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945 first week thoughts

tx911
over 5 years ago

After my first week with the 945, I’m appreciating a lot of little improvements over the 935.

-GPS has been flawless. Very impressive tracks!

-I love the improved calendar function. Being able to see planned workouts and start them straight from the calendar is awesome.

-Really like the ability to opt for call and text notifications, call only, or everything.

-Body battery is cool. Wish it could show on a watch face.

Overall, very very pleased and happy with the upgrade!

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to CloggyAbroad

    Ahhh, that makes sense, thanks!

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to R_Tellis

    Hmm I'll try it again tonight and report back.

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Three laps on the mt bike yesterday, and the track display wanders well off the path, much more than my six previous Garmin GPS watches did.  My old 305 was probably the most consistent and accurate, but huge watch.  Hopefully this is going to get more accurate with updates.  Also, no luck pairing with downloaded Garmin Explore on my phone, I'm used to Garmin apps not working on my watch after all these years, keep buying new ones, thinking they will get this next watch right.

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to scott.mm

    The 945 hasn't been added to the compatible device list for Garmin Explore, so it's not going to work. I suspect it will be added soon. 

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    This is my first Garmin watch so I cannot compare it to other models. I debated which to buy, would the 735, 935 or 945 be best. In the end battery life, maps and Garmin Pay were the deciding factors.

    One week on I am very satisfied, the GPS is accurate enough for my needs and Garmin Pay has proved useful. Viewing maps on the small screen is better than I expected but zooming/panning a little awkward.

    HR readings seemed OK whilst resting, walking and running. Then I decided to go out on the bike using a chest strap paired to my 800 cycle computer to compare with my 945 wrist sensor. Most of the ride they were comparable but there were sections where I was pushing hard uphill with the cycle computer reading 150+ but my 945 was only registering 70+. I would love to think I was that fit but a while later the 945 reading would rocket back up to be inline with my cycle compute plus chest strap. Is this a common problem? I wear my watch snug not tight.

    The other frustration is while toggling the display. I often find I hold the down button a fraction too long and it switches to the music player. I have no intention at the moment of using it for music and would love to be able to disable this function.

    It is great the forum is finally back up and hopefully I can find solutions to a few of these niggles.

    At present I have no regrets Grinning

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    What GPS settings are you using? Keen to try out the Galileo + GPS 

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    I'm very disappointed after first week and few days. GPS accuracy (I tried GPS only and GPS+Glonass) is much worst than 5 times cheaper Chinese Stratos. I can share proofs of you want. Comparing with Polar V800 is obviously out of sense.

    I have only hope that firmware update will fix this issue. I wish at least same accuracy as Stratos (same chipset).

    Also oHR is rubbish. Stratos its better also.

    Besides these two most important functionalities, everything else is good or very good.

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Ran a half marathon today and the GPS measurement and track were pretty good in GPS+GLONAS mode. Only wish that I had performed as well past the 8 mile mark. Laughing

    https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3663607774

    Past Garmin watches have measured 13.25 at this race and today came in at 13.21. Can’t comment on HR performance as I was wearing a Polar OH1 strap on my arm.

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Coming from a Fenix 5 (and fr235) a few thoughts after a couple of weeks.

    Build quality and design is a bit of a mixed bag, it feels plasticky compared to the Fenix 5 but better than the 235. The buttons are the main culprit as they just feel cheap and not working consistently with every push. The vibrating motor also has a little rattle to it which I wish was bit more solid. Out of the three watches (imo) the 945 looks the best but I hope it would have gotten a bigger screen/ smaller bezels.

    The Bluetooth  and Ant+ connection(range, sync and upload speed) is way better than on Fenix 5 and is a relief as it was a real disappointment going from the stellar 235 to Fenix 5.

    GPS accuracy is the same as the Fenix 5... which is not great. I hope it's still a work in progress and if it gets even remotely close to the pin point accuracy of the 235 I'll be very happy.

