Why I Think This Garmin Forerunner 255 Is an Unbel...

The Garmin Forerunner 255 is on sale right now for $229.99, its lowest worth ever. That’s about half the worth of the Forerunner 265 ($449.99), which is the present era (and my personal favorite running watch). The 2 watches have almost equivalent options—I’ll clarify the variations under—making the 255 an unbelievable discount. 

The variations between the Forerunner 255 and the 265

Left: 265S (the smaller, newer mannequin). Proper: 255 (the bigger one with the MIP display screen that is presently on sale).
Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

The numbered fashions can get complicated, however I promise you’ll be capable to comply with alongside. Simply do not forget that the 255 is the marginally older one which’s on an enormous sale proper now, and the 265 is the newer model. 

The newer 265 is my favourite operating watch. You’ll be able to read my review here: it has a ton of nice options for runners. Some are concrete and useful: bodily buttons, a number of choices for information screens, and a dual-band GPS for additional location accuracy. Others are extra software-y however nonetheless arguably helpful: coaching standing, every day recommended exercises. The battery additionally lasts between one and two weeks, relying on what number of exercises you do. 

The 255 has all of those identical options. The one options which might be meaningfully completely different between the 255 and 265 are: 

• The 255 has the older, always-on MIP display screen, whereas the 265 has a smartphone-style AMOLED display screen.

• The 255 doesn’t have a touchscreen. You’ll use the UP and DOWN buttons on the left aspect to scroll by choices. 

• The 255 can’t retailer music, until you purchase the 255 Music model.

• The 255 doesn’t have Coaching Readiness, but it surely does have Coaching Standing. (Personally, I by no means use Coaching Readiness, so this isn’t a lot of a loss. You’ll be able to all the time take a look at your HRV pattern, which the watch additionally experiences, if you need a way of how recovered you’re every morning.) 

For the detailed record of each minor function that’s completely different between the 2, you may take a look at this comparison page on Garmin’s site. 

Which Forerunner 255 model it is best to get

There are 4 variations of this watch, in comparison with two variations of the 265. Three of them are on sale.

• The common Forerunner 255 is the bigger dimension (45.6 mm) and doesn’t have music storage. 

• The Forerunner 255S is the smaller dimension (41 mm) and in addition doesn’t have music storage.

• The Forerunner 255 Music is the bigger dimension (45.6 mm) and does have music storage, so you may play tunes from the watch whereas leaving your telephone at house.

• The Forerunner 255S Music is the smaller dimension (41 mm) with music storage. I’m not seeing any reductions on this one, so it nonetheless prices $100 greater than its non-music counterpart—sufficient that you could be wish to take a look at the Forerunner 265S as an alternative. 

Personally, I all the time have my telephone with me once I run, so I’ve by no means discovered the standalone music function very useful. Should you suppose you may use it, although, it’s usually a $50 improve, however presently solely a $20 improve on the bigger dimension of the watch.

That will help you resolve, the photograph above exhibits the distinction in screens between the AMOLED 265S (left) and MIP 255 (proper). It additionally exhibits the dimensions distinction between the smaller and bigger fashions; the 265S on the left is 41.7 mm, very near the 255S at 41 mm.

How outdated is the 255, anyway? 

The 255 is just one 12 months older than the 265. They had been launched in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Earlier than that, Forerunner releases tended to be three to 4 years aside. The fast turnaround between the 255 and 265 is smart whenever you notice they’re mainly the identical watch with a unique show.

So I wouldn’t anticipate a 255 to really feel outdated anytime quickly. The principle query you must ask your self is: How do I really feel about an MIP display screen? I’ve written more about the difference between MIP and AMOLED here. MIP screens don’t gentle up, though they’ve a backlight that may come on robotically whenever you elevate your wrist. At relaxation, they’re “all the time on,” within the sense that they’re all the time displaying one thing, so that you’ll by no means look down at a clean display screen. They’re additionally brightly reflective in daylight. 

AMOLED screens are extra like a smartphone display screen, with glowing pixels, and watches sometimes flip off the show whenever you’re not utilizing it to save lots of vitality. (You’ll be able to allow an always-on setting, but it surely eats battery.) That mentioned, the general battery life on each watches is comparable on default settings—14 days not counting actions for the 255, and 13 days for the 265. 

Some individuals favor the MIP screens, and if that features you, it is a no-brainer: snag the 255. You’ll be able to even get a refurbished version for $179.99, which makes this one of many least expensive Garmin watches in any line.