The Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 255 have been added to Garmin’s Forerunner line of running watches. They are similar as well as different.
Garmin’s new smartwatches are the Forerunner and Forerunner 955 series, and if their names didn’t give it away already, they are targeted at runners. Garmin makes a lot of running smartwatches, and it has a sizeable catalog with models designed for different types of runners. For example, the Forerunner 55, Venu 2 and Vivoactive 4/4S are intended for entry-level runners, while the Forerunner 2xx series alongside the Instinct series are for advanced runners.
Elite runners or athletes who have more experience can pick up the Forerunner 9xx, Fenix 7 series, Epix, or Forerunner 7xx smartwatches for tracking their runs. A common feature found on all of its running smartwatches is built-in GPS which shouldn’t be surprising since running is an outdoor sport.
The Forerunner 255 series and Forerunner 955 series are successors to the Forerunner 245 and Forerunner 945 series, respectively. Both smartwatch series differ not only in terms of their features but also in their build materials. The Forerunner 255 has a fiber-reinforced polymer for the case, Gorilla Glass 3 lens, and silicone straps. On the other hand, the Forerunner 955 also has a fiber-reinforced polymer case and silicone straps but uses Gorilla Glass DX for the lens, the same type on the cameras of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Those who want to purchase the Forerunner 255 will be able to choose from six different color options, while the Forerunner 955 is available in just two colorways.
Forerunner 955 Has More Features & Better Battery Life
Just like the Forerunner 245 series, the Forerunner 255 comes in two sizes, and two variants — a 41mm version called the Forerunner 255S and a 46mm version that’s called the Forerunner 255. Regardless of the size, choosing between a standard edition or a music variant that supports music storage (up to 500 songs) is an option. The Forerunner 255 has a transflective display that’s 1.3 inches in size (1.1 inches on the 41mm version) and can track health metrics such as heart rate measurement, blood oxygen saturation, and temperature. It also has Garmin’s signature body battery energy, stress tracking, Health Snapshot features, sleep tracking and women’s health. In addition, the newly added HRV (heart rate variability) status provides more detailed info about overall health and recovery and training performance.
In terms of its sports features, Garmin has added multiple new features. There are more than 30 built-in activities, including the newly added triathlon and open-water swimming profiles. Another new addition is a race widget that shows details about the next race while providing daily workout suggestions, training tips and performance predictions based on course details, weather and performance. The smartwatch will also offer info about recovery time, training status, acute load and training effect. Garmin has added multi-band GNSS support (GLONASS and Galileo) for better accuracy and NFC for its contactless payment service, Garmin Pay. Rated 5 ATM for water resistance, the Forerunner 255 also has 4GB of storage and a battery life of up to 14 days (12 days for the Forerunner 255s). It doesn’t have Wi-Fi support, but there is Bluetooth and ANT+, and it is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
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As for the more premium Forerunner 955, it is available in two editions — standard and solar. Both variants have a 47mm dial and a 1.3-inch transflective display that supports touch input, unlike the Forerunner 255, which can only be operated via buttons. In addition, it has 32GB of storage space for storing up to 2000 songs. The Forerunner 955 has all of the health features of the Forerunner 255, plus several extra sports features, including golf support. It even has preloaded maps for topographical, road, and trail exploration, as well as 42,000 courses from around the world. In addition to dual-band GNSS, the watch can also display Dual Grid coordinates. Dual Grid coordinates allow the watch to show two sets of coordinates — one in standard format (latitude and longitude) and one in a user-selected format, such as MGRS. It has NFC, Bluetooth, and ANT+ for connectivity and even adds support for Wi-Fi. The battery life on the Forerunner 955 is also slightly better at 15 days, and it can go up to 20 days on the solar models. Garmin has already begun selling both smartwatches. The Forerunner 255 and Forerunner 255s are both priced at $349, while their music variants get an additional $50 markup. On the other hand, Garmin is selling the Forerunner 955 for $499, and it goes up to $599 for the solar variant.
