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Is the Forerunner 955 Solar worth it, or should I consider another model or brand? Update: 955 Solar purchased! Battery life impressions inside! :D

tiku
over 1 year ago

Hello everyone. I'm looking for a replacement for my old Forerunner 645 Music, and I'm looking for the Forerunner with the most autonomy that best suits my watch uses, both for daily use and for 2-3 hours of GPS with music per week.

And I have a candidate, the 955 Solar.

But I have doubts about the autonomy, and I would like to ask you.

I want to ask you two basic questions:

  1. I would like the battery in smartwatch mode to last about 20 days. This would mean a consumption of 5% per day.

    I don't want notifications or similar. Just clock, steps, and HR. That's enough for me.

    I have seen around here, in the "Battery consumption: initial observations?" thread, thanks to the contributions of mates like @derek87 or @FlipStone (thanks so much, dudes!), that there are even people who have only a drain of 3-4% per day. Or at least it was like that.

    Are there still people with that consumption? Do they really exist?

  2. The Battery Saver mode would help me a lot to not be aware of the battery for many more days, but in battery saver mode, are steps, FR, and sleep tracked?

    Because one option would be to leave the watch always in battery saver mode and, if this mode counts the metrics I want, remove it only for my 2-3 hours of weekly GPS.

  3. This more than a question is something I have almost decided. I think I will go for the 955 Solar since I live in a VERY sunny place, and as soon as there is a sale on the model I will surely appreciate the small battery boosts. And more so because my GPS runs are with music, which consumes more, and I would somehow try to balance that fact.

As you can see, my main concern is to see if there are people, as I have read here (but with other older firmwares), that, with a simple configuration of the 955, have a battery consumption of only 3-4% per day.

If so, because that's what I'm most interested in, I'll start looking for the watch soon.

But many times reading the forum, with all the battery problems, it's scary to invest so much money if it will not last long. And, furthermore, the 255 Music is another good option (although the GPS mode with music falls almost 4 hours compared with the 955)...

Many, MANY thanks to all in advance :)

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    I think with the solar edition you can get the 20 days using it only in a simple watch mode when in a sunny environment a lot... From what I remember in the summer, when I was outside quite a bit, the solar really did help in that aspect. 3-4% a day is tough though now I think of it, 0.1-0.15%/hr? Could work.

    But honestly, not too sure what battery usage is atm... I'm now on 0.5%/hr over the last 5 days but that's with 3h45m of running (and I use all+multiband)..Took a quick look and that accounts for 20% of the 60% used so far, so that would mean ~0.35%/hr in non-running mode.

    Oh, and I use my own custom watchface (whihc IS very efficient, but prolly uses more then stock watchfaces).

    Other points, no clue... never use battery saver mode.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Don't buy solar, it's an useless gimmick. The solar screen is much worse. More reflective, less contrast and visibility.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 9970217

    Mne is absolutely clear

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Elbo

    The Apex 2 Pro is a truly amazing watch.

    I looked at it a lot, but in the end, I dismissed it for 2-3 reasons.

    The first was the price, as here in Spain you don't usually see offers, and it was 100 euros more than the 955.

    The second reason is that I've been in the Under Armour ecosystem for 7 years, and I would lose all my records :( At first, I used Endomondo, now I use MapMyRun, which has compatibility and sync with Garmin Connect. And my contacts are also split between the two apps. I love them. Both my data and my friends, haha.

    The third is that, even with its problems, I like the Garmin ecosystem, although I was not closed to anything :)

    In fact... news!!! I just bought the 955 Solar because I got a GREAT deal: 479€. But I'd also say that if I'd seen the Apex 2 Pro at that price, I might have jumped at the chance.

    Now I'm nervous, hahaha

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to derek87

    I also really like the aesthetic effect of the sun ring combined with the bezel :)

    Well, and as I said above... I got an offer I couldn't refuse: 479 euros for the 955 Solar and I just ordered it. 14 days for returns, so I guess we'll soon be seeing how much the sun will pay me here in Valencia (Spain) and in the Mediterranean. And whether my 955 suffers from unexplainable drains or not!

    I know that the screen reflects more and may not be as good compared to the 955 non-Solar in certain occasions, but the difference was only 30€ (449 vs 479), and being so, I think it's worth trying what it brings me, being the battery an important point in my choice :)

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to FlipStone

    FlipStone! Just this morning, before I got the offer, I was reading a post of yours from half a year ago :)

    Thank you very much, as well as many other colleagues, for the follow-up you did at the time, and continue to do.

    As you can see, I've taken advantage of an offer, so I'll let you know soon, but of course, it's encouraging to see that you do see feasible (more or less) what I would like the 955 Solar to offer me :)

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Miky

    If you say this, you have not compared it side by side. 

    They only look the same in some specific angles. 

    https://youtu.be/b7i8tZdU9Dw

    https://youtu.be/s-662mvRyFM

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 9970217

    Can't see no difference when in shadow, that's the important thing.

    With direct sunlight I can see solar version is reddish, but not less readable

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Well if you don’t want notifications this may work. Mine wouldn’t connect or sync with my Garmin Connect app after hours with the support team. Very frustrating. I didn’t want notifications either but I did want it to sync my workouts which it wouldn’t do. Hopefully you have better luck if you get one.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to e22da79009cb47469b8be5c4ab612b28

    Hope you can solve your problem, mate :-(

    I guess support will send you a new device if not :-)

    My 955 Solar will arrive tomorrow! ^_^