Garmin - Forerunner 265 vs Polar - Pacer Pro

The Forerunner 265 edges ahead on the Mars Score (42.8 vs 39.7), but the 3.1-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.

Pick the Forerunner 265 if you care most about smartwatch mode and multi-band gps. The biggest gaps in its favor are smartwatch mode, multi-band gps.

Pick the Pacer Pro if you care most about gps mode. Its strongest claims are gps mode.

Both ship with comparable solar charging, ecg, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.

Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.