Garmin Forerunner 245 GPS Running Watch, with music
Garmin Forerunner 245 GPS Running Watch, with music and advanced training features, Black with White Band
Reach your goalsAccess advanced workouts and get free training plans, or create your own custom workouts at Garmin Connect.
” data-position=”triggerHorizontal” />Battery LifeUp to 7 days in smartwatch mode and up to 24 hours in GPS mode.
” data-position=”triggerHorizontal” />Garmin ConnectThe tool for tracking, analyzing and sharing health and fitness activities recorded by your Garmin device.
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Comparison Table
 Forerunner 245 Music |  Forerunner 245 |  Forerunner 55 |  Forerunner 45 |  Forerunner 45S | |
| Daily Suggested Workouts | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| PacePro | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Recovery Time | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Race Predictor | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Built in GPS | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Wrist Based Heart Rate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Advanced Running Dynamics | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Training Load | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Training Status | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Connect IQ Store | Yes | Yes | Yes | Watch faces only | Watch faces only |
| Dimensions: | 14 x 0.5 x 3.47 cm; 61.4 Grams |
| Model: | 010-02120-31 |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. (included) |
| Manufacture: | Garmin |
| Department: | Unisex-Adult |
| Dimensions: | 14 x 0.5 x 3.47 cm; 61.4 Grams |
Not had long, second garming watch ever but I’m really enjoying this. It’s definitely an upgrade from my last one.
I like what it has to offer, its features and it’s easy to use
The accuracy is fantastic, easy to use and the app works just fine. I’m using it paired with my fitness app. The watch is very light weight, there is no discomfort sleeping with it. Great investment indeed.
he thing seems great so far. i was giving up on Garmin watches – dim light, confusing & obscure user interface, unstable platform, the last straw was when my last one (745) died & Garmin customar support didnt really care. This seems so far a vast imrpovement – much more usde friendly and effective. Hope it lasts
I have used the watch for 3 months to track and improve my running. It serves as a handy tool for this purpose providing a lot of data, especially live heartrate is extremely helpful. It also measures stress levels throughout the day (and night) and shows body battery suggesting to rest when needed. Love it overall!
Very happy with my 245. I wear it pretty much all the time and find the metrics tracking, steps etc. very helpful. For runs it is of course brilliant. Fully customisable data screens, navigation works nicely, music function is pretty sweet too! Watchfaces can be downloaded with ease, most are fully customisable too. All functions work really well, as you’d expect. One of the more comfortable watches I’ve worn as well. Battery life is as described in the description, won’t blow the competition away but will last as long as it’s supposed to. Not sure what else I can say that hasn’t been said already, it’s fantastic!
The ONLY thing I can possibly fault it on is that the 245 doesn’t seem to have a screen/backlight brightness adjustment setting unlike the 255 and 265. This isn’t a problem for me, I’m quite happy with it, and I would probably turn it down anyway. But that’s something to keep in mind if you’re used to something else with a super bright screen.
Setting favourites so I can select it quick before the exercise to log it.
Also be using cross trainer later and see how that is. To say the battery is only that us good cause its still evening out, I read the watch will use more for the first week till it settles down with my needs.
It’s bright enough, I first thought it wasn’t but you get used to it. Using for work on 12 hours at a steelworks and it’s fine.
Got weather, temperature, heart rate, time, steps, date, battery percentage, miles walked all on one screen face.
You can customise for free on the Garmin Qi app. Brilliant. Right down to the colour of each thing.
I would advice getting a cover for the face of the watch and added warranty, I got 3 years for 15.
The covers are on amazon for like 6 for 3.
The only con is the strap, I think I’m allergic to the rubber abit as I got wrist burn abit when at work so ordered another stap that’s nylon. No big deal.
Love the watch, glad I got it. You can link your fitness pal app to it too.
I use it for sleep to track and steps. Had a fitbit years back and the steps would mount up cause I was driving so that put me off.
Not tried it under water yet as its waterproof upto 5 metres I bealive.
I like the push buttons instead of touch screen.
Light watch but tough also by how it’s made.
Messages and calls appear on the interface which is good so I can read the whole message on my watch instead of opening my phone and I can make my own short pre message to replay quick if I’m working out. Glad I went to Garmin instead of samsung. My sister has the samsung watch and she says every couple of days it’s dead and it’s new.
Why should you have to disable features to save battery??
You want the most out of the watch.
