens Going from 1.2 inch to 1.3 inch to 1.4 Inch and also has different options in Terms of materials used so the base Model is a steel bezel with a steel back Case and a gorilla screen and then You've got the more expensive Sapphire Models have sapphire crystal screens and Titanium bezels and back cases a little Difference on the epics Pro Design is That it uses a quick fit band a quick Release band which you don't get on the Foreigner 965. the 965 is a 47 Millimeter watch in terms of its case Size but actually has a 1.4 inch screen So that's the same size as the screen on The 51 millimeter epics there's a mostly Plastic body which is much lighter than The Apex Pro watches but it does have a
Thin titanium bezel running around the Front of the screen there to increases Durability a little bit big jump in Prices from the 40965 to the FX Pro the 965 costs 600 pounds or 600 the epics Pro starts at 830 pounds or 900 for the Standard models it will rise all the way Up to 1 100 pounds or dollars if you get The very best premium uh 51 millimeter Model with sapphire screen but you can Get Sapphire models from 930 pounds or a Thousand dollars some other big Differences in the design are that the Epics pro has a flashlight built into it Across all the models I would quickly Turn it on there oh there it is every Single model of the Apex Pro gets a Flashlight you don't get that on the 965 And the epics Pro also has garmin's new Heart rate sensor which has more LEDs in It than the one on the 40965 and Essentially promises greater accuracy Other little design differences the Epics Pro is 1080m waterproof rated Whereas a 965 is 5 ATM both watches Offer multi-bound GPS and garmin's Auto Select mode to save a little bit of Battery life and on the software front In general things will be similar in the Future so the epics Pro did introduce You some new features like Hill score And endurance score to garmin's range Things like a perimeter map view as well It also brought in a redshift mode that
Will turn all the colors on the screen To red late at night to preserve night Vision starting until all these features Are slated to come to the 40965 in time I'm not sure if redshift mode is being Confirmed yet but you're going to get Hill score and endurance score in time So over time the software on the two Watches will look very similar maybe the Epics Pro will be slightly more future Proof in terms of future software Updates but there's nothing that I Consider even you know mildly essential That's likely to be lacking on the 965 Front so you're going to get a similar Software experience from both watches oh There is some difference in the actual Experience of using the software because Uh the different watch faces on them There are some watch faces that are Unique to each watch particularly the Epics Pro is more data heavy ones Available you can show more stats on but Also the user interface is different It's uh I don't really know how to put It a slightly more sporty I guess on the 965 and maybe slightly more elegant on The Apex Pro it's the Epic pro has a Layout and fonts we've seen on ground Watches for a while or as a 965 is Something a little bit newer but it's Not a difference that's going to be Telling in terms of your experience it Might be a case of what you prefer or
You might not notice it at all it's not Been a big big issue for me battery life We'll talk about in a lot more detail During the run test but as you'd expect The 965 in terms of batch Drive is Closest to the epics Pro 47 millimeter Watch because that's the same size on Each front but the 965 is a little bit Thinner and it does have more battery Life that is quite impressive but Actually the 965 in general is pretty Good on the battery front it's listed at Lasting seven days always on whereas the Epics Pro 47 meters is listed for six Days you have got the FX Pro 51 Millimeter model as the big battery Option when it comes to the epics Pro Range and against the 4Runner 965 it'll Last 11 days with the always on screen Activated so it's a big jump in battery Life but otherwise the 965 will Outlast The smaller epics Pro Models All right so insert run test with the 40965 and the Garmin epics Pro and I Will start the design side of things and I'll say first and foremost these are Two very nice sports watches to live With ultimately they look very Differently they offer different looks In terms of what you're getting here but Ultimately they're very nice and I think There's pluses and minuses on both of These watches now I'll start the 40965 and I would say uh
