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Garmin Forerunner 245 vs Garmin Forerunner 945

Garmin Forerunner 245

Garmin Forerunner 245

214 reviews

View Product Details

Garmin Forerunner 945

Garmin Forerunner 945

137 reviews

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#3 most mentioned

Reddit · r/garmin

Wirecutter · The 4 Best GPS Running Watches 2021

#1 most mentioned

Reddit · r/garmin

Feature-Rich Sports Watch for Endurance Athletes

Switchback Travel · Best Sports Watches of 2022

Great GPS performance

Music storage and playback

Heart rate sensors that perform well for the most part

Enhanced smartwatch features

Reliable and traditional running watch

Great features such as music, an oximeter, and improved battery life compared to the 935

Journaling features are fantastic

Can charge it while it's on your wrist

Strap hog with plenty of options for straps

Compatible with other sports and activities

Not ideal for mountain biking, weight training, and rowing

Battery life may be shorter than expected due to certain features

Dead pixels may appear shortly after the warranty runs out

Not living up to its potential in terms of battery life

GPS accuracy is not reliable when running under trees

High price tag

Verdict

The Garmin Forerunner 245 is a great choice for runners who want a reliable and traditional running watch with enhanced smartwatch features. It has music storage and playback, GPS performance, and heart rate sensors that perform well for the most part. However, some users have experienced hiccups with mountain biking, weight training, and rowing. Additionally, the battery life may be shorter than expected due to certain features like Pulse Ox draining it faster. Finally, some users have reported dead pixels appearing shortly after the warranty ran out.

Verdict

The Garmin Forerunner 945 is a feature-packed sports watch with a high price tag. It has great features such as music, an oximeter, and improved battery life compared to the 935. However, it does not live up to its potential in terms of battery life and GPS accuracy when running under trees.

Reviews by Topic

Our analysis shows how reviewers feel about different topics. Please note these are not full reviews.

Fit

245 v 745 v Venu

The 245 and the 745 likely fit the bill best for your needs. I've got a 245 now and it's a great watch.

Positive

reddit.com/r/Garmin

I do like it though. I am glad I bought it. It talks to my cell phone which talk to my ear buds which is cool. i like having texts displayed

Activity Tracking

youtube

Garmin Forerunner 245 Music // The Fitness Review

Heart rate was also pretty good. You'Ll see some inconsistencies here, but for the most part it was pretty darn close to three other external heart ra...

Positive

I haven’t used a sports watch before, and as well as using it for triathlon-specific training, I’d like to use it for the other sports which I usually partake in (football, tennis, weight training etc), and general day-to-day activities. Looking online, it appears the Garmin Forerunner 945 is my best bet.

Positive

reddit.com/r/triathlon

Durability

some disappointments

I have not dropped, banged or otherwise mistreated this product. It has not been exposed to extreme weather nor conditions but a year and a half into use and this strange dot appeared on(in) the screen and today it just froze , can't turn it off - nothing. For the cost of this watch i expect better.

It happened to me and I ended up regretting my purchase big time. Anyone claiming that the FR series is of equal durable to the Fenix series is performing some serious mental gymnastics. Get your hands on both and you'll understand what I mean.

Battery Life

Bad battery life

I think it may be that some features, like the Pulse Ox (which is fairly inaccurate), cause the battery to drain faster. Garmin's Connect app encourages you to wear this watch all the time, even when sleeping, to get better fitness data. That's another reason the battery drains so fast. Good thing is that it charges quickly

Forerunner 935 is better

5 of those were with music) over about 4 days and was down to 14% battery. When new, my 935 would have gotten probably about double that. I don’t know if I got a defective model or something but my commute to and from work via bicycle is about 50 mins each way. Without music, it would drain 8-10% battery

Connectivity

However, now I feel like maybe the Garmin FR 245 Music would be a better choice for me. The most basic functions I need are GPS and the ability to download music from Spotify for phone-free runs.

Positive

reddit.com/r/running

For a $500 watch, I expected better.

to me. I decided to keep the Marq after experiencing both watches for over a month. First, the most annoying thing for me was the Forerunner often lagged a half second after each press of the buttons. It felt like it wasn’t responding so I would often press the buttons multiple times and then it caught up and jumped menus on me

Comfort

With smartphones constantly getting larger, What are your current favorite smartphone holder products?

Or honestly you don't even need a watch if you're comfortable running without technology. There is definitely a freedom to running without anything on you.

Positive

reddit.com/r/running

The Garmin Coach?

1 and anaerobic effect of 3.5. Translation? It was time to chill. Instead, I decided to go on a short 2

Comfortability

The feedback of my Forerunner 245 Music

I don't know if this is just my watch issues. If I don't have to deal with this annoying process turn on and off of my watch every day, I will give five stars for this review. By the way, one thing I want to mention, the Garmin Express is not working well. Every time I use it, I have to plug-in and plug-out the connecting USB cable five to six times to make connect work

Like it more than the Fenix 5s Plus

I had the Fenix 5s Plus, returned it and got this. It's much lighter, thinner, and the band is noticeably for comfortable (softer and more stretchy). The Fenix series are just bulky heavy and for some reason the bands are uncomfortable. That means the 945 is more comfortable to sleep with, run with, and wear throughout the day

Price

AMAZON KEEPS SENDING ME SOUTH EAST ASIAN VERSION OF THE WATCH!!!!!!

Really this should be the same price as the vivoactive 3, and serious runners who don't want a touch screen, garmin pay, stairs climbed counting, and want extra running metrics would buy it. Most people still wouldn't. After using it I don't see why its 100 dollars more. Runners pay more money for watches?

ALMOST as good as it gets... almost...

excellent watch with crummy buttons. If I hadn’t caught it on sale, I think I would’ve regretted the purchase, as I would’ve just gone straight for the 955 (which is current right now). However, if you find this watch for a nice price (like I did), it’s worth it… crummy buttons and all

Notifications

Ok, Garmin. I love this watch!

This sends an email to whoever you’ve listed, or all of your connections, with a link to a tracker. I love this as a woman who often goes on runs alone early in the morning or at night. There is also a feature on this watch where if you press a button 3x it sends a text to your emergency contacts and it will also do this if it notices anything unusual (you stop suddenly, etc). Probably my favorite features

Good, not eveything I wanted, but most of it

Getting addresses into it should be easy. Instead I'm using a third party app to read notifications for turn by turn directions in Google on my phone. Admittedly not a must have.

Software Updates

Happy with Garmin, had some issues with the watch

Also, Garmin customer support has been outstanding! Cons: I’ve had issues with the watch accurately tracking pace, mileage, and VO2 (hence the above interaction with Customer support). Seems like some updates from Garmin Express may have resolved these, but it’s annoying that I have to plug this watch into a computer every couple weeks to check for software updates when I sync it with the Garmin Connect app on my phone multiple times a day. Seems like software updates through the mobile app would be standard functionality…

**[Forerunner 945 New

Neutral

reddit.com/r/Garmin

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