Sister is looking into getting one of these now, good all around and I’m not a runner but a gym guy that walks abut and wants to track sleep and respiration, heart rate. It’s perfect.
I’ll update if my mind is changed.
Watch ticks all the boxes for me . Got a great deal for it
Delivery prompt and within 2 days
Easy to set up and use
Perfect for an amateur runner but also some more serious runners
Was very dubious about buying but I love it. Not too flash but does everything that I need it to do. I am a club runner, built for comfort not speed, I run about 40km a week.
Upgraded from a forerunner 45, resisted buying a more expensive one, not used the music bit yet, but gives everything I wanted and unlocks the connect functions, very easy to use
As a keen runner who was looking for more data during runs I decide to trade in my Apple Watch for a Garmin.
Once you’ve worked out how to navigate round the watch. It is defo worth the money.
It’s light on the wrist and has a long battery life.
The watch is quite chunky and not as sleek as a fitbit or Apple watch. It looks like a traditional men’s sports watch, which I don’t mind. I have slender wrists and it still fits fine. The strap has plenty of notches for adjustment and is easily replaceable if you want to try a different one.
I’ve had the watch and worn it every day for a couple months now and there are no scratches on the screen so far.
It doesn’t have a touchscreen, but navigation using the side buttons is simple. Occasionally the ‘start’ button will be pressed by my cuff or whatever I’m carrying, but it’s possible to lock the watch if this happens frequently.
My only complaint is that the heart rate monitoring seems quite inconsistent and doesn’t always correspond with how I’m actually feeling. I have a suspicion that it sometimes matches my cadence rather than my actual heart rate. I’d need to get a chest monitor to confirm this. Since I’m not really doing HR based training, it isn’t a big deal, but I’d recommend getting a chest monitor if you intend to train with zones.
Garmin Connect is a solid app. Loads of features, a decent interface, and good integration with Strava, although it still doesn’t auto-fill descriptions from planned workouts.
I’m doing the Garmin half marathon plan and it seems good so far. Sadly it doesn’t intersperse planned strength and mobility workouts, but the scheduled runs are helping me stay on track and increasing my fitness.
Recommended!
I’ve had a couple of Garmin devices. They do take a little time to configure properly–you’ll need to mess around with settings, widgets etc. Especially if you’re using a third-party watch face with different customizations. But once you get there it’s well worth the time. The watch is reliable, the charge lasts me for around a week (with HR on) and the notifications come through consistently (not a given with smartwatches I’ve found). The strap’s super easy to change, although the one that comes with it is comfortable.
Overall a great RUNNING watch, not a great ‘smart’ watch and you’ll need to budget for a new strap.
First of all the most impressive difference was battery life. I went for a 10k run with GPS and Glonass and it only took 4% of the battery, where my vivoactive would take 30%.
Second advantage, its smaller and lighter, so confortable indeed.
Then, the amount of details recorded is mind blowing.
I actually prefer to use buttons over the touch also, its more precise especially if it rains or due to sweat.
Connection to my phone was quick, as soon as I got back home it was already updated my run, really impressive.
GPS lock took a mere 5 seconds also.
It also has heart rate when swimming, which the vivoactive 3 cant do.
All in all a great upgrade especially for the battery and confort.
I bought the non music version as 3.5gb storage is nowhere near enough for my collection which is around 300gb. I still use an mp3 player instead of keep swapping music.
The 245 was a little more than half the price of the 645 but does everything (as far as I can judge) that the 645 did, as well as adding a couple of tricks of its own, such as measuring the percentage of blood oxygen saturation. The wrist heart monitor even seems to record heart rate while swimming, something that was beyond the 645. I think that this brilliant little watch is outstanding and the Garmin Connect App works every bit as well with the 245 as it did with the 645. It took seconds to retire the old watch and link the new and see Connect pick up the thread. I would imagine that only a professional athlete with very specific requirements would need anything more elaborate and I am delighted with this watch. Highly recommended.
The menus and access to them takes some getting used to, some of the screens you are presented with are a waste of time as the information is that small you can’t see it, things like heart rate over 7 days for instance, you are better off looking at them on the phone app.
You do need good eyesight especially if you have set up a training plan, I can barely see if I’m being told to run or rest.
The watch picks up a satellite signal very fast even indoors.
Other stats that you get from the watch like sleep seem pretty accurate and it does match when you sleep and wake up.
