Garmin has officially launched two new smartwatches under its Forerunner series. The models are the Garmin Forerunner 55 and the Forerunner 945 LTE. The Forerunner 55 is an entry-level smartwatch equipped with the features that you’ll find on a regular smartwatch. On the other hand, the Forerunner 945 LTE is designed for fitness enthusiasts.
The Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE, as the name implies, comes with LTE support which means you don’t need a companion smartphone to connect to the internet. However, you will need a subscription plan to be able to access the internet. The watch also comes with a feature known as LiveTrack and it lets users share the real-time location and route of their run or ride with family and friends as well as your pace and mileage. The feature also allows the user receive SMS messages as well as audio messages.
Most importantly, the Forerunner 945 LTE is capable of instantly sending messages to the user’s emergency contacts if an incident is detected as it has incident detection and assistance features. There is an Assistance plus option that can automatically share the name and location of the wearer with a dedicated 24/7 monitoring and response team which can then contact emergency services.
The smartwatch also provides detailed training data as well as performance monitoring and activity tracking. You also get the usual features found on Garmin smartwatches such as Garmin Pay, music storage, and notifications from a connected phone.
As for the battery life, Garmin touts the Forerunner 945 LTE battery to last up to two weeks when used in smartwatch mode. However, the battery life is reduced to just seven hours when GPS is turned on or when you’re listening to music and using the LiveTrack feature over LTE.
The Forerunner 945 LTE is priced at $650 and is presently available on Garmin’s website. The watch comes in whitestone or black.
The entry-level Forerunner 55 is the successor to the Forerunner 45 and offers some improvements in the battery life compared to its predecessor. Garmin claims the battery can last up to two weeks on a single charge when used in smartwatch mode. The battery life is reduced to a decent 20 hours in GPS, up from 13 hours on the 45.
The Forerunner 55 arrives with several features aimed at enhancing the health of the user. These include sedentary reminders, respiration rate monitoring, hydration tracking, and menstrual and pregnancy tracking. The smartwatch also comes with time, distance, speed, and pace tracking for runners as well as heart rate monitoring.
The watch also offers several safety features such as the ability to share a message containing your location to selected contacts. Users will also get access to daily suggested workouts and Garmin Coach.
The Forerunner 55 carries a $200 price tag and is presently available in black, white, and aqua colors.
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