Garmin Forerunner 255 is a relatively newer variant in the Forerunner range of smartwatches. It was released in June 2022. Forerunner 745 is a slightly dated model as it was released in the year 2020.
However, the Forerunner 745 continues to be a value-for-money watch for runners. We review the two smartwatches below.
Main differences
- Forerunner 745 is costlier than Forerunner 255 by almost $150.
- Forerunner 255 supports multi-band GPS or dual-frequency GPS.
- Forerunner 255 does not support Wi-Fi wireless connectivity. However, the Forerunner 255 Music edition does support Wi-Fi connectivity. You may have to spend more money to get a Forerunner 255 Music edition smartwatch.
- Forerunner 745 uses a DX-coated Corning Gorilla Glass of 3rd generation. Forerunner 255 uses the normal 3rd generation Corning Gorilla Glass in the display lens.
- Forerunner 255 has a longer battery backup than the Forerunner 745.
- Forerunner 745 and Forerunner 255 differ in activity profiles. The list of differences in the profiles is shared below.
We look at some of these features and points below.
Display specifications
Forerunner 745 uses a DX-coated Corning Gorilla glass. DX coating of the display lens is an anti-reflective coating. It improves the display readability of the smartwatch, especially under bright sun.
Both watches use a MIP screen. MIP screen has a lower display resolution. But, it does conserve significant battery charge.
We look at all the display specifications of Forerunner 745 and Forerunner 255 below.
| Display specifications | Garmin Forerunner 745 | Garmin Forerunner 255 |
|---|---|---|
| Display lens | Corning Gorilla Glass DX | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Display size | 1.2″ or 30 mm | 1.3″ or 33 mm |
| Display type | MIP (Memory-in-pixel) | MIP (Memory-in-pixel) |
| Display resolution | 240 x 240 pixels | 260 x 260 pixels |
| Color display | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Ambient light sensor | No | No |
| LED Flashlight | No | No |
It may be pertinent to point out that Forerunner 745 and Forerunner 255 do not have touchscreen functionality. All the smartwatch functions are handled directly using the tactile buttons on the watch body.
Physical specifications
Forerunner 745 and Forerunner 255 differ in supporting Wi-Fi connectivity. Forerunner 745 does have Wi-Fi support. Forerunner 255 does not support Wi-Fi. However, Forerunner 255 supports Wi-Fi in the music edition variant.
The main hardware specifications of Forerunner 745 and Forerunner 255 are given in the table of comparison below.
| Physical specifications | Forerunner 745 | Forerunner 255 |
|---|---|---|
| Watch size | 43.8 x 43.8 x 13.3 mm | 45.6 x 45.6 x 12.9 mm |
| Thickness | 13.3 mm | 12.9 mm |
| Watch weight | 47 g | 49 g |
| Watch body | Fiber-enforced polymer | Fiber-enforced polymer |
| Band material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Band size | 22 mm | 22 mm |
| Water rating | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Device storage | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| NFC or Contactless Payments | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Swimming profiles | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Swimrun | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming |
| Wireless Connectivity | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | ANT+, Bluetooth |
| Barometric altimeter | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Thermometer | Yes | Yes |
The important points to note are:
- NFC or contactless payments are supported on both watches using the Garmin Pay app
- Lack of wi-fi connectivity in Forerunner 255 standard version
GPS
Forerunner 745 and the Forerunner 255 support GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellite networks.
However, Forerunner 255 is compatible with multi-band GPS or dual-frequency GPS.
Multi-band GPS on the device has been made possible due to the addition of a multi-frequency positioning sensor. This improves the GPS accuracy and reliability of Forerunner 255.
Multi-band GPS allows the device to get GPS data from multiple satellites at the same time. This is very useful when you are in a remote area or on the hills. In areas with poor GPS connectivity or weak GPS signals, multi-band GPS allows you to approach more than one satellite for fetching the GPS data.
To optimize the battery life of the Forerunner 255, Garmin has also added the SatIQ sensor. SatIQ is a relatively newer technology. SatIQ controls the use of multi-band GPS mode automatically.
When the GPS connectivity is poor, SatIQ will automatically turn on the multi-band GPS mode.
When the GPS connectivity improves, SatIQ will toggle off the multi-band GPS and use simple GPS mode for getting GPS data points.
Forerunner 745 does not support multi-band GPS.
Use of multi-band GPS and SatIQ technology is a positive feature in the Forerunner 255. Forerunner 745 lacks multi-band GPS and SatIQ technology.
Music
Forerunner 745 supports a full-fledged music feature. This means that on a Forerunner 745 you can use the smartwatch for the following music functions:
- Store music on the device for offline listening
- Manage smartwatch storage and music directly from the watch interface
- Manage, control, and play the music on the paired smartphone from the smartwatch
- Download ConnectIQ apps for music streaming apps like Spotify to stream music directly
Forerunner 255 standard edition has limited music functionality. This means that you can use Forerunner 255 for the following music features:
- Manage, control, and play the music on the paired smartphone from the smartwatch interface
If you are happy to organize music directly through the paired smartphone, Forerunner 255 should also work well.
If you need Forerunner 255 with music features, you can upgrade your smartwatch choice from Forerunner 255 to Forerunner 255 Music edition.
The music edition of Forerunner 255 comes with Wi-Fi and music features.
Forerunner 745 has full music coverage. Forerunner 255 can control music on the paired smartphone.
Battery
Forerunner 255 has a longer battery backup than the Forerunner 745.
We have compared the battery backup of Forerunner 255 and Forerunner 745 in the table below.
| Watch mode | Forerunner 745 | Forerunner 255 |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 7 days | Up to 14 days |
| GPS mode without music | Up to 16 hours | Up to 30 hours |
| GPS mode with music | Up to 6 hours | |
| All-Systems GNSS mode | Up to 25 hours | |
| All-Systems GNSS mode plus Multi-Band | Multi-band not available | Up to 16 hours |
| UltraTrac mode: | Up to 21 hours |
The battery backup of Forerunner 255 is almost twice the backup offered by a Forerunner 745.
Costs
Forerunner 745 comes at a list price of $499.99 and Forerunner 255 has a list price of $349.99. Forerunner 255 Music edition costs $399.99.
Final verdict
We prefer Forerunner 255 over Forerunner 745 for the following reasons:
- Forerunner 255 offers multi-band GPS
- It is cheaper than the Forerunner 745.
- It is a newer variant than the Forerunner 745
- SatIQ technology makes battery backup management an automated process
- Forerunner 255 offers longer battery backup than the Forerunner 745
Suggested watch comparisons
You may like to read more about the following smartwatch comparisons:
- Garmin Vivoactive 4 vs Google Pixel Watch
- Garmin Venu 2 Plus vs Google Pixel Watch
- Garmin Forerunner 965 vs Google Pixel Watch
- Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar vs Enduro 2
- Garmin Forerunner 955 vs Enduro 2
- Garmin Fenix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar vs Enduro 2
- Garmin Epix Pro 2 Sapphire vs Enduro 2
- Garmin Forerunner 965 vs Enduro 2
- Garmin Forerunner 245 vs Fitbit Sense 2
- Garmin Venu Sq 2 vs Fitbit Sense 2
- Garmin Vivoactive 4 vs Fitbit Sense 2
- Garmin Venu 2 Plus vs Fitbit Sense 2
- Garmin Forerunner 255 vs Fitbit Sense 2
- Garmin Forerunner 265 vs Fitbit Sense 2