Overall don’t expect an Apple Watch display, I think I’d prefer to have a brighter screen and forgo having to charge it more often, the watch easily lasts over a week before you need to charge and it does not take long to get to 100%
My old forerunner 35 was a bit basic but if you want to get a bit more out of a running watch like making running plans then you need a watch similar to this one, overall I would recommend with a few caviates.
Then when I decided to start jogging and realised I needed something better to log my distances. After much web browsing I decided on the Garmin 245. No, it doesn’t have the fancy Rolex look alike watch faces, but it does the exercise stuff really well. I’ve been using Strava and Adidas Running apps and it’s been mapping my daily excursions since the original lockdown began.
I went with one of the standard watch faces as it had all the information I need at a glance. The battery lasts for aaaaages and charges quickly too, so it’s always on my wrist. Am I any fitter? No, because it seems I have a heart condition that requires major surgery in the near future, so that was a not pleasant surprise, but it’s keeping me healthy enough.
This version also comes in a different model, Forerunner 245 music that has a bit more memory to store mp3s so you can listen to bluetooth streamed music while you hike, cycle, run, etc. I use my Samsung A52s with wired headphones, so didn’t need the extra functionality.
It’s one of the cheapest watches in the Garmin range and it’s perfect for me. Just buy a screen protector for it before you start wearing it, as I found the glass does scratch (somehow).
I moved from Fitbit to Garmin after a number of years of frustrating Fitbit ownership. Their software and hardware is so buggy. I had the app on both Android and iOS and it was awful. Not to mention devices that wouldn’t connect, GPS totally inaccurate, and numerous product replacements due to them dying and strap failures. In contrast my Garmin software has been completely stable and the device is built like a tank. Literally I have repaired the car whilst wearing my Forerunner 245 (covered it in oil and grease plus bashed about) with not a mark on it! Obviously I washed it down afterwards but it still looked like I had taken it out the box on day one. My Fitbit would have been scratched to pieces had I done the same, I once tapped it against a wooden door frame and it scratched the screen.
So my 245 I use mainly for running and as a heart rate device while cycling. I say as a heart rate device because I put it into heart rate broadcast mode while cycling and it pairs with my Garmin Edge 830 bike GPS device (the Edge does the tracking/activity recording). The pairing works without fault every time and the battery lasts well too. I believe it is ANT+ in this mode so may well connect with other devices as a HR receiver.
Modes on the 245 are: Run, walk, trail run, bike, breath work, pool swim, cardio, bike indoor, walk indoor, treadmill, row indoor, other, virtual run, track run, indoor track, strength, yoga, pilates, elliptical & stair stepper. You can also make your own activity if it is not one listed by default.
The 245 does not have Garmin pay but don’t let that worry you as it is useless in the UK (just like Fitbit pay) with only Santander supporting it. If you really must pay by watch then Apple and Android watches are better for payments.
iPhone notifications work brilliantly albeit with iPhone you can’t reply to messages. This is Apples restriction and not Garmin. You can however answer and end calls from the watch. I believe if paired to Android then you get pre defined text responses too. You can see all of a text message on the watch as well as clear the notification from your phone. My diary also syncs nicely to my watch with calendar and system notifications working just as well as texts, and stuff from all other phone apps. You can configure what notifications you receive and also put the watch into ‘do not disturb’ mode.
As for health tracking it does loads of stuff: pulse oxygen, heart rate, stress, respiration, body battery, active minutes, sleep and more. They all seem to be pretty accurate with loads of metrics to play around with on the Connect phone app.
The battery in the 245 comfortably lasts a week and that is with usually 3 x 5K runs, 1 x 10K run and a four hour bike ride in HR broadcast mode. Compare that to the Apple Watch that barely lasts a day! I never suffer battery anxiety and can easily go away for a few days minus the charging lead.
GPS is fantastic and really accurate considering this is a watch. I have also used the Komoot app with it and the arrow direction guidance was very accurate meaning that I did not get lost at all on my run. You can also use the device to save your parking location and navigate back with an arrow. On the subject of finding things if you lose your phone you can make it play a sound at full volume. If your phone is on silent the 245 will show Bluetooth signal strength to guide you to where your phone is hiding. You can also do it in reverse from your phone if you have lost your 245.
For offline music storage you need the 245M. The 245 will control playback from your phone only. It works very well with the following features: play/pause, skip forward/back, volume up/down, track title.