From the point of view you're getting Similar size case to the epics Pro but You're getting a bigger screen and You're getting a higher resolution Screen now I think you really notice That in terms of the vibrancy and the Brightness and the color that you're Getting on the 965 screen compared to The one on the Epic Pro now the epics Pro screen is absolutely fine as well Just in terms of you want something that Feels a bit bigger fills that kind of Case a little bit more then you're Getting that on the 965 I would say the Other thing I would probably point out Straps now straps are really comfortable And ultimately on the Epix Pro it's a Lot easier to take the straps off of That watch compared to the Garmin from a 965 now it just it's a little thing that I think you know if you like to Customize and change things around it's A little bit easier to do in the epics Pro than it is on the 4Runner 965 now in Terms of things like weight now the Government Pro isn't a heavy watch uh But ultimately if you're wanting a watch That feels a little bit lighter to wear On runs and the 96.5 definitely offers That in terms of your getting or Compared to the Garmin epics Pro That's because you know although you're Getting a kind of a titanium bezel on There now you know you're getting less
Metal there you're getting less Materials there in terms of what you're Getting on the Garmin epics Pro so it Feels a little bit nice a little bit Lighter to wear If something you want to wear to kind of Track sleep as well you know something Nice that's not very bulky to wear Either as well when you're tracking Sleep so from that point of view I think Design wise in terms of something that's Being light comfortable and also having A nice big screen and that's easy to Kind of use and look at your data than The guy in front of x65 for me feels a Little bit nicer to use personally it Offers a little bit more for a little Bit less money than the government Expo The gum epics Pro looks great you've got That nice kind of big bezel there on it You know you've got a Increasing waterproofing as well I guess As well if that's something that you Care about and you've got those straps That are much easier to kind of remove Compared to the 96.5 Um once you get into the kind of round Tracking experience a lot of the Features that you're getting here kind Of cross over in terms of you're getting The 96.5 and what you're getting from The Epic spell obviously a lot of new Things in the epics Pro that are not on The 965 right now but looks like most
Likely they will be at some point so Things What kind of Hill score endurance scores That have kind of debited on the epics Pro in the Phoenix 7 Pro as well Um things like that kind of improved Kind of elements to mapping so kind of Release shading kind of weather overlays Those kind of things that have again Been introduced on the Um Phoenix uh Pro and the epics Pro are now Or should be at some point added to the Garmin for the 965. now from that kind Of pure run tracking experience for me It feels very very similar now In terms you know you're getting the Same kind of multi-frequency positioning Support I found it very very good at 96.5 when I've tested it I've found it The same on the epics Pro Um I'm the kind of metrics built around That kind of multi-frequency positioning A multi-band mode all feel very good Across these watches now in terms of Heart rate monitoring performance And obviously in the epics Pro it's got The upgraded heart rate sensor that Garmin has moved to and I'm sure you'll See that in newer versions of the you Know future versions of the 409 900 Series as well for me I haven't seen Enough in the the accuracy or level of
Accuracy which garment is kind of a Promise in kind of and you know when You're tracking exercise on the epics Pro that I've seen a massive difference Or jump what I've seen or experienced on The 965. I think of anything I've seen a More reliable performance in heart rate Monitoring on the 965 I think that comes Down to the level of fit that you get on It the fact you've got that smaller case It's a lot easier to kind of wear more Comfortably on your wrist as well Because of that size as well it doesn't Feel as bulky as the um epics Pro I Found the heart rate monitoring is a lot More reliable on the 965 personally for Me In terms of my testing obviously on both These watches you can pair external Heart rate monitor sensors and I would Be doing on both fronts um you know Based on how I've used them what I've Seen in terms of the kind of my high Intensity running things like tracks Intervals I still think you need that Heart rate monitor test track so you Know I've just not seen enough to say You can massively 100 rely on these Um these watches for all runs I think For some runs and most runs they'll work Not for all runs ultimately now in terms Of battery life Obviously you're getting AMOLED displays Here that does impact on the battery
Life if you have it in always on mode And both these watches that gonna see The battery life drop uh without it Using a race to weight gesture then That's going to see things push a little Bit further now for me I think if you're Looking for a watch that will last a Week In that race to wake gesture kind of Support then these watches can be Absolutely fine if you're using it Always on display mode That's going to be shorter maybe four or Five days you're not going to get a full Week out of it Relatively if you do want to have that Always on display you're getting more Than a couple of days off both of these Watches and I think that is a good sign If you look at a lot of other smart Watches that's just not something that You're going to get ultimately Um in terms of that performance in Between charges Um Instead of other things obviously those Extras you'll get in the epics Pro as I Said the software things like Hill School and endurance school which I Think are really nice and presented Really nicely a little bit like you get With training readiness and making it Really easy to understand there's extra Kind of mapping elements you're getting
