Garmin Forerunner 965 vs Suunto Race
Our pick: Suunto Race takes it — 87 vs 86.
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.
- Suunto Race — Buy it if you want a big, bright AMOLED multisport watch with strong dual-band GPS, maps and multi-day battery for far less than a Garmin Forerunner 965.
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.
Suunto Race
The Suunto Race is the best watch Suunto has made in years: a bright 1.43-inch AMOLED, accurate dual-band GPS and genuinely huge battery life, all launched well below Garmin. Now selling around 299 EUR (down from a 449 EUR RRP), it is one of the best-value AMOLED multisport watches you can buy. The catch is software: the Suunto app and on-watch OS feel slower and thinner than Garmin Connect, the wrist heart-rate sensor is only so-so, and recovery/sleep metrics are noisy. For runners and outdoor athletes who want a big screen, maps and long battery without paying Garmin money, it is an easy recommendation.
Compare side-by-side
| Garmin Forerunner 96586Scorefrom€499Review → | Suunto Race87Scorefrom€299Review → | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | — | — |
| Battery life | — | — |
| Screen | — | — |
| Sleep tracking | — | — |
| Recovery / HRV | — | — |
| Subscription | — | — |
| Water resistance | — | — |
Prices are our researched reference points.
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