The Garmin Forerunner 255 is an excellent pick for a running watch in the middle price bracket that won’t disappoint. The Garmin Forerunner 255 is a running watch that has everything a runner needs.
As a result, when Garmin launched the Forerunner 255, the question was raised as to what was new. And whether or not it was worth the price. Clearly, the answer is yes, and it’s also really condensed. Here, we give you a better understanding of the many additional functions that have been added to the Garmin Forerunner 255.
Runners will appreciate no longer having to carry a phone around when they wear the Forerunner 255, which comes in two sizes: 42mm and 46mm. You can get a watch that plays music or one that doesn’t. With the addition of multisport profiles, the Forerunner 255 has been transformed from a running watch to one that can help you train for a triathlon.
Read: The Best Features of a Garmin Forerunner Watch
Cost and availability
The Garmin Forerunner 255 comes in two sizes. 42mm and 46mm. Both known as the Forerunner 255S and Forerunner 255, respectively. Users of the Forerunner 255 have the option of either storing their music on the device or not. For $349 or £299, you can get the Forerunner 255 without music. While the Forerunner 255 Music costs $399 or £349.
The Forerunner 245 came on the market for $299 without music and $349 with music for a price premium of about $50. What I like most is that it has some high-tech capabilities that are worth the extra money.
The watch comes in various color schemes depending on the size you select. Also, whether or not you want to store music on the watch. The Forerunner 255 is available in many colors, including black, white, tidal blue, slate grey, light pink, and powder grey.
Using Garmin’s Quick Release bands, you may swap the watch band for a leather or metal one. Other Forerunner watches have this feature as well.
Design
Instead of a touchscreen, the Forerunner 255 has five buttons: three on the left and two on the right. Like with the new Fenix 7 and Forerunner 955 watches. When you begin to exercise, the touchscreen becomes inoperable—making the lack of a touch screen less of a downside, in my opinion. Anyone who has tried to swipe on a touchscreen with a sweaty finger can relate to the reality that touchscreens are not always worth the cost.
The info panel, as on other Garmin watches, can be customized. And much like on Garmin’s recent watches, you can alter everything via the Garmin Connect app in addition to the watch itself.
Health
Things begin to become intriguing at this point. A few of Garmin’s more advanced health features have made their way down to the Forerunner 255, which makes it a more affordable option. This device also gets a sleep monitor and a heart rate monitor. The watch has the most recent version of Garmin’s Elevate sensor. The green light measures the wearer’s heart rate, and the red light measures their blood oxygen levels (referred to as Pulse Ox on the watch). The stress level, as well as the HRV and breathing rate, can be determined using this sensor.
Automatic sleep tracking is possible with the Forerunner 255 and its predecessor, the Forerunner 245. As a result, you can see how much sleep you had. Also, how severe your workouts were the day before. Plus, an estimate of the weather forecast for today’s run. It’s nice that the Morning Report keeps showing up on the screen until you close it.
Separating the Morning Report from the Training Readiness score, which is available on higher-priced watches like Garmin’s Fenix 7 and Forerunner 955, is critical. Both of these results are available on the watch. The Forerunner 255’s Body Battey score provides an overall snapshot of your health, while the Training Readiness score gives you a sense of how vigorously you should exercise on a given day.
No matter the scenario you use it for, the Morning Report is a useful tool that lets you customize what information appears in the report to meet your individual requirements.
Health Snapshot
The Garmin Health Snapshot feature, first seen on the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, is also available on the Forerunner 255. Heart rate, blood oxygen level, stress level, respiration rate, and heart rate variability are all recorded within a single two-minute assessment (HRV). Regular recording, ideally at the same time every day, is essential to get an accurate picture of your health’s evolution through time. Your stats summary is ready in two minutes, and you may examine them on the Garmin Connect app or export them to PDF.
In the Garmin Connect app, you can track your periods and hydration levels like most other Garmin watches.
Fitness
One of the key reasons for purchasing a sports watch is to keep track of your favorite sporting events. Every feature you’d expect to find in a Forerunner watch is in the Forerunner 255, including many sports modes. Customize the info panels for each specific sport profile using the watch’s built-in settings or the Garmin Connect mobile app.
