Taking advantage of World Running Day, celebrated on the first Wednesday of June each year, Garmin Forerunner 55 presented the new version of its GPS watch with an optical heart rate monitor for those starting out in the world of running: the Garmin Forerunner 55 [RRP €199]. Two years after the launch of the previous Forerunner 45/45s model, which is still going strong, Garmin Forerunner 55 is releasing a new, more powerful (up to 20 hours of battery life) and advanced version, the Garmin Forerunner 55, with full compatibility with Connect IQ, more sports profiles (pool swimming and track running), and mid-to-high-end training features (Pacer and suggested workouts).

Furthermore, as it did with the model preceding the Forerunner 45, the Forerunner 35 from 2016, Garmin Forerunner 55 has dispensed with a “55s” version, opting for a single unisex size [ø42 mm] and aligning it aesthetically more closely with the rest of the Garmin 55 Forerunner range by including straps with standard quick-release clasps.

But the Garmin Forerunner 55 isn’t the only new release this June; Garmin Forerunner 55 is beginning yet another refresh of its “Forerunner” GPS watch series, updating both ends of the range. The entry-level model (it can no longer be called low-end) is now the new Garmin Forerunner 55, and the most “PRO” or “Advanced” watch now has a new connected edition thanks to the new Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE. Although I’ll talk about the Forerunner 945 LTE in another article, I can tell you now that it has left many Garmin Forerunner 55 loyalists quite underwhelmed. Along with a slight reduction in size [from ø47 ​​mm to ø44 mm], its main new feature is LTE connectivity (*), which allows you to use the safety features (emergency messaging and incident detection) or receive notifications (audio and messages) during Live Track without needing to carry your phone with you. (*) Requires a paid subscription (€6.99/€7.99 per month).

But now it’s time to talk about the Garmin Forerunner 55, a model that has truly surprised most of us who write about gadgets, seeing that Garmin hasn’t left anything, or almost anything, out. This new edition is very much on par with the Forerunner 245, which until now was, without much argument, the best mid-range GPS watch for running.

New, more “forerunner” design, a single size, and minor internal changes.

The new Garmin Forerunner 55 breaks away from the design of previous Garmin FR15/25/35 versions, which featured square designs or straps that extended directly from the case, adopting instead the aesthetic of the higher-end models in the Forerunner series. While the design isn’t drastically different from the previous Forerunner 45, as it maintains the same case size [42mm] and screen size [1.04″], it looks much more similar to the Forerunner 245 or even the 745 than to its predecessor, the Forerunner 45

And this change is achieved simply by adding the 20mm strap lugs with a standard watch quick-release clasp, and not the old strap, exclusive to the FR45/45S, which was attached with a small screwdriver.

And that’s about it; the case has been modified to accommodate the strap pin, and there’s a minor tweak to the bezel, making it a few microns wider.

The next notable change is the absence of a Garmin Forerunner 55s version, which would typically come with a 39mm case, as seen in the Forerunner 45s or the recently launched Venue 2s. The Forerunner 55 is only available in the “large” size (which is actually a small model) of the Forerunner 45: a 42mm case (all fiber-reinforced polymer), 11.6mm thick, and a 20mm silicone strap

At least now we can add up to 4 data fields per screen, and the number of customizable screens has been increased to 5 in each sport profile, which allows you to divide the screen into just 2 fields (for those with poor eyesight) and still have 10 different screens available.

20 mm silicone strap.

In summary, we still have a medium/small and very lightweight (37g) GPS watch, which, with the silicone strap, largely prevents it from moving around while running, resulting in very good heart rate tracking accuracy (as shown in the FR45 tests). The heart rate monitor accuracy in this new edition shouldn’t change since Garmin has chosen to keep the ELEVATE optical sensor from the Forerunner 45 and not incorporate the new ELEVATE sensor, which was introduced with the Venue 2/2s and is also now included in the new Forerunner 945 LTE, into this Garmin Forerunner 55.