As well A nice but for me I don't think those Are features if I went back to the 4Runner 965 I would massively Miss now other thing Obviously you are getting a flashlight On the epics Pro you're not getting a Flashlight on the Garmin funnel 965. now Unless you are doing all of your runs You know at night or you're going to be Racing a lot at night then it's not a Feature Percy that I've missed massively I do think it's more implemented on the Garmin epics Pro but in terms of me Going back to the camera for the 965 and Using that I don't think it's a feature I'm getting a massively miss you know if I want that extra kind of hit of light I've got my phone with me there's Another way I can you know have that Extra Um Bit of brightness that I need if I'm Kind of running in kind of Darker Conditions but ultimately in terms of Where I'm running and when I'm running It's not something that I feel like I'm Gonna massively Miss by using the gun in Front of 965. so for me In terms of my testing these two watches I think first and foremost I think Design wise very very strong Um I would say that the uh 40965 feels a Little bit more comfortable to use
Longer term Um you've got a bigger screen I think You know the the software that Garmin Puts in these watches really kind of Works really nicely on the guy in front Of 965 and I feel the UI kind of Elements that Garmin is starting to Introduce on its software these AMOLED Based watches work works really nice in The Garmin for an ni65 it's still a Strong experience on the epics Pro as Well and obviously you've got those Extra software features that will at Some point come to the 965 as well and then just that pure run Tracking experience is solid across both I would say heart and monitor Performance is not that much between Them I would say probably it's a little Bit more reliable than 965 if you're Basing it on kind of the risk-based Heart rate and data but I'd be growing a Heart rate monitor chest trap and then Battery life I think again whether you're using it Always on display mode whether you're Using arrays to wake you're getting Similar levels I think if you want Something that lasts a week with a race To wake it will if you want something That lasts four or five days and always On display that's what you're going to Get from both these watches ultimately So that's not a massive thing to
Separate from him but for me personally I think there's a good strong run Tracking watches offer them package you Know they're packaged in very different Kind of designs But ultimately those Designs have different kind of benefits For different types of Runners I think Some Runners more outdoor Centric Runners might appeal some of the extras You're getting on the garm epics prayer I think if you just care that pure Running focused feel design comfort and Lightness and the Garmin from the 965 is Going to appeal a bit more I've done a Lot lot more running with the 965 it's Actually the watch I chose to run London Marathon with mainly because compared to A few of the other watches I had it's Got this multi-band GPS and I thought it Would be a lot better when running Around the kind of Canary Wharf bit around buildings where All your GPS drops out and to be honest It was great I think I said in the London Marathon video I did with Nick The only time it did drop with that kind Of mild 20 Mark when you're literally Coming out of Canary Wharf it got a Little bit ropey around there but apart From that the other 25 miles absolutely Perfect even in the crowd and with all Those other Runners around me with Watches on It's the 4Runner 965 only comes in one
One size and it is quite big on my wrist I have got the epics Pro they don't call It s do they they're calling it The Epics Pro 42 millimeters this is a Smaller one I've got it in this kind of Gold sand color which I do really like I Think it is a really nice colorway it Doesn't really look like a sport watch When I've got it on my wrist at the Weekends the 965 obviously I've got it In this black colorway it does come in a White which might look a bit kind of Less sport watchy but it does look very Like a sport watch that's probably My one of my issues with it that it does It is quite big on my wrist and it does Like a sport watch I wish there was an Option to get it in a smaller size but There isn't that said this is lighter so The epics 42 millimeters is 63 grams the Forerunner is 53 grams and that's Because it's kind of got a plastic Casing whereas this has I think it's Titanium This is the Sapphire version so this is A much kind of harder material whereas This is plastic so it is a bit lighter I Would say I am the clumsiest person on The planet I drop my watches all the Time I smash the Phoenix once dropping It in a swimming pool in the changing Rooms I'm a very clumsy person and this Hasn't got any scratches on considering I've had this for a while now
