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Tracking and Sensors
The Garmin Forerunner 45 is packed with a decent range of sensors. It has got GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Garmin Elevate heart rate monitor, and accelerometer. It has a four-LED Garmin Elevate heart rate monitoring sensor, which is a must-have for any running watch.
In addition to tracking your mid-run beats per minute (bpm), the 45 also gives you your resting heart rate over 7-days and lets you track it over 4 hours. There’s also an abnormal heart rate alert that spots if your resting rate hits 100bpm.
The final thing of note on heart rate is that you can also disable the optical sensor to extend the battery life, which is useful.
Battery life
At this price, you’re ideally looking for a running watch that will last you a week of training on a single charge and one that has enough single-session juice to cover a long marathon. The Garmin Forerunner 45 does both easily.
In our tests, the watch managed a full week with hour-long runs daily. We did, however, switch off the smart notifications out of preference, and this may have extended the life a little. But there’s ample battery here.
Verdict
Smartwatches specializing in running have taken some giant leaps forward in the past few years. The Forerunner 45 falls in that line and offers brilliant tracking systems that were once the only privy to flagship watches.
It is a running watch for beginners who want to track their laps and keep an eye on their everyday activity and health. The watch is also recommended for those who prefer to keep their run-tracking simple and don’t need the extra frills and features that come on some higher-end devices.
Garmin Forerunner 45 is clever and compact, though slightly pricey, offers more than enough features for beginner runners. All in all, it's a reliable option that’s punching well above its price tag.
