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Forerunner 945?

Hi,

I'm (fortunate) enough to have been issued a full refund on a defective Forerunner 935 which I've had for nearly a year.

I need a new watch and didn't have any major complaints about the 935 but I'm wondering if I should get the 935 again or wait for the successor to be released. Will there be a 945 anytime soon?

I would buy the 645 but I've heard it doesn't even have a native altimeter app?
  • You have two choices right now:

    A) Pick up one of the Fenix 5+ watches
    B) Wait till Q1/Q2 of 2019 with an emphasis on seeing just what Garmin puts out for CES 2019

    I mean, you could just not buy a Garmin altogether and go with Suunto (either the 3 or the newly released 9) or even wait for Polar, which might be putting out a v800 replacement soon (finally). Everything else is a proverbial "step-down" from the 935 (including the 645).

  • Even if it would be released next week (which it clearly won't), you would be stuck with firmware issues for at least half a year, as with every single Garmin product up to now.
    On the other hand, the 9.60 is now rock solid (at least for me) and most of the hardware issues were sorted out also. The 935 is a fine watch which performs well and reached a comfortable state of maturity. I would go for that and maybe upgrade to the 945 a year after its release date.
  • Very true. Its certainly a safe bet and the GPS accuracy is as good as any watch on the market. It’s annoying that it’s out of stock on Wiggle though in the standard and tri models. I’ll have to buy it locally.
  • The 645/M has a baro altimeter. And there are 3rd party apps that display it.
  • I don't personally care about a "945" per se but if they released a "935 Plus" which brings the hardware to parity with the Fenix 5 Plus then I would be all over that! For me the light weight combined with maps would be the reason to jump to it.

    A "935 Plus" hopefully is just around the corner...
  • I don't think the altimeter in the 645 works in the same way as 935 as you can't do a manual calibration, and it may not even use the same barometric sensor. It was never designed as a hiking watch, whereas the 935 is basically a plastic version of the Fenix 5 - which is designed for outdoor use.

    I'm not interested in music on a watch as I still use an iPod Shuffle 4th Gen and Earpods with wire remote. Easier to control your music playback and it doesn't kill you watch battery.
  • My wishlist for a F945 would be something like:

    Either:
    a) reduce bezel area and increase screen size
    b) reduce size of watch face and bezel area but maintain screen size (like 645)

    And:
    c) make the watch face from lightweight titanium instead of plastic
    d) options for music and non-music
    e) Garmin Pay
  • Scott – Would any of the hiking apps get you what you need from the 645? After having two 935’s develop soft/unresponsive buttons, I switched to the 645 and it functions like a smaller 935 for me since I don’t do tri’s (yet). As a smaller guy with thin wrists, the 645 in slate feels and looks better on me as a daily driver, too. Apart from the reduced battery life, it’s great having the same screen real estate in a smaller package.
  • Well I needed a watch now so ordered another 935. I had my eye on a slate 645 but they are not out in the UK for another 4-6 weeks apparently.

    I need an accurate altimeter on my watch so I was put off by reports that the barometric sensor is different, probably inferior, on the 645 and it’s not really designed for use during hiking. Is there even a walk/hiking activity profile on the 645?

    Also, are the buttons tactile and clicky like on the 935?