Buzz
Currently, the Garmin Forerunner 945 stands as the pinnacle in Garmin's Forerunner Series. Tailored for individuals engaged in sports such as running, trail running, the challenging Triathlon, swimming, rock climbing, and more.Key Specifications of the Garmin Forerunner 945.
The display is fortified with Corning Gorilla Glass DX for enhanced durability.The body material: Robust PolymerEvaluating the Design and Appearance of the Garmin Forerunner 945.
Upon strapping on the Garmin Forerunner 945, the initial sensation is one of remarkable lightness. Despite its substantial dimensions (47mm face), the body's construction from sturdy Polymer keeps the weight at a mere 50 grams. The watch is entirely composed of plastic, with only 5 physical buttons crafted from metal. While this might give it a 'toy-like' appearance, the essence of the Garmin Forerunner 945's design is to be as lightweight as possible, ensuring users experience no burden or hindrance during their athletic endeavors. Having personally used it during fitness training, I can attest that the watch goes unnoticed on the wrist, offering a seamless experience without any sense of heaviness or encumbrance.
The display screen boasts a 1.2” (30.4mm) diameter, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass DX for enhanced durability. With a screen resolution of 240x240px using MIP technology, transitioning from a Retina display takes some adjustment. Personally, I found it to be a minor issue, as reading notifications on the Garmin Forerunner 945 remains impeccable, with each character displayed crisply and in detail. Evaluating the screen on the Garmin Forerunner 945, I hold it in high regard, especially enjoying its visibility in bright outdoor sunlight where the text remains sharp even under intense glare.
The buttons on the Garmin Forerunner 945 are black metal-plated, adding a rugged and masculine touch to the overall aesthetics of the watch.
The strap of the Garmin Forerunner 945 features a screw-in clasp design, providing a soft, comfortable fit for all-day wear without any itching or discomfort.
The Garmin Forerunner 945 comes equipped with a heart rate sensor integrated with a Pulse Ox sensor. However, it's regrettable that the housing for this sensor is made of plastic, at times causing a sense of unease regarding its durability.
The Garmin Forerunner 945 is a feature-rich smartwatch tailored for fitness enthusiasts.
Designed for active individuals, the Garmin Forerunner 945 encompasses a comprehensive set of health-tracking features, including heart rate monitoring, stress tracking, Body Battery functionality, SpO2 measurement, along with sleep tracking. The watch employs the Elevate 2.0 heart rate monitoring technology to enhance the accuracy of data readings.On the Garmin Forerunner 945, several newly developed features take center stage, focusing primarily on running and triathlon disciplines. Some noteworthy features include:
- Enhanced advanced training metrics: Vo2 Max, training status with customization for exercises in high-temperature environments, altitude adaptation, training load balancing, and more.- Improved performance measurement features adjusted for temperature and altitude. Tracking recovery time, aerobic and anaerobic activity performance, and more.
- Accident Detection feature: provides real-time location and information to a pre-set emergency contact (Applicable to certain specific sports).Highlights of Satisfaction on the Garmin Forerunner 945.
In contrast to typical smartwatches where tracking physical activities, monitoring heart rate, and sleep are basic features, the Forerunner 945 elevates the experience by offering a higher level of detail tracking for each specific activity.
The user interface on the Garmin Forerunner 945, as well as the Garmin Connect app, is simple and easy to understand. I can track all my health and workout metrics directly from the watch without the need for a phone.
The Garmin Forerunner 945 accurately monitors your health metrics, allowing it to suggest workouts and provide the best advice for your training, activity, or overall health improvement.
The daily recommended exercises include suggestions for running and/or cycling, automatically provided by the watch based on the user's current training status, workout load, Vo2 Max, and recovery status. These exercises are designed to help us maintain or enhance our current fitness level.
The color maps make it easier for us to locate surrounding places, allowing us to plan our running routes or find nearby cafes, ATMs, and more.
The depth of supportive features on the Garmin Forerunner 945 extends across various sports like running, cycling, swimming, golf, providing detailed information about your chosen activity.For runners, it offers comprehensive details on stride dynamics, calorie expenditure, stride length, distance covered, and more, allowing you to grasp the intricacies of your training performance.
Alternatively, if you opt for golf, the Forerunner 945 device supports you with tracking functionality, allowing you to preload over 41,000 golf courses worldwide, measure the distance of each swing, and track statistical data.For cycling enthusiasts, the Garmin Forerunner 945 is not only a tracking device but also provides all the metrics you desire, connecting seamlessly with distance trackers, speed sensors, heart rate monitors, and more.
The Garmin Forerunner 945 supports online music streaming from services like Spotify, Deezer via Bluetooth headphones. Moreover, the watch has the capability to store offline music for up to 1000 songs.Battery Life.
The Garmin Forerunner 945 boasts a continuous operation of 10 hours in GPS and music mode, extending to 60 hours with GPS alone, no music, and utilizing the power-saving UltraTrac mode (reducing GPS update frequency). In Smart Mode, the device can run for a remarkable 2 weeks without charging. However, in practical usage, with full smart features and daily workout routines, I find myself recharging once a week—a quite impressive figure in my experience.Areas of Dissatisfaction on the Garmin Forerunner 945.
The construction of the watch is entirely made of Polymer plastic, and within just a month of usage, I've noticed some scratches on the body. This occurred when I accidentally bumped it against the edge of a table. I wonder how it will hold up over time with these early signs of wear and tear.
Despite being a premium watch upon release, it still employs the traditional screw-in mechanism for strap replacement rather than the Quick Fit mechanism. Changing the strap on this watch is quite challenging for me, as I find it difficult to handle the two small screws simultaneously.
I've often heard complaints about Garmin's watch bands not being durable, and after using it for a little over a month, I can confirm that the band quality is indeed subpar. Certain areas of the strap have noticeable scratches, raising concerns about potential breakage in the future.
The Garmin Forerunner 945 comes with a Gorilla Glass 3 screen, which is not highly praised and somewhat disappointing in terms of impact resistance and scratch resistance compared to sapphire glass.
The 5-button layout on the Garmin Forerunner 945 seems less responsive, providing a rather stiff clicking sensation.
