About this item GPS running smartwatch with advanced training features Evaluates your current training status to indicate if you’re undertraining or overdoing it; offers additional performance monitoring features Get free adaptive training plans from Garmin Coach, or create your own custom workouts on our Garmin Connect online fitness community Provides advanced running dynamics, including ground contact time balance, stride length, vertical ratio and more (when used with Running Dynamics Pod or HRM Run or HRM Tri monitors (sold separately)) Safety and tracking features include incident detection (during select activities) which sends your real time location to emergency contacts through your paired compatible smartphone Customize with free watch faces, apps and more from our Connect IQ store Battery life: up to 7 days in smartwatch mode; up to 24 hours in GPS mode
Garmin Forerunner 245 GPS Running Smartwatch
Product Dimensions 1.7 x 1.7 x 0.5 inches
Item Weight 1.28 ounces
Item model number 010-02120-00
Batteries 1 A batteries required. (included)
Connectivity technologies Bluetooth, ANT+, GPS
GPS True
Special features Wrist-Based Heart Rate; Built-In GPS; Running Dynamics; Vo2 Max; Pulse Ox Sensor; Pulse Ox Sensor
Display resolution 240 x 240
Other display features Wireless
Human Interface Input Buttons
Color Slate Gray
Whats in the box Forerunner 245; Charge/data cable; Documentation
Weight 0.08 Pounds
Standing screen display size 1.2 Inches
Memory Storage Capacity 64000 MB
Brand Garmin
Model Name Forerunner 245, Slate
Style Standard
Color Slate Gray
Screen Size 1.2 Inches
Special Feature Wrist-Based Heart Rate; Built-In GPS; Running Dynamics; Vo2 Max; Pulse Ox Sensor; Pulse Ox Sensor
Shape Round
Target Audience Unisex
Age Range (Description) Adult
Compatible Devices Smartphone
About this item GPS running smartwatch with advanced training features Evaluates your current training status to indicate if you’re undertraining or overdoing it; offers additional performance monitoring features Get free adaptive training plans from Garmin Coach, or create your custom workouts on our Garmin Connect online fitness community Provides advanced running dynamics, including ground contact time balance, stride length, vertical ratio and more,
(when used with Running Dynamics Pod or HRM-Run or HRM-Tri monitors (sold separately) Safety and tracking features include incident detection (during select activities) which sends your real-time location to emergency contacts through your paired compatible smartphone Customize with free watch faces, apps and more from our Connect IQ store Battery life: up to 7 days in smartwatch mode; up to 24 hours in GPS mode
You do the running. Forerunner 245 does the thinking. This GPS smartwatch doesn’t just tell you where you ran. It tracks your stats, crunches the numbers and gets to know all about your performance, your running form, your training history and even your goals. All you need to focus on is putting one foot in front of the other.
| Product Dimensions | 1.7 x 1.7 x 0.5 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 1.28 ounces |
| ASIN | B07QG3Z9N2 |
| Item model number | 010-02120-00 |
| Batteries | 1 A batteries required. (included) |
| Customer Reviews | /* .cm-cr-review-stars-spacing-big { 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 9,482 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when('A', 'cf').execute(function(A) { 4.6 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #3,608 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics) #2 in Running GPS Units |
| Wireless communication technologies | Bluetooth |
| Connectivity technologies | Bluetooth, ANT+, GPS |
| GPS | True |
| Special features | Wrist-Based Heart Rate; Built-In GPS; Running Dynamics; Vo2 Max; Pulse Ox Sensor; Pulse Ox Sensor |
| Display resolution | 240 x 240 |
| Other display features | Wireless |
| Human Interface Input | Buttons |
| Scanner Resolution | 240 x 240 |
| Color | Slate Gray |
| Whats in the box | Forerunner 245; Charge/data cable; Documentation |
| Department | unisex-adult |
| Manufacturer | Garmin |
| Date First Available | April 30, 2019 |
| Weight | 0.08 Pounds |
| Standing screen display size | 1.2 Inches |
| Memory Storage Capacity | 64000 MB |
| Brand | Garmin |
| Model Name | Forerunner 245, Slate |
| Style | Standard |
| Screen Size | 1.2 Inches |
| Special Feature | Wrist-Based Heart Rate; Built-In GPS; Running Dynamics; Vo2 Max; Pulse Ox Sensor; Pulse Ox Sensor |
| Shape | Round |
| Target Audience | Unisex |
| Age Range (Description) | Adult |
| Compatible Devices | Smartphone |
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dorotheathecat –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ok, Garmin. I love this watch!
UPDATE: Alright, so when I initially wrote this review the music component of this watch was meh for me. I had a love/hate relationship with it but now I can honestly say I love it and have upped my review to 5 stars (from 4 before). I do think Garmin listened and made changes with the updates or maybe it was just user error all along???? I honestly don’t know lol. I’ve had this watch for 8 months now and I freaking love it. I now know how to update the music via wifi and I do think the connectivity on my runs has improved. How well it connects to Garmin connect has also improved. Do I think it’s worth the $345 price its being sold at right now? Maybe. It’s amazing not being able to take my phone on my run and still having music, GPS, and some sort of security to reach my loved ones should I need it. I do wish the battery life was a little longer but for the size of this thing, I’m not complaining and it also charges pretty quickly. I have not yet run long enough (w/music) to test it with an external battery but will update as I do that. For those looking for instructions on how to update music via wifi (this was one of the things I wanted the watch to do and either I didn’t know how to or it didn’t work that well at first), I will include instructions below:Hold down second/middle button on left side of watch.Click musicClick music providersClick Spotify (should walk you thru how to set if up if you don’t)For me it takes me to the last song played. From here, I hit the three dots on the left.Click libraryThen scroll down to where you can hit update downloads.This will not work if you do not have your watch connected to wifi. To do that do this:Click and hold the middle button on the left side.Scroll down to WiFi and select.Should walk you thru it. I think you have to make sure your phone is connected to the same wifi.——————————————————————————————————————————I received this as a surprise gift from my husband about a month and a half ago. Both my husband and I are avid Garmin users and have been for several years. For context, these are the Garmin watches I have owned in the past: Forerunner 15, Vivosmart 3, and Vivomove HR. I do like this watch. In fact, you can say I love it. Based on our purchase history, I can see my husband purchased this for ~$50 less than what it is being listed as now ($345). Personally, if I was buying this for myself I would get a refurbished one or do without the music. I run about 3-4x a week and do HIIT workouts 3x a week. For what I do, this watch may be overkill but that’s what you want right? You want a watch that will do what you want AND more. At least I do!So, what are my gripes with this watch?1- Bluetooth. Boy, oh boy, oh boy! My watch LOVES to disconnect from my headphones. If my hands aren’t at the right angle while I am running, it is game over and I have to reconnect or deal with a patchy connection. At this point, I just don’t bother to use the music on my watch. I am hopeful an update will fix this but I’m not holding my breath. I find mine struggles with auto-sync on the Garmin app occasionally as well.2-Music-In relation to the bluetooth is the music concept of this watch. I really wanted to love this aspect of the watch. I really really did. I was so pumped about it! But alas, you can’t always get what you want. Syncing Music the first time took an eternity and half. You also have to manually update it if you update your playlist on Spotify, I think (at least that’s what I have to do). I wish Garmin would do something where it would automatically have your watch update the playlist if it is connected to Wi-Fi with my laptop open to Spotify but maybe my standards are too high (my iPad does this with playlists I’ve downloaded). Overall, I do like the music component of this watch-I just wish the bluetooth worked better. Many of the reviews I read