The design has been updated, performance has been improved, and, above all, more new sports features have been added (profiles, metrics, and training functions) than almost anyone expected in an entry-level running watch. Below, I’ll explain what each of them consists of:

FULL compatibility with Connect IQ (Applications, Widgets and data fields):

While the Forerunner 45 was only compatible with the Connect IQ app store for installing watch faces, this new Garmin Forerunner 55 has full compatibility with Connect IQ. Except for music apps (it doesn’t have music storage), you can install new applications (sports profiles or tools), widgets, and data fields (specific ones or a greater number of them).

But the most important thing isn’t that we can fit 8 tiny data fields on a screen or have a widget that tells us how many beers we’ve burned off running, but rather that we’ll be able to install apps that bring it even closer to the Forerunner 245, such as the dewlap app for importing and following routes on this watch. This app is already used on other Garmin Forerunner 55 models without native navigation (the vivo active and venue series), and it’s currently in the testing phase and will soon be available to all users.

New sports profiles for the Garmin Forerunner 55.

I think almost no one expected Garmin Forerunner 55 to add a pool swimming profile to this new Garmin Forerunner 55, or at least not a practically complete one, including the recording of technique drills, which the Vivo active and Venue models don’t have. Now, in addition to recording runs, bike rides, and indoor workouts, we can record laps, stroke style, swimming pace, and heart rate when swimming in a pool, as well as set time and distance alerts or activate automatic rest (it pauses the interval if we stop to rest when we reach the wall).

The differences between the swimming profile in the Garmin Forerunner 55 and the higher-end Garmin Forerunner 55 models (and the Garmin Swim 2) lie in the inability to upload structured workouts and the fact that we won’t be able to set swimming pace alerts.

Another feature that didn’t seem likely to be included in this model is track running mode. This is a really interesting function that is available in higher-end models, and after four calibration laps, it adjusts the track (the route we’ve run) and the distance recorded at each moment to the lane markings of the running track, without being affected by fluctuations in the GPS signal. In this part of the video, I explain it with real-world examples on a running track using a Forerunner 745.

The “Virtual Run” profile has also been added for competing on virtual training platforms like Zwift from a treadmill (transmitting heart rate and pace via Bluetooth to a mobile phone/tablet), as well as indoor sports profiles for Pilates and yoga.

Advanced training features: PacePro and training suggestions.

Another surprise has been that the Garmin Forerunner 55 includes advanced training features like Pacer and suggested workouts, which were already impressive on the Forerunner 245 when it received them via an update in 2020, especially considering they are not present in the theoretically superior Forerunner 645. Garmin Forerunner 55 has inexplicably left the 645 without these two features, as well as others like the track running profile, supposedly because it was one of the last models not updated with Sony’s GPS chipsets.

More information :

This suggested workout option can be disabled, and while it’s not the same as having a “real” coach, it’s useful for those who are just starting to run, don’t always want to do the same routine, or don’t want to follow a fixed training plan.

In addition to the ability to create interval workouts, import block workouts, or upload a Garmin Coach running training plan (which adapts as the weeks go by), the Garmin Forerunner 55 adds personalized running workout suggestions. When you access your running profile, a notification will appear suggesting a specific workout, acting like a virtual coach.

• The Pacer feature, which allows you to create running strategies from the Garmin Connect app and import them to the Forerunner 55, will enable you to establish a pace plan to tackle a given distance with a positive split (faster at the beginning, slower at the end), a negative split (slower at the beginning, faster at the end), or a pace that varies depending on the elevation profile of the race you’re going to run.

Once the race strategy has been created in the app and sent to the watch, we can activate it from the race profile settings and we will get a new screen on the Forerunner with the target pace for each kilometer, our current pace, how much distance is left to finish that segment, and how much time we are ahead of or behind our overall goal.

• Other “minor” improvements to the running profile include the “estimated finish time” function, which, based on the pace we maintain during a race or training session, tells us the estimated time it will take to reach the predefined distance; cadence alerts (previously there were only alerts for time, calories, pace, or distance); and an increase in the maximum number of data fields per screen (from 3 to 4) and the number of configurable screens per profile (from 3 to 5). The option to configure the automatic lap notification has also been added.

More advanced fitness metrics.

