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Featured in this comparison chart are three high-end fitness-focused smartwatches; the Garmin Forerunner 945 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch vs Apple Watch Series 4 – three outstanding smartwatches and some of the best choices on the market for comprehensive fitness tracking as well as fascinating designs. Compare the specs, features and prices of these three to find out the differences and which is the best choice for you.
Table of Contents
Garmin Forerunner 945 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch vs Apple Watch Series 4: Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Garmin Forerunner 945 Specifications, Features and Price |
 Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm) Full Specifications, Features and Price |
 Apple Watch Series 4 (44mm) Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $548.49 | $249.95 | - |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Garmin Forerunner 945 | Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm) | (44mm), Apple Watch Series 4 |
| Device type | Fitness/Sport smartwatch | Fitness/Classic smartwatch | Standalone/Fitness smartwatch |
| Gender | Men | Men | Unisex |
| Release date | April, 2019 | August, 2018 | September, 2018 |
| Predecessor | Garmin Forerunner 935 | Samsung Gear S3 | Apple Watch Series 3 |
| Successor | — | — | Apple Watch Series 5 |
| Versions | — | Bluetooth, LTE | Apple Watch Nike+ |
| BODY | BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 47 x 47 x 13.7 mm | 46 x 49 x 13 mm | 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm |
| Weight | 50 grams | 63 grams (excluding straps) | 48 grams |
| Shape | Circular | Circular | Rectangular |
| Case material | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Stainless steel | Aluminum, Ceramic/Sapphire crystal back |
| Strap material | Silicone | Leather, Silicone | Elastomer |
| Bezel material | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Stainless steel | Bezeless |
| Strap size | 22 mm | 22 mm | 24mm |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass DX | Corning Gorilla glass DX+ | Sapphire glass |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Durability test | — | MIL-STD-810G | — |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended | Yes |
| Color | Black | Black, Silver | Gold, Gray, Silver |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.2 inches | 1.3 inches | 1.78 inch |
| Display type | LCD, Memory-in-pixel (MIP), transflective | Super AMOLED, Full color | 1000nit, OLED |
| Display resolution | 240 x 240 px | 360 x 360 pixel | 448 x 368 pixels |
| Pixel density | — | — | — |
| Always on | Yes | Yes | No |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | (not touchscreen), 5 Physical buttons | 2 Physical buttons, Physical rotating bezel, Touchscreen | 1 Physical button, Digital crown, Touchscreen |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth | Yes, Bluetooth v4.2 LE | Bluetooth v5.0 |
| Bluetooth calling | No | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS | Galileo, Yes, GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU | GLONASS, GPS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | — | 0.75GB | 0.768GB |
| ROM | 8GB | 4GB | 16GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Technology | None | None | 4G LTE |
| SIM type | None | None | e-SIM |
| Band | — | — | — |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Bluetooth music | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | No | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone | No | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | No | No | No |
| Radio | No | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | Yes | No | Yes |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | — | No |
| ECG | No | No | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HRM | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse oximeter | Yes | No | No |
| Thermometer | Yes | No | App, No |
| Other sensors | — | — | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | No | No |
| Blood Pressure | No | No | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | No | No | Yes |
| Fitness Level | Yes | — | Yes |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Incidental fall detection | Yes | No | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | No | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-heart tracking | Yes | No | No |
| On-screen workout | No | No | No |
| Sport modes | Yes | 39 | Yes |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | Non-removable Li-ion battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery |
| Battery capacity | — | 472mAh | — |
| Battery life | GPS with music: up to 10hrs, Smartwatch mode: Up to 2 weeks, Ultratrac: up to 60hrs | Regular usage: 3 days+, Standby:10 days+ | Regular: up to 18hrs |
| Charging type | Charging dock | WPC based wireless charging | Charging dock |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar power | No | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | — | Exynos 9110 | Apple S4 64bits |
| CPU | — | Dual core 1.15GHz | Dual core |
| GPU | — | — | — |
| Operating system | Proprietary OS | Tizen OS 4.0 | WatchOS 5 |
| MISC | MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Garmin Connect | Samsung Gear app, Samsung Health App | Apple Watch App |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS | Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+, iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+ | iOS 12.0+ |
| Payment system | Garmin Pay | Samsung Pay | Apple Pay |
| Interchangeable strap | 22 mm, Yes | Yes | 24mm, Yes |
| Voice command | No | Yes, Bixby | Yes, Siri |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Garmin Forerunner 945, Manual, Straps | Charger, Manual, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Straps | Apple Watch Series 4, Charger, Manual, Straps |
| Price | $548.49 | $249.95 |
SEE ALSO
Garmin Forerunner 945 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch vs Apple Watch Series 4: Which is Better?
Although all three smartwatches are fantastic choices and outstanding in design and features, I go with the Galaxy Watch. However, the now discontinued Apple Watch 4 is the best choice for iPhone users as it does not support Android platform.
On the other hand, for more serious fitness tracking with a longer battery life that allows you go long on a single charge, the Forerunner 945 is undoubtedly the best choice.