on here are people complaining about how difficult it is to sync music and I agree. I consider myself pretty tech savvy but they could have made this simpler. I also would like to be able to change the songs that I am listening to on my phone from my watch. I used to be able to do this on my Vivomove HR and that was lovely while I was running. Also, please note I *think* you have to have a premium subscription to whatever music streaming service you choose to use in order to connect to the watch. I already had Spotify premium so this was no big deal to me but wanted to note that on here. I think you can also upload your own mp3 files if you have them but don’t take my word for it as I haven’t tried it.3-Sleep tracking- I don’t find the sleep tracking to be very accurate as a whole but I think that is an issue with Garmin in general so I’m not really holding it against this watch.4-Garmin Connect IQ- Changing my watch face is a lot harder than it should be and takes forever.What do I LOVE about this watch?1- GPS- my last watch did not have GPS (but it was pretty!) and that’s also a big factor in why I wanted this watch. I have not found any issues with the GPS and I have found this to be fairly accurate. Connects seamlessly with Strava which I appreciate.2-The size- for the size of this watch and all it can do-WOW. Just wow! I was afraid it would be too bulky but it is not! I am a woman with very small wrists and the size is pretty good for me. I do wish they sold smaller bands but its not a big deal.3- Livetracking & security features- LOVE this! You can set live tracking to start automatically or start it manually from the app ( I do wish this was an option on my phone). 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.4- Training status, body battery, pulse ox, & respiration-I find all of this very cool & helpful. I don’t find the training status to be totally accurate for me though. None of this makes or breaks the watch for me though, it’s just nice to have. The Garmin Coach seems really cool but I haven’t had an opportunity to use it. I plan to use it to train for a half marathon.5-Heart rate- I like this and find it to be accurate.6-Buttons-my last watch was touchscreen and I do love that this has buttons instead.7- Battery-battery life is OK but I wish it lasted a little longer. How quickly it charges makes up for that though!Overall, this is a really great watch. I was lusting after the Fenix 6s but that would have been overkill for me. This does what I need it to do and some more. If you’re a runner, I do think you will love this. I would personally save some money and skip the music but when it does work it is nice to have. Thanks Garmin!
87 people found this helpful
Mercurial –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic GPS sports watch, adds new features at good value to Forerunner product line
This watch is feature rich with solid battery life and ‘just works’ reliability, and a good value for what you get. It’s a great new addition to Garmin’s line of Forerunner watches.Before buying this, I used a Garmin Forerunner 35 for several years. That was a very good watch for tracking runs, and I also used it for other workouts like cycling and rowing. I loved its long battery life of about 1.5 weeks to 2 weeks the way I used it, plus physical buttons which I find much better for controlling the watch during runs than a touch screen. It also has a good quality heart rate monitor and some sleep-tracking capabilities.The Garmin 245 Music can do all this, plus adds additional workout tracking capability, and ability to wirelessly communicate with a Garmin running dynamics pod which gives additional data about runs. It also adds a pulse ox sensor, and ability to store up to 500 digital music tracks on the watch and broadcast to earbuds/headsets/speakers via bluetooth. It is more waterproof than the 35. It can track several measures of indoor lap swimming in a pool, but not open water swims or scuba. Finally its watchbands have quick release connections to the watch body, making it easier to replace them if needed or desired.I’m not sure I must have any of these things but was curious to try all of them. I am pleased with their implementation. The music feature is especially well done. It pairs without problems with my bluetooth headphones and speakers. I have good audio quality throughout my runs, arm motions while running do not cause any problems. I’ve copied .mp3 tracks to the watch from a Windows PC that uses Itunes to store my music library, using the watch’s USB cable to transfer the files. I’ve installed the Garmin Express software on the PC (a free download from garmin.com), and methods to copy individual music tracks or playlists are straightforward and work fine. Garmin supports music services like Spotify and Deezer as well, but I haven’t tried that and can’t comment on how well it works. There are decent controls on the watch for playing tracks or playlists, and adjusting volume. There are a separate set of controls for that within my bluetooth headset (Plantronics BackBeat Fit 3150), and those play nice with the watch.The battery definitely drains faster while using its GPS and streaming music via bluetooth. Garmin claims 6 hours battery life for these conditions, which sounds roughly consistent with my own experience. That brings me to one of my few quibbles with the watch, which is that I wish its battery life was somewhat better. There’s no escaping increased power consumption when using GPS and bluetooth, but it would have been nice if they’d fit a battery with more capacity into the watch. It’s not terrible as-is: still much better battery life than Apple watches, and lasts a week to a week and a half if I ‘only’ track runs with it, use the pulse ox sensor, and don’t stream any music. It seems slightly worse than the Forerunner 35 when using the same features, but I was hoping for the same or better. If you want more battery you can buy a Fenix or more expensive Forerunner. It’s still good for what it does and the price, though.This watch seems generally well regarded but I’ve seen a few negative reviews that say its GPS accuracy is not good, or not as good as older Garmin watches. That has not been my experience. GPS accuracy seems just as good as my Forerunner 35, which is excellent. In fact, the 245 can also do GPS and Glonass together, which I tried while visiting Iceland. I’ve heard that Glonass can be helpful at hi latitudes. It worked well for me, though I didn’t do careful experiments using GPS only versus GPS + Glonass to quantify differences.The watch has a lot of capability and it’s a challenge to design an interface to easily access it all using the watch buttons. Garmin uses several of the watch buttons to descend or ascend within menus, or select options. There is also a circularly scrolling ‘wheel’ in one menu to enable or disable different kinds of connections, or power the watch off. It all works and is reasonably easy to find, but some items are buried a bit in menus, at times the clicking around can feel inefficient. Not sure there’s an easy solution to support so many features, though. There is a lot of flexibility to customize and specify on or off for different sensors and connections, kudos to Garmin for giving this much control. The Garmin Connect smartphone software is a good companion for uploading workout data and displaying. It works reliably through a bluetooth connection between the watch and phone, and is well organized. It requires you to upload the watch data to Garmin’s cloud, then communicates with the cloud to display different aspects. I don’t love the cloud aspect, it would be better if they provided an option to store the data 100% locally (on the watch and phone only, with no internet involvement). But if you can live with the data being on the cloud, the software works well and has good visuals for displaying all the data.To summarize, this watch is a great product. It adds some nice extra features to the more basic Forerunner 35/45 while not being overly expensive, and continuing to include everything I liked about the 35/45. It seems meant to be a ‘mid-level’ watch, and I think what you get for the price is a good value. If you want much longer battery life or more sensors, like a barometric altimeter, get another watch like the higher end Garmins. If the capabilities of the Forerunner 45 or predecessor 35 fully meet your needs, save a bit of money and get those. This watch is a sweet spot of Garmin goodness + bluetooth music streaming and some extra workout tracking ability for lowest price.