Um obviously this is more hard wearing So I think if you're someone that is Even clumsy than me or you're doing Things like bouldering or rock climbing You might want a hardier watch Um the battery on my 965 is better so in Smartwatch mode this last 23 days this Last 10 days this in GPS mode this is 31 Hours this is 28 hours so again I'm not Having to charge either that much but I Feel like I never ever ever have to Charge the 965 and I feel like you would have to charge the Epics a little bit more but you know you Could easily go away for a marathon Weekend and not worry about packing your Charger Um the water resistance I think this is Where it gets a bit different the water Resistance on the epics is a bit better This can go to 100 meters the 965 can go 50 meters and the sense is different Um the 965 has the Elevate V4 sensor the Epics pro has garmin's new sensor I Don't think they've called it the Elevate V5 but it has got more it's got Double the kind of LED lights Um which Garmin says makes it more Accurate I mean I have I am impressed With the heart rate sensor on this I've Worn it with a chest strap and it's been Pretty much spot on but I haven't ever Thought that the Elevate V4 has been Kind of a bad sensor like I've never
Gone out for a run and felt and that was Way out Um so I don't know it depends if if Having a new sensor really matters to You then obviously this this is the one To go for but for me They're both good sensors I mean it's Garmin at the end of the day the only Other real differences obviously the Epics has the flashlight which is a Really handy tool I think it's a handy Tool just on your watch in general which I mean like when you get up in the Middle of the night but I think it is Also handy for things like when I'm Running in the winter and it you it has Different modes so you can kind of have It flashing as your wrist moves I think It's a great feature I wish it was on Here But then I do wonder how much you how Much you it you weigh up how much that That means to you I am impressed with it I think it's a cool feature I haven't Actually used it on the run yet because We've been tested testing this in a heat Wave but you don't mean I think it's a Cool thing to have the epics also has a Lot more kind of other sport modes it's Got a lot more water sport profiles Which aren't on here and it has a lot of Golf profiles the chances of me ever Playing around a golf are so so slim and Then even knowing what I was tracking on
A Garmin means it means nothing to me But I think if they're probably the main Difference is this has a little bit more For other sports it's got the flashlight And it's got a sensor I think the only Other difference from a running Perspective on the run is you can get Nine you can see nine data fields on the Epics whereas you can only see six on The Forerunner six is still a lot but do You mean if you're I would personally I I only have six on Both but I know that there are you can There are the option to have more on the Epics so I think both of these watches Have really nice designs in their own Little way like I think they are going To appeal to slightly different people The 965 is noticeably thinner lighter on The wrist it's just a very Sleek watch You pull on and forget about right now It's been really noticeable about that's Been a benefit because it's been a bit Hotter in the UK and it's nicer to have The lighter thinner watch on your wrist The epics pro has that metal bezel and The more premium design I guess a lot of People will prefer that but I think also Probably equal amounts people might Prefer the overall design of the 965 Because it is a little bit lighter the Apex Pro is one of which is going to Catch you know your hoodie every time You put it on it's a big watch it's more
Noticeable on the wrist whereas the 965 Is much more unobtrusive it pretty suits Me a little bit better a song with quite Thin wrists in fact it is so light is Great it feels almost like one of the uh Smaller 4Runners in the range like the 265 or even 55 because it is so light on The wrist but then you've got that big Screen and all the features packed into What is a thin light watch screen is Great on it like it's notable that it is Really large on the 965 and it's you Know that is comparable to the epics Pro 51 millimeters which I think is um Really impressive for a thin watch with Pretty good battery life it's well Designed to watch garments done really Well here with this to make it so thin Light and have more battery life than The 47 millimeter epics while also Having the screen of the larger epics Pro I do like how big it is and you know That is a noticeable benefit when you're Comparing it to the same size model in The epics Pro range GPS is a wash Between these two the uh it's top drawer And both both have garmin's multiband Mode and it's you know the best of any Brand on the market I use the Auto Select mode quite a lot now and that's Really accurate as well while saving a Little bit of battery life on the heart Rate front the epics is better like the New high rate sensor has been really
