new Garmin 965 Features (265 too)
This is a fairly significant quarterly feature update for the top Forerunner watches. The features are already available on some Fenix and Epix models, so there is nothing wholly new to see here.
I’ve just popped today’s new Forerunner beta on my 965 and, for once, am looking forward to actually using a few of them in real life.
Here: Garmin Forerunner 965 beta 16-12
Here: Garmin Forerunner 265 beta 16-12
Change Log:
- Adds the Endurance Score glance. (965 only, looks like 265 will never get these)
- Adds the Hill Score glance. (965 only, looks like 265 will never get these)
- Adds map types and map data field options. (these are the contour maps and edge of the screen metrics.
- Adds weather maps to the Weather glance.
- Adds muscle maps to HIIT, Cardio, and Pilates activities.
- Adds a Workouts app to the Activities & Apps list.
- Adds new activities for team sports, racket sports, and more.
- Adds the ability to display caller name and number on the notification watch face data field.
- Adds support for new Di2 cassettes (Even Shimano’s E-tube isn’t as comprehensive as this!)
- GPS Firmware Update – hmmm interesting!
- Sensor Hub Firmware Update – yay! It might connect more reliably now, Edge 540 needs this update too
Related reading: Garmin All the New Q3 Features for all key models.
Last Updated on 10 April 2026 by the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. See the gear tfk uses. ID
Seems Garmin has a hard time to fix bugs in this beta firmware. Non of the „current“ devices (F7, FR 955, FR 965…) received a final version yet.
apparently f7 is in a different internal team.
i would imagine that f7pro/epix pro gets it right first then ported out to the other watch displays with FRs coming last
Yes, probably different teams. But all of the watches are currently waiting for production release of this particular „firmware generation“ (with e.g. Hillscore and Weather Maps). So i suspect there are serious bugs and a lot of shared code.
The production release is tied to a quarterly schedule, generally speaking, you see betas for these products for 4-6 weeks, which means for the Fenix/Epix/etc beta that released back in mid July (July 21st), that puts it right on target/schedule for the mid to late August timeframe.
It’s a repeatable schedule. Keep in mind that especially in the case of the Fenix/Epix, these features were already on the launched Pro series. They share the same firmware. This was mostly a minor thing for Garmin on the Outdoor side. It’s a bigger lift on the Forerunner 265/965 side because the UI is substantially different.
Thank you for the correction, Ray. I wasn‘t aware that the Pro was launched with these features. I think in the current Beta there is e.g. a serious bug with Connect IQ datafields on 955 but it seems everything is still within the expected timeline.
Wouldn’t surprise me. I had to report a shit load of bugs for the 965. Quite a few more in a couple of months since I own a 965 than in 6 years of forerunner 935 usage.
Would there be a chance that Stamina comes to the 265(S)? I wonder why it’s truly a higher end feature.
I see the fenix series have a new backup restore function in their latest beta.
It seems the forerunner series don’t have this.
How stupid is that! Really. WTF!!!!
All we get is stupid features like stamina and hill score. As if someone who does endurence training or hill training not allready knows their endurance or hill climbing capabilities. (you really need to be a nono if you need a watch to confirm that)
ha! 😉
I suspect that ‘backup and restore’ is not a feature that sells too many new watches. It’s one of those features that keeps existing customers happy and so “is not so important” ?!?!?!?!?
Noticed there was no red shift on the 965.
It looks like with firmware 17.18 that weird watch face issue has now been fixed.