38 people found this helpful
T. Mozilo –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to read screen, holds plenty of music and podcasts for my run!
I have used a Garmin Forerunner for a long time, but had not upgraded for close to 10 years. I needed a watch for running and fitness that also allowed me to store music and podcasts without needing to carry my phone. This watch meets those needs and works very well. The screen bright and easy to read. The GPS picks up in about 60-90 seconds and is accurate for my runs or hikes. It has a feature that lets you press a button at a certain point for a lap time, then for the rest of the run it will tell you (audibly) how you did on that lap so you can compare it to prior laps. I think it is made for running on a track, but it works well on long runs on streets or trails. The bluetooth work well with my Jabra Elite ear buds. Music and podcasts are easy to manage and transfer on my Mac from the Apple Podcast and Apple Music apps. Battery is a week if I only use GPS and Bluetooth during my workouts. If I use it more than that, I get 3-4 days on a charge. This is a quality watch that offers most of what a smartwatch does (notifications, answer incoming calls, etc) but really shines for fitness. Synching with the Garmin Express apps is easy and provides all the information you could want to track you health and fitness.
13 people found this helpful
Brody mccarthyBrody mccarthy –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic watch with a great battery life!
This smart watch is great! I love the simple look and the fact it has buttons! If you want a watch that can help you keep track of steps, your run, play music, push notifications with out being able to respond (I dont want to be that available) this is the one for you! Full charge in like 10-15 min and the charge last 10 or so days! I love garmin and how this one comes out! Great bang for your buck!
One person found this helpful
OCR_Racer –
5.0 out of 5 stars
My road/trail running watch
To qualify what I was looking for when I bought this watch, I wanted a quality watch to track my road and trail running stats. I don’t care about daily steps or any sleep tracking (I know if I slept good or not, I don’t need a watch to tell me). Also, I did not want a watch with a touch screen. I’m a button guy all day long. I did look at some higher end watches (745, 945, and Fenix line), but decided that for what I needed the 245 did it all, and at a great price.With that out of the way, the Garmin 245 does everything I need it to do. It tracks my road and trail running stats, quickly syncs to the Connect app on my phone, and provides all the details I want to know. It’s lightweight, comfortable to wear, easy to set up, and easy to use.And a feature I recently started using were workouts that I designed on my phone and uploaded to my watch. For example, the workout might be –1 mile warm up6 x 1:15 sprints with a 1:45 easy run1 mile cool downI can create that on my phone, upload it to the watch, and then use it while I run. It will beep/vibrate with each change that I need to do and display the interval information that I’m currently on. And then it keeps detailed stats on every part of that workout for review.I can’t speak on how it works for workouts in the gym. Once my run is done I take it off until my next run. But if you’re looking for a solid, functional, useful, and quality fitness watch for running, and you don’t want to pay $500-700 for the upper end versions then don’t hesitate to look at the Garmin 245. It does what it’s supposed to do and does it really well.
2 people found this helpful
Isaac –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Has performed as I hoped!
I’ve had this watch for about three months now. For context, I’m a 26 year old male who’s ran one half-marathon and this is my first smartwatch. I really like that I can use my Airpods while running and play downloaded music from Spotify rather easily. I think it could be a nice feature to be able to see/choose individual songs within a playlist rather than having to skip through an entire playlist. I love the battery life! It lasts forever and I rarely think about charging it. It tracks my runs pretty well and syncs with Nike + which is a nice feature. As an iOS user, the UI was underwhelming and feels a bit boring but I’m okay with boring because I didn’t want a fancy watch so I got what I expected. The display seems a bit cheap which was hard to swallow as it’s more expensive than some Apple watches but again, I sucked it up because I didn’t buy the watch to view movies or scroll through pictures, I bought it to run with while listening to music and it does that well. Apart from running, I use this skateboarding or biking to listen to music without my phone and I like that it has use outside of just running. One thing I dislike is that if you’re using the stopwatch you can’t leave that screen while the stopwatch is running. You must stay on the stopwatch screen. I think this should be changed. I love the alarm feature that wakes me up quietly through vibration and I’ve been pleased with the build quality of this watch. It hasn’t scratched or chipped in any way over the past three months. One of the buttons got stuck once but has fixed itself after use. Lastly, I love that the watch recommends running workouts but I’ve felt like the pace it’s suggests feels very different from the pace I prefer and have ran in the past. If I try to run the pace that feels comfortable to me it beeps at me annoyingly and lets me know I’m running too fast. I have pace/speed alert set to “off” so I’m not sure why it’s doing this. I would love to be able to edit my recommended pace or have a more accurate suggested pace. All in all, I’ve gotten what I was hoping for out of this watch: a watch that tracks my runs and allows me to listen to downloaded audio content. It’s been reliable and I’m glad to have it.
15 people found this helpful
Jae Wade –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it!
I love my forerunner 245! I usually go on runs with my phone so the 245 Music was not really something I was interested in. Features include: Sleep metrics, Heart rate, Step counter, Body battery, and more! I’ve never had a garmin or even a smart watch but I wanted one since I started taking running more serious. Was looking b/w the apple watch and this, and I am beyond satisfied with my purchase. My garmin forerunner 245 helps keep track of my running metrics which in-hand motivates me to get out and do better each day! Arrived quickly with no issues.
