The Forerunner 55 is one of the newest smartwatches from Garmin. It’s a mid-range GPS smartwatch that succeeds Forerunner 45. It’s a decent-looking GPS running watch with lots of activity tracking features and long battery life. So also is the Forerunner 245 – another midrange device from Garmin. So, what’s the difference between Forerunner 55 and 245, and which should you buy? This post will guide you to make a more informed decision.
Please note: There is also Forerunner 245 Music which has music storage capacity. You can check the difference between 245 vs 245 Music. However, this comparison is between Forerunner 55 vs 245 standard edition.
Garmin Forerunner 55 vs 245: Full Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Garmin Forerunner 55 Specifications - Features - Pros - Cons and Prices |
 Garmin Forerunner 245 Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $164.18 | $306.47 |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Garmin Forerunner 55 | Garmin Forerunner 245 |
| Device type | Fitness/Sport smartwatch | Fitness/Sport smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | June, 2021 | April, 2019 |
| Predecessor | Garmin Forerunner 45 | Garmin Forerunner 235 |
| Successor | — | Garmin Forerunner 255 |
| Versions | — | Garmin Forerunner 245, Garmin Forerunner 245 Music |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 42 x 42 x 11.6 mm | 42.3 x 42.3 x 12.2 mm |
| Weight | 37 grams | 38.5 grams |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Case material | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Strap material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Bezel material | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Strap size | 20 mm | 20 mm |
| Interchangeable strap | 20mm, Yes | 20mm, Yes |
| Screen protection | Chemically strengthened glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Durability test | — | — |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Color | Black, White | Berry, Gray |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.04 inches | 1.2 inches |
| Display type | LCD, Memory-in-pixel (MIP), transflective | LCD, Memory-in-pixel (MIP), transflective |
| Display resolution | 208 x 208 pixels | 240 x 240 px |
| Pixel density | 282.8 PPI | 282.8 PPI |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | (not touchscreen), 5 Physical buttons | (not touchscreen), 5 Physical buttons |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No |
| GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS |
| NFC | No | No |
| Wi-Fi | No | Yes, WLAN 2.4GHz |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | N/A | — |
| ROM | N/A | — |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None |
| Band | — | — |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps alert | Yes | Yes |
| Reply to Notifications | - | - |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | No | No |
| Bluetooth music | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | No | No |
| Microphone | No | No |
| Camera | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | No | No |
| Ambient light | No | Yes |
| Barometer | No | No |
| Compass | No | Yes |
| ECG | No | No |
| Gyroscope | No | — |
| HRM | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse oximeter (SpO2) | No | Yes |
| Temperature | No | (tempe sensor required), Yes |
| Other sensors | — | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | No | Yes |
| Blood Pressure | No | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | No | No |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | No | No |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Fall detection | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking | Yes | Yes |
| On-screen workout | No | No |
| Sport modes | Yes | Yes |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | — | — |
| Battery life | GPS mode: Up to 20 hours, Smartwatch mode: Up to 2 weeks | GPS mode: 24hrs, Smartwatch mode: 7 days |
| Charging type | Charging dock | Charging dock |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | N/A | — |
| CPU | N/A | — |
| GPU | N/A | — |
| Operating system | Proprietary OS | Proprietary OS |
| MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Garmin Connect | Garmin Connect |
| Compatibility | Android 6.0+, iOS 13.0+ | Android, iOS |
| Payment system | None | None |
| Voice command | No | No |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Garmin Forerunner 55, Manual, Straps | Charger, Garmin Forerunner 245, Manual, Straps |
Garmin Forerunner 55 vs 245 – The Difference
The difference between these two is that Forerunner 245 has a more durable design and a wider display than Forerunner 45. It also features SpO2 tracking, advanced workout metrics, compass, ability to reply notifications, and more workout profiles that are not available in Forerunner 55. In other words, Forerunner 245 is a more durable and better-equipped smartwatch than Forerunner 55. And that explains why it’s priced at $300 as against the $200 Forerunner 55.
- Design – Forerunner 245 has a more durable design
- Activity Tracking – Forerunner 245 has more activity tracking features
- You will get SpO2 tracking that can help you monitor your blood oxygen level. This can come in handy when you’re climbing and also in monitoring the quality of your sleep.
- You will also get a compass on Forerunner 245, this can help you find your position and direction.
- It features Cardio and strength workouts as well as automatic rep counting.
- It features advanced metrics like training status that allow you to see how effective you’re training as well as training effect and training load.
- It has more running profiles and features Ground contact time and stride length in real-time.
- It features more outdoor recreational features which include Back-to-start, point-to-point navigation, breadcrumb in real-time, ULTRA TRAC mode, distance to destination, and GPS coordinates.
- It features preset courses, race an activity, compatibility with Varia Vision, Varia Radar and Varia Lights.
- Managing Notifications
- Battery Life
There are many aspects that differentiate the design of these two. Forerunner 245 has a more durable fiber-polymer case than the thermoplastic case of Forerunner 55. It also has a more durable Corning Gorilla Glass protecting the display compared to a chemical-strengthened glass on Forerunner 55. It’s the same silicone strap on both smartwatches.
While Forerunner 55 is available in black, aqua, and white colors, Forerunner 245 is available in slate gray and Berry colors.
Fitness Tracking is at the core of these two smartwatches. There is an inbuilt GPS, heart rate sensor, and accelerometer in both watches. Although, Forerunner 245 also features a compass and SpO2 sensor not available in Forerunner 55.
Each of these two will track your sleep, heart rate, calories, steps, stress, and more. You will also find Fitness Age that can tell if your body is older or younger than your age, as well as the Body Battery Energy Monitor that can tell how fit you’re for the next workout. Other common activity tracking features on both smartwatches are PacePro, menstrual cycle tracking, underwater heart rate tracking, and lots of preset sport modes.
However, Forerunner 245 will offer you the following features which are not available in Forerunner 55.
The aforementioned features are what you get with Forerunner 245 that are not available in Forerunner 55. In other words, Forerunner 245 is a more comprehensive activity tracker.
Although each of these two will allow you to receive notifications from your phone, only Forerunner 245 will allow you to reply to notifications with preset replies. Forerunner 245 features text response for notifications and the ability to reject calls with a text. Preset replies can be added from the Garmin Connect app.
Both smartwatches come with a decent battery life that lets you go long from a single charge. With Forerunner 55, you can get up to 2 weeks long battery life in smartwatch mode which is about the same as Forerunner 245. So, it’s good to know that you can actually go long from a single charge with any of these two.
Garmin Forerunner 55 vs 245 – Which is Better?
Forerunner 245 has a more durable design and more activity-tracking features, so it’s a better smartwatch than Forerunner 55.
Which Should You?
Forerunner 55 is cheaper, yet you get a durable and compact smartwatch that is loaded with lots of activity tracking features that can help you stay fit. However, if you want a more durable smartwatch with more features, then Forerunner 245 is a great deal. It comes with Spo2 tracking, compass, and other features not present in Forerunner 55.
