Customer Ratings & Reviews

This is a vast improvement from the Forerunner 35. The band is a lot more resistant to breaking. I had to replace the band three times on the 35, and the last break caused me to purchase the 45. I like the body stress, heart rate, and accurate step count. I've only used it for running once, but it does keep accurate stats. I can't figure out the message compatibility, but maybe one day. Battery life is pretty good also, better than the 35. The color screen is also a plus. Menu navigation is pretty simple also. Definitely recommended.

I bought this Smartwatch after researching for my needs, mainly for tracking daily steps. It does so much more! Also, it's compatible with my Go365 app which is a plus. Battery life is prolonged now that I canceled email notifications, which I don't need. The fit is good with the band even with my small wrist. Price was right and nice to get a Total Tech member discount. I'm very happy with my purchase and recommend the Garmin Forerunner 45.

The Garmin Forerunner 45 GPS watch is a reliable companion for runners. With accurate GPS tracking and essential running metrics, it helps users monitor their progress effectively. Its lightweight design and comfortable fit make it ideal for long runs. Additionally, it offers basic smartwatch features like notifications and activity tracking. However, its limited advanced features may not satisfy more serious athletes. Overall, the Forerunner 45 is a solid entry-level option for casual runners seeking a straightforward and affordable GPS watch

I like the simplicity and the fact that it doesn't have a touch screen which helps the battery last longer.

I bought the watch for the GPS and incident detection while bike riding which won't be until spring. My only complaint is not having larger sizes for the wrist bands.

Excellent battery time, easy to use and nice style.

Wear it every day. Good at tracking workouts. Battery life is a little shorter than I expected.

Good for the price, I use it for running and it's very good

I bought this for my nephew in the Philippines. He’s been wanting a Garmin watch because he likes to go walking, running or bike riding. In his own words, “I’m lovin’ it!”

Love it. It pairs well with my iPhone via the garmin connect app

Great watch but it broke after 4 months. Customer support was great with Garmin they sent me a brand new one, but the new one also broke after 6 months! Other then breaking it did exactly what is advertised.

Great watch for a mid level runner. You can build your own custom workout. I created my own running routine in the app. Very accurate GPS.

Great watch for an even better price. Does anything a more expensive watch will do.

They don't have Sprints or Racket sports. Other then that I love it!

I have used it for 2 months before review. Good watch. Very accurate, comfortable and easy to use. Long battery life, up to 7 days if not using gps. I love the find my phone. Only wish it had blood pressure monitor.

I'll begin by saying that I've had 2 other smartwatches...a Fitbit Blaze and a Fitbit Versa. Both of them were just ok, but nothing amazing. Both of those also looked a bit clunky and ugly, not very sleek. This Garmin is definitely better than both of my old Fitbits. I need a smartwatch primarily to track my heart rate. I don't use it for reading notifications from my phone so I can't comment on any of those features. This watch has a bunch of watch faces available for free on the Garmin app...there's even a "this is fine" dog meme face and a nyan cat face....you can't beat those! There are also many more practical and data packed faces. It depends on your preference. I mostly use one that shows my pulse, miles walked, battery level and time/date. But there are so many available for whatever stats you want to see at all times. I personally like the Connect app better than the Fitbit app. It's a matter of preference I guess but it just looks more sleek. What also looks sleek is the watch itself. It's not clunky. I have pretty small wrists and it looks fine, not too big. The green lights on the back of the watch that read your pulse are not raised like on some watches, and can't be seen from any angle while wearing it. One of my favorite things is that it's NOT a touchscreen watch. I was not a big fan of the touchscreen feature on my other watches, as the screen would wake up and put itself on difference screens all the time while I was wearing it under sleeves or whatever and it was annoying. The buttons on this Garmin watch are perfectly fine to navigate all the screens and they don't get accidentally pressed while I'm wearing it. My Fitbit was always overestimating calories burned. This Garmin seems more spot on with the calories burned. And the built in gps so I don't NEED to have my phone with me to track an outdoor walk/hike/run/whatever is nice, although I bring my phone with me everywhere. But having the option to have the watch track my run on its own gps is nice. As far as the display, I like it. it's always on, so you don't have to wake up the screen to see it. It's bright enough that you can see it in daylight or a normally lit room without using the "light" button on the watch to illuminate the screen. And in a dark room, you can't see it unless you use the "light" button. It's pretty convenient I'd say. I would recommend getting a screen protector for the watch face. I don't know how sturdy it is against scratches from daily wear and I didn't want to test it and end up with a permanently scratched screen so I got a tempered glass screen protector on ebay since Garmin doesn't have official screen protectors for the watch. It's great and I can't even tell that there's a screen protector on it, that's how nice it is. The Garmin Connect app syncs faster than my Fitbits synced to the Fitbit app. Just one more thing that is a nice change from my previous watches. One last thing. The band that is included is very comfy. It has a bit of stretch to it, enough to make it comfortable and easy to adjust. There don't appear to be any different bands available for it on Garmin's site but I don't even mind because I like the band that came with it. If you don't like the band there are other third party bands available online. Overall I love this watch. I hope it lasts a long time. As long as it does, I still give it 5 stars.