2 people found this helpful
DanDan –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great running watch
Spent a lot of time reviewing and researching smart watches online before deciding to go with this watch, versus upgrading my older apple watch to the next gen. And after living with it for a couple months, it’s everything I wanted and expected. I chose this watch because I wanted something that gave me maximum analytics in a lightweight package without breaking the bank as it’s my first Garmin watch. I’ve had 2 versions of the apple watch previously and various fitbit watch/trackers for running. Run 3-5 times a week, generally 4-6 miles per run outside over varied terrain.Pros:-Very light weight, barely notice it which is awesome for distance running. The larger Fenix series seem just too heavy and loaded with features I don’t need. My wrist is about 185-190mm and band fits perfect (if you have very large wrists band may be a bit small), face large and easy to read but not crazy big. And after years of black watches, went with white and it looks great.-Analytics are awesome, pulse ox gives you load tracking and vo2 max which are game changers over basic activity tracking numbers that iphone apps can give. You really don’t know what you are missing if you don’t have this, highly recommend ensuring any watch you get from Garmin has the performance tracking features to really motivate you. (was looking at vivoactive/venu etc in similar price range without this, glad I didn’t get them)-Music and apps like Starbucks card load easily via garmin app on phone. So you really can leave house with only this for a run, even though doesn’t have Garmin pay.-Battery life is amazing, I can go a week or more between charging even with gps runs, try that with a apple watch, can’t go even 2 days which is very limiting and annoying on weekend trips-Connects up easily with Runkeeper by Asics which I have been using for nearly a decade so I can still get historical comparisons. After your run, when you sync it up with the garmin phone app, it automatically loads it into the Runkeeper app as well.-Have had no problems with screen visibility or burnt out spots, it’s always on and light button works fine for low light situations.Cons:-The initial set up is fidgety to say the least. Took me repeating the same step often to get watch/garmin apps to connect with wifi, bluetooth headsets, runkeeper app, etc.. Had to restart phone, devices etc a few times. It’s frustrating but it’s not as bad as some reviewers described. And once things are connected, they stay connected. Haven’t had to reinstall/reconnect anything.-The buttons do sometimes stick a bit on the side as others mention, it’s summer and with long runs comes lots of sweat so taking it in the shower every couple of weeks does the trick to keep the white clean and the buttons working well.-Figuring out how to use new apps loaded on the watch is weird, seems like the interface wasn’t designed for them so they are stuck in a weird spot. Once you know where, it’s easy and they work great. But again, the software lets you down a little here.-It does have full pacing and training programs which give basic alerts via your bluetooth headphones or on your wrist with a buzz, however I prefer the coaching apps that speak to you and motivate you on your planned work outs so do still often run with my phone when I’m doing them. Maybe I’ll find an app that does this though long term, haven’t explored this as much.-Only default watch face ships loaded, but easy to download more and customize via the app. Wish there were a few more pre loaded but is what it is (Pic shown with the Crystal downloaded face).Finally, yes I’d buy it again. It’s the perfect light weight running watch for me. In the future may try the Forerunner 945 for the garmin pay, altimeter, thermometer, and a few more goodies now that I understand it’s set up more. But, $250 more for just those things seems like a lot.
41 people found this helpful
Zach Markon –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great product
Upgraded from the Forerunner 235, which I’d had since 2016. The buttons started to gum up and be non-responsive on that one after 7 years of daily use and exercise, largely to be expected.This was a great and worthwhile investment, lots of new features and bells/whistles that the old watch didn’t have. Great and accurate GPS and heartrate sensor. I would say that the Pulse Ox O2 sensor leaves a bit to be desired, as I would likely be dead from hypoxia if my O2 was below 92% as frequently as the watch thinks it is. Also wish the manual was more simplified. This watch can do a lot, but I found that it was easier to figure it out through trial and error as opposed to reading the thick book that came with it. Reminded me of a car manual. Other than those two things, pleased with this upgrade and will continue to use Garmin products for my workouts!
One person found this helpful
Darryl Joseph –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great device for beginners
If you recently caught the running bug you’ll certainly enjoy this device. I’ve used a fitbit for many years but the detailed information provided by garmin is way ahead. From the coaching to, maps and performance metrics you’ll quickly get hooked.For me I realised I missed having a touch screen device so if that’s what you’re looking for you may need a higher model but if you want to get your toes wet I’d definitely recommend this device
Excelente producto, entrega fue muy rápida. 100% recomendado –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Calidad
Excelente muy buen producto
Douglas Puente –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Versatil
Util
Kindle Customer –
5.0 out of 5 stars
battery life
Battery life
Excelente cumplieron con lo comprado y el tiempo de entrega fue menos –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Garmin forerunner 245
Un reloj básico pero muy completo y a muy buen costo
BA –
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZON KEEPS SENDING ME SOUTH EAST ASIAN VERSION OF THE WATCH!!!!!!
Update: got an American version of the watch. And I absolutely love this watch. Tried out the vivoactive 4. It is a tradeoff of stairs climbed, respiration and all day pulse ox on the va4. VERSE training status, training load, training effect, backlight after sunset, course navigation, sleep pulseox on fr245 for me. I prefer the fr245 for the training metrics to keep me motivated.First of all i was a sent a south east asian version of the watch according to garmin, Thats why I have a problem with fast bettery drain and it can’t get the latest firmeware. Guess thats why it was 10 dollars off. Not sure why a different countries version should perform any different though. So if you buy this watch on amazon i suggest you check the serial number with Garmin before opening the box. I ordered the watch from amazon.com as seller this time. and STILL GOT A SOUTHEAST ASIAN VERSION OF WATCH!!!!! and again I can’t update to the latest firmware!!!!after 4 days the sync’d data started geting buggy. It started confusing the total sum of active calories from my activity workouts as the past history step amount. sleep data stopped displaying on main page and i could only see it in the menus. reinstalled the app and then lost all my data even after syncing the watch, which still shows all he correct info for the month. Contacted garmin support they had me send them some files and then blamed it on being a south asian watch.one day according to Garmin app i had a well rested sleep, even though I woke up every hour or two during a 7 hour sleep and I felt like total crap this morning. But Garmin says my body battery is almost fully charged…. The pulse ox during sleep only records for a couple hours a night, NOT the whole time you are sleeping!! makes no sense, the times I really want to know what my oxygen percentage is, since i have sleep apnea, is when i’m in deep sleep and not moving. But it seems the oxygen sensor will start tracking during the middle of your sleep for 4 hours. During the only long period of deep sleep and non movement I had last night it was not tracking the oxygen… Might be good for serious mountain hikers to test oxygen levels, but it doesn’t offer compass or maps or thermometer like other watches.At least the garmin device knows when I wake up or get up to go the bathroom unlike the amazfit device I tried. So I can look at the graph and determine the quality of sleep on my own. which is important to me cause I have apena. But I’m not sure the extra price tag for the supposedly better HR sensor and pulse ox and battery score are worth it in my case. This watch may be worth it to serious runners who want the extra running metrics. But Even then it seems very overpriced. One good thing it has over the vivoactive 3 is training status. which will tell you if you are improving or overreaching and how much recovery time you need.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?
