Garmin has launched a new health watch for runners and triathletes, the Garmin Forerunner 745. The new device is a follow-up to the Forerunner 735XT, which launched back in 2016.
One of the Forerunner 745’s key new features is a pulse oximeter to trace blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) – a very useful metric for getting an image of your general fitness, which is found in virtually all of Garmin’s newest running watches.
The launch comes simply hours after Apple released its first watch with an SpO2 sensor – the Apple Watch 6 – however, the two devices are designed for very totally different audiences.
Whereas the Apple Watch 6 may be very a lot an on a regular basis smartwatch with exercise monitoring choices for common health, the brand new Forerunner 745 is constructed with athletes firmly in thoughts and builds on the features of its predecessor.
For example, the Forerunner 745 now tracks coaching depth and recommends exercises to optimize your training. Garmin also claims improved accuracy for observing operating periods. For multi-activity workouts and brick training periods, you may change between actions with a single press of a button.
The Forerunner 745 also offers new smartwatch features, including music playback with storage for as much as 500 songs, plus the ability to sync playlists from streaming providers together with Spotify (although it may well stream immediately). There’s Garmin Pay integration as properly, so you may depart your pockets at the house on runs and rides – supplied your financial institution is amongst these supported.
You can count on up to per week of battery life when using the Forerunner 745 in smartwatch mode, as much as 16 hours in GPS mode, and up to six hours in GPS mode with music.
The worth displays these more advanced features – whereas the Apple Watch 6 starts at $399 / £379 / AU$599 for the GPS-only 40mm version, the brand new Forerunner 745 is priced at £449.99 (about $580 / AU$790). It’s obtainable in three colors: Neo Tropic, Magma Red, Whitestone and Black.
Finger on the heartbeat
Garmin has also introduced a new chest-strap heart charge monitor that may be paired with the Forerunner 745: the Garmin HRM-Pro, which connects to compatible watches through ANT+ and Bluetooth.
It can also hook up to suitable treadmills and other gym gear, capturing dynamics together with cadence, stride size, contact time, vertical oscillation, and running power to help you analyze and enhance your kind.
The HRM-Pro offers a water resistance rating of 5ATM, making it ideal for swimming and different water sports, and is on sale now for £119.99 (about $150 / AU$200).