Garmin Forerunner 745 vs Forerunner 945

Garmin Forerunner 945 and Forerunner 745 are two of the finest Forerunner watches around. Both watches make compelling choices as value-for-money smartwatches for runners.

We look at some of the main differences in features and capabilities of the Forerunner 945 and Forerunner 745 below.

Smartwatch features covered in this post

Main differences

The main differences between the Garmin Forerunner 945 and Forerunner 745 are given below:

Garmin Forerunner 945 uses the 3rd generation DX-coated Corning Gorilla Glass while Forerunner 745 uses the 1st generation DX-coated Corning Gorilla Glass in the display lens.
Garmin Forerunner 945 is broader than Forerunner 745. Forerunner 945 has a size of 47 mm while Forerunner 745 has a size of 44 mm.
Forerunner 945 offers longer battery backup than the Forerunner 745.
Forerunner 945 has higher device storage (16 GB) than Forerunner 745 (4 GB).
Forerunner 945 is fully compatible with Garmin Golf. Forerunner 745 does not support Golf.
Garmin Forerunner 945 also comes with preloaded topo maps, road maps, and trail maps.
Garmin Forerunner 945 was released in April 2019 and Forerunner 745 was released in September 2020.

We look at these features in detail below.

Display specifications

Forerunner 945 is a broader watch and the display is bigger than the display of Forerunner 745.

The chief display difference, however, lies in the display lens. Forerunner 945 uses 3rd generation DX-coated Corning Gorilla Glass and Forerunner 745 uses 1st generation DX-coated Corning Gorilla Glass.

Apart from this, both watches use the MIP screen or Memory-in-pixel screen.

We look at a quick summary of display features of Forerunner 945 and Forerunner 745 below.

Display specifications	Garmin Forerunner 745	Garmin Forerunner 945
Display lens	Corning Gorilla Glass DX	Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX
Display size	1.2″ or 30 mm	1.2″ or 30 mm
Display type	MIP (Memory-in-pixel)	MIP (Memory-in-pixel)
Display resolution	240 x 240 pixels	240 x 240 pixels
Color display	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	No	No
Ambient light sensor	No	No
LED Flashlight	No	No

Forerunner 745 and Forerunner 945 lack touchscreen functionality. You will need to make use of the tactile buttons for performing all tasks through both watches.

Physical specifications

Forerunner 745 and Forerunner 945 have all the basic functionality expected of a Forerunner series smartwatch. Except for the physical size difference, almost all the physical attributes are similar for both watches.

Physical specifications	Forerunner 745	Forerunner 945
Watch size	43.8 x 43.8 x 13.3 mm	47 x 47 x 13.7 mm
Thickness	13.3 mm	13.7 mm
Watch weight	47 g	50 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	16 GB
NFC or Contactless Payments	Garmin Pay	Garmin Pay
Swimming profiles	Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Swimrun	Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Swimrun
Wireless Connectivity	ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi	ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO	GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO
Multi-band GPS	No	No
Barometric altimeter	Yes	Yes
Compass	Yes	Yes
Gyroscope	Yes	Yes
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes
Thermometer	Yes	Yes

Some significant features of Forerunner 745 and Forerunner 945 include the following:

5 ATM water rating or 50 Meters of water resistance
NFC or Contactless payments through Garmin Pay
Wireless connectivity includes ANT+, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi

Although Forerunner 945 is bigger than Forerunner 745, the screen area remains unchanged between the two watches.

Battery

The battery backup of Forerunner 945 is almost twice the backup offered by Forerunner 745. A list of battery backup offered on different watch modes is shared below for both watches.

Watch mode	Forerunner 745	Forerunner 945
Smartwatch mode	Up to 7 days	Up to 14 days
GPS mode without music	Up to 16 hours	Up to 36 hours
GPS mode with music	Up to 6 hours	Up to 10 hours
UltraTrac mode:	Up to 21 hours	–

Both Forerunners come with decent battery back. But, Forerunner 945 has longer battery backup than Forerunner 745.

Music

Forerunner 945 and Forerunner 745 offer full music functionality. You can manage the following music features on a Forerunner 945 or Forerunner 745:

You can control and play music on the paired smartphone using the smartwatch
You can store music content on the smartwatch storage
You can manage the smartwatch music directly from the watch interface
You can download apps like Spotify from the ConnectIQ store and stream music with a premium subscription

GPS

Forerunner 945 and Forerunner 745 support GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO satellite networks.

However, both watches do not support multi-band GPS. Both watches are missing the multi-frequency positioning sensor. The multi-frequency positioning sensor is needed to offer multi-band GPS capability on the smartwatch.

LTE Connectivity

Forerunner 945 comes in two different variants. There is a standard edition and an LTE edition.

The LTE edition of Forerunner 945 comes with the ability to connect to LTE networks directly from the smartwatch. This means that you do not need to carry the paired smartphone at all times. You can connect to the cellular networks directly from the watch.

Costs

Forerunner 945 costs $499.99 for the standard edition and $599.99 for the LTE edition. Forerunner 745 costs $499.99.

Final verdict

Forerunner 945 and Forerunner 745 have the same list price.

Things that work in favor of Forerunner 745:

Forerunner 745 is a newer variant.

Things that work in favor of Forerunner 945:

Forerunner 945 supports Golf.
It has a higher device storage or internal storage of 16 GB
Forerunner 945 uses the 3rd generation DX-coated Corning Gorilla Glass in the display
You do have an option to get the LTE variant by opting to pay an additional cost of $100

At the end of the day, it all boils down to your specific goals for the Forerunner range. Both, Forerunner 945 and Forerunner 745 make smart running smartwatch choices.

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