I tested the Garmin Forerunner 165 against Suunto Run for a week

Professionals

Polished user interface
Links to Musik -Streaming Services
Reliable sports tracking

Disadvantages

More expensive than Suunto Run
Limited training analysis

Suunto run

Professionals

More affordable than forerunners 165
Dual band GPS
Detailed persecution and training analysis

Disadvantages

Music memory is only MP3 files
Less reliable HR accuracy than forerunner 165

The Suunto Run and Garmin Forerunner 165 are both among the best available watches and offer great value than the entry-level amoled options in the areas of Suunto and Garmin.

While the Forerunner 165 offers a polished user experience and better smart functions, the Suunto Run has a more extensive selection of sports tracking functions, including GPS with dual-band GPS and is cheaper than the Forerunner 165 at MRSP.

I tested both watches individually and worn them at the same time last week to track my runs and other workouts. I will cover the most important differences that I noticed between the following two watches, and you can find more information in our Garmin Forerunner 165 Review and Suunto Run Review.

Garmin Forerunner 165 against Suunto Run: Price

Suunto run against Garmin Forerunner 165

(Credit: Future)

The Garmin Forerunner 165 was introduced in February 2024 and costs $ 249.99 / 249.99 for the standard version of the clock and 299.99 USD / £ 289.99 for the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music.

It is more expensive than the Suunto Run, which was launched in May 2025 and is only available in a model that costs $ 249 $ 199 and has music storage. However, the Forerunner 165 is often on sale, which lowers the price of the music model to 249 US dollars and corresponds to the Suunto Run price.

Winner: Suunto Run

Garmin Forerunner 165 against Suunto Run: Specifications

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Line 0 – cell 0	Suunto run	Garmin Forerunner 165
Price	$ 249/£ 199	$ 249.99/£ 249.99; $ 299.99/£ 289.99 (music)
Size	46 x 11.5 mm	43 x 11.6 mm
Advertisement	1.32in 466 x 466 amolated	1.2in 390 x 390 amoled
Bezel	Steel	polymer
Screen	Gorilla glass	Glass
Weight	36g	39g
Water resistance	50 m	5Atm
Accounting time (watch mode)	Up to 12 days	Up to 11 days
Account period (GPS)	Up to 20 hours (dual band)	19 hours (All-Systems GPS)
storage	4 GB	4 GB

Garmin Forerunner 165 against Suunto Run: Design

Suunto run against Garmin Forerunner 165

(Credit: Future)

The Suunto Run and Garmin Forerunner 165 are both small, light watches that are to be worn around the clock. The forerunner 165 is slightly smaller than the Suunto and has a smaller screen with 1.2 inches compared to 1.3 inches for the Suunto run.

Both watches have bright amoled displays, but I found the forerunner to read 165 a little clearer and easier to read during runs in bright sunlight. I also prefer the five-button setup on the Garmin with the three keys of the Suunto, one of which is a dial.

While both watches are mainly made of plastic, the Suunto has a steel blind that surrounds its screen. Both watches feel well done and study and have a premium look when they could expect for entry-level sports clocks.

The Suunto is delivered as standard with a nylon band, while the Garmin is equipped with a silicone gurt. I find the nylon band more comfortable, but both bands can be replaced by third-party carriers-and the Suunto used 22 mm tapes used during the Garmin 20mm.

You will receive four color options for the Suunto and four for the Garmin Forerunner 165 music, but only two for the standard 165 model.

Both watches have an impressive series of sensors, including a pulse oximeter and a barometric altimeter, but an advantage that the Suunto has is the dual-band GPS tracking, while the Forerunner 165 only offers GPS all-system.

Winner: Suunto Run

Garmin Forerunner 165 against Suunto Run: Sports persecution and training analysis

Suunto run against Garmin Forerunner 165

(Credit: Future)

Both watches are mainly designed for running and have dedicated track-run modes. Both also offer many other sports modes, including open water swimming.

