The watch analyzes your completed workouts, recovery status, and upcoming races in your Garmin Connect calendar to suggest daily workouts. After each run, the plan adjusts based on your actual performance—not just following a static schedule.

Yes. Every function on the Forerunner 165 works with the five physical buttons. You can even disable the touchscreen entirely if you prefer tactile feedback during runs. By default, touchscreen is disabled during activities but can be re-enabled.

Yes. The watch includes 25+ sport profiles including cycling, pool swimming, HIIT, and strength training. However, runners upgrading to triathlon may eventually want the Forerunner 265 or 965 for multisport transition features and more advanced metrics.

The 265 adds Training Readiness score, Race Predictor, multi-band GPS, and more advanced running dynamics. The 165 focuses on essential training metrics at a lower price—perfect for runners who want legitimate training guidance without every bell and whistle.