Garmin Forerunner 165 vs. COROS PACE 3: I Tried Both
The Garmin Forerunner 165 and COROS PACE 3 are my favorite entry-level GPS watches as a running tech tester. So how do you decide between the two?
This post will go over the differences between the two models so you can make the best decision for you. I had loaners of both models for over a year, so this comparison is from my first-hand experience.
As more context, I’m a distance runner who mostly trains for half and full marathons, but I’ve also dabbled in triathlons and trail running. I’ve been testing running watches since 2018, and I write a lot of GPS watch comparisons to help you pick the best watch for your needs. (You might also like my comparison of the PACE 4 and FR165).
This post contains affiliate links and discount codes, meaning that I earn a small commission on any purchases through those links/codes, at no extra cost to you. Your support allows me to keep writing reviews like this one 🙂
Need a quick recommendation?
– Forerunner 165 has an AMOLED display and better touchscreen, access to music streaming apps, and a few more gym tracking profiles.
– PACE 3 has ~2x the battery life, dual frequency tracking, and triathlon + snow sports modes. Use code COROS-Lily to get a free extra watch band when you buy from their site.
Things in Common: Forerunner 165 and PACE 3
Before we dive into the differences between the two watches, here’s a look at their similarities so you know what you’re getting.
1. Similar price
Both watches are entry-level priced, with the Garmin Forerunner 165 costing $250 without music ($300 with) and the COROS PACE 3 at $230.
2. Same weight and display size
Both watches are pretty light at 39g with the silicone band. With the PACE 3, you can get a COROS nylon band which will shave off 9g and make it extremely light.
The display size on both is 1.2″ but the resolution on the Forerunner 165 is better at 390×390 pixels vs. 240×240 on the PACE 3’s.
3. Breadth of activity profiles
Both watches cover a wide range of sports, including the following:
| Category | Activity Profiles |
| Running | Run, Indoor Run, Track Run, Trail Run, Virtual Run |
| Biking | Bike, Indoor Bike |
| Swimming | Pool Swim, Open Water Swim |
| Outdoors | Hike, Walk |
| Gym | Strength, Cardio, Elliptical, Yoga, Pilates, Floor Climbing |
| Racket | Tennis, Pickleball, Padel |
3. More advanced training metrics
FR165 race predictor on the left and COROS app on the right
On both watches, you get metrics that help inform your run training, including:
- Training Load: whether your training is a smart amount
- Training Status: whether your training is effective
- Race Predictor
- Recovery Time
With that, let’s get into the reasons to choose one over the other!
Reasons to Pick the Garmin Forerunner 165
1. Brighter and better touchscreen
The screen is a lot brighter and crisper thanks to the AMOLED display (the same type of screen your phone has). You can also customize the screen brightness on Garmin watches, while you can’t on COROS watches.
The touchscreen on the FR165 is also smoother and more responsive, as the PACE 3 has a Memory-in-Pixel display type, which causes the slight delay.
2. Can connect to popular music apps (on the music version)
On the Forerunner 165 Music you can connect to Spotify Premium, Amazon Music, Deezer, or iHeartRadio to download your playlists and play them from your watch over Bluetooth headphones. No need to bring your phone on your runs! You can also download MP3 files as well.
While the PACE 3 can carry MP3 files, it can’t connect to any music apps, and it’s unlikely this will change since it’s difficult for smaller companies to get contracts with music streaming platforms.
3. More gym tracking profiles
Here are the additional tracking profiles on the FR165 that aren’t on the PACE 3: HIIT, Stair Stepping, Indoor Walking.
That said, COROS allows you to build custom tracking profiles that could cover these in some way. You just may not get activity-specific settings like certain timers or modes for HIIT.
Reasons to Pick the COROS PACE 3
1. Dual frequency tracking mode for better accuracy
Both the FR1655 and PACE 3 have All Systems mode for tracking, which lets you connect to 5 satellite systems at a time.
The PACE 3, however, also has Dual Frequency mode. In this mode, you can not only connect to 5 satellite systems at a time, but also connect to them in two frequencies. Dual Frequency helps with accuracy in tricky areas like cities with tall buildings, or more remote areas with spottier signal.
2. Better battery life
The PACE 3 has incredible battery life. It’s a relief to be able to go a couple weeks without charging it. Here’s a comparison of the battery life in different tracking modes for the FR165 and PACE 3. You can see that in regular GPS mode, the PACE 3 has double the battery life of the FR165.
| FR165 | PACE 3 | |
| Regular Use | 11 days | 24 days |
| GPS Mode | 19 hours | 38 hours |
| All Systems Mode | 17 hours | 25 hours |
| Dual Frequency Mode | N/A | 15 hours |
| All Systems with Music | 6.5 hours | 9 hours |
Keep in mind that COROS added daily stress tracking at the beginning of 2024, which reduces the regular use battery life of the PACE 3 to 15 days. You can turn this off if you don’t need it and have increased battery life (Garmin has stress tracking by default and it can’t be disabled).
Note that the battery life on the PACE 3 is the same for the activity tracking modes regardless of whether or not you’re tracking daily stress.
3. More outdoor activity profiles + multisport/triathlon mode
COROS tracks more outdoor adventure activities, including:
| Category | Activity Profiles |
| Water | flatwater, rowing |
| Biking | gravel biking, mountain biking |
| Snow | ski, snowboard, XC ski |
| Indoor | indoor rower, jump rope, badminton, table tennis, boxing |
| Team | basketball, soccer, frisbee |
| Other | skateboard |
And while the FR165 has open water swimming, it doesn’t have a multiport/triathlon mode, so you would need to track each as separate activities. On the PACE 3, you can track each discipline in the same activity.
The Bottom Line
These are both great value GPS watches. Garmin has really stepped it up over the years for their entry-level models and the lowest-cost COROS has always been packed with features.
The main difference is whether you want more of a lifestyle or an adventure watch. The Forerunner 165 is better geared to folks who are used to traditional smartwatches and want music streaming and an AMOLED display.
On the other hand, the PACE 3 is will be a better fit if you can’t charge your watch as frequently, such as on a trek (or if you don’t want to charge your watch often, that’s totally fair too). You’ll also have dual frequency tracking for more remote areas and activity profiles for snow sports.
As a marathoner, trail runner, and backpacker, I’m a big fan of the PACE 3 since it better suits my lifestyle. But I did wear the FR165 for a year and it worked perfectly fine (I would not bring it backpacking though since I’d have to charge too often; I even left my FR255S home on my treks).
Finally, you should know that there are a handful of other differences between the two watch ecosystems, so I encourage you to check out my full Garmin vs. COROS review where I wore both for a year and compared the metrics.
Where to Buy the FR165 and PACE 3
If this review helped you, it would mean a ton if you purchased through my affiliate links or codes. I also want to encourage you to buy secondhand or from small, local running stores if you can. I don’t get paid if you do that, so if you still want to show your appreciation financially, you’re welcome to buy me a virtual coffee.
Directly from Garmin/COROS:
PACE 3 (use code COROS-Lily to get a free, extra watch band or any other accessory, minus gift cards and the explorer pack. Just add both the accessory and the watch to your cart before applying the code at checkout. Please do not share this code on public forums).
Amazon
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments. Also let us know what you decided on and why!
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