3 people found this helpful
Hamad Haji –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing watch
My son likes it too much because it has all the features that he needs it especially for horse riding to calculate the kilometers.
elkin gualdronelkin gualdron –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Garmin forerunner 245
Me agrado funciona perfectamente muy satisfecho con la compra
Mom 24/7 –
5.0 out of 5 stars
247mom
I love this watch is everything you need for your fitness program.
A ReaderA Reader –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for runners
I had a Garmin Venu and before that a FitBit. This is superior to those for runners. It has special features like daily training suggestions, performance stats, segments and pacepro racing strategies. I also love the built in music. Has taken my running to a new level. No touch screen, which has pros and cons. It’s an older model, but that’s okay for me. Saved a few bucks that way. I will say I got a different strap. The one that came with it is just ok. Overall, loving this watch!
One person found this helpful
Jake –
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great running watch
This is my second Garmin running watch. My first was the Forerunner 735xt which died after about 3 years of heavy use. I have had this Forerunner 245 Music for around 6-7 months and love it. I had looked at the Fenix series but wasn’t willing to spend the several hundred dollars for that. This 245 is great and does everything I need. I am mostly a runner but like to add in some cycling and swimming too. I love being able to have music downloaded music on the watch so I don’t have to run with my phone. Pairing with my AirPods works well. I wish the battery life was a bit longer but I still only charge every 5-7 days.
3 people found this helpful
Patrick F. Mahoney –
5.0 out of 5 stars
A nice upgrade from a Garmin Forerunner 935
I lost my Forerunner 935 – I have no idea what happened to it. After hunting for a while, I gave up and bought this 945 Music. I like the screen, I like the way the buttons work and feel. I think the sensor is a nice improvement over the 935 in terms of accuracy. I used to track my heartrate with a Wahoo Tickr and my phone and compare it against the 935 and the 935 didn’t see as accurate – or maybe it was just consistently lower and I wanted my workouts to be intense, but I tended to believe the Tickr more than the 935. With the 945, the Tickr and the 945 more or less exactly match and if they are off, it’s like 1bpm out of ~150bpm not 5-6bpm or more between the 935 and the Tickr. So I like that both because it matches my HR monitor but also the HR number is higher which makes me feel more proud of myself. And the 945 seems to more consistently sync when I walk in the door on runs without my phone – with the 935, I often had to pull up the Garmin app but with the 945 it just automatically shows up. Lastly, there’s all the performance stats on the watch – lots more data. I’m not sure I understand all of the new data, but I appreciate that there’s lots more numbers to obsess over at the end of the run. Overall, I think the 945 is a nice improvement – I’m still not happy with myself that I apparently lost my 935, but I’m less displeased the more that I use my 945.
4 people found this helpful
Kyle –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great starter watch for running
This is only my second smart watch. I hate smart watches but wanted something to aid my training for a marathon, and this has been fantastic. This watch is actually a replacement I bought for the Garmin 735xt, which like an idiot I lost. I had to replace it so that I could stay on track with my training. I thought about getting a Fenix 6, and almost did, but I’m a practical man for my purposes it was way overkill. But it does look cool.The Forerunner 245 has been great. I went no music option because I don’t listen to music when I run and prefer to battle my mind. A coworker bought the music version and he loves it.I’m a big fan of non-touch screen given the sweat and movement factor when running. The options are many but I probably won’t explore them to the full extent. The metrics this provides offer valuable insight on oneself and enable you to make better decisions for you.I charge this once a week and it rarely goes below 40% with probably 5+ hours of active GPS use a week.One concern I have, and I think it’s Garmin watches in general, is the distance tracked is likely shorter than actual. My wife has an Apple Watch and my numbers are consistently under hers. I don’t know if Apple goes off stride length or GPS, and I could probably google this, but it’s definitely an area to investigate.I wish I still had my 735 but I am glad with this watch and would not change anything.Overall, would highly recommend this watch if getting into the running or smartwatch game.
5 people found this helpful
Brian Yang –
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good product, horrible in music software
Update Nov-30-2022:After a road trip, I update my watch and plan to add a few songs. Surprisingly, I can sync songs with names containing non-English char. Although some of them still fail, it works for most of them. I guess special chars such as dash (-) blank or [ might still play a role in blocking the sync. Although it can not de-code properly, I am fine with it. I haven’t try to sync list (not worth the effort to test), I always play all songs.Sync the run plan is a problem. Somehow I can not reschedule/re-do my missed workout (the week I was out of town). And the sync is weird, I have to move one workout to the next day to trigger it.Anyway, I will give 3 stars instead of 1, since the basic functions work. This product has lots of space to improve, I would say….Original review:Good product, but horrible music feature. I am looking for GPS + Music, and this product failed in the core functionality, Music.The default music apps are hard to use, including Spotify. Can not import mp3/m4a with Unicode characters, such as Chinese. I don’t mind if the characters are not displayed correctly; I just want to import them and play. Podcasts’ name is another nightmare, but that’s not so important to me.Garmin Express will fail if the mp3 file comes with characters it does not recognize, which might also include a dash “-” but I am not very sure of it. Not able to install the Chinese language package, which I am pretty sure they have. In some cases, the MP3 meta-information (like artist, album, etc. )also plays a role. So make sure you clean the meta information of your mp3 into all blank before import. If you crash Garmin Express, you need to clean up the failure document with a nasty manual process. After running through many, many practices, I am an expert now. I reported the issue, and Garmin confirmed it was a known issue. All they ask is to send them the technical log instead of giving me a solution.It is frustrating when you crash while importing 31/35 of your songs, so close to finishing. So I ended with importing mp3 one by one and then syncing the playlist. You can not create a playlist within the watch, iPhone APP, or Mac.Garmin has three tools/platforms: Garmin Connect, Garmin IQ, and the website. Apparently, Garmin should merge all of them into one app, and sync your watch with your phone via wifi (why by cable?). Maybe allow transfer mp3 via Bluetooth, simple and easy. Ideally, everything should be able to configure/done via mobile app. It is 2022 now.Anyway, I imported 35 songs after spending many hours. I don’t think I have time to modify my Music for the rest of the product life cycle. Really a pain in the usability. If you are not good at IT staff, think again.
