Coros Pace 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 165: 19-Day Battery Worth It?

Same $249 price tag, two very different watches. The Coros Pace 4 is the newer hardware story; the Garmin Forerunner 165 is the safer ecosystem play. Both AMOLED, both 5 ATM, both 1.2-inch 390 x 390 displays — the differences are everywhere else.

Key Differences

• GPS: Coros Pace 4 has multi-band (dual-frequency) GPS. The Forerunner 165 is single-band only — a real accuracy gap in cities, trees, and canyons.
• Battery: 19 days smartwatch / 41 hours GPS on the Pace 4. 11 days / 19 hours on the 165. Coros nearly doubles it across the board.
• Weight: 32g vs 39g. The Pace 4 is one of the lightest GPS watches you can buy.
• Payments: Garmin Pay (NFC) on the 165. The Pace 4 has no contactless payments.
• Voice hardware: Pace 4 ships with a mic and speaker for calls and voice notes. The 165 does not.
• Ecosystem: Garmin Connect, Garmin Coach, and a 15-year head start on training plans. Coros is good, but smaller.
• Release date: Pace 4 launched November 2025. The 165 is from February 2024 — nearly two years older silicon.

Deep Dive Comparison

Design & Comfort

Both watches use a fiber-reinforced polymer case at 43mm. Both are 5 ATM water-rated. The Pace 4 weighs 32g, the Forerunner 165 weighs 39g. That 7-gram difference doesn’t sound like much on paper, but on a four-hour long run it absolutely registers. The Pace 4 is the lightest watch in this matchup by a meaningful margin.

Display hardware is identical on the surface: 1.2-inch AMOLED panels at 390 x 390 resolution. Both are sharp and bright outdoors. The Pace 4 uses a touchscreen plus a digital dial; the 165 sticks to Garmin’s classic five-button layout with a touchscreen. Glove-friendly button layout goes to Garmin if you train in winter.

Battery Life

This is the headline. The Coros Pace 4 lasts 19 days in smartwatch mode and 41 hours with GPS active. The Garmin Forerunner 165 manages 11 days and 19 hours. The Pace 4 has roughly double the GPS endurance, which is the number that matters if you’re training for a marathon or doing back-to-back long runs without charging.

Health & Fitness Features

The GPS gap is the real story here. The Pace 4 runs multi-band GPS — dual-frequency tracking that holds your line through downtown buildings and tree cover. The Forerunner 165 is single-band, which is fine for open roads and tracks but visibly drifts in tougher environments. If you run trails or city streets, the Pace 4’s tracks will be cleaner.

Both watches cover the basics: optical heart rate, SpO2, barometric altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, and thermometer. Garmin adds an ambient light sensor; Coros doesn’t. Neither has ECG. For training metrics, Garmin’s Coach plans, Body Battery, and recovery suggestions are still the most polished system in the category. Coros’s training hub is leaner but solid for structured workouts and EvoLab analytics.

Smart Features

The 165 has Garmin Pay (NFC) — tap-to-pay at the checkout works. The Pace 4 doesn’t have contactless payments at all. That’s a real daily-use loss.

The Pace 4 swings back with a built-in mic and speaker, which the 165 lacks. You can take calls from your wrist when paired to a phone, and use voice features. Both handle phone notifications, music storage (4GB), and Bluetooth. The Pace 4 also has Wi-Fi for faster syncing; the 165 has ANT+ for older training accessories like Garmin’s own pedals and bike sensors.

Price & Value

Both are $249 at launch. The Pace 4 is brand new, so expect it to hold close to MSRP. The Forerunner 165 is over a year old and frequently drops to $199 or $179 on sale — a real $50–$70 gap if you catch the right week. At full price, the Pace 4 is the better hardware deal. At a steep Garmin discount, the value math gets closer.

Technical Specs

Spec	Coros Pace 4	Garmin Forerunner 165
Release Date	November 2025	February 2024
Launch Price	$249	$249
Weight	32g	39g
Case Size	43.4mm	43.0mm
Display	1.2-inch AMOLED, 390 x 390	1.2-inch AMOLED, 390 x 390
Water Rating	5 ATM	5 ATM
Battery (Smartwatch)	19 days (456 hours)	11 days (264 hours)
Battery (GPS)	41 hours	19 hours
GPS	Multi-band	Single-band
NFC Payments	No	Yes (Garmin Pay)
Mic / Speaker	Yes	No
Connectivity	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi	Bluetooth, ANT+
Sensors	HR, SpO2, Altimeter, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Thermometer	HR, SpO2, Altimeter, Accelerometer, Compass, Thermometer, Ambient Light
Storage	4GB	4GB

The Verdict

The Coros Pace 4 wins on hardware and it’s not particularly close. Multi-band GPS, nearly double the battery, lighter weight, and a built-in mic/speaker — at the same $249 price as a watch that’s almost two years older. For runners who care about clean GPS tracks, long training cycles between charges, and modern hardware, this is the obvious pick.

Buy the Garmin Forerunner 165 if you’re new to running and want Garmin Coach to walk you through your first 5K or half marathon, you actually use NFC pay daily, or you can grab it on sale for $50+ off. The ecosystem advantage is real, especially for beginners.

Buy the Coros Pace 4 if you’re a serious or aspiring serious runner, you train outdoors in cities or on trails, you want the longest possible battery for long runs and races, or you just want the better hardware for your $249.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which watch is better for marathon training?

The Coros Pace 4. With 41 hours of GPS battery and multi-band tracking, it’ll handle every long run plus a marathon itself without needing a mid-cycle charge. The Forerunner 165’s 19 hours of GPS is fine for the race but tighter on training weeks with multiple long sessions.

Does the Garmin Forerunner 165 really have worse GPS than the Coros Pace 4?

Yes, in tough environments. The 165 is single-band only, which drifts under tree cover, in urban canyons, and near tall buildings. The Pace 4’s multi-band GPS holds tighter to your actual route in those conditions. On open roads or a track, you probably won’t notice a difference.

Is the Coros Pace 4 worth $249 over a discounted Forerunner 165?

If the 165 is at full price ($249), the Pace 4 is the better buy — newer hardware, better battery, better GPS. If the 165 is on sale at $179–$199, the value math gets closer, especially for beginners who want Garmin Coach and Garmin Pay. At equal prices, take the Coros.

Which works better with iPhone vs Android?

Both work well with iPhone and Android. Garmin Connect is the more polished and feature-rich app on both platforms, with deeper third-party integrations (Strava, TrainingPeaks, Apple Health). Coros’s app is cleaner and faster but has fewer integrations. iPhone users get full notification mirroring on both; Android users can reply to texts on the Garmin but not the Coros.

Can I pay with my watch on the Coros Pace 4?

No. The Pace 4 has no NFC chip and no contactless payment support. If tap-to-pay at the gym, coffee shop, or grocery store after a run is part of your routine, the Forerunner 165 with Garmin Pay is the only one of these two that does it.