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Customer Ratings & Reviews

Your price for this item is $249.99
The comparable value price is $399.99

Customer reviews

Rating 4.7 out of 5 stars with 26 reviews

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Rating by feature

  • Battery Life

    Rating 4.9 out of 5 stars

  • Durability

    Rating 4.9 out of 5 stars

  • Comfort

    Rating 4.6 out of 5 stars

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Cons mentioned filter

96%would recommend to a friend

Rating 4.3 out of 5 stars with 4 reviews

Customers are saying

Customers appreciate the Forerunner 255 Music GPS Smartwatch's music capabilities, praising its ability to function without the need for a phone. The battery life is also a standout feature, with users describing it as "solid."

This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.

The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 26 reviews
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Fitness watch done right

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    Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I decided to go a different route switching from the Whoop to Garmin as my run training was getting more involved. I cannot say enough good things about the Garmin Forerunner. The details and insights given through the watch and app are second to none. If you’re looking for an all around training tool, this is the training fitness watch for you!

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    This Garmin Does it All!

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    Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Ive owned several Garmin’s over the years including the top tier Fenix series. This FR255 has you covered for a fraction of what the Fenix line would cost you. I barely notice it on my wrist, the response time in the menus is super quick & the battery life is solid.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Accuracy, Treadmill
    Cons mentioned:
    Spotify

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great for running and workout

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    Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Running coach is great. Watch has great accuracy even on other activities. I put it in workout mode and it accurately detected that I was doing pushups and even counted my reps. I was surprised it could do that! What a delight! The music interface can be a little non-intuitive though.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Awesome for runners!!

    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    The only thing I still wish this watch had was the white band and rose gold watch face but other than that, this has everything I was looking for. The 255 has the familiar Garmin 5 buttons. When I switched from the Apple Watch to Garmin, it took me about a week to get familiar using the buttons. So far, I’ve used it hiking, running, standup paddleboarding. Very light. Love the customizable 6 field data screen which can be done on the watch and the phone. GPS now comes multi band and it did very well out in the mountains (ice house trail). Love the color screen (my previous watches 645 music, venu 2S, 745, 245). It’s great Garmin included the altimeter to track those hill elevations (245 doesn’t have that). Love the training stats (venu 2S doesn’t have that). Sleep tracking is informative too (745 doesn’t have that. And the 745 was just more on the heavier side). I had all those other watches and wasn’t happy and kept my Garmin 645 music because of the run stats. Venu 2S was good till I keep accidentally ending runs because of the touchscreen. So Garmin 255s really works well just having the buttons. I’ve used music with Spotify and connected to my aeropex headset and sounds pretty nice. The morning report is a great motivator, nice touch!! The body battery is quite accurate on how I feel throughout the day. As for the watch battery, I charge every 5-6 days depending on activities and that’s tolerable. I plan on doing half marathon races and entered the races and the watch now tells me how many weeks to go to train for the races. Also, for triathletes, this now also includes triathlon for tracking. Before, only 745 has that. Pretty neat! Also, the watch band is easily changeable and I used my previous venu 2S bands, same size. Highly recommended!

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    An Old Man Buys A New Watch

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    Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I got hit by a car June of last year, broke my hip, and destroyed Fitbit. I got to go home that day but my watch was DOA. So, I decided to buy a Garmin Forerunner 255. What I really liked about it was the nice, big, time display, one that I could see at night, without glasses…Because there’s nothing more important to older men that knowing what time they wake up in the middle of the night. Earlier this week, I decide to walk a couple miles and break it in, so I toggled through the exercises; There was Run, Virtual Run, Treadmill, Track Run, Bike, Bike Indoor, Cardio, Indoor Track, Pool Swim, Yoga, Elliptical, HIIT, Stair Stepper, Pilates, Breath-work, everything except "Walk". Evidently, this is some sort of Triathlete watch, and walking is something triathletes do to get to the car to go to the gym, not something they feel a special need to keep track of it. Then, yesterday I discovered the watch has "Coaches" in it...These coaches keep track of everything I do, 24 hours a day. I was watching Jeopardy last night about 7:30, and all of sudden my wrist starts buzzing, and on my watch, in big red letters it says 'MOVE"…The thing orders me around, then tells me I have too much stress...Well yeah, it's like being 17 again, and wearing my dad on my wrist. When the daytime coach is done complaining, he tags out and the "Sleep Coach" gets into the ring, I get along with him worse than the daytime guy...Come morning, my sleep coach has a “Sleep Report” for me, and he gets very angry, telling me I should be sleeping 8 hours and 20 minutes, my sleep is poor, too short, too many interruptions, too much light sleep and not enough REM sleep...He keeps complaining that my body hasn't had enough recovery time, not sure what for, I'm not running a triathlon...Finally, this morning he got real cheeky and told me my physical age was 100! Anyway, it's Friday morning, my sleep coach just tagged out, my daytime coach is here, and wants to have a word with me...I may take both of them for a bike ride today... But seriously, I'm not an athlete, I'm 67 and just trying to stay around a little longer. I didn't realize there was no Walk exercise on it, which was my fault for not checking, but it really is a cool watch, which I plan on keeping...

