The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music is my favourite running watch – and it’s now 25% off

Nov 26, 2025 - 13:00

I’ve been into running for around 20 years, and it’s fair to say that I’ve worked my way through at least 15 fitness trackers and smartwatches in that time.

Garmin is a brand I keep coming back to, and one of my absolute favourites is the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music – which is fantastic value this Black Friday.

Zoe ran the Ealing Half Marathon wearing a Garmin Forereunner 165 Music

Garmin Forerunner 165 Music, £218 (was £289.99)

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Now reduced by 25% on Amazon, the multi-functional sports watch is now just £218, reduced from £289.99 as part of a Black Friday deal.

This is incredible value for a fitness watch that has 4GB of storage built-in, allowing runners like me to load music and downloaded podcasts directly onto the watch and leave their phone at home.

Whether you’re preparing for a 5km race or a marathon, taking a phone out on a training run adds weight and leads to the potential for distractions if messages or phone calls come in midway.

Garmin Forerunner 165 Music Sports Watch: Key Specs

Weight: 39g
Size: 43mm
Display: 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen
GPS: Yes
Bluetooth: Yes
Internal storage: 4GB
Battery life: 11 days
Health tracking: Wrist-based heart rate, sleep, stress, and recovery
Running metrics: Vo2 max, race time predictor, daily suggested workouts
Activity tracking: Over 25 activities including running, cycling,
Waterproof rating: 5ATM (suitable for swimming)

The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music offers a lot of features in an affordable package, especially now that it’s reduced to £218 on Amazon.

And when you’re running for a PB in a race, it can be helpful to have tunes with a beat that boost your speed, but not if it comes at the expense or the awkwardness of carrying an iPhone in your pocket or armband.

The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music connects via Bluetooth to headphones so that you can run freely – and I’ve used it successfully for several races, including the Ealing Half-marathon 2025, which I ran at my goal time of 1:55.

While training for this event, I used the watch as a running coach, following a customised training plan that had a mix of speed, interval and steady sessions.

The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music provides excellent training and recovery insights

Garmin Forerunner 165 Music, £218 (was £289.99)

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Thanks to the Garmin Coach function on the Garmin Connect app, I was able to find a training plan that matched my goals, sync it to the watch and follow the workout live – being alerted if I was going too fast, too slow, or my heart rate was spiking out of control.

And don’t just take my word for it, as other Amazon shoppers have improved their speed and running performance thanks to the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music.

“This has helped me to improve my overall speed and consistency,” praised one impressed shopper.

“It has a great selection of alerts that help me know how I am doing as I run, as well as the ability to set and then review split times.”

Another added: “I was looking for a smartwatch that has built-in GPS (for accuracy) and built-in music, so I don’t carry my phone with me while running – trust me, there is no watch like this!”

Currently, the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music is available in white, black, or aqua, but we recommend adding it to your basket sharpish so it doesn’t sell out in your preferred colour.

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