One of the features most noticeably absent from the Forerunner 45 was the recovery time recommendation after a workout. Now, with the Garmin Forerunner 55, we’ll receive a notification indicating how many hours (or days) we should wait before the next training session and what type of workout it should be (hard, easy, or rest).

Likewise, this Garmin Forerunner 55 makes better use of the VO2max feature that we already had in the Forerunner 45, and now our Garmin will tell us more things: estimated times for 5k, 10k, half marathon, or marathon races, and our physiological age, that is, how young or old we are according to our current aerobic capacity and the average for that age group.

It’s not a cheap GPS watch, although by the end of 2021 it will be easy to find for €170-180, but it’s certainly not a low-end GPS watch either. If I had to point out something missing from the list of new features, perhaps blood oxygen saturation tracking could have been included (it’s in the Venue SQ) and a strength training profile with automatic repetition counting

Summary of sports functions and daily activity monitoring.

• In terms of training functions and tools, in addition to everything mentioned above in the new features section, the Garmin Forerunner 55 will record data for each lap, totals, or for the programmed time interval, including distance, heart rate (bpm and zone), pace or speed, as well as the number of strokes in swimming, cadence in running, and calories burned, using its internal sensors.

We will have the above data for both outdoor sports: running, track running or cycling, …, and indoor sports: swimming in a pool, indoor cycling, treadmill running, virtual running, HIIT, cardio, elliptical, stair climbing, HIIT, Pilates, yoga.

Likewise, the Garmin Forerunner 55 retains from the Forerunner 45 the interval training features directly from the watch (warm-up, repetitions/rest, and cool-down), the ability to upload running training plans or individual sessions, and alerts for laps (auto lap), heart rate, time, pace, distance, or calories.

It also retains the safety features for running, cycling, or walking activities that we saw in the previous model: Live Track (activity tracking by a third party), incident detection (detects if we fall and sends an alert to our emergency contact with the location), and the assistance message, all of which require carrying your mobile phone with you.

• Navigation is the weakest aspect of this Garmin Forerunner 55. Just like the Forerunner 45, it lacks a dedicated navigation menu for saving locations or returning to the starting point after an activity, but the main difference now is that we can install Connect IQ apps for navigation. The “dewlap” app and the “Map Field” data field will soon be compatible with this new Forerunner, allowing us to import and follow routes in a basic way on this model.

• Monitoring daily activity with the Garmin Forerunner 55 is practically the same as with higher-end models, except for the sleep widget. On the watch, we can see all the metrics of our daily activity: steps, calories, distance, 24-hour heart rate, respiration, and the “body battery” metric (available energy throughout the day).

New features in this model include an improved Body Battery algorithm and the addition of an intensity minutes widget.

Regarding the smartwatch functions of the Garmin Forerunner 55, beyond the stopwatch, alarms, and timer, this model continues to receive mobile and call notifications and displays widgets with the calendar (events scheduled in the mobile calendar), the weather (forecast), and those that can be installed through Connect IQ.

There is no “music” version of the Garmin Forerunner 55, meaning the FR 55 neither stores nor plays music directly to wireless headphones, but we can control the music we are playing on our mobile phone.

Garmin Forerunner 55: prices, colors and available alternatives.

The Garmin Forerunner 55 was launched on June 3, 2021, and is available for purchase at a price of €199 in four different colors, all with a black bezel and inner screen frame, and a watch body that matches the color of the strap (white, black, turquoise, and gray). Below you will find the offers currently available for each color, along with detailed photos:

There’s not much to say about the colors; I like all four, although I might have also matched the bezel color to the rest of the watch.

As for the price, this is the first time I haven’t found the basic Garmin Forerunner 55 model expensive, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think Garmin needs a more affordable version for some EU countries (like the Forerunner 50 I mentioned earlier). For a Garmin watch (known for their high prices), the Forerunner 55 is very well-balanced, and its running features, new sport profiles, and battery life (20 hours) are well worth the €199 price tag. It could have a larger screen, yes, but that would almost certainly eliminate any doubts about choosing this new Garmin Forerunner 55 over the Forerunner 245

What alternatives do I have with similar size and specifications?

