Looking for a wearable that’s more athletic than Apple Watch that doesn’t break the bank?
Garmin’s new lineup of updated Forerunner GPS watches has you covered with a slew of options, most of which are cheaper than the Apple Watch Series 4.
Even though most tech geeks don’t consider Garmin to be a big Apple competitor, I’ve been in love with their watches over Apple Watch for years for one simple reason: they’re better for athletes. Oh, and you don’t have to recharge them every other day. The new Forerunner lineup is no exception.
Garmin beefs up its smartwatches
Runners will find a lot to love in Garmin’s new flagship wearable, the Forerunner 945. Priced at $599.99, the 945 packs a circular color display, a pulse oximeter that measure oxygen absorption, full-color maps for navigation and the ability to store up to 1,000 songs from Spotify.
For battery life, you’ll get two weeks on a single charge in normal smart watch mode, or 36 hours of GPS mode, making it perfect for people that run ultra-marathons. It comes with Garmin Pay for contactless payments. Of course, it also has a heart rate sensor and GPS. There’s no ECG, but do you really need that?
For those that don’t want to spend $600 on a smart watch, Garmin has the Forerunner 45 that costs $199.99, has the same display, heart rate monitor, GPS, and new tracking features for planning exercises. Garmin also introduced the Forerunner 245 and 245 Music ($349.99). They’re the exact same thing except the Music version can store 500 songs. It also has stress and sleeping tracking, plus a pulse oximeter.
You’ll have to wait until later in May to scoop up a Forerunner 45, but you can grab the Forerunner 245, Forerunner 245 Music and Forerunner 945 now on Garmin’s online store.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