I've been using this watch for a year now, and I like it. It's easy to use, I mostly use it to track activities like running, biking, etc. The GPS options work well. It also works underwater for swimming laps in a pool.

Love Garmin products! The Forerunner 45 had great battery life and was easy to use. My usage was fairly basic for step count, heart rate, and sleep tracking but this was a very capable of more!

Former marathoner/half-marathoner, getting back into running after almost a 10 year hiatus. I used to have one of those huge, earlier model Garmins that was like a huge block on my wrist, but it was awesome for what it did. I always hated chest straps but like to monitor heart rate during runs. I have an earlier model Mio, which is stylish and great for wrist heart rate alone, but no GPS. Had been using my Iphone for distance and pace, but I hate opening my phone case, finding the app, etc. to check during a run. On training runs, I want to see 4 things and really only 4 things: distance, pace, heart rate and time. And I don't want a chest strap any more. So I researched some (not enough) and settled for the Forerunner 45, knowing that the screens were customizable and, from the photos, it "looked" fairly stylish. I was worried the face would be huge on my wrist, but the pictures are deceiving. The watch face itself is not that big at all. In fact, it is quite small and my wrists are not that big. Unfortunately, the watch band is also small - disproportionately small. It therefore is not very stylish for a man. It seems flimsy and just looks a little weird. That said, it's size and lack of weight make it unobtrusive during a run. The controls are not intuitive but if you can read a guide online, you can figure it out. On a test run, the GPS linked up pretty quick. The wrist heart rate seemed pretty accurate, so the measuring functions seemed okay. The distance was about the same as my Iphone measured. However, the BIG drawbacks are: (1) you can customize the data fields on each running screen BUT YOU ONLY GET A MAX OF THREE DATA FIELDS per screen; and (2) there is no auto-scroll permitting you to move through two screens to get that 4th element of data. This is entirely ridiculous because there is plenty of room for 4 data fields, and non-auto-scrolling is just dumb. (for example, you could make two running screens, one distance, heart rate, pace - and the other distance, time, pace, so only the middle value would change during an auto-scroll - but you can't do that - you have to press a button to change the screen). So, in short, if you want to glance down at your wrist during a run and see time, pace, distance and heart rate - you cannot do it without manipulation. The watch is lightly packed with some other "smartphone" features most people who buy it for running will never use. The treadmill setting is totally inaccurate, particularly if you are not swinging your arms the entire walk or run. There is a calibration setting, but I am skeptical. The battery life seems fine. So, in short, the watch works fine, though a little clunky to set up and manipulate (note 5 buttons - I defy anyone to figure out and remember what they all do). However, it is not a "pure" runner's watch like the older Garmins. The wrist band is WAY to narrow for a man's style and disproportionate to the watch face size. For the price, it is what it is, and I will use this for my runs - not ideal but the best for what I have right now. However, I wish I had been a little more patient and shopped around for something more streamlined for running. If you're someone who is not a quasi-serious runner and are looking for something with those functions and is also a wearable, this might fit the bill. But the key features are the wrist heart rate and GPS, which really only make sense for outdoor runs (or walks), and if you're doing that, you're probably more serious of a runner than this is a running watch.

I was on the search for a watch that was light weight and had a good GPS. This Garmin 45 has been the beat purchase ive made. Battery lasts about 5 days.