    OHR is better in regards that there doesn't seem to be any dropouts vs plenty on the Fenix 5, which I think is due to the lighter weight of the watch(less movement on the wrist) and the protruding sensor array that helps it keep the sensor much more closer to the skin even when wearing the strap loosely. But unfortunately when I start an activity recording the results haven't been great. So far the 945 ohr seems to consistently produce too high hr data and with high I mean 50+ bpm higher than a chest hrm. The all day heart rate seems to be correct and it's only when I start recording an activity when I see these high readings. I have never gotten reliable enough readings from any wrist ohr so I always use a hr belt when training. It's still a shame that it's so much off that now it's totally unusable as it throws off all the training load metrics. At least with the Fenix 5, although not accurate enough for hr target training, it showed the average hr in the right ballpark. So not sure what is going on with the 945 ohr.

    The music features have been better and more in use than I expected. As usual there's some gripes, mainly how the library is manageable only through desktop Garmin express/ file explorer over USB connection. I wish there was automatic sync over Wifi to a folder of choice and also a way to manage the library through Garmin connect mobile, after all it's 2019 not 1995 so this shouldn't be too much to ask for. Spotify is sort of okay, but Podcast aren't working at all(bluetooth error) atm, I hope it's a quick fix on their side. Still I would prefer to manage podcasts through my mobile and get access to all podcasts, not just the ones Spotify deems worthy(if it ever starts working). Also Audible would be a great addition to the music providers, send an email to them at [email protected] requesting it and perhaps we can muster enough peer pressure to get audiobooks on our watches.

    The map is nice but in reality I don't know if it's very practical. The screen is just so tiny and the panning/zooming is just very clunky at best so even with good vision it's hard to see anything meaningful when you're running or cycling. Don't get me wrong I like having it for when I need it, but at least for now, I haven't found it as useful as I imagined.

    Battery life is still under review. I'm getting 2-4 days with 2+ hours of Gps+Glonass 1sec, 3+ hours of music and pulse ox on at night, perhaps a little less than I was anticipating. Would be happy if it would hit 4-5 days between charges. Fenix 5 got about 5-7 days of battery life but of course not the same without music etc.

    Fenix5+, 935 or 945?

    After a couple of years with the Fenix 5 the 935/945 feels much more comfortable on the wrist, so much, that I can't imagine wanting to go  back. Sure it lacks on some of the quality of the Fenix line but for me the 24/7 comfort it brings outweighs all the heft the stainless steel build accompanies. If you're on the fence between the two I'd recommend trying the 935/945 on and see how it feels, for me it was instantly clear how much of a difference there was. And no, I don't have skinny wrists. I'd also argue that fitted with metal or leather band it's even classier than the Fenix 5.

    When choosing between 935 and 945 for me the choice was pretty clear as I wanted music and maps on the watch and I got a good deal on the 945 so the price wasn't a factor. However it wasn't  as clear as how much I'd come to appreciate the music and how much I now think the maps are not so useful. It's just so nice to leave the phone behind when training or at work but still have those sweet tunes and podcasts at hand. The maps are nice but 9 out of 10 times when I need them I still have my phone with me and trust me it's faster, a lot, faster to whip out your phone and plot a new course or do anything than it's to try pan and zoom with the watch. I see the benefits of having a map but I'm not confident it's worth the cost if it's your only reason to upgrade. If you're having trouble deciding between the 935/945 my advice is if you need/want music  go with the 945 otherwise save your money and pick the already battle tested 935.

    Am I happy with the 945? Well, I kind of am. It's got more good than bad and I'm hoping the bad can be fixed, time will tell. 

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Ommike

    Thanks for sharing this extensive review. I have the 230, the main draw for the 945 are the training metrics, especially the training load focus.

    Of course it's going to be very nice to have music/podcasts on the go w/o phone, and I'm eager to see the maps and try out Garmin pay, plus whatever new goodies I discover coming from the 230. I plan to use an older Garmin HRM belt (from the 310xt or 305??) that I've been using with the 230 for my runs, hopefully that won't be a problem.

    All the talk about the button problems are a bit disconcerting, it's 2019, this shouldn't be a challenge to get right. Esp on a $600 watch. I hope Garmin figures this out and makes this right for all, even the early adopters.