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Buy it

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    Posted . Owned for 1.5 years when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    The Garmin Forerunner 255 Music is a top-tier GPS running watch with advanced training insights, stellar battery life, and integrated music storage. Its accurate GPS, heart rate tracking, and multi-sport modes cater perfectly to athletes. The music feature eliminates phone dependency, making it a game-changer for runners. Lightweight and comfortable, it's ideal for daily training and race days.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    This is my favorite Forerunner to date!

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    Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I used to only use Garmin Forerunners for running going back years, but then I didn't want to have both a watch and music device, so I switched to Apple Watch. Well, after 3 years (and lots of frustrations with a touchscreen vs. buttons), I am back with this one! An incredible, customizable watch for serious runners. Love linking it up with my Spotify (note: you need Premium to download music/podcasts to the watch), love creating customized workouts, love the training plans, love the data, and still learning more! It's an incredible watch. The battery life is also amazing; where my Apple Watch Series 7 could barely go a day between running, streaming music, etc....the Forerunner 255 can do 2-3 days between charges.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Cons mentioned:
    Spotify, Touchscreen

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Pretty good watch with only minor drawbacks.

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    Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    So far I have really liked this watch. I gives me a lot of information and does all the tracking of routes you would expect. It's comfortable to wear and looks like it will hold up to being put through daily activities and workouts. Two downs points, so far haven't been able to connect my Spotify account to it, and at times it would be nice if it had a touch screen face.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Gps, Treadmill

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Runners Watch

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    Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Best watch for runners of all distances. Fast GPS location, accurate distances. Works great for treadmills too.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Perfect lifestyle watch

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    Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Everything I was hoping for. I mainly purchased this watch for the stored music function and it pairs to my headphones and plays music seamlessly. This was the perfect watch for my lifestyle. plus it looks good!!

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    garmin watch

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    Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    best thing I have bought recommend to a person need a new watch

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Love the watch!

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    Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Works great! Has so many functions it is everything I wanted in one package!

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Cons mentioned:
    Confusing

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Garmin 255

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    Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    1st time garmin owner. Was confused with all the features at first, but absolutely love the garmin and glad i made the switch to it.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Awesome choice, highly recommended

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    Posted . Owned for 4 months when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Upgraded to this one, much better than earlier, highly recommended

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Foreruner 255 Music GPS

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    Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Excellent product, excellent service and delivery time.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Gps

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Solid

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    Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    GPS picks up fast, and music works well without needing to have phone with you. Takes a while to figure out.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Design

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Very nice watch

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    Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Nice watch, i really like it. Wait for it a long time, worth it

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great battery life

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    Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Very impressed by the battery life after switching from Apple Watch

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    forerunner 255 and 265

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    Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I tested for one month, it perfect for make exercice and for metrics, the display is good esay to see, I upgrade the watch for the foreruner 265 that have more modern display and I like more, both are very good, for me I liked the more colorfull display on the 265, I bought to here at ebay

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great upgrade!!!

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    Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    This was a great upgrade to my olde Fenix 5. I have been a Garmin user for the last 12 years and this one does not disappoint. The Music feature is great as I don't need to carry my phone when out on a run.

    I would recommend this to a friend

What experts are saying

Powered by alaTest

Rating 4.3 out of 5 stars with 4 reviews

The analysis of all aggregated expert reviews shows that the reviewers are positive about software, design, usability and portability. Editors have mixed opinions about battery. Using an algorithm based on product age, reviewers ratings history, popularity, product category expertise and other factors, this product gets an alaTest Expert Rating of 84/100 = Very good quality.
  • Tom's GuideRating, 4 out of 5Jane McGuire on June 9, 2022

    Garmin Forerunner 255 reviewA review of the Garmin Forerunner 255 — Garmin's mid-range running watch that now has triathlon modes.

    Full Review
  • Android CentralRating, 4.5 out of 5Michael L Hicks on August 5, 2022

    Garmin Forerunner 255 review: Unstoppable excellenceFor years, the Garmin Forerunner 245 was our favorite runner's watch. Now, the Garmin Forerunner 255 has sprinted onto the scene with some significant improvements. It's the best runner's watch available today at a reasonable price. Your only

    Full Review
  • Pocket-lintRating, 4.5 out of 5Michael Sawh on September 12, 2022

    Garmin Forerunner 255 review: A multi-sport marvelGarmin's mid-range option in its popular Forerunner lineup promises small but meaningful updates. Is it a top sports watch to consider?

    Full Review
  • DC RainmakerDC Rainmaker on June 1, 2022

    Garmin Forerunner 255 In-Depth Review: Now A Full Multisport WatchThe Forerunner 255 is now a multisport triathlon watch. Sure, it's also a running watch, but it can now swim/bike/run with the best of them, including featuring Garmin's high-end multi-band/dual-frequency GPS chipset. This is the lowest priced

    Full Review