This time, we will be comparing the Garmin Forerunner 255 vs 745 and list the key differences between them. So that both smart watches are mid-level running watch of Garmin. However, with the latest updates on the Forerunner 255, it looks like more preferable in comparison to the Forerunner 745.
He is the main differences between the Forerunner 255 and the Forerunner 745 that needs to be highlighted:
- You will get larger screen and more pixels with the Forerunner 255 but pay less in comparison to the Forerunner 745.
- The lens of the Forerunner 255 is out dated. The Forerunner 745 has more scratch resistant and has anti-reflective property on its glass.
- Considering the battery-life the Forerunner 255 is the winner by far.
- The standard Forerunner 255 can control your music in your smartphone but cannot store music on its own. However, both Forerunner 255 Music edition and Forerunner 745 can store music up to 500.
- The standard Forerunner 255 lacks Wi-Fi connectivity, however, the 255 Music and the 745 have it.
- To provide more accurate positioning the Forerunner 255 has multi-frequency positioning sensor, which is not included in the Forerunner 745.
If you need a long story short answer for which one is better, the Forerunner 255 or 745, we have prepared following table to list the key points and differences between them:
| Comparison of# | Forerunner 255 | Forerunner 745 |
|---|---|---|
| Latest Price Tag | Rates on Amazon Forerunner 255 41 mm / 46 mm | Rates on Amazon |
| Lens Material | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 | Corning® Gorilla® Glass DX |
| QuickFit™ watch band compatible | yes (46-mm Size: 22-mm & 41 mm- Size: 18-mm) | yes (22 mm compatible) |
| Physical size | 45.6 x 45.6 x 12.9 (mm) 41 x 41 x 12.4 (mm) | 43.8 x 43.8 x 13.3 mm |
| Display resolution | 260 x 260 pixels (46-mm case size) 218 x 218 pixels (41-mm case size) | 240 x 240 pixels |
| Battery life | For Case Size Option 46-mm: Smartwatch Mode: Up to 14 days GPS mode: Up to 30 hours | Smartwatch mode: Up to 7 days GPS mode with music: Up to 6 hours GPS mode without music: Up to 16 hours UltraTrac™ mode: Up to 21 hours |
| Water Resistance | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth®, ANT+® | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® |
| Control Smartphone Music | Yes | Yes |
| On-Device Music Storage | Yes, for Forerunner 255 Music Only | Up to 500 songs |
| Memory | 4 GB Memory | Up to 200 hours of activity |
| Highlighted Sensors & Features | Multi-Frequency Positioning Barometric Altimeter Gyroscope Heart Rate Monitor GPS & GLONASS & GALILEO Accelerometer Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Compass Thermometer | Barometric Altimeter Gyroscope Heart Rate Monitor GPS & GLONASS & GALILEO Accelerometer Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Compass Thermometer |
| LiveTrack & Incident Detection | Yes | Yes |
| Text response & Reject phone call with text (Android™ only) | Yes | Yes |
| Expert Review | Garmin Forerunner 255 Review | Garmin Forerunner 745 vs 955 |
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Key Differences Between Forerunner 255 and 745
To begin with, the new Forerunner 255 has huge updates considering the hardware and software and therefore it can easily compete with its elder brother Forerunner 745. Honestly, we thought that the Forerunner 255 is more preferable than the 745 for some reasons. However, there are couple of things that Forerunner 745 is still doing better than the 255.
So, we compared the Forerunner 255 vs 745 and the key differences between them are based on the following criteria:
- Design, Size & Durability
- Display and Resolution
- Battery-Life
- Smartwatch Features & Sensors
Let’s take a look at them one by one:
Design, Size and Durability
One of the differences between the Forerunner 255 and the 745 are the material of the lens. The Forerunner 255 has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 lens on it, whereas the Forerunner 745 has Corning Gorilla Glass DX. Comparing these two lenses, the scratch resistance and the visibility (anti-reflective property) of the Corning Gorilla Glass DX is better than the Glass 3. So, the Gorilla Glass 3 is an old technology, but it still works fine and cuts the price of Forerunner 255 series in comparison to the 745.
The case material of the Forerunner 255 and 745 are made of fiber-reinforced polymer as well as the all-other Forerunner series. So that considering the durability they are not as tough and sturdy as the Garmin Epix and Fenix line against impact.
