Garmin Forerunner 655 Release

Well the 245 have new stuff  but:

Source: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/04/garmin-forerunner-245-music-gps-watch-in-depth-review.html

"Of course, at this point you may be trying to understand the difference between the Forerunner 245 and the Forerunner 645 series? No problems, here ya go:

– Forerunner 645 has a barometric altimeter (and thus better elevation metrics)
– Forerunner 645 has stair tracking (due to barometric altimeter)
– Forerunner 645 allows you to get Garmin Running Power (Stryd/RunScribe works with FR245 fine though)
– Forerunner 645 allows more custom data pages
– Forerunner 645 has Garmin Pay contactless payments
– Forerunner 645 has a fancier silver looking bezel
– Both Forerunner 645 variants have WiFi (whereas only FR245 Music has WiFi)
– And…ok, I guess that’s it now"

The main difference on 645 is the barometric altimeter and the possibility to get Garmin Running Power. For me the lack of altimeter is a NO-GO for the 245.

I personaly don't need a SpO2 sensor. But an altimeter is for me way much usefull.

I find the 645 very complete, with a discret look. I use it also for trail running, and until now I just will change maybe for a Fenix6, when I will need more than ~12h battery for longer trail run.

I agree, and I'm very happy with my 645.  But if you look in the forums, there were a lot of people who were "demanding" that Garmin add things that are in the 245 and not the 645 and upset over having paid more for features that are now in the 245.  My view was (and still is), I bought the 645 for what was available at the time.  Garmin did not promise to add new features.  I still have no regrets. (well, other than when one of their upgrades botched things up for a few weeks, and the fact that the nub that holds the watch band broke off, which seems to be a frequent occurrence in 645s).   

jkissane_ said:

Sorry I phrased that badly, don't think the 6xx series is finished just that the 645 is a dead as a product to Garmin now. Which isn't really a surprise seeing as it's well over two years old.

I've just checked Garmin's UK website and the 645 is third on their list sorted by Featured Products.  It's not reduced as the newer Fenix 6, 945, 245 and Venu are.  That doesn't mean the product's dead to them but it might mean that they are running low on stock and have no interest in selling out too soon. This could suggest that a replacement 655 is delayed or more boringly that the latest manufacturing batch for Europe is on a slow boat from China or wherever. 

I don't think it's fair to say that the watch is dead to Garmin.  Version 6.60 of the firmware came out less than a month ago and 6.61 is already in beta. 

Although it's nice to have the latest watch, I'm in two minds as to whether I would buy the 655 when it comes out.  The new features on the 245 don't seem that earth-shattering and wouldn't be enough for me to upgrade to a 655 if that's all that will be new. Also, I wouldn't downgrade to a 245 because I use the barometer and Garmin Pay is absolutely indispensable to me (which solved a problem I didn't know I had).

Maybe in a year or so the battery on my 645 will be showing signs of wear.  The other thing that would make me upgrade in an instant would be if they released a flipping Spotify app that wasn't so clunky. 

It was their "Don't miss out on our spring offers" email that I got which had no mention of the 645 at all that I was talking about. 

Just for fun I checked now, Garmin are selling the 645M on their website for €429, Argos are selling it for €280. 

jkissane_ said:

just that the 645 is a dead as a product to Garmin now.

What is your definition of a product being dead?  My 3 1/2 year old FR935 is still supported.  Just received a FW update 20 days ago.  My definition would be no updates, no sales, and no technical support.

jkissane_ said:

their site has watches ranging from the fenix 6 pro solar as the most expensive down to the vivofit 4 as the cheapest.

This is normal for a company like Garmin.  I didn't visit the site, but I'm willing to bet the F5 and FR935 were omitted also.  Why push those watches or the 645 that are older but still available when they now have the newer F6, FR945, FR245 and Venu?

Don't hold your breath on the altimeter though. I have a 645M, and it's utterly useless for me (and a few other people, judging by the amount of comments I found researching my issue...): it gives me erratic numbers.

Let me explain: my usual run is alongside the Hudson river, and is therefore mostly flat. However, the 645 M always gives me crazy elevation numbers... like 1k to 2k positive elevation in meters (for runs between 1 and 2 hours). Same goes with floors of course (up to 600...). And there is no solution to it...

I understand the presence of tall buildings around make the GPS struggle, and that may (or may not?) influence elevation as well, but it was working properly in the first 3-4 months. Now, no FW update or cleaning of the watch will do anything, and it's out of warranty.

The latest FW upgrade is either a typo or an anticipation

forums.garmin.com/.../phased-rollout-20---forerunner-6455-series-sw-6-70

Where can I get this fantastic new 6455 

Price has now dropped to £200 for the 645M in the UK so guess the retailers are clearing stock. If I didn't already have a non-music 645, think I'd definitely be picking one up.

It has dropped in price because everyone has realized that it is just garbage, we who bought it at full price have been scammed and now we have to keep it