Other features are available in the Garmin Connect App Store such as Starbucks card, watch faces, compass, data fields etc. There are loads of extra apps, widgets, watch faces and data fields.
If you need a Garmin with on screen maps then you will need a Fenix device. If your primary focus is golf you need a Approach device. If you are a swimmer a Swim or Descent model. If you are a cyclist and runner like me then the Forerunner range is excellent.
Don’t let the lack of touch screen put you off. It is so easy to use and I don’t miss a touch device at all. There are no accidental screen activations while exercising with this thing (especially in water), but if having a touch screen is important to you then you might like the Venu or Vevoactive range. The screen is backlit (configurable to work when raised, during darkness etc.) and the screen is very clear in full sun. It might not be as pixel perfect as an AMOLED screen but it is very clear, very battery friendly and always on.
I could go on about the many features of this watch. I suppose it is important to add that the straps are watch industry standard so any of the correct width will fit (not stuck with Garmin only), it is waterproof to 5ATM, charges with a short proprietary to USB-A cable, and the Garmin standard UK warranty is 2 years from date of purchase.
In summary I highly recommend Garmin products especially this Forerunner 245. All the Garmin stuff I have works a treat, is way more stable/accurate than Fitbit, and the battery life blows Apple Watch out of the water.
Edit: I’ve been using the watch for 11 months, the battery life has shortened significantly. Now it lasts only 3 days! It hasn’t even been a year.
Firstly I will say that I would prefer to have the music version of this watch, however I got this one on sale and I couldn’t justify the extra cost. I would say to go for the music version if price is not an issue for you.
I was going to purchase this watch after I had already completed my couch to 5k program, however I saw that it was on sale so I bought it very early in to the program. I ended up finishing my c25k program a few weeeks early and that is a hundred percent down to having the feedback on my wrist on how far I’d travelled. Having such a small and accessible device which gives you useful information like your heartrate, your time running, your pace and your distance really helps you to push yourself that extra bit at the end of your run to round off your distance. I also enjoy the mapping features that the phone app offers, it’s lovely to go on a jog with your c25k buddy, take a nice picture, then use the garmin app to put your stats over the picture to commemorate hitting the milestones.
I love the training programs inbuilt in to the garmin app, they don’t just give you a running program, they also tell you useful information about running, fatigue, posture and mindset along the way. I have found this useful as a new runner. This all comes for free with the app (I say this because I jog with someone who uses a fitbit, and they have to subscribe to have access to the content on the fitbit.)
I have even been walking more since I got this watch, it gives you a nice summary each day of your exercise, your condition, sleep patterns etc. If you are someone who likes feedback I do think a Garmin watch is a great bit of kit to help you to train up to be a runner.
All in all, I really like it. I would not have run my 10k by now had I not gotten my Garmin watch. I would recommend this or something like it to new runners.
I have also used it for hikes and bike rides, both of which it has recorded accurately. The heart rate monitor matches that of the Vivoactive 3 and seems to be very accurate. I have checked my heart rate manually a few times and it has agreed perfectly with my calculations, so I am happy that it is accurate. The information after a ride or walk has been very accurate including the GPS map which was accurate enough even to show which side of the road I was walking on.
Looks-wise, I don’t think it is as nice as the Vivoactive 3 and I suspect the bezel will scratch fairly easily as it is plastic. I have a screen protector and a case on mine to protect it. My Vivoactive 3 just had a screen protector and survived well despite heavy use. I hope this will be as good.
The battery life seems to be good, though I haven’t noticed a big difference from the Vivoactive 3. I like the additional function of the body battery, which appears to be pretty accurate.
One thing that did surprise me though, was the need to plug it into a laptop when I received it, to get the latest software update. I couldn’t do this from my phone or Chrome book. I was also surprised that it had not come installed with a more up-to-date software version. However, once I realised what I needed to do, it was easy enough to follow the on-screen instructions and update it to version 5 rather than the version 2-point-something it had come with. Once that was done, I installed a few watch faces and chose one that I like.
The face is clear, even in low sunlight and without the backlit option. The strap is comfortable and fits without adjustment due to the number of holes running all the way around. There is plenty of adjustment so I cannot imagine that there are many people it would not fit.
All in all, it is a nice upgrade from the Vivoactive 3 which I have been very happy with. The added functions are great and I am pleased with it. At the price, I think it offers a good range of functions and is accurate.