Forerunner 255’s workout suggestions and the new race calendar and countdown widgets can help you prepare for a significant effort. Fitness-wise, both of these traits are beneficial. You get an idea of how long it’ll take to complete various race distances by using our new “race prediction” widget.
For runners
Predefined race markers such as aid stations and climbs are now visible to users with the ‘Up Ahead’ function in Forerunner 255. The device also provides race day performance prediction so users can see if they are improving or slowing down throughout a race. It was previously only available on the higher-end models of the Forerunner that included both of these capabilities.
The addition of triathlon and multisport activity profiles to the Forerunner 255 further distinguishes it from the Forerunner 255. Until now, only the more expensive Garmin Forerunner watches could keep track of brick sessions and triathlons.
Finally, Garmin’s new Acute Load feature is on the Forerunner 255. Compared to the seven-day load function, it updates more often, so if you did a grueling race five days ago, the load will decrease over time as you recuperate. The seven-day load feature has had a slight tweak. This feature keeps you from being labeled as “unproductive” after a heavy week.
Read: Why Is the Garmin Forerunner 235 Still a Great Choice?
Smartwatch features
Running watches these days aren’t only for running anymore; they’re made to be worn at all times. So smartwatch features have been added to fitness watches in recent years. Unfortunately, it allows you to see notifications from your phone on the watch, but you can’t respond. All Forerunner watches do this, though. With the Forerunner 255, you don’t have to remove your phone from your pocket to make a payment utilizing Garmin Pay’s contactless capabilities.
With the Forerunner 255 Music watch, you can sync up to 500 songs and playlists from Spotify or Deezer. It’s yet another way to keep your phone at home when working out so you can focus on your training. You can load a few episodes of your favorite podcast into the watch in a matter of seconds.
As a bonus, you’re able to leave your phone at home as you can listen to music through wireless headphones. This is a feature I’d most likely make use of in the weight room. If you’re like me and don’t think you’ll ever want to put music on your watch, you can save $50 by purchasing the Forerunner 255 without the music option.
Comparison of the Garmin Forerunner 245 and 255
Both the Forerunner 255 and the Forerunner 255S include a color MIP display that can be read even in bright sunlight. It didn’t matter what kind of illumination was used. The Forerunner 255S has a display diameter of 1.1 inches, while the Forerunner 255 has a display diameter of 1.3 inches, both of which are 46 millimeters across.
Additionally, the Forerunner 255 has a greater resolution than the Forerunner 245 since the Forerunner 255’s display is twice as large as the Forerunner 245’s display, which is 240 pixels wide and 24 pixels tall. However, the more modern watch’s screen appears to have more brightness and color to it, something you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at them side by side.
The duration of a battery’s life In comparison to its predecessor, Garmin’s Forerunner 255 offers improved battery life. The Forerunner 255 has a 14-day battery life, which is twice as long as the Forerunner 245, which only has seven-day battery life. Forerunner 255’s GPS battery life is 30 hours, compared to the Forerunner 245’s 25 hours, which is an improvement.
Read: The Garmin Forerunner 235 vs 245: Our Honest Review
Verdict
A terrific watch for runners of any skill level is worth the money. Even after using the Forerunner 255 for many weeks, users who’ve tried it out say they don’t plan on changing models any time soon. You can get all the functionality you need from a running watch in a smaller and lighter package.
In terms of fitness tracking, the Forerunner 255 is significantly superior to the Apple Watch, and it has a longer battery life, making it a better choice for serious training purposes. In the $349 range, the Forerunner 255 is comparable to the Apple Watch Series 7. However, there is no competition if you need a watch for proper exercise.
When it comes to running watches, the Forerunner 55 from Garmin is a fantastic option for those who can’t afford to spend a lot of money. If you already possess a Forerunner 235 or 245 model, I would recommend upgrading to this model because of the new features.
In addition to the two distinct sizes and the accurate GPS, there are music and non-music variants and wireless charging for multisport and triathlon events.
Read next: Garmin Forerunner Troubleshooting: All You Need To Know
Follow us on social media to stay up to date with our latest articles
      |
Last Updated on December 19, 2022
Maygen is a multifaceted writer, proofreader, and experienced smartwatch industry writing and editing professional.
We appreciate her work, contribution to our blog, marketing skills, editing, and expert writing abilities which are second to none.
Truly adept in content strategy and content creation which has immense contribution to our blog.