Garmin Forerunner 965 vs Polar Vantage V3
Our pick: Garmin Forerunner 965 takes it — 86 vs 78.
Both are strong — the call comes down to what you prioritise:
- Garmin Forerunner 965 — You coach or run endurance/triathlon and want race-grade GPS, full maps and the complete readiness/load suite in a light premium AMOLED watch.
- Polar Vantage V3 — Serious triathletes and multisport/endurance athletes who want deep training and recovery data plus long battery life.
Garmin Forerunner 965
Garmin’s near-complete premium running and triathlon watch — a gorgeous AMOLED, deep training analytics and full maps. Price and 47 mm size are the only real trade-offs.
Polar Vantage V3
A hardware powerhouse for serious endurance and multisport athletes: class-leading battery, dual-frequency GPS and a deep sensor suite (ECG, SpO2, skin temperature). The training and recovery analytics are outstanding, but the smartwatch side stays barebones and the price only makes sense on discount.
Compare side-by-side
| Garmin Forerunner 96586Scorefrom€499Review → | Polar Vantage V378Scorefrom€399Review → | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | — | — |
| Battery life | — | — |
| Screen | — | — |
| Sleep tracking | — | — |
| Recovery / HRV | — | — |
| Subscription | — | — |
| Water resistance | — | — |
Prices are our reviewed reference points.
Affiliate disclosure. We may earn a commission from links on this page. It never affects the Sqwod Score — scores are set by the methodology, not commission.