Comparing the size options, the Forerunner 255 comes with the different case size options such as 41-mm and 46-mm. Basically, the 46-mm case size option has more resolution and extended battery-life. On the other hand, the Forerunner 745 has 43.8-mm case size. Here is the thing, even if you go with Forerunner 255 Music with 46-mm case size, you will save tons of money in comparison to the Forerunner 745.
Both watches have 5-bottons but not touch screen. This is on purpose, since it is really hard to use the touch screen while running (Except the Forerunner 955 which has touch screen, you can check out the Forerunner 945 vs 955).
Compared the Display Resolution
When we compared the display resolution and the display type of Forerunner 255 and 745;
Both watches have sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP). However, the pixels are different based on which case size you consider. For example,
- Forerunner 255 with 46-mm case size comes with 260 x 260 pixels.
- Forerunner 255 with 41-mm case size comes with 218 x 218 pixels.
- Forerunner 745 comes with 240 x 240 pixels.
Honestly, we still prefer the Forerunner 255 over the Forerunner 745 since it is considerably cheaper even with the 46-mm case size. So, that you will have larger screen but pay less compared to the Forerunner 745.
Forerunner 255 vs 745: Comparing the Battery-life
When it comes to the battery-life comparison of the Forerunner 255 vs 745, it is so clear that the Forerunner 255 is the winner by far. Here is the table we have prepared for you to compare their battery-life:
| Forerunner 255 (46-mm case size) | Forerunner 255S (41-mm case size) | Forerunner 745 |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode: Up to 14 days GPS-only GNSS mode: Up to 30 hours All-Systems GNSS mode with music: Up to 6.5 hours (Forerunner 255 Music Only) All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 25 hours All-Systems GNSS mode plus Multi-Band: Up to 16 hours | Smartwatch mode: Up to 12 days GPS-only GNSS mode: Up to 26 hours All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 20 hours All-Systems GNSS mode plus Multi-Band: Up to 13 hours | Smartwatch mode: Up to 7 days GPS mode without music: Up to 16 hours GPS mode with music: Up to 6 hours UltraTrac™ mode: Up to 21 hours |
Smartwatch Features & Sensors
Comparing the smartwatch features and sensors of Forerunner 255 and 745:
The Forerunner 255 has Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity, yet it lacks Wi-Fi connectivity which is a huge down side. But, the Forerunner 255 Music edition includes Wi-Fi connectivity. On the other hand, the Forerunner 745 has all these three connectivity options: Bluetooth, ANT+ and Wi-Fi.
When it comes to the music, the Forerunner 255 can control your music in your smartphone. The problem here is the storing music while your phone is not with you. So that the Forerunner 255 Music edition has the ability to store music up to 500-songs, but not the Forerunner 255 standard edition. On the other hand, the Forerunner 745 has this feature by default and can store music up to 500.
Considering the memory, the Forerunner 745 has a memory of up to 200-hours of data recording. On the other hand, Garmin enhanced the memory on the Forerunner 255 series with a 4-GB memory card which is huge in comparison to the 200-hours of activity data recording of the Forerunner 745.
The last difference that we would like to point out is the multi-frequency position sensor that is included in the Forerunner 255 but not in the 745. This sensor has the capable of receiving location data from multiple satellites and delivers more accurate positioning.
Bottom-life for Forerunner 255 vs 745 Comparison
If you are wondering which one is better, the Forerunner 255 or the Forerunner 745, here is our verdict:
We do prefer the Forerunner 255 over the 745. Because the larger option of the Forerunner 255 has more battery-life, larger screen and pixels but still being considerably cheaper in comparison to the Forerunner 745, even if you go with the 255 Music edition.
You may also want to check out following articles to find out how the other darn good smartwatches are doing:
- Garmin Vivoactive vs Forerunner Compared
- Fitbit Sense vs Versa 3 Compared
- Garmin Fenix 6 vs Fenix 7 Compared: Updates and Key Differences
References:
Garmin Forerunner 255 support and how to use video:
Introduction to Garmin Forerunner 255 and its user manual: https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-676967A0-1B23-4384-9BC9-76F3D643F1C8/EN-US/Forerunner_255_OM_EN-US.pdf
Garmin Forerunner 745 support and how to use video:
Introduction to Garmin Forerunner 745 and its user manual: https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-2492EDA1-1182-400B-8F43-D8B3211E4F3C/EN-US/Forerunner_745_OM_EN-US.pdf