While neither has a multisport mode, you can switch from one sport to another in the Suunto run if you pause an activity, and the watch will record your transition so that this is more useful for triathletes.

There are more options for data field adjustments in the Suunto run because you can display further statistics on your screen during the activities -the Forerunner 165 with four points, while you can adapt six to the Suunto run.

The Suunto Run also offers a much more training analysis than the Forerunner 165, and more experienced athletes enjoy the level of detail that you get from the clock compared to the Garmin, which simply keeps things.

You can combine external sensors to both watches, although none of the cycling measuring devices, but the Forerunner 165 Connectivity offers both Bluetooth and Ant+, while the Suunto run is only connected via Bluetooth.

Winner: Suunto Run

Garmin Forerunner 165 against Suunto Run: GPS & HR accuracy

Suunto run against Garmin Forerunner 165

(Credit: Future)

During my examination of both watches, I compared their heart rate values to that of a chest strap, which I find more and more reliable than optical sensors on watches.

I checked your GPS accuracy against other watches, including the Garmin Fenix 8, and also looked over the tracks for my runs.

During my tests, I had both watches in their most precise GPS modes, in which the Suunto Run and All-Systems are followed on the Forerunner 165 because the Garmin does not offer a dual band.

Nevertheless, I found that both watches recorded very similar GPS tracks in all my runs and that the stimulation statistics were also very similar. Both were reliable for me throughout the test, although they may achieve better results from the dual band on Suunto under hard GPS conditions such as city centers.

Suunto run against Garmin Forerunner 165

(Credit: Future)

With regard to the accuracy of the heart rate, both voted well with the measurement of a chest strap during cycling, strength training and yoga sessions, but the Forerunner 165 was somewhat reliable for me.

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Suunto run against Garmin Forerunner 165 hours diagram — Suunto Run (Lila), Garmin Forerunner 165 (brown), Garmin HRM200 chest strap (blue)(Photo credit: DC Rainmaker Analyzer)

The Suunto run sometimes showed too high a heart rate, especially at the beginning of the runs, and although it finally turned to the right heart rate, it was not as well as the Forerunner 165.

Winner: Garmin Forerunner 165

Garmin Forerunner 165 against Suunto Run: Smart Features

Suunto run against Garmin Forerunner 165

(Credit: Future)

Both watches offer music memory, but this is a better function on the Forerunner 165, which can be linked to streaming services such as Spotify and the storage of MP3 files. The Suunto run can only save MP3 files. So if you use a streaming service, the Garmin is the better selection.

The Forerunner 165 also offers NFC payments via Garmin Pay, while you can only use the Suunto Run for the payment of things in China with Alipay.

Both show notifications from their phone and have a widget of the weather forecast, but the Forerunner 165 has access to more third -party software via the Connect IQ App Store.

Winner: Garmin Forerunner 165

Garmin Forerunner 165 against Suunto Run: Accounting time

On paper, the two watches offer a similar battery life for up to 11 days for Suunto and up to 12 for the Garmin in watch mode, 20 hours of GPS tracking on the Suunto and 19 hours on the Garmin.

In practice, the battery was rejected for me with almost identical installments if it used both watches at the same time. I kept having the screens set, which significantly shortened the battery life, and both lasted three to four days on one load when I ran every day.

Winner: tie

Garmin Forerunner 165 against Suunto Run: judgment

This is a very difficult call, because these are both watches that I very much evaluate that I would like to use as a daily driver as an enthusiastic marathon runner.

I prefer the user interface and the music memory on the Garmin, which I have easier to use. The additional training analyzes and the data fields you receive during the activities on Suunto are important for runners, and the dual band GPS is also a big plus if you regularly run in city centers.

If both are at the full price, I think that the Suunto run is the better way, but at the same price, the selection depends on which functions you appreciate the most.

I tested the Garmin Forerunner 165 against Suunto Run for a week – which running watch should you buy?

Professionals

Disadvantages

Professionals

Disadvantages

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