On the occasion of the world running day, Garmin, leader of the premium sector of smartwatches, has announced two new smart watches for sportsmen, represented by the anticipated Forerunner 255 and 955, with options Music (on both) and Solar (on the 2nd).
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Garmin, which according to Counterpoint Research, holds a top position (5th place by market share, 3rd by revenue) in the segment of premium smartwatches (devices worth over $ 500), on the occasion of the Global Running Day announced the new wearables for sports Forerunner 255 and 955, also in Music and Solar version (955 only).
The Garmin Forerunner 255, heir to a model of 3 years ago, in terms of cold data sheet, has a chassis (49-39 grams) waterproof up to 5 atmospheres, from 46 or 41 mm (S version) in diameter, with a ferrule in reinforced polymer fiber, 22 or 18 mm silicone straps (on the S), physical buttons to interact as an alternative to the touch screen, transflective and anti-reflective MIP, protected by Gorilla Glass 3, from 1.3 ″ to 260 × 260 pixels on the large model, or 1.1 ″ to 218 × 218 pixels on the small one.
Equipped with NFC for payments with Garmin Pay, and Bluetooth also for smartphone notifications, the Forerunner 3 introduces multi-band GPS for greater accuracy in complex environments, such as woods, but also more precise metrics on the distances covered and better live rhythm reading. The safety functions linked to the GPS allow you to send an automatic message in the event of a fall, or the real-time sharing of the position, forwarded to pre-selected contacts. Thanks to the arrival of the triathlon mode, however, at the push of a button, you can switch from one sporting activity to another.
There is no shortage of blood oxygen saturation detection, also useful for evaluating acclimatization at high altitudes and improving the perfection of sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring (with adjoining pulse variation when sleeping, HRV), metrics the Training Readiness (when you are ready for a new workout, taking into account HRV, stress, sleep. recovery time), the Real-Time Stamina (energy levels during efforts to avoid overtraining), the body battery which indicates how much energy do you have in your reserve (to see if you have recovered enough and can move on to a new workout), and (for the first time) the Acute Load (the optimal interval in which to station to improve the form and exceed your personal best).
At this “lap”, there is also a widget for the race which, after setting the date of a competition on the Connect app for smartphones, then starts a countdown, shows the weather forecast for that day, reveals the performance forecasts and suggests daily approach workouts (as an alternative to those of the Garmin Coach function). In addition, every morning you will get a customizable report (“morning report”) (also with heart rate variability or calendar) which basically shows the weather forecast, the status of night rest, suggests workouts for that day, etc. It should be noted that the Music version can host up to 500 songs locally, which are then listened to through Bluetooth headphones.
The autonomy of the Forerunner 255, on 46 m, is 30 hours using GPS, which goes up to 14 days in smartwatch-only mode. The 41 mm measure promises 26 hours with GPS, which rise to 12 days by limiting itself to mere smartwatch functions
The Forerunner 955 has a waterproof chassis up to 5 atmospheres, 47 mm (52 grams, 53 in the Solar variant) as a single size, with a 22 mm silicone strap, a bezel made with a fiber-reinforced polymer, and a glass Gorilla Glass DX to protect the 1.3 ″ Always-on color display, resolute at 260 × 260 pixels, always transflective and with anti-glare, with touch (always active, off, or linked to particular activities) for control (unless you use the 4 physical buttons on the side).
Autonomy, using GPS, is 42 hours, which goes up to 15 days in smartwatch mode: the Solar version with Power Glass lens reaches 49 days using GPS and 20 days if in smartwatch mode. In terms of functions, also in this case there is the widget for the run, the variability of the HRV pulsations, the multi-band GPS, and the morning report. Like the younger brother, they have Garmin Coach and Connect, and the warning for falls.
Perfectionists can count on the functions PacePro (modification of the target speed in real time according to the nature and slope of the route), ClimbPro (graphs and numbers that give an idea of the instant vertical speed, the slopes to be tackled, the climbs that will be tackled. , in the case of training in the mountains), on Real-Time Stamina, on integrated maps complete with step-by-step directions, and on Training Readiness. In terms of music storage, in this case, you get to 2,000 songs, and via Wi-Fi it is also possible to stream playlists from Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music (under Wi-Fi) via Wi-Fi.
In terms of prices, the Forerunner 255 smartwatch costs 349.99 euros in the colors Slate Gray and Tidal Blue: it is the same amount required for the small S version, calibrated in the colors Light Pink and Powder Gray. The Music version, also S, of the 255 requires 399.99 euros in Whitestone or Black. The manufacturer has also used these latest colors for the Forerunner 955, both normal and Solar, priced at 549.99 and 649.99 euros respectively.