6 people found this helpful
Matthew C.Matthew C. –
5.0 out of 5 stars
I like it, this is my second
I originally ordered a Vivoactive 3, and while I enjoyed it, I missed that it didn’t have much in mapping/courses.. and it also had Garmin Pay, which this one does not. I really really enjoyed this feature (but would require a FR 645). I returned the Vivo model for this 245.I love it, with the exception of the missing garmin pay. This watch features mapping/courses which is what I need it for. I verify bicycle routes and use this for navigation.. I didn’t want to get an Edge for biking. The battery life is great, especially when using GPS. The vivo had very little battery life with gps usage, this one is amazing, I charge every couple days. the other feature I use A LOT is the Music Control feature. I have a JBL Flip 4, that I enjoy, but anyone who has a FLIP knows, you can’t go backwards in your tracks (no reverse).. music control lets you control volume, play/pause, next track and previous track. I enjoy controlling my music this way.. if i’m playing something I dont recognize, the track listing scrolls across the screen.I also contacted garmin tech support at one point cause, long story short, I misread the instructions. But the tech person called me back in 1 minute, answered the question, with knowledge.. It wasn’t one of those tech support calls where they put you on hold while they scurry to google the manual and read it quick.My one big fear was, i wasn’t going to enjoy wearing a watch after not wearing one for 20 years, but, i like it, just need that sweet spot on my arm. If you are reading this, you may also want to search for the Garmin Bike handlebar mount for the watch. it lets you wrap your watch around the handlebar.Minor Update.. I’ve worn it daily for a month. for some odd reason, I wore it 1 time and got caught in a rainstorm, later that evening I discovered my wrist being all red. I don’t wear it tight. Its now a week later and the redness is gone. sadly haven’t worn the watch in that time, and i’ve lost the enthusiasm to wear it now
3 people found this helpful
June G. –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good tool. Not too invasive
I set this watch up 4 days ago, this review is about initial feelings.What I wanted: A watch that could help me with my trail hiking AND have a good timer to keep me on track with switching laundry, drinking water, starting tasks etc. This meets all of those needs very well. I even have multiple timers going simultaneously. (They cant be “named”, which is unfortunate.)I did not want an overly invasive watch. I am adamant about my technology being my servant, not the other way around. This watch easily disconnects from my phone and is a high functioning tool by itself.I’m in my 50s and struggling to keep up with technology, while handling my instinct to keep my data personal. (I’m a “delete all history” after every search, kind of a person.) This watch fits into my parameters pretty well. The app is not invasive at all, no external ads or push notifications.What I recommend when setting up your watch, is going on youtube to find a step by step video. Thats what helped me a lot. I used some from the Garmin site and also one gauging gadgets.The battery life is great when not connected to the phone, but less so when connected. Also, dont be discouraged when in the first couple of days it seems like the battery is terrible. Once you are using it normally, its lasts fine. Yesterday, I wasn’t learning on it, just using it for my run and tasks. I had it connected to the phone about 3 hours on/off and when I went to bed I had 73% battery left. So thats very doable.Im glad I bought it.
10 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect fitbit replacement.
I had a fitbit sense that was constantly giving me issues with not turning on and many other software issues. The Garmin came in and it just works. If you are coming from a fitbit the user interface is a little bit more difficult to read but the information that is supplied is just as valuable if not more if you take the time to learn how to interpret it.
One person found this helpful
Mike D –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works as advertised, though I don’t use all of the features.
This is a great GPS running watch. I don’t listen to music when I run, but I bought this model because it boasts slightly better battery life than the non-music version. I don’t use much of the workout and training stuff with the app but a quick glance shows it’s pretty decent.As for being a gps watch with pace tracking, heart rate, and step counting, this watch is very good. Especially at night, when it’s too dark to see the always-on screen, the backlight automatically turns on when you raise your wrist to look at the watch and the detection is pretty darn good; I haven’t had to press the backlight button a single time to check my pace/time. There are many options for the data displayed on screen during workouts so you can customize it to your liking. I prefer to see my pace/mile in the center, larger than the top and bottom which display the total distance and overall time, respectively. As for GPS, once you connect to satellites, it’s pretty accurate and tracks very well. It takes longer to connect if there’s a lot of cloud cover, but with the additional GPS options, the tracking is still good. I haven’t tried using this on a track yet, so idk about how precise the tracking is when doing laps but it would probably work well. When using this on a treadmill without GPS, it did not calculate distance the best, for a 1.5 mile warmup, it was under by 0.4 miles but I have fairly long strides.As a 23 year-old, this watch works great for what I really want in a GPS watch. A no-frills experience where I can see what I want to and when I want to during runs.
6 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funcional y peso ligero
Excelente para hacer running
Kayla –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can’t say enough good things about it!!
First off, I never write reviews. But I have fallen in LOVE with this watch and must share! I was an Apple Watch person for 10+ years!! My Apple Watch Series 3 was great but it finally decided to die on me. I really wanted to get another apple, but one of my friends I run with kept recommending this garmin. After looking into the other styles of garmin and looking into apple, I decided to give this watch a shot and boy am I GLAD I DID. I absolutely LOVE it. I will never go back to apple after owning this watch. Hopefully there is another great sale here soon on them because I will definitely purchase more for Christmas stocking stuffers. If you’re on the fence about purchasing this, just do it!!
Paul M. Wright –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great fitness watch and heart rate monitor
I’ve been using this watch to track my runs and swims for 9 months now. I downloaded my running songs onto the watch from my iTunes library. The watch plays all songs you download (not a subset like a playlist). I googled how to sync it with my Jaybird earbuds by leaving the Jaybirds in its case and pushing a small button on the case. It was also a little tricky figuring out how to adjust the volume on the watch. For about a month, I successfully ran to the beat of my running songs. Then it stopped syncing to the Jaybirds. From that point, I actually enjoyed running without music, so I have not pursued any resolution to the issue, even though I’ve acquired a couple more pairs of earbuds. One other small issue I’ve experienced is, on two occasions during my run, the GPS lost its signal. It beeps when it happens, but I try to remember to glance at the watch to check that it’s still tracking my run. And by the way, when I start my run, the watch picks up the GPS signal immediately. I have not experienced any delays there.For my lap swims, the watch does a great job tracking the meters. On occasion, I’ve noticed it might be off by 25 meters. Still, this does a better job of tracking my swim than I can track in my head.I like to charge the watch after a few days with a USB cable connected to my laptop. That way, I can view my activities by logging into Garmin Connect site. I’ve never really tested this, but I think it will last about a week on a charge.
