Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Suunto Race 2
Our pick: Garmin Forerunner 165 takes it — 86 vs 84.
Both are strong — the call comes down to what you prioritise:
- Garmin Forerunner 165 — You coach runners or endurance clients and want Garmin's training data without the €500 tier.
- Suunto Race 2 — You want a big, bright multisport watch with maps, dual-band GPS and multi-day battery for well under a Forerunner 970, with wrist heart rate you can mostly trust.
Garmin Forerunner 165
The best-value entry into Garmin's training ecosystem — bright AMOLED, ~11-day battery, and the metrics that matter, without the €500 price.
Suunto Race 2
The Race 2 keeps what made the Race our value pick (dual-band GPS, free offline maps, huge battery) and fixes its biggest flaw: wrist heart rate is much improved. The screen is larger and brighter and the case lighter, but it costs about 130 EUR more than the Race does now, and smart features stay basic.
Compare side-by-side
| Garmin Forerunner 16586Scorefrom€175Review → | Suunto Race 284Scorefrom€449.10Review → | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Watch (running) | — |
| Battery life | ~11 days | — |
| Screen | AMOLED | — |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | — |
| Recovery / HRV | Body Battery | — |
| Subscription | None | — |
| Water resistance | 50 m (5 ATM) | — |
Prices are our researched reference points.
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