Garmin Forerunner 265 vs Polar Vantage M3

Garmin Forerunner 265

Garmin Forerunner 265

vsPolar Vantage M3

Polar Vantage M3

Garmin Forerunner 265Polar Vantage M3
Sizes46 mm Forerunner 265 and 42 mm Forerunner 265S—
Display1.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen (416x416) with optional always-on mode, plus five physical buttons (Forerunner 265, 46 mm)1.28-inch AMOLED touchscreen, 416 x 416, Gorilla Glass 3, always-on option with ambient light sensor
Case46.1 x 46.1 x 12.9 mm (Forerunner 265)—
BatteryUp to 13 days in smartwatch mode (up to 15 days for the 265S); up to 20 hours in GPS mode (24 hours for the 265S) (Garmin claims)Up to 7 days in smartwatch mode; up to 30 hours in training mode (Polar's spec table lists 27 hours performance, 90 hours eco and 8 days smartwatch); 310 mAh replaceable Li-Pol battery
NavigationMulti-band GPS with SatIQ technology; PacePro pacing guidancePreinstalled and upgradeable offline topographic maps, planned routes, breadcrumbs, komoot turn-by-turn guidance
StorageUp to 8GB for music and data; Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music downloads (subscription required)32 GB (offline maps), 37 MB memory, 275 MHz CPU
TrainingTraining readiness, morning report, daily suggested workouts, Garmin Coach, VO2 max, running power and running dynamics—
HealthWrist-based Pulse Ox, Body Battery, sleep score, HRV status, stress tracking, menstrual cycle tracking—
FeaturesGarmin Pay, smart notifications, incident detection and LiveTrack—
Durability5 ATM water rating—
OSGarmin firmware; pairs with Android and iOS through the Garmin Connect app—
Body—44.7 x 44.7 x 12.2 mm; 53 g with wristband (35 g without); glass-fibre reinforced plastic case with stainless steel bezel; 22 mm quick-release silicone wristband; WR50 water resistance
Sensors—Polar Elixir biosensing: 4th-generation optical heart rate, wrist-based ECG, SpO2, nightly skin temperature; barometer, magnetometer compass, accelerometer, gyroscope
GPS—Dual-frequency GPS (L1/L5) with GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS
Connectivity—Bluetooth LE (no ANT+), USB-C charging cable (proprietary connector)
Software—PolarOS; Polar Flow app; Training Load Pro, Nightly Recharge, Smart Coaching; over 150 sport profiles
Colors—Night Black, Greige Sand