Garmin Forerunner 55 introduction – 15 news this sporty shorty brings

Tags: News | Garmin | Smart

16.6.2021 | 4 MIN

The Forerunner 55 launched on the same day as the Forerunner 945 LTE, which received most of the attention. It actually reminds me of my cousin, who was born on December 24th. His birth is also minor to the birth of Jesus Christ. However, even though this shorty was put in the corner, it has a lot to offer.

What does the Forerunner 55 bring compared to the Forerunner 45?

• It is offered in one size only with a diameter of 42 mm
• The new model is 2 mm thicker and 1 gram havier (yes, it is not that noticeable)
• Battery life doubled (this is definitely noticeable)
• The strap is not attached firmly as the Quick-Release system was used
• Connect IQ support (third party applications, widgets, looks)
• Possibility to display widgets in the form of a list or full screen
• Added daily training recommendations function
• Added race predictions (for 5 km, 10 km, half marathon and marathon)
• Added prediction of race time when entering distance
• Added recovery time
• Added respiration rate tracking
• When monitoring sports activity, it displays up to 4 data (earlier model only 3)
• Added monitoring of activities like pool swimming, HIIT and track running (better measurement)
• Added the PacePro function (suggests an ideal pace according to the altitude profile of the route)
• Added Virtual Run (used on treadmills, to broadcast data about you)

Forerunner 55 was born in the shadows

I'm quite surprised that the Forerunner 945 LTE got so much attention and the Foreruner 55 got almost none. Damn it, it's a bomb! Garmin took away everything I didn't like about the Forerunner 45. So now it will probably be the best inexpensive quality sports tester. Yes, there are still some cheaper brands line Xiaomi, Amazfit or Samsung, but let's be real, Garmin absolutely excels in sports. Plus, they're not entirely sports testers. But the Forerunner 55 definitely is. So let's introduce it.

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One size case diameter won't be an issue

The previous model was offered in the Forerunner 45 and Forerunner 45S versions. The smaller version (diameter of 39 mm) fits beautifully on a thinner wrist and the larger version is for anyone else.

But now there is only one version with a diameter of 42 millimeters. First, I was worried, but then I realized that the strap of Forerunner 45 had some harder parts in the beggining. It was attached by screws and it didn't fit on the wrist correctly.

The fastening was solved with screws and the strap could not be bent at all up to 1 cm from the lugs.

Now, the Forerunner 55 is attached by quick release spring bars so the strap can be bent directly next to the lugs. The previous model could not do that.

The strap is attached with quick release spring bars and it rotates directly next to the lugs – it adapts better to the wrist. Source: Androidauthority

The battery life doubled and it is breathtaking

I wouldn't expect it in this price category, but the battery life really doubled. From the original week long battery life, the Forerunner 55 is now able to work for as long as 2 weeks. For receiving GPS signal it extended it's life from 13 hours to 20 hours.

Connect IQ support was really missing in the Forerunner 45

That was something that actually bugged me. The original model could not be enriched by any new look, app or widget. The Forerunner 55 now fully supports the additional mobile application Connect IQ.

The menu in the form of a list is well-arranged

This type of menu was typical for higher models, but gradually it got into the lower ones too, so I was very pleased that we can now find this style in the Forerunner 55.

Source: DCRainmaker

What new sports features can be found in the Forerunner 55?

Personally, I was pleased the most with the daily suggestions, where the watch recommends a suitable training every day when starting a specific sports activity.

Another tweak is the fitness age or the estimate of the VO₂ Max value. New is also the feature Race Predictor for 5 km, 10 km, half marathon and marathon.

To let you know when to rest, the watch now, in addition to monitoring stress, sleep, heart rate, breathing and Body Battery, also has an estimate of the recovery time after training.

From the more specific features there is track monitoring, that was first seen in Forerunner 745, the PacePro feature, which can estimate an ideal pace according to the altitude profile of the route and also the Virtual Run feature, which allows you to pair the watch with your treadmill (e.g. Zwift) and share data about your heart rate etc. You will also be pleased with the pool swimming and HIIIT monitoring (which first appeared in Venus 2).

Little dissapointing is the absence of a new heart rate sensor, which can be found in Venu 2 or Forerunner 945 LTE. But that's fine, it can't be too perfect. :)

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