Pay has been around for a few years on some Forerunners. I had a 745 that had it too. I think it was over if the older, lower spec models to get it.
Fwiw, touch with haptic feedback is a really nice way to interact with these devices. If I wanted a purely sports watch but didn't want to pay an extra $300 to get the 965 then this would be a great choice
" I had a 745 that had it too."
hmm ok maybe I didn't look at that one. I remember the one I was looking at didn't have it and I checked a few others (probably not all) and they didn't have it.
yup pretty sure the 955 is the first Forerunner with Solar at least I haven't seen it before on past models.
missed the haptic feedback spec. yeah that would be nice, should add to my list of reasons above but can't edit no more. š
Maybe see if you can get a 945 for $500. I recommended this for my brother earlier in the year - wasn't wearing anything after his FB Charge 4 broke.
Got it price matched at Rebel at the time. Pretty good for the price.
He doesn't miss the touch screen (would be a bit hard to use when running), and it sounds like solar doesn't add much (certainly isn't like a G-shock or Seiko solar watch where you can leave it for 6-10 months and it still works).
I got a FB Charge 5 and find it fine for sleeping and steps, and basic day to day HR monitoring, but also wear a normal watch so i can forget about it on the other arm - not too intrusive at all. As an only watch they would be a bit small and basic.
Was tossing up between this and a 255 music. From my research the solar gives you an extra bit of battery life if youre outdoors for most of the day. Users found a 6-8% drain in battery per day, vs the 255 which uses 8-10% per day (average use of gps and smart watch functions)
Other than the solar power and extra activity functions and slightly stronger gorilla glass, the 255 music appears to be packed with similar features and functions. Up to you if you think its worth the extra $150. 255 music is $449.
Happy running
Oh, 955 also has a touch screen which could be the clincher for you
955 gives you maps and a bigger battery (even without the solar). You used to need a 9xx for a multi-sport activity (ie you could do a triathlon and swap between swim/bike/run and get your total time plus the stats etc for the legs) but the 255 has that now.
Oh, 955 also has a touch screen which could be the clincher for you
FWIW for anyone specifically considering a watch line this to track exercise. Bear in mind that if you're a sweat bustard like me, touch is not always a positive thing, it can be a right royal PITA that keeps accidentally activating random features whilst also ignoring the choices you're actively trying to make.
I have had a 945 for a couple of years now, all button driven. Quite possibly the best watch I've ever had, for exercising and everything else.
Yep read quite a few people turn off touchscreen. Nothing worse than discarding your activity accidentally.
I do wish they would option out the lap button during workouts though.
Oh God yes! So I've mostly gotten used to it - or now that I think about it it might just be becasue I don't use the workout option as much these days. But in the beginning, while still getting used to the watch, I'd screw up my metrics so many times accidentally hitting the lap button either because I was searching for the right one to press or because I was exchausted, not thinking straight and would sort of hold the bottom of the watch to move down on a screen, and accidentally hit it… Optioning it out would be great - cancelling the last lap would be a REALLY useful feature as well - and one that doesn't feel like it should be too difficult to get in.
So glad to hear I'm not alone - felt like such an idiot doing that sometimes…
@nebakke: Yeh I googled only to find it's been a problem for years. I believe they keep it in because some workouts require you to lap to move on to the next stage but that's hardly an excuse for putting it as an option when you pause an activity.
Does this work for you?
Turning On and Off the Lap Key
Hold UP.
Select. > Activities & Apps.
Select an activity.
Select the activity settings.
Select Lap Key. The lap key status changes to On or Off based on the current setting.
Works on my Fenix 6
@nwood: Yes that works but not how I'd like it to. I should clarify my (and many others) problem is the lap key ends sections of workouts.
Eg. I want to lap when I switch from running to walking and vice versa. I'm in the middle of a workout that is a warmup —> run —> cooldown. I can't lap during my run without it going to the cooldown.
Bought this watch about a month ago to replace a charge 5. The gps on the 955 absolutely smashes the charge 5 - I'm no longer gliding magically across rivers, better tracking under tree cover, quicker gps lock, and the distances are much more accurate and consistent.
The bit of extra battery life with the solar and more memory was the tipping point for me over the 255. The amoled on the 965 looks impressive, but I'm happy with the mips on the 955 especially for the price if you include any discounted egift cards on top.
I think the sleep tracking on the charge 5 was better - I feel like the garmin doesn't register the awake periods as well.
Only downside is the 5atm (really only good for surface swimming, I would have liked to have used it for surfing) - if it was 10atm it would have been perfect for me, but otherwise it's a great watch.
Agree with the 5ATM - if only!
"The amoled on the 965 looks impressive,"
yeah "looks" impressive but that's it isnt it. you can see how they advertise it in the picture https://res.garmin.com/transform/image/upload/b_rgb:FFFFFF,cā¦
gives you oohs and ahhs from the pretty gradients in the font, but personally I think simple is better because it's easier to read at a glance.
the 8? colors + black and white from MIP is enough for data and maps.
also if the AMOLED is not bright enough for the sun it's harder to read than MIP that has transreflective design.
and that 965 battery life spec of 23 days is definitely with AOD off. I would say cut that in half or maybe even less with AOD enabled on 965.
while MIP is always on and can achieve the battery life spec no problem.
