Garmin just launched the Forerunner 945 LTE and Garmin Forerunner 55 on the global running day 2021. As per the name, you may think it’s an LTE version of the already existing Garmin 945, but that is not the case here. Garmin has added many new features to the Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE, not just LTE support.
The watch is a much-improved version of Garmin Forerunner 945 with a revamped interface. The Forerunner series can also be considered the best smartwatch for running because of its extraordinary features. With the Forerunner 945 LTE, Garmin attempts to keep it that way. So, let’s take a look at what does the Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE has to offer.
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Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE Specifications, Features, and Price
| Display | 1. Color Touchscreen display 2. Transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) 3. Corning Gorilla Glass Protection 4. Resolution: 240 x 240 pixels |
| Weight | 49g |
| Dimension | 44.4 x 44.4 x 13.9 mm |
| Features | 1. Heart Rate Monitoring 2. Irregular Heart Rate Alerts 3. Respiratory rate Monitoring 4. Sleep Tracking 5. Female Health 6. Advanced Sport Tracking Features 7. Elevation Monitoring 8. Advanced Running, Sleeping, and Swimming Metrics 9. Support Golfing 10. Garmin Pay |
| Sensors | 1. Heart Rate Monitor 2. Blood Oxygen Sensor 3. GPS, GALILIO, & GLONASS 4. Altimeter 5. Compass 6. Gyroscope 7. Thermometer 8. Accelerometer |
| Waterproof | 50 meters |
| Battery | 1. 14 days in Smartwatch mode 2. Up to 35 hours in GPS mode without music 3. Up to 10 hours in GPS with LTE |
| Availability | Check at Amazon |
Design
The Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE comes with dimensions 44.4 x 44.4 x 13.9 mm and weighs 49g; it is a light and small watch. Garmin used a 1.2-inch display with a 240×240 pixel density; Garmin calls it a sunlight-visible, Transflective memory-in-pixel(MIP) display.
The watch houses a circular dial with Corning Gorilla Glass DX protection, the bezel material used here is a fiber-reinforced polymer. It comes with a stylish strap made up of silicone in two color options. Overall, the watch looks very sporty, just like other Garmin watches, which can be well built for outdoor use.
What is the Difference between Forerunner 945 and 945 LTE?
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As the name already mentioned, LTE is the first change you can see on the device. So, now you don’t need to carry a smartphone always with you. Adding LTE doesn’t mean only one change; it changes a number of things for the watch. It means now live tracking can be done via cellular; not only that but spectator voice messages, spectator text messages are also via cellular.
The new Forerunner 945 LTE contains a new optical heart rate sensor used on Garmin Venu 2. In the design section, The bezels are made thinner in the Forerunner 945 LTE, and it weighs a little less than Forerunner 945. Garmin has also added Assistance Plus to Forerunner 945 LTE, a direct emergency response center assistance.
Health and Fitness
Health and fitness have always been the priority for Garmin; the brand has invested in the development of this department. Garmin acquired Firstbeat for better health and fitness metrics. Firstbeat provides all the fitness metrics for Garmin, so you know it can be trusted easily.
Garmin Forerunner 945 comes with many health-related features starting with heart rate monitoring. Heart rate monitoring is becoming a necessity for smartwatches; it also provides abnormal heart rate alerts by monitoring the heart rate 24×7.
You can also monitor respiratory rate(24×7), pulse ox blood oxygen saturation, body battery, fitness age, sleep, and hydration. Garmin provides advanced sleep monitoring that provides much better details regarding sleep. It also provides a women-specific feature called woman’s health that helps in monitoring the menstrual cycle and other symptoms.
The watch offers many sports features too; it covers many areas in both outdoor and indoor sports. Let us start with running; the watch provides different running profiles according to your need, it provides GPS-based speed and distance.
The watch houses run workouts and different pacing strategies. Forerunner 945 LTE also renders profiles for hiking, climbing, snowboarding, XC skiing, stand-up paddleboarding, rowing, kayaking, etc. Apart from that, the new watch also provides support for swimming, cycling, golfing, and many more sports. So, the sports section is loaded with features, and one does not have to worry about it.
Smart Features
The Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE comes with a plethora of smart features for your daily use. Starting with connectivity, the watch supports Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi, LTE, which is considered enough for a smartwatch. The watch lets you respond to the call with a text response (reject phone calls with text).
However, the Garmin LTE features are not available in every country. Before you buy, make sure you check Garmin offers cellular connectivity in your country or area. You can check the updated Garmin Cellular coverage area here.
There are other smart features like smartphone notifications, find my phone, find my watch, Garmin Pay, and many more. You can also use the watch for music purposes; it lets you control the music on your smartphone.
Not only on a smartphone, but you can also listen to music from the smartwatch; the Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE comes with up to 1000 songs support. All these music features can surely make the Forerunner 945 LTE one of the best smartwatches for music.
Garmin Pay, the company’s own payment app for the smartwatch, is a fast way to make payments from your watch. It is a contactless payment option available on the Garmin watch, it is very convenient due to its contactless use, and you don’t have to search for your phone.
Battery
The battery life on Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE can be considered the same as the Garmin Forerunner 945. The smartwatch will provide up to two weeks of battery life on smartwatch mode and up to 12 hours on GPS mode with music. Gps mode without music gives you up to 35 hours of battery life which is 1 less than the Forerunner 945.
GPS mode with music and LTE Live track provides up to 7 hours of battery life. You can be considered it better than average if compared with the Fenix 6 line-up; otherwise, it is a very good battery backup.
Price and Availability
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Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE is already available on Garmin’s official website for everyone. The device is available in two color variants – Black and White. The Forerunner 945 LTE costs about $100 more than the Forerunner 945 without LTE.
Conclusion
The Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE can be considered a plus variant of Garmin Forerunner 945, not just an LTE version of Forerunner 945. The smartwatch has plenty of addition over the Forerunner 945, which makes it different. Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE can be viewed as a lighter version of the flagship Fenix 6. The Forerunner 945 LTE is made from plastic, making it a lighter device, an advantage over other smartwatches.
Should you upgrade to the Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE? Well, the answer is not a straight one. It totally depends on what you need; if you want those LTE features so badly, then yes, you should upgrade to Forerunner 945 LTE. But, if you don’t need LTE and Wi-Fi is enough for you to use the smartwatch, there is no need for an upgrade. Garmin Forerunner 945 can give you enough and will work properly for your daily fitness schedules.
