The Garmin Forerunner 955 is so slim that you don’t even see it. And it fits perfectly beneath your wetsuit sleeve. In comparison to that gamechanger 101, it also resembles CERN. In short, the features of the sub-7hr challenge are longer than a well-executed single-line pack. And, reassuringly, they’re truly helpful, not simply a marketing ploy to raise the price. The watch now has a solar version that lasts longer in the sun. Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar has a multi-band GPS for more precise distance tracking and an all-new training readiness function. That will advise you on how hard you should train.
It looked like a little mobile phone worn to your wrist by individuals of a younger generation. It was time-consuming yet revolutionary. What a difference a generation makes.
What will you see here?
Price and release date: Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar
The Garmin Forerunner 955 is now available in two versions. One with a Power Glass solar charging lens. Which helps extend the Forerunner’s battery life, and one without.
The 955 Solar costs $599.99 in the United States, £549.99 in the United Kingdom, and $899 in Australia. The Forerunner 955 without the solar option costs $499.99 in the United States, £479.99 in the United Kingdom, and $799 in Australia.
Design: Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar
The watch has a heavy and rough feel about it. It’s also easy on the wrist, thanks to the soft silicone strap that’s ideal for swimming. Many of Garmin’s classic qualities. Such the metal case and five-button functionality, are shared by the Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar.
Anyone who has used a Garmin watch, such as the earlier Forerunners, the Epix, or the Enduro, will recognize the button layout. Up, down, and ‘light’ buttons on one side, and a ‘confirmation’ and a ‘return’ button on the other. A 46.5mm screen with 260 x 260 pixels. Although real HD would have been excellent at this price range, everything is perfectly clear and vibrant.
The watch’s UX and Garmin Connect orientation are mostly unchanged from the pre-existing Garmin model. However, there is no reason to remake the wheel. There are a few adjustments here, such as modifying the daily suggested workouts. If you have a race coming up. Enter your race into Garmin Connect, depending on how long the event is and how much time you have. GC will offer daily exercises, similar to a training plan developed on your wrist based on prior performance. That’s a clever trick.
Features: Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar
And there are numerous statistics, with one of the most significant differences from its predecessor being the addition of heart rate variability (HRV). This is a function that is becoming more common on high-end training products. That measures the freshness or weariness of your neural system.
It manages this by monitoring the beat-to-beat changes of your heart, with the idea being that if you’ve over-exerted. this will show up in your HRV score, telling you to take it easy on the training that day.
You’re ready for a harder workout if you have a solid HRV score. The longer you wear the 955 – preferably overnight. However, one night of poor sleep and a low HRV score isn’t the end of the world because it’s more about how you compare to the seven-day pattern.
This automatically leads to the feature ‘Training Readiness.’ Which is a more practical technique to see if you’re ready to move forward. It is a score out of 100, with a high indicating that you are fully healed and a low indicating that you may need to rest.
You also get full-color mapping. Which is greatly helped by the touchscreen. The ClimbPro feature, which is is seen on other Garmin watches. So you can receive real-time information on your ascent. A slew of swim metrics (distance, stroke count, swim efficiency…) for indoors and outdoors swimming that are impressively accurate. Cycle power data if you have a power meter. Women’s health tracking to monitor your menstrual cycle; and much more.
Performance
The TracBack tool is fantastic, enabling you to retrace your steps back to your starting place. Once completed, simply touch the route on the Garmin Connect app to zoom in, with heat maps highlighting where you ran slower and faster.
The training modes were fantastic and simple to use. With daily estimates for various distances such as 5k and 10k, as well as recommended exercises. And setting targets to meet and racing you against yourself. It’s also a good idea to make the training load more obvious, indicating whether you’re now detraining, and maintaining your current load. Or delivering a little push message if you’re overtraining.
The solar charging battery worked perfectly. It’s not quite as powerful as the Garmin Enduro. Which had a simply ludicrous duration of 60 days. But the watch kept true to its promises of a 20-day charge with moderate use, including GPS runs several times each week. If you despise having to charge your wristwatch every few days, this is one of the greatest multi-sport watches you can buy.
battery
Every battery declines over time, therefore solar should also assist extend its life. If you’re a dedicated athlete whose Di2 or USB bike lights have never run out of power. You should probably save your money.
Those that choose solar energy will profit from two techniques of capturing and processing solar energy. The first is a crimson band that wraps around the whole perimeter of the screen. And claims to collect 100% of the sun’s rays.
The second is a layer that sits on top of the entire screen. This collects just 7% but has a significantly bigger surface area. As observed on the Fenix 7, this is a significant improvement over past efforts. Which may have captured the sun but had an impact on on-screen readability. Not here; the clean data on the swim, cycle, and run is plain to see.
Can I wear my Garmin Forerunner 55 in the shower?
The watch is waterproof up to 5 ATM, so you may use it when bathing or swimming.
Should I wear my Garmin watch to bed?
The watch must be worn for at least two hours before going to bed. While sleeping, the optical heart rate sensor must be turned on.
Is the Garmin Forerunner 55 worth it?
The Garmin Forerunner 55 is great for runners who are concerned with health and fitness. Or who like racing but aren’t interested in participating at an elite level. It’s also a terrific pick for anyone new to the sport. With a toolkit that will serve them well even as they progress.
Conclusion
The Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar is a fantastic fitness watch that is jam-packed with features. The solar battery stands up to its fearsome reputation as well. And the new Daily Readiness feature is quite handy. This is backed by Garmin’s multi-band GPS capabilities. Which the Forerunner can use for pinpoint accuracy.
