Health, Fitness & Wellness › Fitness Trackers & Smartwatches
Forerunner 745
GPS running watch with smartwatch features
Mid-range · middle third of fitness trackers & smartwatches
Should you buy it??
Check closely
AIthe machines place it at #24, outside their top picks — #24
based on 4 of 6 signals
Quick take
In short: what each side says
AI panel · Buyers · Brand claims — each opened up in full further down ↓
Best on Claude (avg #24.0), weakest on perplexity (#24.0)
Owners love the 745's reliable running performance, battery life, and health monitoring, but find the display readability challenging in certain lighting and the interface overly complex for casual us
The Garmin Forerunner 745's core claims about battery life and running/activity tracking accuracy are well-supported by owner reviews, which rate these features highly. However, specific technical specs like GPS runtime with music, UltraTrac duration, music storage, activity profiles, and payment features remain unverified in the available review data.
The juries split — Check closely before you commit.
Main competitors
Top rivals in Fitness Trackers & Smartwatches.
The verdict
What the panel makes of it.
Garmin Forerunner 745 is a running watch made by Garmin. Released in 2020, designed in the United States. It tracks running metrics and offers music storage on the device itself. Runners buy it to monitor performance and listen to music without their phone. Artificial intelligence currently ranks it number twenty-two for best running watches.
Act one
What the machines think.
Several AI models read the category and place this product — model by model, list by list, over time.
Model by model?
How each AI sees it.
Best on Claude (avg #24.0), weakest on perplexity (#24.0) Averaging across the AI panel, Forerunner 745 sits around #24.0 this snapshot.
Gemini
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Didn’t rank Forerunner 745 this snapshot.
GPT
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Didn’t rank Forerunner 745 this snapshot.
AI Mode
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Didn’t rank Forerunner 745 this snapshot.
Rank trajectory?
Weeks of movement.
Act two · ★ new
What the people say.
The same product, judged by the owners who bought and filmed it — what they praise, what they knock, who it's for.
What buyers say?
What Google knows about it.
Beyond the video critics, Google pools 480 buyer ratings of the Forerunner 745 from across retailers — a far wider, if blunter, jury. Here’s the shape of that opinion.
480 ratings · 7 written
across 3 retailers
What owners single out
Both buyers and video reviewers flag display readability as a weakness, particularly in low-light cycling conditions.
In their words
“I have been using Garmin for my running/swim & biking for many years and haven’t used any other. When my last watch the Forerunner 735 was getting old and as I was about to change to Coros, just called the Garmin customer service to see if they had any suggestions. I was told about the 745 and I sure did get one last month to see how it was any different. I really lived to its expectations with so”
Ram Pai · verified purchase · garmin.com
“Perhaps a bit overly complicated (feel like I've only scratched the surface of the many functions), and a few small frustrations, such as being prompted to set up Garmin Pay, going through the process only to find that the bank won't recognize it anyway, but still enjoying the 745 very much. Solid product.”
paulmanfredi · verified purchase · garmin.com
as of June 29 · 480 buyer ratings?
Owner signals?
What owners flag months in.
Not the launch-day reviewers — the owners still posting months later, on the faults that keep recurring.
Battery drains faster than expected, worsens after updates
Moderate severityMultiple owners report battery drain issues that persist or worsen after firmware updates; the 4.7★ rating built from early reviews may not reflect this long-term degradation.
as of July 1 · 9 forum threads?
Claim check?
Promise vs. proof.
We lifted Garmin’s headline product-page claims and checked each against what owners and expert reviewers actually report.
The Garmin Forerunner 745's core claims about battery life and running/activity tracking accuracy are well-supported by owner reviews, which rate these features highly. However, specific technical specs like GPS runtime with music, UltraTrac duration, music storage, activity profiles, and payment features remain unverified in the available review data.
Battery Life“up to 1 week of battery life in smartwatch mode”Holds up
Owner reviews confirm strong battery life performance, with the aspect score for battery life & charging at 4.8/5 across 480 reviews.
Tracking Accuracy“uses multiple satellite systems to accurately track your workouts”Holds up
Owner reviews highlight reliable running performance and activity tracking, with running & activity tracking scoring 4.9/5 across 480 reviews.
“I have been using Garmin for my running/swim & biking for many years and haven’t used any other. When my last watch the Forerunner 735 was getting old and as I was about to change to Coros, just called the Garmin custome”
OwnerRam Pai
Frequent rivals?
What it competes against.
- Fenix 8 SolarGarminForerunner 745 leads 1–0 · 1 sharedRead
- GTR 4AmazfitGarmin leads 1–0 · 1 sharedRead
- Watch 2OnePlusGarmin leads 1–0 · 1 sharedRead
- Ignite 3PolarGarmin leads 1–0 · 1 sharedRead
- Lily 2GarminForerunner 745 leads 1–0 · 1 sharedRead
- RaceSuuntoSuunto leads 1–0 · 1 sharedRead
- BalanceAmazfitEven 0–0 · 1 sharedRead
Alternatives by price · Same field?
Same money, different answer.
The recap
Where it stands today.
- PositionBest rank #24 across 1 intent tracked (slipped 3 this week).
- FootprintStrongest in Best Running Watches (#24).
- TraitsMost often described as “compact”.
- Closest rivalFenix 8 Solar (1–0 across 1 shared intent).
- MakerBy Garmin — see how it ranks across other intents on its brand profile.
browse Forerunner 745 in these categories