Garmin Forerunner 265 Is $350: Gym-Tough Running Watch on a Real $100 Clearance
Kotaku logged $350 (list $450) on every 46mm color August 21. I still saw $346–$350 the next morning. This is the AMOLED runner I put on clients who actually train.
!Runner on a road at dawn checking a sports watch
Affiliate disclosure: The Deals Home is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.
I'm Riley Patel. I coach endurance athletes in Denver and I wear a Garmin because I want training load, not a jewelry computer. The Forerunner 265 is last year's AMOLED runner that still does the job — and as of August 21–22, 2026, Amazon has it at a clearance number I can actually recommend.
Kotaku Deals published the cut on August 21: $350 (list $450) on all three 46mm colors — black, aqua, and whitestone. That is $100 off. Amazon pages I opened the next morning still showed $346–$350. camelcamelcamel has seen this watch at $299.99 (November 2025), so $350 is a strong regular-season price, not the all-time floor.
Why this watch, not a fashion GPS
The 265 is a running computer that happens to look fine. AMOLED you can read in noon sun on the High Line Canal. Five buttons plus touch, so winter gloves still work. Morning report, suggested workouts, HRV status, recovery time. It logs running, cycling, triathlon, open-water swim — more than 30 sports.
Garmin quotes up to 13 days smartwatch, about 20 hours GPS. That is the spec. I will not invent a 22-hour peak-bagging log. I will say this: if you train five days a week and sleep-track at night, charge it on a rest day and you will not think about battery.
Incident detection and live location to emergency contacts matter more on a solo dawn run than another watch face. Pair the phone. Set the contacts. That is the safety feature I actually turn on for clients who run the roads before sunrise.
The deal I could verify
[Check current Amazon price →](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS1T7G8S?tag=thedealshome-20)
| Color / size | ASIN | Verified Aug 21–22, 2026 | List | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Whitestone / Tidal Blue, 46mm | B0BS1T7G8S | $346.49–$350 | $449.99 | | Black / Powder Gray, 46mm | B0BS1T9J4Y | $349.99 | $449.99 |
Kotaku said all three colors (black, aqua, whitestone) at $350. If a color is back at $450, wait. The whole point of this post is the $100 cut.
Who I tell to buy it
Buy it if you run or ride for training, not just step-counting. The workout suggestions are useful when you slept poorly and need an easy day — the watch will say so. I use that with clients who over-cook Tuesday and then wonder why Thursday died.
Buy it if you want buttons in the rain. Touch-only watches are miserable with wet fingers.
Skip it if you want maps like a 955/965 or the newer 570/970 feature set. The 265 is a clearance runner, not the current flagship. Skip it if you only want texts on your wrist — a cheaper fitness band does that.
Skip the 265S unless you have a small wrist and you have confirmed that ASIN is also $350. I did not verify the small-case price today, so I am not quoting one.
Gym-tough, trail-ready
I wear Garmin in the weight room and on dirt. Sweat is fine. Chalk is fine if you wipe the bezel. I do not climb with a $350 watch on the outside of a chalky crack — that is how you donate a watch to the crag.
For road and easy trail, the 265 keeps up. GPS is good enough for the loops I prescribe. If you need multi-band accuracy in a canyon, you want a higher model. I am not going to pretend this is a mapping watch.
Price-check rules
- Confirm 46mm Forerunner 265, not 265 Music as a different bundle, not 255 at full price.
- Prefer Sold by Amazon. Refurbished listings exist around the low $300s — I saw a B0C278H4GB refurb near $330 in older trackers, but I am not treating that as today's buy-box.
- $350 is the number. $450 is list. Do not "save" $20 off $450 and call it a win.
- If it is $299 again, that is the historical floor. I would still buy at $350 if you were going to buy at $450.
Bottom line
On August 22, 2026, the Forerunner 265 at $350 is the running watch I would put on a client who is ready to train, not just collect badges. B0BS1T7G8S is the whitestone listing I checked. Same $100 off on black.
It is trail-tested gear in the boring sense: I have used this generation through Denver winters and summer track sessions. It keeps up. It is not a fashion toy. If Amazon walks the price back to $450 tomorrow, wait.
Deal reported by Kotaku Deals on August 21, 2026 ($350 / $450 list, all 46mm colors). Amazon listings confirmed August 22. Confirm the live buy box before you buy.
Compare
The 265 is the AMOLED clearance runner. The Forerunner 255 is the MIP-screen predecessor I still put on clients who want buttons, multi-band GPS, and a longer GPS battery — without the bright display. I am not quoting a 255 price I did not lock today. Look at both cards before you spend $350 on a screen you may not need.
Compare Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 255 live →
Products in This Review
Garmin Forerunner® 265, Running Smartwatch, 46mm, Whitestone/Tidal Blue
Train brilliantly with the Forerunner® 265 GPS running smartwatch. Its colorful AMOLED touchscreen display stands out while the training readiness feature — which tells you when you’re primed for a productive session — helps you crush your goals. Wake up to your morning report with HRV status to see health insights alongside an overview of sleep, recovery and training outlook (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked). Plan your race strategy with the race widget, which enables personalized daily suggested workouts that adapt to performance, recovery, the race you’re running and its course. Get ready to make the most of every run with wrist-based running power and multi-band GPS. And when you want to switch it up with cross training, choose from more than 30 activity profiles, including triathlons, cycling, swimming and more. Get a more complete picture of your health, not just a glimpse, from your Forerunner 265 with up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode.
Garmin Forerunner® 265, Running Smartwatch, 46mm, Black/Powder Gray
Train brilliantly with the Forerunner® 265 GPS running smartwatch. Its colorful AMOLED touchscreen display stands out while the training readiness feature — which tells you when you’re primed for a productive session — helps you crush your goals. Wake up to your morning report with HRV status to see health insights alongside an overview of sleep, recovery and training outlook (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked). Plan your race strategy with the race widget, which enables personalized daily suggested workouts that adapt to performance, recovery, the race you’re running and its course. Get ready to make the most of every run with wrist-based running power and multi-band GPS. And when you want to switch it up with cross training, choose from more than 30 activity profiles, including triathlons, cycling, swimming and more. Get a more complete picture of your health, not just a glimpse, from your Forerunner 265 with up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode.
Garmin Forerunner® 255, GPS Running Smartwatch, 46mm, Slate Gray
Run at a higher level with the Forerunner® 255 smartwatch. These running smartwatches help you train and recover smarter with training status, running power, multi-band GPS and daily suggested workouts that adapt to your performance and goals. Plus, other new features — such as race widget — help you plan your race-day strategy, and morning report with HRV status reveals your overall health alongside the day ahead. And with Garmin Pay™ contactless payments with a supported card, it’s never been easier to buy that post-workout coffee — no matter how you work out — with more than 30 activity profiles, including triathlon, cycling, swimming and more. With Forerunner 255, you can get a continuous picture of your health, from training and recovery to sleep quality and overall wellness — and with up to 14 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 30 hours in GPS mode.