Yes agreed, the mip display on the 955 works great in direct sunlight, and the back light at night is fine as well.
"and the back light at night is fine as well."
depends on the MIP as well. most times even a tiny bit of light such as a street light was enough for me to see the display. I preferred doing it this way because if you use the LED as soon as it goes out your eyes can't adjust and you see nothing which was a bit annoying. some watches have a "hold to keep LED on" mode though.
I've got the AMOLED on my Epix, and it's awesome. The maps are more detailed, and the screen is perfect; easily readable in direct sunlight. No way I'd go back to MIP display now.
Yes, you take a hit on battery life, however I find charging once a week is perfectly fine for my needs.
one thing I failed to notice was the AMOLED has a higher resolution of 450x450 compared to the the MIP's 260x260.
so that would definitely make things look crisper and allow smaller numbers for more data areas. never had an issue with MIP resolution though even on maps.
I thought Garmin's being "power efficient" and all the OLED would use the same resolution at 260x260.
Last I checked, Fitbit doesn't use the GPS to calculate distance/speed. It uses step count with estimated stride length, even if it has the GPS coordinates. Crazy but true. Returned a Fitbit as soon as I found out.
I have had mine for nearly 12 months. Unless you are outside lots, or doing activities in direct sunlight, the solar adds little value. Great if you are walking around in the middle of the day, not so great when you are at work in the middle of the day
Edit: I previously had a 935
Had one of these since father's Day last year. Been stellar. Great GPS, battery life is great, especially in summer once you get outside.
Get a screen protector and enjoy
looking at getting a garmin for my dad who isnt much of a runner, but does go hiking.
was thinking about the Fenix 7, but thought it might be a overkill. would this be more suitable? anyone got any thoughts?
thanks
Depends on how long the hikes are. Fenix 7 is certainly top of the market if he does multi day trips.
oh, def not multi day trips. just day trips
This does everything the Fenix 7 does.
Main difference is metal case versus plastic case.
Forerunner looks like a hockey puck, to be honest.
I went for medium sized Fenix simply because it looks more like a watch to me. A chunky one, but still a watch.
They all look similar, like a big black Garmin watch.
Picked up this watch earlier in the year and used it to train for the Sydney marathon.
Main selling point for me was the maps, I use the app to create a course (automatic, set distance, and random direction), load onto the watch and follow along so my runs don't get boring following the same route each time.
GPS works great even in the city through the buildings. I do find the touch function annoying so have that turned off.
It says the face size is 46.5 and the display is 33. That's huge right? Would probably look ridiculous on my skinny wrists.
Pretty much the reason i wear the smaller Venu watch.
I hate big watch faces but some like them
Yeah, it's pretty large & thick. Definitely try in store before buying.
Michael Scott has entered the room
These are quite big yeah - I have the opposite problem. I'm big and chunky and so is my 945 - just one of the reasons why I really like it.
If you have smaller wrists definitely look at the 2/7 -series watches instead, especially if it's 'just' for regular runs and workouts.
Does it have lte / gsm?
no - there is no LTE version of the 955 apparently
Wouldn't worry about that, it drives the price up to 1k usually.
People wanting that should just get a samsung watch etc, but would be charging it every day without fail.
(noticed there are two camps, the proper fitness wearers and the ones who like tech gadgets).
Waiting for 965 deals. Such a nice screen. I have 945 and it already has everything i need
I have the 935 and waiting to upgrade to the 965 too! But so far have not seen any deals for it.
Yes it came out so soon after 955 i think it might be unlikely to get any good deals for a while.
Id be struggling with 935 though, my stryd iq data field doesn't work with that. Not sure if that has garmin pay and inbuilt music either?
I've been eyeing the 265s for a while but haven't seen a sale for it yet. Anyone have recommendations between 265s vs the 955? Cheers
Great watch. Good price if you don't want to chance second hand market, which would save you another 20-35%
FYI Just collected one from Rebel and the box was opened. I went back and found that all the boxes had been opened.
I've just started training for a half marathon with intentions to do a full marathon. I've currently got a vivoactive 4 which i don't think will cut it, especially if I decide to do full and it doesn't have enough battery.
I'm really confused as to the models and what the 255 vs 955. I'm keen on stats and other things and also want music, will either of these watches suffice?
I noticed rebel has the 255 for 449 and obviously the 955 is 600. Not sure if worth the extra splurge and whether I need to get more progressed in my training before upgrading to either..
Just ordered this, have been wanting a better watch experience since I was fairly unhappy with the constant charging and poor sleep/activity tracking data from my Samsung Watch 4.
such a beautiful looking Garmin. $600 is still too much for me but I wish I could buy it.
Forerunner didn't used to have Garmin pay but the 945 and 955 do.
edit yeah this gets my upvote. I would recommend this over the 255/music simply just for the Solar, touchscreen and extra 28GB of memory.