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Garmin Forerunner® 255 Music – The Ultimate GPS Running Smartwatch for Every Athlete
Run at a higher level with the Garmin Forerunner 255 Music smartwatch. This running smartwatch will help you train and recover smarter with training status, running power, multi-band GPS, and daily suggested workouts that adapt to your performance and goals.
Gramin Forerunner 255 is the successor of the most popular Forerunner 245 running watch, but the FR 255 is a significant step up. It evolved from an intermediate-level running watch to a comprehensive triathlon watch with full multi-sport support.
The Forerunner 255 tracks triathlon, includes new multisport profiles, has longer battery life, and with the latest generation sensors.
Additionally, the Forerunner 255 includes other new features, such as a race widget that helps you plan your race-day strategy and a morning report with HRV status that reveals your overall health alongside the day ahead. And with Garmin Pay™ contactless payments with a supported card, it’s never been easier to buy that post-workout coffee.
Garmin Forerunner 255 Music Features:
Sleek and Lightweight Design
Built with a slim design and an always-on, full-color display that’s light on the wrist and easy to read even in direct sunlight.
There are two sizes ( 41 and 46 mm):
- The Forerunner 255S display size is 1.1 inches (28 mm), its case size is 41 mm, and it weighs 1.4 oz (39 g).
- The 255 display size is 1.3 inches (33mm), the case size is 45.6 mm, and it weighs 1.7 oz (49 g).
Longer Battery Life
Forerunner 255 Music provides up to 14 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 30 hours in GPS mode for a complete picture of your health from sleep to training.
- 14 days in Smartwatch mode
- 30 hours in GPS mode without music
- 6.5 hours in GPS mode and music on
- Battery saver feature (customizable low-power watch)
Music Control and Streaming
Download up to 500 songs to your watch, including playlists from Spotify, Amazon Music, or Deezer (subscription required), and connect with your wireless headphones for phone-free listening.
Garmin Morning Report
The Morning Report summarizes your sleep, HRV status, and daily workout suggestion in one place as soon as you wake up (This watch is intended to give an estimate of your activity and metrics).
Latest Generation Sensors
- Optical Heart Rate Monitor (Elevate V4 – More accurate)
- Accelerometer
- Compass
- Ambient light
- Thermometer (tempe™ sensor required)
- Pulse Oximeter (Sp02 – blood oxygen saturation)
- Barometric altimeter
- Gyroscope
- Satiq technology
Daily Workout Suggestions Based on Your Recovery
View your entire week of daily suggested workouts, which adapt after every run to match your performance and recovery.
HRV Status
The Heart Rate Variability (HRV) status tracks your heart rate variability while you sleep, giving you greater insight into your overall wellness, recovery, and training performance.
Race Widget
Get ready for your next race with training tips, personalized daily suggested workouts, and completion time predictions based on course details, weather, and performance.
Adaptive Training Plans
Current Training Status
Evaluates your current training status to indicate if you are undertraining or overdoing it. The FR 255 offers additional performance monitoring features, including recovery time after your workouts.
Your training status is based on changes to your VO2 max., acute load, and HRV status over an extended period. You can use your training status to help plan future training and continue improving your fitness level.
Running Dynamics
When using a Running Dynamics Pod or HRM-Pro monitor (sold separately), get a continuous measurement on your wrist of how much power you’re applying to the road as you run, so you can manage your effort.
Women’s Health Tracking
Use the Garmin Connect app to track your menstrual cycle or pregnancy. Log symptoms, get exercise and nutrition education, and more. Even see and log details on your wrist with the Women’s Health Tracking app.
Stress Tracking
Find out if you are having a calm, balanced or stressful day. Relax reminders will even prompt you to do a short breathing activity when the watch detects that you are feeling stressed.
Safety and Tracking Features
If you feel unsafe or if your watch senses that an incident occurred, the Assistance and incident detection features send your location to emergency contacts. Incident detection is enabled by default for select activity profiles only.
