Garmin Forerunner 165 vs. COROS PACE 4: I Tried Both
The Garmin Forerunner 165 and COROS PACE 4 are two of the best entry-level GPS watches. As the two watch ecosystems get more and more packed with features, how do you pick the best one for you?
As a running tech tester, I’ve tried both for a few months to a year, so I’ll be sharing the important differences and similarities based on my first-hand experience.
For context, I’m a road marathoner, 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.
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 LiveTrack and Incident Detection, access to music streaming apps, and a few more specific gym tracking profiles.
– Pace 4 has more than 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 4
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. Same price
The Garmin Forerunner 165 costs $250 without music ($300 with) and the COROS PACE 4 is priced at $250. While it is an investment, it’s one of the best deals you’ll get for a solid GPS watch.
2. Same weight, display size, and resolution
Both watches are pretty light at 39-40g with the silicone band. With the PACE 4, you can order it with a COROS nylon band which will shave off 8g and make it extremely light.
The display size on both is 1.2″ and the resolution is 390 x 390 pixels. Both also have an AMOLED screen, making the display itself crisp and bright. You can also navigate both watches with the touchscreen or buttons.
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, Floor Climbing, Yoga, Pilates |
| Racket | Tennis, Pickleball, Padel |
3. More advanced training metrics
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. Has LiveTrack and Incident Detection
The FR165 has safety features that allow you to share your live activity location and stats with your loved ones. I use LiveTrack often when going on long runs, and it also helps keep me motivated since your friends and family can send you motivational messages through it.
You also have Incident Detection on the FR165, which will alert your emergency contacts if it detects a fall or other accident during your activity.
For both of these features, you must have your phone with you and your watch must be connected to it.
2. More smartwatch features (music apps and contactless pay)
On the Forerunner 165 Music (make sure it’s the music version), 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 4 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.
You can also tap to pay with Garmin Pay on the Forerunner 165 (just check that your bank and card are compatible first). This can come in handy if you don’t want to pull your phone out, or if you want a backup in case you don’t have your wallet or phone.
3. More gym tracking profiles
Here are the additional tracking profiles on the FR165 that aren’t on the PACE 4: 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 4
1. Dual frequency tracking mode for better accuracy
Both the FR1655 and PACE 4 have All Systems mode for tracking, which lets you connect to 5 satellite systems at a time.
The PACE 4, 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 4 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 4. You can see that in All Systems mode, the PACE 4 has more than double the battery life of the FR165.
| FR165 | PACE 4 | |
| Regular Use | 11 days | 19 days |
| GPS Mode | 19 hours | N/A |
| All Systems Mode | 17 hours | 41 hours |
| Dual Frequency Mode | N/A | 31 hours |
| All Systems with Music | 6.5 hours | 9 hours |
3. More outdoor activity profiles + multisport/triathlon mode
COROS tracks more outdoor adventure and specialized 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 also 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 4, you can track each discipline in the same activity.
The Bottom Line
You can’t really make a wrong choice between the PACE 4 and Forerunner 165. Both are great value for an entry-level watch.
The Forerunner 165 is better geared to folks who want smartwatch features like music and contactless payment, and who plan to use LiveTrack.
On the other hand, the PACE 4 is will be a better fit if you don’t want to charge your watch as often, or if you need the longer battery life for endurance sports. You’ll also have dual frequency tracking for more remote areas and a wider breadth of activity tracking profiles.
As a marathoner, trail runner, and backpacker, I’m a big fan of the PACE 4 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 few years and compared the metrics.
Where to Buy the FR165 and PACE 4
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 4 (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
As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments. Also let us know what you decided on and why!