Impressive for me I've done over a month Of running with it now nearly always Without any kind of chest strap or heart Rate sensor linked to it and I've Noticed very few glaring errors I used It for a race at the weekend and Compared it to a chest strapped readings And what I saw there was quite typical Basically what it is it's got a slight Bit of lag compared to a chest strap and That's noticeable at the start of a race Where you sprint out the blocks and your Heart rate Rises really quickly the Epics Pro optical heart rate monitor Will take a little while to catch up and Then if there's little bumps and Intervals in your run and you really Surge and then come back down it will Lag behind a chest strap a little bit But it doesn't really miss anything like I had maybe one or two missed intervals During my entire time testing it and That's certainly a better Optical heart Rate performance when you go up from the 40965 it's still a decent Optical heart Rate monitor but it's going to miss Things more often it made more mistakes Would read a little bit high in runs More regularly and probably the mistakes In the 965 were big enough that it might End up reclassifying the run in training Analysis whereas I never had that Problem with the epics process if you've Got a purely use Optical heart rate
Tracking the epics Pro is definitely Better than the 40965 in my opinion However overall I would still link a Chest strap to both to get the absolute Best accuracy in myself Um in which case you know it doesn't Really matter which ones you use but on The optical front the Apex Pro has Little advantage or a battery life I Found that the epics Pro 47 millimeters Would last me five days on a charge of The always on screen enabled running Almost every day notifications coming in And that kind of thing the Apex Pro 51 Millimeter model though did last me 10 Days on charge in the same conditions And that's so that's a massive jump in Bachelor on the 51 millimeter model Where it's the 965 slips in in between Them it was lasting me six sometimes Seven days of a charge of the always on Screen enabled again in the same Conditions I do think that's very Impressive that it lasts longer than the 47 millimeter FX Pro despite um being Such a thin lightweight watch with a Bigger screen doesn't get to the numbers You're going to get from the 51 Millimeter epics all those numbers can Be substantially extended by using the Rays to wake on them if you're using Raised awake actually the 965 is going To last you a couple of weeks the 51 Millimeter ethics Pro is going to get
Close to three weeks if you want to get A big jump in battery life across the Board but overall in terms of comparing These watches the 965 does beat out the Same size epics Pro Models and smaller Models but if you're looking purely on Battery life then it's the FX Pro 51 Millimeter that very stands out as the Best battery life I've come across for An AMOLED sports watch of this standard Other than that you know you are getting A very similar Garden experience all Round you're not going to get the Flashlight on the 965 you know when that Is useful it is very useful to have a Flashlight on your wrist but for the Most part it's not something that makes A big difference to me in my lifestyle But there will be people who are Outdoors a lot more than me especially At night when that flashlight is very Handy Thank you So my verdicts I think hands down unless You're really into golf or you're really Into water sports the 965 is a better Choice here it's about 400 pounds 400 Cheaper than the epics Pro and you're Getting so many of the same features You've got the same bright screen it's Lighter it's got a better battery life I Think unless you really want those extra Sport modes there's probably not there's Nothing really different sure you're
Getting a new heart rate sensor but the Heart rate sensor on this is still Fantastic anyway and you're getting a Flashlight For 400 pounds you could buy an amazing Torch I just think As as impressive as the epics Pro is I Think if you really care about a gold Bezel or you want a smaller watch sure But I think for the money the 965 you're Getting so much from it I can't justify spending 400 pound more On this One thing that is different is that this Currently epics Pro when the epics Pro And the Phoenix 7 Pro launched Garmin Announced their endurance score and Their Hill score features I imagine they Will be rolled out to the 965 because Garmin are really good at rolling out Firmware updates and I think it will Come to the 965 just because it's their Kind of Premium Forerunner and it's such A new watch so I think then you're still Going to have the same features and Until then I don't think you're getting that much From a hill score and endurance school You have to weigh up how much you care About having fancier hardware and Materials on your watch and things like Golfs and water sports and if they don't Mean that much to you you're getting Such a good watch with the 965. I love
