Updates FR945 vs FR945LTE

I made a little table comparing updates in the first year of 945 vs the first year of 945LTE.

On the left, FR945. On the right, FR945LTE. In green color, releases.

When Garmin start to fix the bugs in our watch? Are they waiting to the 955? Why? We need bug fixes, not new sports, stamina or whatever the 955 will have new. Please, bug FIXES!

  • While I agree that LTE radio firmware may need additional time and certifications, I still don't think that the 945 LTE is specifically plagued by LTE firmware bugs and the reason for slow releases.  The 945 lacks LTE and thus every update noted in this thread would likely be "application firmware" (not LTE firmware) and yet we still saw such few updates.

    I guess time will tell, but I personally believe it's due to the other factors noted here - 945 LTE being a rare hardware variant with not the most sales volume and a desire by Garmin to staff other / new products more seriously than this model.

    I hope that a 955 LTE if it had "common" hardware with a 955 (or somehow sold more) would see more progress and less issues.. but all I can do is hope :)

  • My guesses, from an R&D perspective, 945 LTE will not be fixed anytime soon or often.

    Fenix 7 and similar "New Gen" devices likely use new drivers(Sensor Hub) and the platform continually developed around newer versions of the Sensor Hub. Most of the issues seen here are likely resolved on the new firmware platform but due to changes it's not compatible with the current driver platform of the 945 LTE.

    Garmin won't bother to do one off development for the 945 LTEs outdated version of drivers. Just sprinkle in some very minor changes at best.

    Maybe one day Garmin will decide to update/certify new drivers for the 945LTE, that way they could integrate the new platform but I doubt that will be anytime soon or happen often. Even though I have high confidence the 945 LTE has all the "new gen" hardware.

  • There are two things making me wary of the "June 1st" Redditor:

    1) There is nothing to corraborate what he's supposedly leaking. No photographic evidence, no other known leakers corroborating what he's written, and he doesn't have any prior history leaking with accuracy. In other words, it could be someone deciding to make a few guesses based on what's already expected, stirring up a commotion along the way. There are a lot of important details like OLED and multi-band where he vaguely replies that he thinks he would have remembered seeing those specs.

    2) Him confirming the 955 Solar... The four variants of the 255 and the 955 have been certified, but the only sighting of a 955 Solar is the dubious listing by RunningShop. Lack of evidence aside, unless Garmin wants a premium tier of the 9x5 to fit other hardware as well, the inclusion of a Solar SKU seems offbeat. I am of course hoping a premium multi-band + Solar SKU exists, because I don't think a regular 955 would have multi-band.

  • "Maybe one day Garmin will decide to update/certify new drivers for the 945LTE, that way they could integrate the new platform but I doubt that will be anytime soon or happen often. Even though I have high confidence the 945 LTE has all the "new gen" hardware."

    We might find out in the not too distant future. The next big update, which will allow the 945 LTE's settings to be configured almost entirely from GCM like the Fenix 7, supposedly requires a lot of firmware restructuring to make it work. There is a small chance that such a change could see better integration and make our watch easier to update.

  • I don't know if it makes sense to put a solar panel on a 1.2" display clock. But if the display increases to 1.3"....

    I highly doubt they will bring out a 955 LTE, there are only a few countries where the 945LTE has been released, to me it has been a bit of a flop. No news of Fenix7 or Epix2 with LTE either. Garmin will know how many 945LTE they have sold and how many people use the paid subscription for LTE.

  • Garmin Forerunner 255 & 255s get listing on Singapore Government agency website 

    * 955 has also been listed now, but only 1 model.



    The six different models listed by the Singaporean agency are restricted to names and brief descriptions. The Forerunner 255 and Forerunner 255s could be considered the “base” models, with Bluetooth and ANT+. 

    However, the four more advanced Forerunners (two 255 and two 255s) are listed as “music” models that are also packing Wi-Fi connectivity, but there are not many other clues to determine any other differentiating factors. 

    Could one of them be a solar watch, extending the battery life as you run? Potentially, but it's unlikely at a mid-range price point – although, it’s not the first time Garmin would have used solar technology in this update cycle, as January's Fenix 7 arrived with both solar and non-solar options.  

    Meanwhile, the Garmin Forerunner 955 is listed as just the one model, as you might expect: while the Forerunner 245 was a mid-range watch that might have to pick and choose its features to stay in that competitive price range, the Forerunner 945 is a top-end triathlon watch that can do it all – no need for an ‘s’ model here. We're eyeing a potential June release date for more info.

    https://www.techradar.com/news/new-garmin-leak-finally-reveals-the-forerunner-watches-weve-been-waiting-3-years-for  
    https://gadgetsandwearables.com/2022/05/05/garmin-forerunner-255-music/ 

    I can only find 1 device for US that maybe a watch, but only 1 listing.  Has ANT+ and BLE. https://fcc.report/FCC-ID/IPH-04336/ 

    https://fccid.io/IPH  - Side note, new Bike Computer is listed.

  • major firmware updates for a lot of watches. up though 945.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le8sIZIBIVA


    945lte   wah wah......  'in a couple of weeks'

  • if DC is right, i can wait 2 weeks. but i'm not holding my breathe.