• There are so many improvements that I’ve hardly even considered the option of sticking with the Forerunner 45 [review], even though it’s a watch that has everything you need to get started in the world of running. Only the price would convince me not to upgrade to the new version, which is more comfortable (strap) and packed with new features. In any case, if your budget is tight and you want a GPS watch primarily for running, the Forerunner 45, at less than €150, will more than meet your needs, and it’s available in two different sizes:

But if we’re thinking of buying this new Garmin Forerunner 55, that is, we have €199 burning a hole in our pockets, we’ll most likely hesitate between this model and the Forerunner 245 (or the Corps Pace 2), two models with similar prices and sizes.

• Although the Garmin Forerunner 55 has improved significantly in terms of training features, Garmin has maintained some substantial differences compared to its flagship running model, the Forerunner 245 [review]. The Garmin Forerunner 245 stands out from the Garmin Forerunner 55 due to its larger screen (1.2″), the option of integrated music (if you buy the FR245 Music version), blood oxygen saturation tracking, built-in route import, extra training features such as Virtual Racer and dual alerts, several more fitness metrics (training effect and training load), and compatibility with Varia radar.

The problem is that its price is almost always stuck between €240-250, and there are usually more offers for the “music” version than for the version without music.

The Coros Pace 2 could also be a very serious alternative to the Forerunner 55. This Asian/Canadian brand is gaining more and more followers in the US due to its continuous improvements and its ability to incorporate the best features from each of the classic brands in the world of GPS watches (Garmin/Polar/Suunto).

• The Coros Pace 2 has a 1.2″ screen and is priced identically to the FR55. Its performance is excellent in terms of GPS accuracy and battery life (30 hours) and quite acceptable in terms of heart rate monitoring. Advantages over the Forerunner 55 (and the 245) include a swimming profile for open water and triathlon, as well as a barometric altimeter. As for disadvantages (there are few), it’s worth noting that it doesn’t allow you to import routes like the FR245, and its mobile app, which is less comprehensive than Garmin’s, relies on TrainingPeaks to import workouts.

Garmin Forerunner 55: pros, cons and review.

Below, I’ve summarized the main advantages and disadvantages of this new Forerunner 55 that I’ve been discussing:

PROS:

• Advanced training features (PacePro and running strategies).
• Full Connect IQ compatibility.
• Extra profiles for pool swimming and track and field training.
• Excellent battery life in GPS mode (20 hours) and smartwatch mode (14 days).
• Price (more than affordable, it’s a “pro” in recognition of this being the first time I’ve said that the basic Garmin running model isn’t expensive).
• More Forerunner-like design and standard strap closure.
• Very lightweight

CONS:

• Small screen (especially when there’s enough room for a 1.2″ one).
• There is no smaller “Forerunner 55s” version.
• It lacks basic navigation features like Back To Start or similar (this can be compensated for with dwMap

A strength training profile has not been added.

There are few notable drawbacks beyond the screen size or a performance profile that is more than compensated for by the addition of full Connect IQ compatibility. In fact, I would have removed some training features like PacePro, given that it has a standard 1.2″ screen and not the 1.04″ one.

• And there’s not much more to say. While we await another possible, more affordable FR50 version, Garmin has already begun a complete overhaul of its Forerunner series. I don’t think we’ll see a Forerunner with a brighter screen, as that’s what the Venue series is for (Venue 2/2s and Venue Sq), nor will we see improvements in smart features that bring them closer to Apple Watches. They also don’t face much pressure from other classic GPS brands like Polar or Sagunto, which are far less “smart.” Garmin continues on its path, focusing on improving performance (longer battery life and greater accuracy), safety (now without the need for a phone, thanks to the LTE connectivity offered in the Forerunner 745), and increasingly customizing the training tools available for its countless sports profiles. Because, as we’ve seen with this Forerunner 55, the Forerunner series is no longer just for runners.

I hope you found this analysis of the Garmin Forerunner 55 launch interesting, and as always, while I wa

it for a unit to arrive so I can test it, the comments are open for any questions, clarifications, or suggestions.