3 people found this helpful
Chad T –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happy happy
Bought as a gift and the receiver loved it. Uses all the time and very accurate. Bit pricey but for a runner it’s a great buy.
Matthew –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great product
I love this watch. I needed something that tracks my time spent running, pace, and distance ran and this watch does all of that. I also ran a trail marathon that required a GPS and was able to load the race course on my watch. When 100% charged, I can run for 6+ hours without any issues with battery life.
aldo cesar carrera juarez –
5.0 out of 5 stars
CALIDAD-PRECIO OK
RELOJ PARA RUNNING A EXCELENTE PRECIO, CUMPLE CON LO QUE PROMETE
Excelente articulo, lo recomiendo Excelente articulo, lo recomiendo –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excelente
Amazon Customer –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great watch
Easy to use, long battery
Adding –
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very Bright.
Display is visible at night even without Light button.Additional feature of respirations per minute is useful. I felt misled by the O2 sat feature..It only records O2 when you select to record it. The reading takea about 30 seconds while keeping the hand still. Reading doesnt match my dedicated O2 sat finger meter. Watch reads 95% while finger reqds 99%.The response time of the buttons is noticeably slower than my Garmin Forerunner 45. My old watch had nearly instant response time on button pressures. The 245 has a 1-3 second delay between buttons and scrolling through menus.Overall, I’d give it 3 stars. I thought about returning it and buying a new Garmin Forerunner 55 but the downsides of the return arent worth the effort.
OnlyElks –
5.0 out of 5 stars
All you need. Nothing you don’t
Great watch. Great battery life. Slick design.
Share –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Garmin
The media could not be loaded.
Es excelente para las personas que practican algún deporte natación atletismo ciclismo te ayuda mucho a mantener los tiempos
K Joy Lalic –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exactly what I needed for my running
I bought this smartwatch during a Black Friday sale and used cash back rewards so it ultimately came to about 50% off retail price. I was able to load my preferred cardio playlist via Spotify and used the smartwatch during a 10K this weekend. It was perfect and is exactly what I need to maintain my running training through this winter and onwards. I already have three races scheduled for Jan & Feb 2024, so I’ll definitely be using this wearable tech during the training process.
One person found this helpful
User26User26 –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing for Running, Music, Sleep Tracking, and Battery Life
What I was looking for :1. Road and Trail Running GPS2. Music3. Battery Life4. Sleep Tracking5. Heart Rate MonitoringAfter owning this watch for 2 weeks I can say that it has fulfilled all my needs. The GPS is very accurate on the road, but is a little inaccurate on the trails. The first photo is a small section of one of my trail runs. The green line is the trail. You can see that the route varies when I leave and return. I am not in a position to need precise measurements so I am satisfied.The music feature is impressive. I have only loaded one Spotify playlist, it does download quickly over wifi though. You do not get the option to choose which song you want to start with, it just jumps right into the playlist. But you do have that option, along with more, if you download playlists from the computer. It is extremely nice being able to leave my phone behind and just run with this watch and headphones.I have been averaging about a week on one charge. Which is quite impressive considering I have been able to use the GPS, Heart Rate tracking and music on 3-5 runs and Heart Rate tracking during 4-6 Cardio/Strength workouts. When you need to recharge it takes less than hour to go from 0% to 100%.The sleep tracking is accurate, but not without errors. The watch will occasionally think that I am still sleeping when I am already out of bed. I will say that the tracking is more accurate when I use the built in alarm clockThe Heart Rate monitoring is reliable during runs, but tends to be more unstable during strength training. During my runs, both road and trail, the Heart Rate appears accurate. Coming from using a chest Heart Rate monitor during strength training I see that this watch drops off much faster and does not reach the same heights. For example, during back squats my Heart Rate would never reach 80% of my max. I was moving more than 90% of my 1 rep max. The watch actually showed a higher Heart Rate during my rests than my lifts. The second photo is of one of my strength training workouts. The watch is also inconsistent during stationary cardio like the elliptical or indoor biking. Another example, during an exercise on an upright bike the machine read out that my Heart Rate was 108 but the watch read 130. Over about a minute the watch would slowly lower to 108, leading me to believe the machine was accurate from the beginning. While there are some obvious errors I am still satisfied.Overall I have really enjoyed this watch and it has satisfied all my needs. If you are looking for a smart watch with a lot of apps and the ability to respond to notifications look elsewhere. I was in the market for a fitness tracking watch and I am extremely happy. I will update with any changes.
4 people found this helpful
Greg YoderGreg Yoder –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great watch for the price
I had used an I watch for running for years. However, all my friends in my running club uses a Garmin. They were messing around with features that I thought were really impressive. So, I decided to try one. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on one and not like it. So I bought this one. It is phenomenal. It links to my favorite Running app Strava, and any other running app you could think of. This is a great entry level Garmin watch.
One person found this helpful
Camilo –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lo mejor
Excelente mide todas las variables muy buen el GPS funciona genial, la app es muy buena , buenos materiales resistente
Reed –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Happy
Hold a charge for a long time. Good with tracking exercise. Easy to set up and customize. Highly recommend Garmins
Socrates Munoz –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Justo lo que esperaba
Reloj garmin original, rápido envío. Justo lo que esperaba.
Tristan –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Works great and holds a long charge while in use.
Jesse Weed –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works like a Charm
This watch is great! It has all the basic exercises for me to pick from, and it’s easy to navigate the other menu options. Highly recommend it!
Kindle Customer –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended!
Working perfectly! Arrived in perfect conditions (purchased form Brazil). Recommended.The features are like expected. For an intermediate watch it works very well
michaellynn –
4.0 out of 5 stars
I converted from a traditional smartwatch – here’s my perspective.