This watch so I would go for this one on Value alone I think the 965 is the very Clear pick of these two watches as all The features that are really important Available on both of them on a really Nice lightweight good looking watch with A bigger screen than on the same size Epics pro model and really quite Impressive battery life as well there Are some extras on the epics Pro like The flashlight and the heart rate Monitor but they're not such a big deal I think and you're paying quite a lot For those extras whereas with the 965 You're going to get a really amazing Tracking experience for a lot less I Also if you guys like the look of the 965 myself I you know it's a sportier Look than the kind of classier epics but With that titanium bezel it's not like Really plasticky and unpleasant watch to Look at or anything like that I think It's a pretty good looking watch and It's so much lighter and less notable on The wrist I tend to prefer wearing it Anyway so Even not looking at Value at the moment I've got all these watches in before I Return them to Garmin I prefer wearing The 965 day-to-day anyway it's the one I've been wearing so unless you're a Really big fan of the look of the ethics Pro and like the heft of the big watch On your wrist I actually prefer the 965
Design I said the thing that's quite Different with the Apex Pro range is the Different sizes and the FX Pro 51 Millimeter watch really is a step up on Everything we've seen before on the Hourly front just because of that Battery life now it's a big watch you're Gonna have to get used to wearing a big Watch in your wrist I don't really mind That actually I didn't mind it I did Prefer going to the smaller lighter 965 But it's not that big a deal to wear the Epics Pro it's not that heavier watch Especially if you use a nylon band you Can get those quite cheap on eBay that Kind of thing and that does offer that Massive battery life that said the 965 Battery life is really quite good and It's so much cheaper and actually for The same size screen it's a much smaller Watch and a nice watch to wear day to Day I'd say so yeah I would go for an I65 I think it's uh just the best watch Going from anyone it's actually very Good value in garmin's range because it Packs in so many features that you're Getting on much more expensive watches For 600 pounds or 600 and I really like It's lightweight size I like the user Interface on it which feels sporty and Colorful Converse will be true for lots Of people they'll prefer the look feel And design of the epics Pro and then you Get those extras like the heart rate
Sensor and the flashlight as well and Then on the 51 millimeter model you also Get the big battery life so my verdict On the Garmin epics Pro and the Garland 40965 and which one I would go if it was My money Based on now having been able to test These two watches knowing what's going To happen down the line in terms of the Software features that are going to come To the 40965 I would be going back to the 40965 I Think it's a watch I will be going back To after my testing the Phoenix Pro and The epics Pro and why I would say that Is I think you know from a pure running Focus point of view or Centric point of View it gives you everything you need in Terms of performance in terms of battery Life in terms of design having I think That bigger screen feels nicer to use as Well and kind of absorb that data And you're getting things like mapping There as well you know that you get on The epics Pro for me I think that works A little bit nicer the main reason I Would be going for the epics Pro over The gun from 1965 is if I really cared About that flashlight that watch strap Being a little bit easier to remove as Well as a nice thing to have as well all Those extras or new extras that you're Getting out of the box on the epics Pro That will at some point comes in 965
Hopefully not too long Um down the line We should say then those are some reason To go for the um epic spray but for me I Think if you compare the 47 millimeter Epics Pro to the 965 how much the 965 Costs and what you're getting from a run Perspective then I think that would be The watch I would be going and Ultimately for me that is a watch I'm Going to be going back to in terms of my Day-to-day use of what I'll be using to Train with to do my runs and to race With as well so say the epics Pro is not A bad watch and if you like that kind of Phoenix Style watch uh with an AMOLED Display I kind of more kind of bold design Um obviously those extra elements of Um software support that you're getting Right you know as I said out of the box Then that'll be a reason and the Flashlight as well if you care about That but for me I think my money I'd be Going for the 400965.
