Garmin Forerunner 165 Music Review: Worth It? Specs, Music, Calls

You’ve probably wondered whether spending extra on a running watch with music storage is actually worth it—especially when the non-music version is perfectly capable. The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music, launched in February 2024, is the cheapest Garmin running watch with an AMOLED screen and offline music, but it also comes with deliberate limitations that might surprise you. This review breaks down the key differences, battery trade-offs, and whether the extra $50 makes sense for your runs.

Battery life (smartwatch mode): Up to 11 days ·
Battery life (GPS mode): Up to 19 hours ·
Music playback (GPS mode): Up to 6.5 hours ·
Display: 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen

Here are the key specifications at a glance.

Is the Forerunner 165 Music worth it?

Who is the Forerunner 165 Music for?

• Runners who want offline music without bringing a phone (Garmin Philippines)
• Budget-conscious buyers who still want an AMOLED display—this is the cheapest Garmin with that screen (iRunFar)
• Marathoners who need 19 hours of GPS tracking (Run Weekly, running magazine)

The watch targets anyone who values core running metrics—pace, heart rate, training status—without the weight or price of a full smartwatch. For those upgrading from a basic fitness band, the AMOLED screen is a noticeable step up.

What are the main drawbacks?

• No speaker or microphone means you cannot answer calls or use a voice assistant (iRunFar)
• Always-on display cuts battery life by more than half, according to user reports (Reddit user review, low confidence)
• Proprietary charging cable—no USB-C compatibility (Garmin Owner’s Manual)

These omissions are deliberate segmentation choices. Garmin reserves voice assistant and call handling for its Venu and Fenix series, which cost significantly more.

What’s the difference between Garmin 165 and 165 Music?

Two models, one hardware platform. The only difference is the addition of music storage and playback in the Music variant, plus a $50 price gap.

Price difference

• Standard 165: $249.99 MSRP (Running Shoes Guru)
• 165 Music: $299.99 MSRP (Garmin Philippines)

The $50 premium is identical to the price gap on previous Forerunner Music models (Triathlete).

Music storage and playback

• 165 Music: 4 GB storage for offline music, supports Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer (premium subscriptions required) (Garmin Philippines)
• Standard 165: No music capability whatsoever (Running Shoes Guru)

Other feature differences

• Both models share the same display, GPS, heart rate sensor, Pulse Ox, and battery life (iRunFar)
• Both have 5 ATM water resistance and the same 39‑gram case (Garmin Owner’s Manual)

The implication: if you never run with music, save $50 and buy the standard 165. If you want to leave your phone at home, spring for the Music version.

Seven spec areas, one pattern: the 165 and 165 Music are identical everywhere except music storage.

The catch: the $50 buys exactly one feature, but if you never use offline music, you get zero benefit.

Can Garmin Forerunner 165 Music answer calls?

Call handling capabilities

• The watch cannot answer or make calls because it lacks a speaker and microphone (Garmin Philippines)
• It can display incoming call notifications and allow you to reject or silence them (Garmin Owner’s Manual)

Notification management

• You receive call, text, and app notifications from your paired phone (iRunFar)
• You cannot reply to messages from the watch (Triathlete)

Do I need my phone to play music on my Garmin 165?

Offline music playback

Once music is synced, no phone is needed. The watch stores up to 500 songs and plays them through Bluetooth headphones (Garmin Philippines). This is the core benefit of the Music variant.

Syncing music from a computer

• Drag and drop MP3 files via USB cable using the Garmin Express app (Garmin Owner’s Manual)
• Wi‑Fi syncing from streaming services is available for supported playlists (Triathlete)

Using music services

• Works with Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer (premium subscription required) (Garmin Philippines)
• Standard 165 cannot sync or play music at all (Running Shoes Guru)

Is a Garmin better than an Apple Watch?

Running and fitness features

• Garmin offers dedicated running metrics: training load, VO2 max estimate, recovery time, and race predictor (iRunFar)
• Apple Watch provides general fitness tracking but fewer run-specific analytics out of the box (Triathlete)

Battery life

• Forerunner 165 Music: 11 days smartwatch, 19 hours GPS (Garmin Philippines)

As Men’s Fitness noted in their review, the AMOLED screen is a battery tradeoff, and the 19-hour GPS figure is shorter than some comparable watches. Still, the 11-day smartwatch mode is superior to Apple Watch’s sub-2-day battery.

Smartwatch capabilities

• Apple Watch has cellular calling, app store, and voice assistant (Triathlete)
• Forerunner 165 Music has Garmin Pay, notifications, and music, but no speaker or app ecosystem (Garmin Philippines)

The pattern: Garmin excels at running and battery, Apple dominates smartwatch functions. The right choice depends on whether your wrist is a training tool or a phone extension. For a deeper look at value comparisons, check our review of another premium product: Galaxy S25 Plus to Buy: Is It Worth It? (irelandfocus.com).

Specifications

Eight key specs, one pattern: the 165 Music keeps weight low and battery high, but skips communication hardware.

The trade-off: no barometer or multi-band GPS, which are reserved for the Forerunner 265 and Fenix series.

Confirmed facts vs what’s unclear

Overall, the confirmed facts are well-documented by official sources, while the uncertainties highlight areas that may evolve with future software updates or depend on individual usage.

What the experts say

The Forerunner 165 Music is a marathon smartwatch for runners with a 1.2-inch colorful AMOLED display that brings vibrant visuals to your run.

— Garmin, official product page (Garmin Philippines)

The AMOLED screen is a battery tradeoff, and the 19-hour GPS figure is shorter than some comparable watches. But for the price, it’s a solid entry-level running watch.

— Men’s Fitness, review of Forerunner 165 Music (Men’s Fitness)

Onboard music storage, including Spotify support, is the headline feature of the Music version—and it costs an extra $50.

— Triathlete, gear review (Triathlete)

The Forerunner 165 Music delivers on its promise: an affordable AMOLED running watch with offline music that lets you run phone-free. But the lack of call answering and the battery penalty for always-on display are real trade-offs. For runners in the US and Europe who log daily miles and want music without carrying a phone, the choice is clear: buy the Music version and never look back. For anyone who expects smartwatch parity with Apple, the alternative is to spend twice as much on a Venu or switch ecosystems entirely.

For a detailed look at how the music storage and call features compare in practice, see the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music im Test from a German reviewer.

Frequently asked questions

For more product reviews, see Nike Miler T-Shirt: Features, Sizes, and Where to Buy (irelandfocus.com).