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 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.

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!

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 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.

Great for tracking workouts and has excellent battery life! Also great for tracking walks or daily activity of calories burned

Battery life is over a week. Very durable design that can handle machining work.

I really like this watch. I am a traditionalist and like the round face. I also like the fack of the buttons., After all it's not like I need a touch screen for something this small and it keeps the smudges off. Battery life is as advertised and all functions seem to be pretty close to accurate. Gps is a great feature built in and works great. For the price best on market. I like this way better than my wife's fitbit versa.

I had to have my Fitbit replaced twice under warranty, decided I needed to check out other options for fitness trackers --- for the price, you can't beat the functionality. The GPS works really well whether I'm just walking the dog around the neighborhood, or riding the bike 40 miles. Garmin's app is really nice, and the website functionality is awesome.