Garmin

Forerunner 945 Series

Garmin

Forerunner 945 LTE

Overall

#41 in

Fitness Trackers

according to Reddit Icon Reddit

Sentiment score68% positive
43
13
7

Top Pros

Top Cons

Last updated: Jul 12, 2026

Reddit Reviews

Reddit IconakaSovereign
6 months ago

Fenix 8 47mm Sapphire. I've had a range of Garmins (Forerunner range: 35, 235, 935, 945, 955) but the 970 didn't appeal to me (accent colour on side and domed glass) so I got my first Fenix and first AMOLED watch (solar was thicker than my 955 which was already a bit thick under clothing). Love the look of the Fenix a lot more, plus better battery life

Reddit Iconb00mshaw
10 months ago

Garmin Forerunner. I have the 945 and it still going strong. Does a great job with running, swimming and biking. Add in a Garmin Edge eventually for your bike. I do know several people that are quite happy with their Coros though. Not sure what they offer for cycling computers though.

Reddit Iconbamaroon
5 months ago

I have the Forerunner 945. The battery is eternal, watch face isn’t too big (small female wrist here), and it doesn’t everything I could want a watch to do. It interacts with and displays my varia radar and power meter pedal data as well as with my Wahoo trainer without issues. It has pool and open water tracking and uploads workouts. The HR is pretty spot on even in the water. The only time it fails me is when I’m climbing out of the saddle and put a sharp bend in my wrist. Watches use a different algorithm to measure gain than the computers, so I believe my Edge between the two, but if you yse Strava you can have it elevation-correct after the fact.

6 months ago

This location seems like it would chafe like the dickens swimming and running. Jelenew makes a bra with an hrm hole to help keep it in place. I upgraded to the FR945 from my 2-series when I got into triathlon because it has openwater and triathlon activity tracking modes and a massive battery life to get me through an IM. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty darn good in open water. Also, Form 2 goggles use a HR sensor on your temple. They work best with an open water GPS-compatible watch for tracking, but the HRM is independent. I just got a pair so too soon for me to give my own review

Reddit Iconbj0rnl8
5 months ago

My Garmin Forerunner 945 has really inaccurate (underreported) heart rate when skiing, especially skate, unless I use a chest strap. I'm not sure if the newer 9x5 models are better. But it does has activities for both.

Reddit Iconblood_bender
9 months ago

Can't speak for the Instinct, but I got my Garmin Forerunner 945 in 2019 and it's still going strong. Passive battery life a week+, GPS battery is still close to 24h (I think, haven't done a race that long in a bit). No issues with connectivity, bluetooth, charging, nothing. Some of their newer models are a little bloated and they're adding a ton of features at the cost of battery life, which is the only disappointing part. For ultras the only thing I _really_ care about is battery, and their out of the box battery life says 26 hours or something now, instead of 32+. Either way though, they make really good devices.

Reddit IconChickenPrestigious39
9 months ago

almost my case. I still have garmin fr945, suunto 9 and vertical 1. both suunto have big troubles with hr measurement, sleep accuracy not good. for cycling I have wahoo bolt v2 and v3, for concept2 - only ErgData app. withings smart scales is more than enough for me. one thing for me what suunto is missing is “resume later” function, especially for walking or hiking. I like suunto maps and navigation. now I’m confused to choose vertical 2 or race 2. both have better (I hope so) hr measurement and… thats all. ok ok, vertical 2 have led flashlight. vertical 2 disappointed me without local music storage and without nfc. but I like suunto for menu design, because garmin UI looks like designed for childs - not solid.

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