Let me first preface this by saying that I am in no way, shape, or form an athlete. My requirements for my watch were: – waterproof (needed to be able to safely use it on my paddleboard) – view notifications from my phoneMy last watch was a Fossil smartwatch (Google wear platform) with the traditional touch screen functionality. Battery life was becoming an issue so I wanted to find something new that would work the way I needed it to. This Garmin was one of the few that promised me I wouldn’t kill it every time I fell into the lake, and it would even track my swimming (should I get ambitious enough to start doing something like that).For the first three days of owning the watch, I hated it and was pretty sure I was going to return it. The transition from a touch screen interface to this one was challenging for me (read: I’m old and inflexible) and I missed the customization that I had from my old watch.However, after a week I realized I loved what this offered that my traditional watches couldn’t. Having a week of battery life, pulse and o2 monitoring while I sleep (recently released from my CPAP I like being able to make sure I’m not having issues again), constant heart monitoring (and alerts so my watch can yell at me if I couldn’t already tell I was freaking out) and the “body battery” feature are now things that would keep me from switching back to a “traditional” smartwatch.There are a few things that I wish could be different/better: – the Garmin Connect app that provides customized watch faces is hard for me to navigate. I’m unwilling to pay, so it’s hard to find ones that I like that are free (and will stay free – I’ve had a few disappear on me because they were only free trials) – app notifications often appear generic. Admittedly I have way too many apps that send notifications, and while I like that I can block specific apps from notifying on my watch it would be nice to always be able to tell me which app is sending the notification since it’s often just the generic message logo and the text without context. Is it my kid’s school app sending me a message asking when I’m coming back or Subway? – tracking my treadmill time (I walk on the treadmill with my nose in a book) doesn’t seem to work on the watch. It’s probably user error (again, old and not super tech literate) but when I start a treadmill walk activity I expect it could do something more than just keep tabs on my heart rateOverall, it’s a good purchase. And I like that I don’t have to worry about destroying yet another touch screen device with my clumsiness 🙂
18 people found this helpful
Walter Converse –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertainment for your run
How far, heart rate, cadence, times. It doesn’t end the metrics. I don’t know half of the stuff but it’s fun
tmt –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best in the class.
Simple, quality build, light.
Anderson –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excelente opción para música
Excelente para no tener que llevar el celular a los entrenamientos al momento de escuchar música
Jennifer King –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great battery life. A little complicated to use.
Does a great job tracking my runs and the battery life is commendable. Honestly, though there are too many features and it makes it difficult to navigate. It would be better if you could set the features through the app. Unfortunately, that is not an option. If you are a techie, I’m sure that you’ll love this.
Douglas M. Read –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Tool
After doing extensive research prior to purchasing my first fitness watch, I finally pulled the trigger on this one and I haven’t looked back. Other watches I seriously looked at include the Apple Watch and Forerunner 945. Due to the MUCH better battery life, exercise data points, and GPS capability of this watch, my buddy who has an Apple Watch is now looking at getting one of these after he saw mine. Similarly, I am very glad I did not purchase the apple watch. Compared to the FR945, the FR245 seemed only to lack gimmicky features that I did not find important. The FR945 has the barometric altimeter, but you can still see elevation on this watch based on the GPS fix it receives (just slightly less accurate). The conclusion I came to is that this watch is a LOT of watch for the money, and you don’t really get a whole lot more with the FR945 (not enough to be worth almost twice the price at least). If you think you really might need two weeks’ worth of battery instead of one or want a lot more songs downloaded, it might be worth it to you.I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using the watch for runs, bikes, and swims; it has definitely helped me exercise smarter through the given data points. I’ve also found that seeing these metrics allows you to set more quantifiable goals that are fun to work towards. I also use the watch for things I hadn’t intended to at the time of purchase; the Garmin Connect IQ store allows you to download some pretty useful apps like weather radar, flight radar (for the aviation junkies), and even a beer tracking app that estimates when you should be back to 0.0 BAC based on your height and weight (BeerCounter).Overall, I would highly recommend this watch to anyone who wants to be able to leave their phone at home on the next run, see more data about their workouts and have a kick-butt tool to track your progress without spending an obscene amount of money.NOTE: Following the first run with the watch I was dismayed to see that it was saying my heart rate was low when it should have been high (during HIIT) and vice versa. This problem was quickly fixed by wearing the watch higher than I usually wear watches (well above the wrist bone, as recommended. Duh!).
8 people found this helpful
Don –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loving my Garmin
So cool to be able to play music from your watch. One piece I was unaware of prior to using. You need to make sure you have blue tooth compatible ear buds. I couldn’t get my google buds to pair, but I was able to get my husbands ear buds to pair. Ear buds can be expensive, so something to consider. There is information on the website about compatible buds.
camilo –
5.0 out of 5 stars
nice to have
nice everything
Ali McLeod –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Should have bought it sooner.
Great product, battery works perfectly, screen is clear and easy to read. Amazing product.
Gary Gnu –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Overall a great watch
This is great watch and easy to use for basic workouts like walks, hikes, running, bike rides, although it cannot do an Open Water Swim. I find the sleep tracking just OK. The pulse OX is simply not accurate. Always lower than it reads with my actual Pulse OX checker. Also, it seems to give me credit for more sleep than I actually get. One other complaint, if you connect a light (e.g. for a bike), the watch will annoyingly continuously try to set up a network to connect to that light even if not doing a bike ride. Why would I need bike light to go for a walk? Anyway, I didn’t see a way to disable it for certain activities so I disconnected the light altogether.
One person found this helpful
Lululexii –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Way better than Samsung Watch
I’ve been using the Samsung watch for about 2 years and although I’m not so much of a runner I do walk each and every single day. Lately I noticed that the Samsung watch is severely undercounting my calories and in many instances rolling them back after the workout, so I started looking for a new device that would actually track my calories and steps correctly. I found this watch and reading really good reviews decided to try it out. So far I am very impressed by the device. I’ve had garmin in the past but this new updated version is awesome. It has all the functionalities of what I look for in a smart watch – notifications, weather, music controls, step and calorie tracking, path recording, O2 sensor & sleep stats. The only issue is that it is not touch screen but that doesn’t really bother me. I do just fine using the buttons. Another thing that I instantly noticed when I put it on is that it’s much more light weight than the Samsung watch. I got the black version and was worried that it would look bulky on my female wrist but it looks fine and is way more comfortable. So far I’m very satisfied with the product. Setup was very easy. Great Job Garmin!!
3 people found this helpful
Jess –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Watch!
I purchased this Garmin Forerunner Music edition to replace my last one. It still worked just fine, but the plastic broke around one of the band pins, so it was difficult to wear for use after this. This watch is pretty close to my last one with just a few updates to the displays/menu options. They are all still there, just with different pathways to find them. The music function is particularly useful for running/hiking/just being busy and active. This watch is also great at tracking step counts, miles, altitude, and routes. It’s link to Garmin Connect is particularly useful for actually visualising your own personal physical activity data. There are still a lot of functions on this watch I have yet to use, but it’s a great watch even for more moderate to heavy active users. I know Garmin makes many various types of watches. If you are searching for some of the more specific and intensive uses, like diving, then one of the other models may be better suited to your needs. But for a typical distance runner/hiker like me, this watch is perfect, even for regular daily use/wear.
3 people found this helpful