Garmin Forerunner 35 vs 45 vs 45S are three great running watches from the same family.
But which one of these should you buy if you are looking for a new running watch?
In this post, we will take a look at all the features and specifications of each of these watches to help you decide.
General Features: Garmin Forerunner
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Garmin Forerunner 35 Device Type Sporty/Fitness smartwatch Sporty/Fitness smartwatch Sporty/Fitness smartwatch Gender Unisex Unisex Unisex Predecessor Garmin Forerunner 35 Garmin Forerunner 35 — Successor Garmin Forerunner 55 Garmin Forerunner 55 Garmin Forerunner 45 Release Date August 2019 August 2019 August 2016 Box Items Forerunner 45, USB, Straps Charging cable, Quick start guide Garmin Forerunner 45S, Straps, USB charging cable, Quick start guide Forerunner 35, Charging cable, Manual Sensors GPS, Garmin Elevate Wrist Heart Rate Monitor, Accelerometer GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, Garmin Elevate Wrist Heart Rate Monitor, Accelerometer GPS, Garmin Elevate Wrist Heart Rate Monitor, Accelerometer
Design:
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Garmin Forerunner 35 Dimensions 42 x 42 x 11.4 mm 39.5 x 39.5 x 11.4 mm 35.5 x 40.7 x 13.3 mm Weight Small : 32g Large : 36 gSmall : 32 g Large : 36 g37.3 g Shape Circular Circular Circular Casing Material Thermoplastic Thermoplastic Polymer Strap Material Silicone silicone silicone Strap Size 129-197 mm 124-185 mm 140-200 mm Colors Black, red White, purple Black, Blue, White, Limelight Water Resistance 5 ATM 5 ATM 5 ATM
Display:
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Screen Size 1.04″ (26.3 mm) diameter 1.04″ (26.3 mm) diameter 0.93″ x 0.93″ (23.5 x 23.4 mm) Screen technology sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) Screen Resolution 208 x 208 pixels 208 x 208 pixels 128 x 128 pixels Screen Protection chemically strengthened glass chemically strengthened glass chemically strengthened glass Touchscreen Always on Display Yes Yes Yes Wake up
Smartwatch Features:
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Garmin Forerunner 35 Operation System Garmin Os Garmin Os Garmin Os Companion App Garmin Connect Garmin Connect Garmin Connect Compatibility iPhone, Android iPhone, Android iPhone, Android Connectivity Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth Music No No No Contactless Payment: No No No App Stores: Garmin Connect IQ Yes Yes Yes Calls Yes Yes Yes SMS Yes Yes Yes Email Yes Yes Yes Calendar Yes Yes Yes Weather Forecast Yes Yes Yes Timer Yes Yes Yes
Health & Safety Features:
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Garmin Forerunner 35 Heart Rate Yes Yes Yes Daily Resting Heart Rate Yes Yes Yes Abnormal Heart Rate Alerts Yes Yes No Respiration Rate (24×7) No No No Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation No No No Fitness Age Yes Yes No Body Battery™ Energy Monitor Yes Yes No Sleep Tracking Yes (advanced) Yes (advanced) Yes (advanced) Sleep Score And Insights No No No Stress Tracking No No No All-Day Stress Yes Yes No Relaxation Reminders No No No Relaxation Breathing Timer Yes Yes No Menstrual Tracking No No No Fall Detection No No No Hydration No No Yes (in Garmin Connect™) Women’s Health No No Yes (in Garmin Connect™) Health Snapshot No No No
Activity Tracking:
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Garmin Forerunner 35 Calories Intake Burned Yes Yes Yes Distance Yes Yes Yes Steps Yes Yes Yes Sleep Quality No No No Active Minutes No No No Move Bar (Displays On Device After A Period Of Inactivity; Walk For A Couple Of Minutes To Reset It) Yes Yes Yes Auto Goal (Learns Your Activity Level And Assigns A Daily Step Goal) Yes Yes Yes Floors Climbed No No No Intensity Minutes Yes Yes Yes Trueup™ Yes Yes Yes Move Iq™ Yes Yes Yes Garmin Connect™ Challenges App No No No
Sports Features:
Running:
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Garmin Forerunner 35 Available Run Profiles Running, Treadmill Running. Indoor Track Running may be added through the app Running, Treadmill Running. Indoor Track Running may be added through the app Running, Indoor Track Running, Treadmill Running Gps-Based Distance, Time And Pace Yes Yes Yes Cadence (Provides Real-Time Number Of Steps Per Minute) Yes Yes Yes Run Workouts Yes Yes No Foot Pod Capable Yes Yes Yes
Swimming:
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Garmin Forerunner 35 AVAILABLE SWIM PROFILES No No No Pool Swim Metrics (Lengths, Distance, Pace, Stroke Count, Swim Efficiency (Swolf), Calories) No No No Stroke Type Detection (Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly) (Pool Swim Only) No No No Basic Rest Timer (Up From 0) (Pool Swim Only) No No No Time And Distance Alerts No No No Underwater Wrist-Based Heart Rate No No No
Cycling:
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Garmin Forerunner 35 Alerts (Triggers Alarm When You Reach Goals Including Time, Distance, Heart Rate Or Calories) Yes Yes Yes Available Cycling Profiles Biking. Indoor Biking may be added through the app Biking. Indoor Biking may be added through the app Biking, Indoor Biking Compatible With Varia™ Radar (Rear-Facing Radar) No No No Compatible With Varia™ Lights No No No Speed And Cadence Sensor Support (W/Sensor) Yes Yes Yes
Golfing Features:
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Garmin Forerunner 35 Yardage To F/M/B (Distance To Front, Middle, And Back Of Green) No No No Yardage To Layups/Doglegs No No No Measures Shot Distance No No No Digital Scorecard No No No Stat Tracking (Strokes, Putts Per Round, Greens And Fairways Hit) No No No Garmin Autoshot™ No No No Green View With Manual Pin Position No No No Hazards And Course Targets No No No Pinpointer No No No Round Timer/Odometer No No No Automatic Club Tracking Compatible (Requires Accessory) No No No
Gym & Fitness Equipment:
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Garmin Forerunner 35 Available Gym Activity Profiles Cardio Training Cardio and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Yoga may be added through the app Cardio Training Cardio Workouts No No No Strength Workouts No No No HIIT Workouts No No No Yoga Workouts No No No Pilates Workouts No No No On-Screen Workout Animations No No No On-Screen Workout Muscle Maps No No No Automatic Rep Counting No No No
Battery and Charging:
Device Name Garmin Forerunner 45 Garmin Forerunner 45S Garmin Forerunner 35 Battery Life Smartwatch Mode: Up to 7 daysGPS mode: Up to 13 hours Smartwatch Mode: Up to 7 days,GPS mode: Up to 13 hours Up to 9 daysGPS mode: Up to 13 hours Battery Capacity Not specified Not specified Not specified Charging Type Charging cradle Charging cradle Charging cradle Charging Time About 1-2 hours About 1-2 hours About 1-2 hours Fast Charging Support No No No
Also check Apple series 7 watch vs Garmin Forerunner 945 .
Kevin is a Tech journalist for over a decade. He writes on Wearables, Headphones, and Laptops. When he is not glued to his laptop, You will find him working on exciting projects that include Unboxing new Gadgets, comparing them, and tweaking their hardware.