Garmin Forerunner 245 Music review: Ideal companion for fitness aficionados

This premium smartwatch, geared for those fitness aficionados who take their data seriously, ticks all the right boxes in tracking important metrics

I have used a number of fitness wearables over the years, but each left something to be desired as a companion for fitness tracking. That was until I used the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music. This WiFi- and GPS-enabled sports smartwatch is geared for those fitness aficionados who take their data seriously. That, however, is not to say that it won’t appeal to fancy or casual runners. It indeed comes across as a complete smartwatch with something for all fitness enthusiasts. 

Priced at Rs 34,990, the Forerunner 245 offers a slew of performance-monitoring features. In addition, it has widgets for heart rate, step count, workout, notifications, music, maps, etc. 

The feature that really excited me was that I could sync my music with the smartwatch and finally leave my phone behind while running, cycling or doing any other such activity. You can choose a music service from either Spotify or Deezer but you would need a premium account on these platforms.

I used the 245 Music with Blaupunkt true wireless earphones and it made my life so much easier on the track. You can store up to 500 songs on the watch but syncing music was a hassle initially; it took a while to get used to the whole process.

Another feature I liked in this watch was its GPS tracking on map. The built-in compass in the Forerunner 245 works very well.

When it comes to notifications, you can see messages from apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, taking only a small space of the screen without hiding the workout data if you are in the middle of an activity. However, you cannot respond to notifications from the watch in case you are using an iPhone. If you are using an Android phone, you can respond to some notifications with preset messages.

Design

The smartwatch has a fibre casing with a 1.2-inch colour display made of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and five buttons for navigation. The waterproof and dust-resistant watch weighs just 38 grams, and with a resolution of 240x240 pixels, the display is clear even in direct sunlight. I felt the watch was ideal in size — bulky wearables often hinder extensive sessions on field.

In the smartwatch space where Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and other players are doing away with buttons to make way for touchscreen display, Garmin sticks to its signature five-button look in the 245 Music. 

I prefer buttons to touch in a smartwatch made for outdoor activities, and it did not take me long to grasp the functions of each button in this watch. However, if you are using maps, chances are you will miss the touch feature.

The soft silicone strap allows grip and flexibility and has a number of openings to make space for air to pass through so that sweat does not accumulate at a place. The 245 Music is so comfortable and light that sometimes you have to check if it is wrapped around your wrist. The optical heart rate monitor, centered on the back, does not cause any discomfort.

Battery

The Forerunner 245 does not take long to fully charge and lasts for 5-6 days in standard smartwatch mode. In GPS mode, the on-battery time drops to around 24 hours. If the music is on during the GPS mode, the watch lasts 5-6 hours. You can actually cover a full marathon with this watch on.

Performance

The Forerunner 245 tracks your heart rate and shows four hours of recorded data, while on the app you can see it in a more detailed manner. The sensor is also used to calculate your all-day stress level, and Garmin’s new body battery metric tracks your overall energy level. It also tracks your sleep stages, movement, and records oxygen levels using Pulse Oximeter. The watch also evaluates your training status to let you know if you are undertraining or overdoing it.

I liked how the watch kept a tab on step-count and altered the daily target by taking the average from daily/weekly readings. 

The Forerunner 245 Music also offers a personalised training and recovery insight and keeps a tab on how heat and altitude impact your performance. It evaluates exercise history to show if you are undertraining or overdoing. You can create custom workouts according to the activity you like.

Garmin has also introduced the Incident Detection feature to share your location with chosen emergency contacts if you are in need of assistance. However, your smartphone has to be connected to the Garmin Connect app, which, I feel, does not make much sense, as people don’t want to carry their phones during outdoor activities.

The only area where the Forerunner 245 lags is elevation tracking; it does not have a barometric altimeter. Hence, the elevation is calculated using GPS track and map data. People who run in hilly regions may not be convinced with the data.

I liked the Garmin Connect app interface, as insights, activity stats and health stats were easy to read through its bar graphs and charts. 

Verdict

This premium smartwatch ticks all the right boxes when it comes to tracking important metrics. The absence of barometric altimeter does disappoint, but if you run on flat surfaces, this is an ideal tracker. If you take your data seriously, this is the device for you. But if you are looking for a fancy smartwatch, you might like to consider other options.