Supported Workouts
Running, Treadmill Running, Indoor and Outdoor Track Running, Trail Running, Virtual Running, Cycling, Strength, Pool Swimming, Cardio and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Rowing, Yoga, Skiing, Snowboarding, Pilates, and Breathwork, Floor Climbing, Ultra Running, Indoor Rowing, Hiking, Mountain Biking, Open Water Swimming, XC Classic Skiing, Triathlon/Multisport, Stand Up Paddleboarding, HIIT, Pilates
Smart Notifications
Receive emails, texts, and alerts right on your watch when paired with your Apple® or Android™ smartphone. You can even respond to texts if you have an Android phone.
Gramin Forerunner 255 Watch Expert Reviews:
♦ From The Guardian – A review by Samuel Gibbs, Guardian’s consumer technology editor:
Garmin Forerunner 255 review: runner’s best friend gets GPS and multisport upgrade
“The new Forerunner 255 takes everything that was good about its excellent predecessor and turns it up to 11.
The faster interface, longer 14-day battery life and option of different sizes for a better fit are very welcome. It is thin, light and comfortable to wear. It ticks almost every box for general health tracking, handles basic smartwatch functions and the top model supports offline music from Spotify and others.”
Rating: 5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
♦ Android Authority – An expert review by Ryan Haines, a senior writer at Android Authority:
Garmin Forerunner 255 review: Running back to the top
“The Garmin Forerunner 255 is an excellent update to a fan favorite. It adds a few sensors that the Forerunner 245 sorely lacked, and new Garmin Pay support lets you ditch your wallet. With two sizes to choose from and optional music integration, this is
the most flexible Garmin running watch yet and easily establishes its place among running royalty.”
Rating: 4.5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
♦ Tom’s Guide – A review by Jane McGuire, Tom’s Guide’s Fitness editor:
Garmin Forerunner 255 review – The Garmin Forerunner 255 has everything you could ever want from a running watch
“It’s hard to improve on an already great running watch, so when Garmin announced the Forerunner 255, it was a case of finding out what’s new, and whether it was worth it. The answer is a big yes, in a small package. Garmin has packed a lot of new
features into the Garmin Forerunner 255, and I’ve been putting it to the test to find out more.”
Rating: 4.5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
♦ From Pocket-lint – An expert review by Michael Sawh, journalist-contributor
Garmin Forerunner 255 review: A multi-sport marvel
“The Garmin Forerunner 255 is a great running watch that’s now also a great option for triathlon lovers, as well. It’s grabbed some desirable features from Garmin’s pricier watches, and, whether you’re a beginner or more experienced runner, there’s plenty to like about the successor to the very popular Forerunner 245.”
Rating: 4.5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Common Questions About the Garmin Forerunner 255 Music
1. What are the main differences between the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music and the Forerunner 255 Music?
The Forerunner 255 Music offers several upgrades over the Forerunner 245 Music, including a barometric altimeter for accurate elevation tracking, multi-band GPS for improved accuracy, HRV Status for advanced heart rate variability analysis, and Garmin Pay for contactless payments. It also has longer battery life and supports full triathlon mode, making it a more versatile training tool.
2. Does the Forerunner 255 Music have built-in music storage?
Yes, the Forerunner 255 Music allows you to store and play music directly from the watch. You can download songs and playlists from Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music (with a premium subscription) and listen via Bluetooth headphones—no phone needed.
3. How long does the battery last on the Garmin Forerunner 255 Music?
Battery life depends on usage, but in smartwatch mode, the Forerunner 255 Music lasts up to 14 days. With GPS-only mode, it lasts up to 30 hours, and with multi-band GPS, it lasts around 16 hours. Using music playback will reduce battery life, but it’s still one of the best in its class.
4. Is the Forerunner 255 Music good for triathlon training?
Yes, unlike the Forerunner 245, the Forerunner 255 supports full triathlon mode. It allows you to track swimming, cycling, and running in one session and seamlessly switch between activities, making it a great choice for triathletes.
5. Can I use Garmin Pay on the Forerunner 255 Music?
Yes, the Forerunner 255 Music includes Garmin Pay, allowing you to make contactless payments directly from your watch. You can link your compatible bank card and pay at supported terminals without needing your phone or wallet.
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