Garmin Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 255

Garmin brought a refresh of its GPS running watches - welcome the Forerunner 955 with solar charging and a touchscreen, and the Forerunner 255 with a multi-GPS location for even more precise tracking. The Forerunner 255 is more affordable and lighter of the two making it a crowd favorite. It comes in two sizes - 46mm and 41mm (which is actually named 255S) and lets you download music tracks from Spotify and then stream them wirelessly via Bluetooth to earbuds, making the phone unnecessary during a run.

The multi-GPS band uses the L1 and L5 satellites - a technology gaining traction for the past three years. This helps precise tracking, especially in tricky surroundings like a canyon where the signal can bounce off a rock. Forerunner 255 is also bringing triathlon tracking, which is a great deal for people who are into the more complex training but don’t want to shed extra cash for the Forerunner 955. Speaking of pricing, the 255 is US$ 350 - both the 41mm and 46mm cost the same. However the extra storage for music comes in a separate edition dubbed Forerunner 255 Music and that one costs US$ 400.

The Forerunner 955 gets all the neat features the 255 has and adds solar charging that has been part of the fenix 6 and fenix 7 series. It is a panel, built into the face of the 46mm watch, so it slowly recharges while you are outside. Garmin also introduces a new training feature to the 955 that is still unavailable to its flagship fenix watches. It calculates sleep, recovery time, HRV (heart rate variability), and daily stress, and lets you know what kind of benefit you will get from training.

The Forerunner 955 is yet to receive an LTE version, and we’re hoping to see one when it comes time for holiday gifts at the end of the year. Until then, you have to settle with the current options, which cost US$ 500 for a regular watch and US$ 600 for the variant with solar charging.