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 g | Small: 32 g Large: 36 g | 37.3 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.