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'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.

TLDR: affordable, tons of features, comfortable, durable, easy to use, JUST WORKS I bought originally to track my heart rate on my runs and stationary bike rides. On my runs, I simply start a "run" activity, and all sorts of amazing stats are gathered: heart rate, elevation gain, SPM (strides per minute), heart rate zones.... way more than I asked for, but all super interesting. On my bike trainer rides, I set my watch to broadcast my heartrate to my bike computer (Garmin Edge 25). In addition to the fitness stuff, it's been fascinating to track my sleep patterns, too. The watch is comfortable, but probably took a couple hours to get accustomed to (just not used to having any watch at all). I sleep with it on without issue. The watch is easy to clean (just run under water). This was alarming at first as it has an exposed charging port, but it's been fine. If I have one gripe, it's that the battery could last longer (goes about 3 days between charges with my normal use). But when bought on sale (or even at it's normal price), it's more than what I would expect in this price range. I can't imagine what else I could ever need in a fitness/smart watch.

Doe everything I need from Walking and running tracking and steps. Also tracks Heart, Body Battery, Stress lever Calories and sleep tracking. All around great And easy to use

Product used to keep up with heart rates and workout information for someone with recent heart issues. Works great.

This is my first smart watch and I received it as a gift. I like it so far especially for the heart rate. I also like the way it fits, and it’s thin band. What I don’t like is that the screen light is to dull. Wish it was a little brighter. Other than that, I’m enjoying my watch.

Bought this to replace an older Garmin I had til the band broke. Just wanted a simple one to track while I walk/run but has other features I like as well. It shows your total steps for the day as well as heart rate and your sleep pattern at night. There are many more things as well. Great little watch without being too expensive. Loving it so far! You can also change the watch face with several that are loaded onto it, or download other faces of your choosing. At age 72, I don't need something that takes a rocket scientist to figure out. Lol.

The Garmin ForeRunner 45 is an excellent sports watch at an affordable price, compared with other Garmin fitness models. It is a little complicated to access the modes until you download the 56 pages of instructions. I mainly use the watch for cycling to monitor my heart rate and distance. The watch pares nicely with my desk top computer to save all the information I desire. I am still not using all the functions available but will in the near future. I do recommend this watch.

Needed basic features. Access to my daily steps, heart rate, gps and ability to track my progress during my run. So far happy with the purchase.

I've had the watch for about 3 weeks now. The only minor issue I have is that the face isnt too easy to read in normal lighting (great in bright sunlight and fine when the light button is pressed). But this thing has been great at providing what seems to be accurate heart rate, steps, distance info. It has really motivated me to keep pushing toward my goals!

Tracks gps fantastically. Along with also tracking heart rate. If you have a tattoo it might mess with the sensors though.

This watch should be able to do everything a simple garmin watch can do. It tracks pace , distance , time , heart rate , sleep, and more on the Connect IQ app.

I like this watch and garments cause there good quality this one is easy to control with the buttons I like to track my steps and heart rate this does a good job.

I was told Garmin is the way to go when it comes to heart rate watched, however, it is difficult to use. The manual included is very small and doesn't give much explanation on how to use the watch. I wanted to keep my heart rate on display as I workout and I couldn't find away to do it. I emailed the company but no response.