Smartwatches nowadays are already equipped with lots of health-centric features normally found in fitness trackers that the two wearables have become indistinguishable from one another. One such smartwatch is the Garmin Forerunner 645. This well-rounded smartwatch allows you to leave your phone in your bag while you sweat it out.
Right now, the standard version of the Forerunner 645 is available on Amazon for a sweet $85 discount. Sport this lightweight yet powerful watch for $315 instead of $400
Since the Garmin Forerunner 645 is designed primarily for runners, it has a rugged and sporty appearance. Even if you won’t necessarily wear it with a suit, it looks classy enough to wear on a daily basis. Plus, you can replace its silicone band with something dressier like a leather strap. Its stainless-steel bezel surrounds a chemically strengthened glass crystal watch face. This watch is not a touchscreen though, unlike the Apple Watch or Garmin’s very own Fenix 5X. Instead, you’ll find five physical buttons around it. Going through the watch’s interface is quite easy, and there are a few handy secondary button shortcuts for quicker navigation.
The Forerunner 645 is packed with sensors. It comes with a built-in GPS, GLONASS, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer, barometric altimeter, and a heart-rate monitor. Basically, there’s not much that this watch can’t do. Well, it doesn’t have onboard music storage. For that, you need to spend a few extra bucks for the Forerunner 645 Music version.
This watch is a runner’s dream and something marathoners should seriously consider buying. While cycling or running, the watch knows exactly when you stop and will automatically pause the GPS, so it won’t mess up your metrics. Aside from the usual speed and distance, you also get numbers on stride length, cadence, vertical ratio, ground contact time, and balance. All this data can be overwhelming but thankfully the Garmin Connect app presents all the information clearly, so you’ll be able to make perfect sense out of it. The watch will also inform you if you’re working out not nearly enough, too much, or just right. At the end of each exercise, it will spit out readings and suggestions to keep you more invested in your fitness journey.
In terms of smart features, the Forerunner 645 allows you to read and respond to text messages and notifies you of social media updates and emails. Everything is easy to read even with direct sunlight thanks to its Chroma Display. You can also customize the watch face, widgets, and featured apps to your liking. Lastly, this watch can last for up to seven days in smartwatch mode and 12 hours in GPS mode.
The Garmin Forerunner 645 is handsomely designed, loaded with features and boasts a week-long battery life. It may not offer onboard music storage, but honestly, that’s the only drawback to this otherwise solid sports wearable.
