Garmin Forerunner 945 vs Forerunner 745

The Forerunner series is one of the best sports smartwatches available, especially for triathletes. They are sturdy, can last for a considerable number of years, and provide multi-sport capabilities. We look at the two remarkable Forerunner watch models to compare the differences between the two. Forerunner 745 has been followed up by the Forerunner 945 smartwatch. There are feature advancements on Forerunner 945. We look at the differences between the two Forerunner models below.

Forerunner 945 is priced $100 higher than the Forerunner 745. What are the incremental features or functions on Forerunner 945? Let us review these below.

Size and Weight

Forerunner 945 is a 47 mm watch while the Forerunner 745 is a 44 mm watch.
Forerunner 945 weighs 50 g and Forerunner 745 weighs 47 g.
Both watches can easily use a 22 mm watch band.
Forerunner 745 is recommended for a wrist circumference between 126-216 mm. Forerunner 945 is recommended for a wrist circumference between 130-220 mm.

There is not much of a difference in the physical size, build or shape of Forerunner 945 and Forerunner 745 smartwatches.

Battery

Forerunner 945 scores big on battery backup in comparison to Forerunner 745 smartwatches. The battery backup on Forerunner 945 is almost double of the battery backup of the Forerunner 745.

On the smartwatch mode, Forerunner 745 offers 7 days of backup and Forerunner 945 offers 14 days of backup.
On GPS mode, Forerunner 745 offers 16 hours of backup and Forerunner 945 offers 36 hours of backup.
On GPS with music, Forerunner 745 offers 6 hours of backup and Forerunner 945 offers 10 hours of battery backup.

Internal Memory Storage

In terms of storage, Forerunner 945 has an additional storage capacity than Forerunner 745. A Forerunner 745 can store up to 500 songs. This storage capacity on Forerunner 945 has been increased. Now, the Forerunner 945 can store up to 1000 songs.

Golf app

Forerunner 945 comes with the Golf app. Forerunner 945 allows you to play a game of Golf through the app. You can connect to a GPS satellite and it will pick up the location and share golf course data with you for a game of Golf. Forerunner 945 has a full suite of golfing features, that include the following:

Preloaded with 42,000 courses worldwide
Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green)
Yardage to layups/doglegs
Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) automatic
Digital scorecard
Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit)
Garmin AutoShot™Auto
CourseView updates
Green View with manual pin position
Hazards and course targets
TruSwing™ compatible
Round timer/odometer

Outdoor Recreation Profiles and Maps

Forerunner 945 has additional outdoor recreation profiles for Climbing and Mountain biking. However, the availability of pre-loaded topo maps and trail maps on Forerunner 945 is a solid feature. Topo maps for the geographical area are pre-installed on the Forerunner 945. On Forerunner 745, you will need to buy these from the Garmin maps website. Or, you could use the Opensource maps on your device.

Apart from the additional recreation profiles, topo maps, and trails map, the Forerunner 945 also provides:

Around Me mode
Downloadable cartography support
Projected waypoint
XERO™ Locations

In terms of maps, the Forerunner 945 has preinstalled:

Topo maps
Roads and trail maps
Cycle maps that contain cycling-specific routable maps for an area.

The preinstalled maps make Forerunner 945 a fit case for athletes, cyclists and hikers.

Other features

There are a few miscellaneous feature advancements on Forerunner 945. You may want to be aware of these feature upgrades.

Forerunner 945 can monitor respiration rate during exercises.
You can also access the on-screen workout animations for Gym profiles.
Round-trip course creator (running/cycling) is available on Forerunner 945. On Forerunner 745, you can access this on the Garmin Connect app.
Trendline Popularity rating is available on Forerunner 945. On Forerunner 745, you can access TPR on the Garmin Connect app.

Costs

Forerunner 945 has a list price of $599 and the Forerunner 745 has a list price of $499. For the price difference of $100, you get access to incremental features. Would you take a Forerunner 945 for one of the advanced features?

Summary

Forerunner 945 justifies incremental costs over Forerunner 745 due to the following points:

Forerunner 945 had additional storage.
Forerunner 945 has a much better battery backup time.
Forerunner 945 can integrate with the Golf app.
Most importantly, preloaded top maps, preloaded roads and trail maps, and preloaded cycle maps are the best possible gains that can be had with a Forerunner 945. It takes away the hassles of downloading maps. This feature is very useful for hikers, mountain bikers, cyclists, or runners.

Forerunner 945 is an appropriate watch for a serious athlete, Golf enthusiast, cyclist, mountain biker, or cross-country runner. There are no two ways about it.

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Helen Kurt

Helen Kurt is a geeky nerd who loves to cover the wearables space. She has over 5 years of experience in the smartwatch domain. You can reach her on email at [email protected]