Garmin Forerunner 245 Vs 745: Which One to Choose? – The Garmin Forerunner 245 and the Garmin Forerunner 745 have a significant price disparity despite their striking resemblance in appearance. In this article, I will discuss the factors that make one option superior to another.
I bought a used Garmin Forerunner 745 to write this review (which I will distribute later), and I was loaned a Garmin Forerunner 245 for about a month.
If you’re struggling to choose between different GPS watches, you might find it helpful to read some of the reviews I’ve written in the past.
Please note that this article contains affiliate links, which allow me to earn a commission on sales, although at no additional cost to you, the reader. Thanks to this money, I am able to continue writing these reviews and thank you for your support.
Table of Contents
Garmin Forerunner 245 Vs 745 Both Share Certain Characteristics.
Both the Forerunner 245 and the Forerunner 745 have many similar features. They are the following:
Examples of typical activities that can be tracked for fitness include indoor or outdoor jogging, indoor or outdoor cycling, pool swimming, cardio, elliptical training, stair walking, and yoga.
Daily fitness metrics include steps, heart rate, pulse oximeter, stress and sleep tracking, and menstrual cycle tracking.
Examples of training metrics include: Maximum Oxygen Uptake, Recovery Time, Race Predictor, Training Load, Training Effect, and Body Battery (energy levels based on heart rate variability, stress and activity).
Workout features include interval workouts, breadcrumb navigation, PacePro (which helps you create and stick to a training plan), recommended workouts, and audio prompts through the Garmin Connect app.
The most basic functions of a smartwatch are: weather, calendar, messages, find my phone, find my watch, and Smart Lock (automatically unlock your phone when the watch is in range).
LiveTrack and Event Detection are two of the security features offered by the device. These features allow your loved ones to monitor your exercises and receive notifications if an incident is identified (your watch must be connected to your phone to access these features).
Forerunner 245 And Forerunner 745: Important Distinctions
Arguments In Favor of Choosing the Garmin Forerunner 245
It’s not hard to see why the Garmin Forerunner 245 is one of the most sought-after models in the mid-priced wristwatch range. It provides all the fundamentals, plus some advanced training elements.
The price of the watch varies between 300 and 350 dollars, and it all depends on whether or not you buy the music option. Since it’s between $150 and $200 cheaper than the Forerunner 745, it’s a more economical choice.
Additionally, the Garmin Forerunner 245 has 50% longer battery life when using GPS and not listening to music. The Forerunner 745 has a 16 hour difference compared to the Garmin Forerunner 245 which has a 24 hour difference. That’s quite a significant difference! The Forerunner 745 only offers 21 hours of battery life, even when set to UltraTrac mode.
The Forerunner 245 is 38.5 grams lighter than the Forerunner 745, so if you like watches that aren’t as heavy on your wrist, you might like that too. Despite this, the watches are remarkably comparable to each other in terms of overall dimensions, and the screens of both are exactly the same size. My wrists aren’t that big, so I didn’t have a strong preference for either option.
This part on choosing the Garmin Forerunner 245 is inherently shorter due to the fact that the Forerunner 745 is a more expensive watch; however, the decision ultimately comes down to whether or not you need those extra capabilities.
Arguments For Buying the GarminForerunner 745
I thought of the Garmin Forerunner 745 while wearing it on my wrist and looking at the menu screen A mint condition Forerunner 745, lying horizontally on a plain white surface mint condition Forerunner 745, laying flat on a white table, the back of the card facing up. A mint condition Forerunner 745 is seen resting on a white background, revealing its side profile as well as three buttons.
As a triathlon watch, the Forerunner 745 tracks open water swims, swimruns, and custom multisport events.
The Forerunner 245 is only capable of tracking pool swimming, but the Forerunner 745 has more features specifically designed for pool swimming. These features include time and distance alerts, pace alerts, start countdown and swim speed.
On the Forerunner 745, you’ll find a wide selection of additional activity tracking profiles not present on the Forerunner 245:
- Pilates Floor climbing
- Hiking Stand up Paddleboarding
- Skiing Rowing
- Snowboarding Kayaking
- Cross-country skiing Mountain biking
- Classic skiing XC and cross-country skiing
The fact that the Garmin Forerunner 745 is compatible with a power meter is a feature that cyclists will find particularly useful.
The Garmin Forerunner 745 also comes equipped with a barometric altimeter, which enhances the device’s ability to monitor elevation changes.
When it comes to sports like hiking and trail running, having an altimeter is useful, especially if you want to track elevation changes in real time.
The Garmin Forerunner 245 uses GPS to detect altitude, and while that should be enough for road runners, having an altimeter is beneficial for those activities.
You always have the ability to edit the data in Strava if you want accurate elevation measurements, but you don’t always need it in real time.
The gyroscope, which is included in the Garmin Forerunner 745, is another component that increases tracking accuracy. It does this by improving the performance of the swim function and rep counting for gymnastic exercises.
In conclusion, the Forerunner 745 is equipped with a few additional lifestyle conveniences. There is no musical and non-musical version; all watches have the ability to store music and the ability to download playlists from iHeartRadio, Spotify Premium, Deezer, and Amazon Music. Garmin Pay also supports the use of contactless payment methods.
However, before proceeding, you must ensure that the service is compatible with your country, bank, and card.
Running is the main activity monitored by the Forerunner 245. The Forerunner 245 is a very capable option for your needs if you don’t want additional tracking profiles or activity data.
Other than that, the Forerunner 745 is a better option for you if you’re looking for triathlon features, more in-depth horse riding and pool swimming capabilities, or real-time altitude tracking capabilities.
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Between these two choices, the Forerunner 745 is the one that appeals to me the most, simply because I sometimes swim in open water.
It’s extremely expensive, so if you need a watch that tracks open water swimming and triathlon, I recommend the $200COROS PACE 2(my personal watch is actually theCOROS APEX, but it’s an old model, so I’m waiting for an update to recommend it again).
That said, Garmin offers additional features to suit your lifestyle and daily exercise needs. So while I like the COROS for its great value and long battery life, I recognize that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
You can learn more by reading the comparison I made between the COROS and the Garmin ecosystems in which I have actually participated.
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